Coreana
Update: Coreana is closed.
In a word: A great place to take sides.
The specs: #0098
Address, hours & details via Isthmus; reviews at Yelp, QSC, Cap Times.
Amanda ate the pork bulgogi.
JM ate the ribeye bulgogi and a lemonade.
Nichole ate the vegetarian jhap-chae and a Coke.
The bill was $32, or $10.66/person, plus tip.
Amanda gave Coreana an A-; JM and Nichole gave Coreana a B+ (see our grading rubric).
Latest Coreana news and reviews
None if us has had much experience with Korean cuisine. Yet we all enjoyed Coreana despite our naive palates.
The decor is indeed stripped down, but this has its benefits: it's extremely tidy, and Amanda noted that there was enough light on each table to read, play games, or just make good conversation. That they serve Coke is a plus in our book, especially since we haven't had a Coke since Chuck E. Cheese.
As for the food, the bulgogi was a hit. JM's disappeared fast (using a requested fork helped). It was not too spicy, which was nice. Amanda <3 pork, and the bulgogi was really good. The array of side dishes - sweet fish cake, a variant on mashed potato, kimchi, pickle - was charming and flavorful, but some might their number overwhelming. More than 75% of the table is covered in some sort of serving/eating dish.
Nichole's vegetarian jhap-chae was the best noodle dish in recent memory: translucent sweet potato noodles with mushrooms, cabbage, carrots, and onions served hot in a not-too-spicy, savory sauce. The rice was nice and just the right kind of sticky.
This time we skipped the bibimbap and kalbi giyi, but someday our time will come. With luck, before University Square is a thing of the past.
<3 less than three pork? I was scratching my head. Then I remembered the I LOVE PORK comment, and it all came back to me. Pretty clever little heart symbol there.
Posted by: Amanda | June 27, 2005 at 08:29 PM
The food is really good, you get an incredible portion for your money, and it's clean. The appetizers are all highly recommended. Avoid the squid or octopus dishes and try everything else. A+
Posted by: Smith | October 21, 2007 at 05:33 PM
bibimbap is to die for. Also if they have it, get some Yaki man do. Best dumplings ever.
Posted by: Joshua Sexton | May 31, 2008 at 01:02 AM