Oh,my goodness. I have a new favorite Korean restaurant in town. The just-opened Seoul Garden on Edmonson Pike (just off Nolensville Road).
I’ll give you the full review soon, when I get the food blog up and running. All I can say is that it’s everything that Koreana was, when it was at its best, and then some.
I’ll tell you two things now. One, they’ve divided the restuarant in two (BBQ you own, and traditional service). And two, the little bowls of “sides” they brought out were so perfect for us, it makes me wonder if they sized us up (caucasion couple with obviously adopted Korean kids) and brought us “sides” (what do they call those little bowls?) that fit American sensibilities. Nothing fishy or seaweed-y. Wonderfully seasoned kimchee, (cucumber and cabbage, bean sprouts, ”hot” tofu - my goodness, it was soo good!)
Of course, we all had bibimbap.
Anyway, I’l tell you more later. But y’all go check it out, the place was wonderful!
July 27, 2007 at 8:25 pm
One of the best blog titles ever.
You and Hutchmo need to start a blog title consulting service. lol
July 28, 2007 at 8:37 am
Good to know – I haven’t been there yet. I haven’t been to Koreana in a couple of years – has it gone downhill? I was pretty happy with it last time.
July 29, 2007 at 12:53 pm
I go to Koreana a couple of times a year. I find them erratic. Sometimes so, so good, and sometimes just alright. But I do love the sides/pickles, which seem always to be good. So much that last time we were there they saw we were close to finishing them all, halfway through the meal, and brought us another round. Including the fishy and seaweedy ones (in fact, the seaweed is one of my faves), so you’re scaring me about the new place, Slarti. Of course, I’m mostly ignorant about proper Korean cooking except for BBQ, so for all I know the times I think Koreana is so good they’re just giving me junk food for the American.
July 29, 2007 at 6:44 pm
nm, I’m pretty sure Koreana is really darn authentic, but like you said, they are erratic. We haven’t been able to get over the mental block of them getting a really low health score (at least initially) a couple of years ago. Maybe we should go back – I really like their “BBQ your own” setup.
If you want “extremely authentic”, but don’t care too much about presentation, I’d go with Manna, off Charlotte Ave, or Korea House on Charlotte Pike.
But Seoul Garden was in a whole different category. It’s hard to describe, but the overall experience of going there was just delightful. It might be because they are new, and just trying very hard. But, that counts too.
Give it a try. They had a “fish pot” thing (don’t ask me to pronounce the Korean name) that you would probably like. And their bugogi (do it your own) looked wonderful.
July 30, 2007 at 9:12 am
That does it, I’ve picked my “just got paid” restaurant for this month. Koreana is pretty authentic – they brought us a whole fish last time that we didn’t order, which seems weird, but is a gesture of hospitality. There were several dishes that tasted just like how my grandmother made them. The other one I’ve tried was Hai Woon Dai on Antioch Pike, which was good, although I liked Koreana a bit better. This may be because it was closer to how my family did the dishes, though.
July 30, 2007 at 9:44 am
Manna, off Charlotte Ave
Oh, thanks for mentioning that. Every time I go by there I wonder whether it’s any good, and then I forget all about it.
And ambience (as distinct from presentation) does matter,* so I take what you say about the ambience at Seoul Garden seriously. Certainly I’d never call the folks at Koreana effusively welcoming.
*I don’t mind cracked linoleum, fluorescent lights, and formica tables if the staff is friendly and the food is good. I don’t even mind low health scores, depending on what they got them for. Rats in the garbage? I don’t mind. Cockroaches on the counters? I’m outta there. But the ambience that comes from the people there, and from the suggestion that they have taken care with the food and want you to appreciate that — that matters a lot. From what you seem to be suggesting, that’s what Seoul Garden has.