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

Picnic Garden.

Not too long after he consumed 5 pounds of curry rice, Roomie was craving a new food challenge. The food had to be good and it had to be worth the money. I forgot who it was that originally proposed to go to Picnic Garden, but whoever that was, I thank them so much for mentioning the place!

There is a wide range of selections that this buffet offers. Not only do they have trays of raw goodies waiting to be grilled, but they also have various Korean banchan specialties, such as kimchi and gimbap (seen above), as well as hot soups and steamed dumplings. On the plate above is kimchi, gimbag, korean potato salad, sauteed spinach, cucumber kimchi, and lettuce kimchi. All of the kimchi varieties were very fresh and well-spiced.

On the grill here is some bulgogi, or thinly sliced and marinated beef. it cooked pretty quickly and was excellent when wrapped in fresh romaine lettuce leaves with a grilled clove of garlic and some spicy sauce.

Here, we have some chicken cooking. The chicken, as with all of the other meat, was marinated. After cooked, it was very tender and with a sweet, yet slightly spicy taste to it.

Basket of freshly-washed romaine lettuce leaves. The staff diligently paid attention to our bowls and replenished them, as well as coming around with shears to cut our meat on the grill and place new meat on if the grill was empty.

This the bowl of dipping sauce that I was using. It was spicy and garlicky and I added some chilies to try to make it more spicy, but it didn't really have an affect in the end.

Lastly, here is a plate of raw meat, waiting for an open spot on the grill.

Overall, this place is great. The marinades that they use are very fresh and the service is attentive. The staff is helpful and watches your grill like a hawk. The only thing I can complain about is that you will come out smelling like barbeque after this experience. There are vents above the grills, but the amount of grilling that you are doing cannot be handled by the fans. Wear clothes you don't mind getting smelly on these days and bring a date that would want you to smell of meat.

Price: <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