Chow Down Atlanta

Three words: Korean Black Goat. Possibly the only place serving Korean native goat dishes, Bang Ga Nae sits on PIB between Pleasant Hill and GA-120. This place used to be a Malaysian restaurant years ago. I’m glad they’ve kept the pond with waterfall inside. Rather than tables, they have booths with high backs for privacy. They also have two tatami-style seating arrangement for bigger parties which I would not recommend unless you want to sit cross-legged which is so bad for your knees.

Now if you’ve never had Korean goat before, then you’re in for a treat. I’ve only had black goat in Asia and this is the first place I’ve seen it on the menu. Black goat meat is very tender and not gamey at all. Here at Bang Ga Nae, they serve black goat meat in many different ways: stewed (the most common way of preparation), broiled, and deep fried. I wanted to taste the meat in its purest form so I opted for their Deep Fried variety. Lost in translation, my sweet-and-sour sauce on the side ended up served with the meat. Oh well. In this dish, the goat meat is sliced in thin strips then dipped in cornstarch batter before deep frying. The coating is very light and thin but with a slight chew. The meat? Buttery. Melt-in-your-mouth good and better than lamb, mutton, or veal. I can’t wait to go back for their stew and broiled meat.

Although pricier than most Korean places, they do have combo specials that pair galbi with noodles or soup. They also have bibimbap and soups that start at $5.99. Bang Ga Nae is an absolute delight. And go for the black goat meat if anything else.

Notes: The sweet and sour sauce that they use is totally different from the Chinese kind. It is very light (in taste and color) and they use pineapple juice as a souring agent. It is very good but get it on the side so your meat won’t get soggy. A much better alternative is to dip your deep fried goat meat in Korean chili paste.

The galbi here is quite expensive at $14.99 and the serving is small (about the same as the lunch portion as Book Chang Dong) but the meat is sliced thicker (though fattier). Taste-wise, I’m not a big fan — for some reason, it just didn’t do it for me. Good but not stellar like other places.

Insider tip:
Friendly but excruciatingly slow service.

The scoop:
Bang Ga Nae
3312 Peachtree Industrial Blvd., Suite B
Duluth, GA 30096
(678) 417-7769

Technorati Tags: Korean cuisine, Duluth, GA, Peachtree Industrial Blvd, Korean goat, black goat

Do you have eating phases? I do. Last week, I ate Korean seven times, three for dinner and four for lunch. I’m over that now and I’m currently into my Cuban phase. This may be the last Korean post for a couple of weeks. Unless, of course, I find another new Korean joint (which is always the case in Gwinnett).

Big House opened 6 or 7 months ago. It is the lone occupant in a teeny tiny plaza on PIB right before you hit Abbots Bridge (GA 120) if you are heading north. The place serves a more traditional Korean fare and caters to the more upscale, more authentic Korean clientele brought about by the golf course nearby. The decor is very Asian — lots of lacquered wood with booths partitioned in wooden slats. Every booth is equipped with a small flat screen tv which is neat.

Each table has two earthen jars of house made kimchi (cabbage and radish). The kimchi is very fresh and crunchy. The taste and quality is also a lot better than most places. The server will give you small plates, tongs, and scissors for you to be able to dish them out and cut them into manageable bites. An assortment of 7 banchan is served additionally and these aren’t the common ones either: rice cakes, chap jae (stir-fried noodles), soy beans, and egg-battered fried vegetables. This is one of the very few places where fruits are part of the banchan. I like that. Fruits help cut down the fatty taste in your mouth.

I opted for a more traditional soup: cabbage, jellied ox blood cubes, shaved beef, tripe, and vegetables in a spicy kimchi-beef broth. It was delicious and hearty but definitely not for the novice. There were also a lot of mustard leaves and some stringy weeds that made this soup quite filling.

The Bulgogi soup is just fantastic. It tastes very similar to Japanese sukiyaki. The broth is salty-sweet with lots of bulgogi. Enoki mushrooms complete this comforting soup.

There are bento boxes that offer complete lunches which include your choice of meat (bulgogi or galbi), as well as bibimbap, pancakes, and tofu soups. Definitely a great place for authentic soups with nice ambiance to boot.

Insider tip:
A smaller portion of seafood pancake is available during lunch for $4.99.

The scoop:
Big House Korean Restaurant
3305 Peachtree Industrial Blvd.
Duluth, GA 30096
(678) 417-7330

Technorati Tags: Korean, soups, Duluth, bulgogi, galbi, Korean food

I was really very surprised when I walked in the door. The decor screams “Midtown-Buckhead-ish” (to quote friend B). Yet the location spells nondescript strip mall in the middle of suburbia. Now occupying the spot vacated by Banaras (another good Indian restaurant which closed before I could get my post up), and just like its sister Udipi Cafe Decatur, this Duluth location offers a pure vegetarian South Indian cuisine.  Now I’m not really a big fan of vegetarian cuisine, but I found a favorite here.

