tasty new korean restaurant

Seppo and I went to a good Korean restaurant last night. We had gone once before -- the food was excellent, but the service was so slow that we were questioning if we should ever go back. Yes, I know what I said about the service before, but this was a different type of joint: less bustling, large groups and more couples, and a smaller staff in a quieter environment. So this was definitely not a "get up and flag someone down" kind of place.

We had noticed that there was a group of 14 the last time we were there, which is probably why service was so slow, so we decided to give it another shot. And indeed the food was excellent and the service was good -- they were fast and quiet but nice. Last time, Seppo had the dumpling w/ rice cake soup and I had a galbi + soft tofu stew combo, with a bin de dduk appetizer (made from ground mung beans, or maybe soy beans?). THe bin de dduk was the best I've ever had. The dumpling soup had a rich flavorful soup, and the dumpling and rice cake were perfectly cooked. The rice cake still had a little chew and structure, instead of being overcooked as it could easily be. The dumplings had enough integrity not to simply fall apart in the soup.

The galbi was good, not spectacularly wonderful or remarkable in any way, but good. It definitely was not too sweet, which is how some restaurants make it.

[to be continued, as Seppo is waiting for me.]