Chow Down Atlanta

It’s difficult to find a place when the only sign they have is in Korean characters. I passed by this place literally twice before I realized it was a restaurant. Opened four months ago, it’s a favorite among Koreans and the two times I’ve been, I have yet to see any non-Koreans except me.

This place specializes in soups although there are other Korean staples on the menu. I was floored by the Spicy Kimchi Galbi soup. It is the best in the city. If you’ve been a regular visitor on this site, you’ll realize I was meant to be Korean. That or I must have been one in my past life. I eat Korean more than any other cuisines at any given time. I’ve been to about 90% of all the Korean restaurants in the city and I seriously drive up and down Duluth, Suwanee, and Buford Highway looking for newly opened Korean restaurants. But back to my soup. The broth was so bold and sharp — flavorful, simmered for hours, with chunks of fork-tender boneless galbi, leeks, and pickled cabbage. It is very spicy but not so that only the heat is what you taste. Despite it, the tasy broth shines through. This is truly the best soup ever.

I’m not a fan of Sulungtang (bland milky beef soup) but it’s a yard stick when it comes to milky soups (and yes, they don’t come seasoned). Their version is quite fantastic, too. It has lots of tender beef slices and clear noodles. The broth has the right amount of milkiness, and with a few shakes of salt, becomes a wonderful first course.

Galbi-gi is another measuring stick when it comes to barbecued meats. Theirs has the perfect balance of sweet and salty, marinated for hours, has tender pieces of ribs that are grilled lightly yet perfectly. Quite delicious but on the expensive side. A few pieces will set you back $15.99.

Not very many Korean places serve fried rice (most only serve bibimbap which they also have). Here, there are three kinds of fried rice: beef, pork, and shrimp. I love it that they use dry cooked rice (as opposed to mushy and soggy). They add lots of slivered meat and chunks of egg. The smokiness of this rice dish is enough to whet your appetite. It’s a good filler and goes well with the galbi.

Incidentally, they have the freshest, housemade kimchi with its crunchy veggies and deep, red sauce. They give you 6 at most but if you’re like me, I’d rather go for quality than quantity. This is now one of my most favorite Korean places. Do not miss the spicy soup.

Insider tip:
Right next door to Umaido.
In the shopping complex where Super H Suwanee is located.

The scoop:
Kang Seo
2790 Lawrenceville Suwanee Rd.,
Suwanee, GA 30024
(770) 932-7753

This place was a regular haunt during my undergrad days for late night dining. Not because it’s got amazing food (it’s good), but because it’s open 24 hours a day. In fact, it’s better known as the Korean Waffle House. The galbi here is pretty good, and so is the bibimbap. The tofu soups are a little on the thin side (watery) but good and hearty, nonetheless. The bulgogi tastes soapy most times so do steer away from that. There is, however, one thing on the menu that I go for again and again, and can’t be found anywhere else in the city…

Kimchi Fried Rice. This is my absolute, most favorite dish here. It’s made with tasty cubes of pork stir-fried in kimchi then served atop white, steaming rice in a hot stone bowl. Mix them up good and this is a slice of heaven. It is very spicy, very tasty, and very filling. I had a craving the other day so I went in for a late lunch. Nothing has changed. And that’s good.

Incidentally, I finished everything laid out in front of me. Every last bit. Of course, I needed a big nap afterwards.

Insider tip:
No alcohol served.

The scoop:
88 Tofu House
5490 Buford Hwy NE
Doraville, GA 30340-1126
(770) 457-8811

This is my life saver restaurant. Because if everything’s close, WF is open. Well, Buford Highway-slash-ChinaTown is open, too, but if you happen to be on a road trip and it’s midnight on Thanksgiving Day (and I can’t imagine myself on the road during this time, but anything can happen), you’d be rejoicing that it is. Open, I mean.

When I was still a poor college kid in undergrad, my friends and I would eat cheap so that we can spend our allowance on other frivolous things. I’m still a poor college kid lady (grad this time) and I still think WF’s return-on-investment can’t be beat. Waffle House epitomizes cheap eats. I mean, where else can you find made-to-order breakfast for less then 3 bucks? And you’ll be surprised because the food isn’t that bad.