The lunch menu consists of different thalis which they call Luncheon. Think of thali as a sampler platter. It’s a great way to taste most of the items on their menu. My favorite here is the Leisure Luncheon, a South Indian thali which comes with Kootu, Poriyal, Poori (fried puff bread), Rice, Rasam, Dhal, Raita, Papad, Payasam, and Pickles. All these for $7.95.

For the same price, I also get the North Indian thali which is equally delicious. It comes with a creamy Palak Paneer, Vegetable Korma, Channa Masala, Dhal, Rice, Chapatti, Rasam, Raita, Papad, and Pickles.

The carrot halwa (that came with the thalis on my last visit and is available on the menu as a dessert) was the best I’ve had. This popular dessert has the consistency of very, very thick applesauce and is made with grated carrots which is simmered in honey and butter. Here, they  include pineapple and golden raisins. Seriously, I’m already addicted.

The Paper Masala Dosa is an intimidating-looking crispy crepe made with a batter of rice and black lentils then filled with curry mashed potatoes and onions. The version here is huge — almost two feet long. The crepe is perfectly fried and the filling is a flavorful creamy curry. It is served with sambar and chutney. This makes for a good appetizer.

I love naan bread but they don’t have it available for lunch. No matter, I always get a free extra piece of chapatti every time. My meals here have always been filling and satisfying. Everything tastes delicious and they use fresh, quality ingredients.  To top it off, service is the best.

Insider tip:
Gourmet Britain provides a good description of Indian food here.
They have a nice patio for dining al fresco.

The scoop:
Udipi Cafe
3300 Peachtree Industrial Blvd
Duluth, GA 30096
(678) 584-5840

Technorati Tags: Udipi Cafe, Peachtree Industrial Blvd, Duluth, Indian food, Indian restaurant, thali

This restaurant offers a more traditional menu and mainly soups but they do have a few items that are not: fried rice, bulgogi, pork bulgogi, and maybe two stir-fry dishes. My choice of dish here is the Galbi Tang (beef rib soup) which I get every time I visit. The broth is very flavorful. The ribs are tender but could have used another 20 minutes in the pot to make them fork tender and fall-of-the-bone. Although the amount of ribs was substantial, they use different cuts of beef making them look like scraps from other dishes. No matter, the soup is very comforting.

The banchan has a good selection and they give you 8 which is standard. I like the soy beans and peanuts, as well as the steamed broccoli doused with kimchi sauce.

One of my quirks when visiting hole-in-a-wall Korean places is that their bulgogi tastes soapy. It’s not the case here. Their version is very flavorful with tender pieces of meat. A great accompaniment to the kimchi fried rice.

The very simple kimchi fried rice is so not worth it for $6.99 because it’s nothing but rice and no meat but the taste is quite okay with a very distinctive eggy taste to it. I don’t recommend eating this by itself (it’s not filling) — you have order the bulgogi with it. For the best Kimchi Fried Rice, you must, must go to Tofu 88.

Definitely a great place for cheap but okay eats.

Inside scoop:
Not a lot of English spoken here. Be ready to point at what you want on the menu or tell them the Korean name of the dish you want.
Sorry, no galbi here.

The scoop:
Jin Mi Garden
2863 Peachtree Industrial Blvd.,
Duluth, GA 30097
(770) 418-9579

Technorati Tags: Korean food, PIB, soups. Duluth, cheap eats

I’ve been going to Sushi Yoko for many, many years — back when it was still called Sushi Yoshi. It remains my go-to place for a great yet inexpensive lunch. Yoshi was really stellar but the owners decided to move it to Spalding Dr. a few years ago, and ended up selling Yoko. As fate would have it, Yoshi closed not too long ago and Yoko, whose owners were smart enough to keep all of Yoshi’s fans is still going strong and has been for quite a while.

Everything here is good and I suggest you go during lunch if you want to eat through the menu at very reasonable prices. You see, a combination of two items costs only $7.50 and includes miso soup and salad. I always get two combinations for a total of 4 items which sets me back a mere $15. Can’t beat that. Sushi and sashimi lunch plates cost the same. Other items start at $6.85 and nothing goes over $10.50.

My favorite items here are: hamachi kama (small but very fresh, seasoned perfectly), broiled salmon, udon (chewy noodles), tempura, katsudon, gyoza (grilled and very good), nikujaga (beef stew, simmered for hours), chirashi, and of course, the sushi and sashimi. The fish here is good quality and always fresh. Be warned, though, as service has never been a selling point here. But the staff is quite responsive if you just make sure you flag them.

Insider tip:
Sodas have NO free refills.

The scoop:
Sushi Yoko
7124 Peachtree Industrial Blvd
Norcross, GA 30071
(770) 903-9348

Technorati Tags: Japanese food, PIB, Atlanta