Wonjo Restaurant.

A trip to Korea Town was due upon my return to the United States, but we wanted to try a place that we hadn't tried before, so we looked at the menu at Wonjo and saw that the prices were reasonable, so we went in. We were pleasantly surprised by the polite service and decent food.

As with all Korean restaurants, complementary banchan (appetizers) were brought out after we ordered our food. From top to bottom, left to right, are bean sprouts, radish kimchi, pickled spinach, kimchi, squid, mushrooms, and crispy sardines. It was alright, but I found the assortment offered at other restaurants to be better.

Both Squishy and I got the bibimbap, mixed rice and vegetables. It comes in a sizzling hot stone bowl with plenty of different vegetables and a fried egg on top.

You first add Korean hot pepper paste and then you stir until everything is well mixed.

This is what you get! The bibimbap was actually pretty good here and they gave us a huge portion. There seemed to be more toppings offered here than at other places where I have been before. Both Squishy and I were very full after this meal.

H got the Spicy Soft Tofu Stew. He said it was alright, but didn't particularly like it. From the looks of it, this dish is probably trumped by that of other Korean places we have been to.

Dre got a Spicy Lamb Stew and noted that the dish was extremely spicy and to her liking. She couldn't finish it, but like the veggies and lamb, which was very tender. Paired with rice, it was good.

Overall, the food here was alright. I would recommend the rice dishes, but better stews could probably be found at other places. It is to my understanding, also, that the restaurant has also raised their prices since we went there, so the more expensive prices may dissuade us from returning there.

Price: <3<3<3

Taste: <3<3<3<

Atmosphere: <3<3<3<

Opinion: OK to try

Woorijip.

In the Spring of 2010, H and I went to Woorijip for a very quick and light appetizer to a meal that we planned to share with friends later on in the evening. We had to wait for them, but we were starving. So Hector knew of this place, which I had always wanted to try, and we went in to the packed buffet-style restaurant.

Woorijip has a wide range of selection of Korean favorites, from kimchi pancakes, pictured above, to gimbap, similar to sushi, and fried rice, rice cakes, fish, beef, soups, and korean desserts. The kimchi pancakes were excellent. Freshly made and still warm, it was crisp and moderately spicy, the cabbage crunching with cool freshness, while also having a nice crust from pan-frying. Cheap and yummy!

H got some sort of fried gimbap. Inside, there was bean thread noodles and shrimp. H ended up not liking it, though. It was very oily tasting from being deep fried.

Lastly, we tried a Korean steamed cake. It was presented wrapped in cellophane with a cute little sticker. When I picked it up, it was still warm.

From the time that I picked it up, however, until the time we ate it, the cake had already started to cool. Though still soft and sweet, with a nice almost chewy texture, the cake was starting to cool. I feel that it would have been better if we ate it when it was still warm, but it still gets props!

Overall, this place is a great place to pick up a quick bite to eat or even take things out for a reasonable price. It will definitely satiate your cravings for Korean food. It gets packed during lunch and dinner time, but with patience, you can find yourself some chairs and a table if you wish to eat the food there.

Price: <3<3<3<3

Taste: <3<3<3<3<

Atmosphere: <3<3<3<

Opinion: Recommended

BCD Tofu House.

On the day of MY and S' arrival, Mic and I took them to BCD Tofu House for Dinner.  Here are a few pictures of what we consumed.

Here is a picture of the banchan that we received with our meal.  Banchan are like appetizers in Korea.  From left to right: fish cakes with a few small red chilis, regular pickles, some kind of spicy pickled octopus or fish, kimchi, pickled broccoli, and potato salad.  Overall, the banchan was tasty.  I especially liked the pickled broccoli and kimchi.  S, who is from Korea, said that the kimchi at BCD Tofu is one of the best kimchi that she has ever had, so the kimchi must be really good there.

With all of the Soondubu that we ordered, we were given a small fried fish and a cool and refreshing vinegary soup with some pieces of napa cabbage and cucumber.  The fish was nice and tender with a nice crisp outside.  The only thing that I can complain about is that the fish was so boney, but that's what you always get when you eat a fish like that.

MY got the Dolsot Bibimbap, which is one of his favorite dishes.  He enjoyed it and commented that he likes how the hot stone bowl crisps up the rice on the bottom.

S, Mic, and I got different variations of the Soondubum, or tofu stew.  I got the beef soondubu, pictured above.  It comes with a bowl of rice, which was cooked in a stone bowl, and a bowl of fan diu, the crispy rice from the bottom of the pot mixed with some water.  The soondubu was very delicious and came out piping hot, bubbling in its stone pot.  It was a very enjoyable and warming meal, great on that cold evening.

Overall, it was a good meal.  Everything was fresh and delicious, and the atmosphere of the restaurant was comfortable and trendy.

Price: <3<3<

Taste: <3<3<3<3<

Atmosphere: <3<3<3<3

Opinion: Recommended

BCD Tofu House

in Murray Hill

17 W 32nd St.

(212) 967-1900

Ichi Umi, a.k.a. Todai Sushi Buffet.

On Tuesday February 24th, 2009, also know as Fat Tuesday, we ventured to Ichi Umi Sushi Buffet to engorge ourselves with highly priced, but also high quality sushi and food.  Some of you may remember this restaurant by its former name of Todai Sushi Buffet.  With the new name, however, it still looks exactly the same, has the same staff, and the same great food.

Here is my 1st Plate.  There is too much piled on my plate to identify certain things.  All you can do is admire and drool at the beauty.  The sushi is always good and they don't skimp on the fish and give you small amounts of rice.  Not cheap like other sushi buffets, so you basically get your money's worth.  The tempura is always crispy, abundant, and fresh.

Volatile likes to eat dessert first, so here is a plate of the various mini cakes that Ichi Umi offers.  All very good.

2nd Plate for me.  Less ambitious, considering that my first plate had two layers that I scarfed down.  I began to feel full very fast, but I surged on.  There are some spicy maki on my plate.  I particularly like the spicy maki here because they are always really spicy.

Volatile's veggie sushi.  Fruit sushi was interesting and something that I had never seen before.  Volatile said that she liked it very much, particularly, the pineapple one.

Fresh fruit for Volatile.  Nothing crazy here, but a sexy arrangement.  Kudos to Volatile!

Miso Soup.  It was pretty good, although the kelp that was used was a little more brown than I am used to, but it tasted fine.  I liked the fact that there were real pieces of tofu and you could add your own fresh scallions.

My dessert plate.  My favorites were the red strawberry and purple blueberry cakes.  The other desserts were OK.  I was just a little ticked off that there wasn't any green tea or red bean ice creams.

That is all of the pictures that I have.  Roomie came along, but he kept banging one plate after the other and I couldn't keep up with him and get pictures of his plates.  I'll just say that he left feeling very guilty, but satisfied by how much he put away.

Overall, very good variety of sushi here, even for lunch.  Dinner, though priced even higher, has an even greater variety of sushi.  Hot entrees are also very delicious.  The tempura is particularly light and fresh.  Great variety of fresh fruit and delectable desserts.

Price: <3<3<

Taste: <3<3<3<3<3

Atmosphere: <3<3<3<3

Opinion: Highly Recommended