So I came in one day just for kicks. I haven’t been in a long while. I wanted a snack but didn’t want to eat junk. I look at the menu and see waffles. Hmmm, as in Waffle House? So I get one and a one-egg breakfast. I have never been a waffle person. It’s probably the crunch that I dislike. Give me soft (and yeasty) anytime. But I wanted to try it. I mean, they’re not called what they are if they didn’t make it good, right? Besides, they’re around two dollars. With chocolate chips. Nothing to lose (but my $2).

I watched Mr. Cook as he poured the batter in the waffle maker. The makers look like scary implements. So different from the ones I see at Williams-Sonoma. Less than 5 minutes later, I was presented with this:

I slathered some butter, poured some syrup and took a bite. I was stunned! This was the most soft and chewy waffle I have ever had. It had just enough small chocolate chips inside so as not to render it too sweet and a few additions on top for good measure. Really, this is one good great waffle. I take back every bad thing I’ve said about waffles. This was fantastic. It was almost pancake-like with just a tiny, teeny hint of crunch. It was so good I finished it in two minutes flat! And I’m a very slow eater.

Next up, my one-egg breakfast. It was nothing special — just an egg, some toast, and the customary hashbrowns. For $2.40, this is the best bang for your buck. I’ve been to places where one egg costs $3 and I still reel when I think about it.

Did you know the first WF opened in Avondale Estates? They now have over 1500 locations. And they’re open 24 hours all year long. So if you get hungry and nothing is open, you know where to go.

Insider tip:
Most places now accept Visa and Mastercard.

The scoop:
Waffle House
1500 locations

Technorati Tags: Waffle House, open 24 hours, waffles, breakfast

This is not your typical Buford Highway joint. First of all, it has ambiance. The place is ‘zen-fully’ decorated with contemporary design. Due to this ambiance, the clientele is also different as most everyone is garbed in their Sunday best. The restaurant is huge, comprising of two floors each with its own hostess stand, cash register, kitchen, and servers.

Myung Ga Won sits in a brand new plaza off Venture Dr. in Duluth and opened about two months ago. It serves cold noodles, soups (tang), and traditional Korean barbecue (gi). Although prices are a bit more and portions are generally small, the pay-off is in the quality and taste.

The banchan (appetizers) included items not common to most Korean restaurants in town. Most notable were the mashed potatoes topped with a sweetish yellow gravy, paper-thin slices of fresh radish, sliced onions in sauce, wasabi potato pancakes, and chunks of radish kimchi.

Thick pieces of meat are used for the bulgogi and each order comes with a basket of fresh romaine lettuce leaves, chili paste, slices of fresh garlic and jalapenos. For those not familiar with what to do with these sides, what you do is take a piece of lettuce leaf, spread some chili paste, add garlic and jalapenos, add the barbecued meat, roll like a burrito, and eat. Most traditional Korean barbecue places serve such sides with their barbecued meats. Anyway, MGW’s bulgogi was superb — there’s a perfect blend of sweet-salty taste to the flavorful marinated meat. It is also grilled perfectly: slightly browned on the outside and pinkish in the center. I loved that the grilled meats came with a few slices of grilled zucchini, mushrooms, and squash.

The beef soup (Sulung tang) was terrific and comforting — it was slightly milky and wonderfully seasoned. It had slices of lean meat as well as chunks of fork-tender beef. As authenticity dictates, it was served with a side of sliced green onions to add as much to the broth as one pleases. There were other items that were ordered during this visit including the tasty Seafood Pancake that was thicker than in other restaurants, and Bibimbap that came with chunks of meat. Both were equally delicious.

While prices are generally higher and portions are smaller, all in all, I was impressed with the taste, quality, and authenticity of the food. It’s definitely a new favorite place of mine. We came in at 5pm on a Sunday and the place was packed. Not a single table was empty. Half an hour later, there was already a wait. Good news travel fast. By the way, this place is open 24 hours.

Insider tip:
The upstairs dining area requires climbing two flights of stairs.
Located in a brand new plaza next door to the plaza where Venture Cinema and Santa Fe Mall is located.

The scoop:
Myung Ga Won
also goes by Korean House
1960 Day Dr, Duluth, GA 30096
770-622-1300

Technorati Tags: Venture Dr, Duluth, Korean cuisine, open 24 Hours, Korean barbecue