Tucked away in the back of the Trowbridge strip mall in East Lansing is a fantastic Korean restaurant. Korea House's external facade is plain but the restaurants interior is beautiful with wooden accents and Asian art.
I was meeting a friend for lunch and as I was waiting I was drawn to all the amazing dishes that were on the tables in front of me. Steaming bowls of soups and stews, plates piled with chicken, tofu and vegetables. I didn't know what to choose. The menu offers Korean dishes, Japanese noodles and sushi. (see the sushi bar in the above photo). Luckily my girlfriend arrived quickly, and was as hungry as I was, so I did not have a hard time convincing her to order an appetizer, as well as, a meal. The Korean pancakes (Nokdu-Bindaetteok) were just too tempting not to try. I ordered the Soondubu Chigae (Tofu and seafood in a spicy soup) wanting something warm because it is still so cold here in Michigan. My girlfriend ordered the combo of spicy chicken and bulgogi that at lunch comes in a bento box with tempura vegetables, rice and kimchee.
Much to our surprise and delight they gave us salad (with ginger dressing) and kimchee, onion and stir fried fish cake for starters. I loved the fish cake. I ate the whole bowl and wanted more!
Then came the pancakes. They were lightly fried creating a crispy exterior but when you took a bite the inside was soft and moist. So good I could have had it for a main dish!
My soup arrived quickly and was still bubbling in front of me. Thick soft pieces of tofu, shrimp and mussels bathed in a spicy broth. So good! There were pieces of zucchini and onion that accented the broth and seafood well.
The food was so fantastic and there was so much of it! I had enough to take home for my son to have for lunch the next day. He was so happy and said his friends were jealous of his meal. I was a happy girl that day!
My husband and I split for dinner the spicy chicken and bulgogi leftovers. We, too, were ha-a-a-PY!
ReplyDeleteSo nice eating with you, Cheri!