There are some prerequisites for dining at this restaurant:
- You have to like tofu.
- You have to like soup.
- You have to like spicy food.
A little understanding of Korean cuisine is helpful. Lacking that, a sense of adventure would be good.
For those of you still with me, this is a wonderful little place to get a good meal of tofu soup. In fact, with just two exceptions, tofu soup is all you can get here. The exceptions are Korean BBQ ribs and a kind of rice salad called bibimbob.
There are eight varieties of the soup, like mushroom and tofu or oyster and tofu or pork and tofu. My husband and I always seem to order the beef and tofu soup because it's so delicious.
The degree of fire power is up to you. We choose medium, which is plenty spicy. You can also choose non-spicy and mild, but I don't know why you would. The spice is part of the soup's character and charm. On the opposite end of the spectrum are spicy and extra spicy, if you dare.
All soups cost $6.47 (when you add the sales tax the total comes to an even $7). All come with a small salad, five traditional cold side dishes, like different types of kimchee, seaweed in soy sauce and pickled bean sprouts. And you get a bowl of steaming rice.
The soup arrives literally boiling in a little tureen. Your waiter will offer to crack a raw egg into the soup. Not to worry- there's no question the egg will cook in the steaming brew. The soup is loaded with tofu but the beef is not plentiful. It appears to be there primarily to add taste to the broth. Even so, this is a surprisingly hearty meal. You won't leave hungry.
Be aware that this popular little restaurant, located in an Asian-oriented strip mall, caters to the Korean community. While the menu is in Korean and English, the courteous and friendly servers generally have limited English-language skills. Unless you speak Korean, your best bet is to just take a chance and dig in!
