Saturday 20 July 2013

Korean BBQ

This is slightly off topic from my usual posts.  But...that is the perk to having ones own blog.  You get to write what you want.  LOL

Ok, for the past two weeks at least I have been craving Korean BBQ.  I want it every day.  The weird part of this is that I have never had Korean BBQ before.  But, something inside my brain told me that I wanted it.   No Mom - I am not pregnant.
Lately I have been on a kick of trying new things.  Stepping outside of my comfort zone and getting a little uncomfortable.  Well today...was Korean BBQ day.  Finally!  I am not sure what you are like.  But I make it a habit to check out menus of places before we ever go there.  I need to choose what I am going have when I get there.  Oh sure, I listen to the special, sometimes I am even swayed to try that instead but typically...I order what I had in mind.  I like to have a plan and I follow the plan.  My husband tells me that isn't planning.  It is being neurotic.  Meh, whatevs.

Back to Korean BBQ.  My husband picked up the takeout menu and had the guy circle the popular items on the menu and tell him what dishes he most preferred.  And then he handed it off to me.

I had to start with the dumplings.  I am a huge fan of dumplings.  Pot stickers, perogies, gyoza, pierogies, wontons....I don't care what you call them...I love them.  These ones were deep fried dumplings. Beef rather than pork.  But I wasn't going to let that stop me.

Next I ordered Spicy Pork Bulgogi followed by Kimchi Pork Hotspot.  My husband snuck in an order of Jajangmyun (noodles in a black bean sauce).

I was a little afraid that I had built this up to taste better than it actually would.  Regardless of that I was salivating by the time my husband walked in the door with it.

We started with the Kimchi Pork Hotspot.  It was marked HOT on the menu so I was expecting some spice.  It definitely lived up to that label.  Spicy delicious, soupy, porky, cabbagey goodness.  Wowsers.  I want more thinking of it.  I left the tofu in the bowl.  I am still not a fan of tofu.  It should be called NOFU.  I highly recommend this dish if you find yourself battling a summer cold.  It will have your sinuses running in no time.

Next were the dumplings.  Sadly disappointing.  I think that it was because they were deep fried.  It killed most of the flavor and by the time they got home they were wilted and chewy rather than crispy.  The beef filling was good.  I enjoyed it independently from the wrapper.

I followed the dumplings with Spicy Pork Bulgogi on steamed white rice.  Totally delicious.  Nice and spicy.  Many layers of flavors.  Great with extra kimchi and whatever the other pickled side dish was.  The pickled side dish helped to cut the heat.

Jajangmyun - Even though my mouth was warm from the previous dishes, I still felt that it had good flavor.  I am a little twisted so I was wishing it can with more spice.  Next time I will eat that first.

All in all, I will be visiting the Korean BBQ House again. Many times over.  Perhaps in August during my 30 Day Bravery Challenge I will order Altang (Black Cod Eggs and Tofu) and the Spicy Octopus Stir Fry.

The fact that the food turned out to be delicious was just a bonus.  I was proud of myself for trying something new.  After all...Neale Donald Walsh summed it up perfectly...Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.  I can rest easy knowing I lived a little today.

Try something new....I double dog dare you! Lead Life Joyfully!

Much Love,

Lisa

4 comments:

  1. Hi Lisa - I really enjoyed your post. You made the meal come alive a second time. Congrats on getting to day 20 of the challenge!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you! I was laughing about the fact that I was blogging about food...but hey, I enjoyed it. And I am super happy that you did as well! Have a fantastic day!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Now that I'm super hungry, I'm going away from my computer in search of awesomeness. I've never had Korean BBQ either, but it sounds awesome... well, except for the prospect of disappointing dumplings. I'm 100% in your camp on the awesomeness of that particular food item, indiscriminate of name or origin. :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Kieta Lynn - So I should have posted an update...the dumplings were AMAZING the next day. I am not sure exactly what made them so much better. But....wow...I wish I had more than the three leftover! And if you do try Korean - get enough for leftovers. All the dishes tasted subtly different and even more delicious :)

    ReplyDelete