Episode 32: Korean Food without Compromises at Korea House

The Little One and I finally got to Korea House yesterday. It really was exceptional. To begin with: Four banchan, including fish cake, konnyaku jelly, and two different kinds of kimchi, radish and cabbage. The kimchis were fermented to the point of pungency and heavy on the chili pepper. LO devoured the fish cakes--the only non-spicy banchan--so I only got to sample a few, but they were good, with a nice balance of soy and sesame seasoning them. The konnyaku jelly was delicious, well-seasoned with soy, scallion and chili, and a brave choice for Portland.

LO was in the mood for beef, so I got her the bibimbap. I did not sample it because she insisted on adding soy sauce to it, which was not to my taste. But the egg looked nicely fried, the beef seemed well-seared, and there was a wide variety of vegetables.

I had the 고등어조림 (go deung eo jo rim), braised mackerel with Korean radish and heroic quantities of gochujang. The mackerel was served on the bone, as is traditional, the radish pungent as it should be, and the whole ensemble spicily delicious.

As a restaurant, it had a few of the decor elements that I am used to: the stainless steel lidded rice bowls, blond wood tables and, how could I have forgotten, a massive photographic mural of some very picturesque mountains and waterfall in Korea.

I won't say that there's no reason to visit their competitor, Little Seoul, which did, after all, have Korean rice with red beans, a specialty worth seeking. But in terms of the flavors and portion sizes, Korea House is closer to the mark, and makes no compromises.