Kimchi and Chong

Brand new to the UCF, Oviedo area, located at 7 Alafaya Woods Blvd, you will find perched right up on the road is "Kimchi," Korean Restaurant.  I have been waiting for this place to open the day they hung their sign on the building, and my patience has been greatly rewarded.  First opportunity that arose since the opening of their doors, I jumped!  Walking up to the door, a sign (in Korean) posted on the door was the first promising sign that, and here is what is important, the Koreans dine here.  This is key for authenticity!  I take note of the English translation that unfortunately they are closed on Tuesday, a quick glance at the phone....its Monday, I am good.  I step in and I immediately know that I will be enjoying myself here for two reasons. First, a table of smiling faces in front of me, jam packed with food, (so i know why they are happy.) Second, while escorted to the table, a quick look over my right shoulder I see a bar and a visual display of the beer selection, now I am happy.  Speaking of happy, I have yet to meet a service staff member as happy as ours.  "Come honey, sit down, we feed you!"  "Thank you, whats your name?"  "Honey, my name is Chong, you know like Cheech and Chong?"  Chong was amazing, she did every thing to ensure a good time there.  From answering the laundry list of questions, to showing me how to eat my food...more on that later.

Hite! Crisp, clean, and super refreshing beer.  Made from the finest water of Korea I gathered and the beer is pasteurized without heat using a ceramic filtering method (interesting.)  Really easy to drink and guess what? Goes great with Korean food!

Also interesting, was this sanitized spoon.  I can not tell you how much time I spend looking over utensils when dining out.  It is crazy how many dirty dishes one would encounter eating out.  Not here, this spoon was clean, sanitized, and I had the little paper to prove it.  Speaking of clean I cannot express how clean this restaurant is, white glove clean, surgical room clean, clean clean...I like.

I was assured that the pork dumplings were made "in house" so that was first thing ordered from the kitchen.  See the dipping sauce?  Order it by the gallon! Sweet, salty, and just the right amount of Korean red pepper to make those dumplings shine.  After further investigation, I am convinced, the dumplings are hand made, I could eat these all day long, and I just might go back, sit at the bar and do just that.

A tad bit familiar with Korean food, I do know that I love a really good Seafood Pancake, and this is by far the best one that I have had.  This cake is a festival of textures.  Crunchy and crisp at its exterior, then you move to the individual textures of the seafood, the squid being the most prevalent, and then when you get to the bottom the pan"cake" almost has a dumpling texture at the bottom.  Hard to explain but its fantastic!  What makes this cake for me though is the charred scallions you find in every bite.  It brings such a terrific smokiness to the pancake that is unmatched.  A meal within itself or in this case a perfect appetizer for two.

We headed up during lunch service, and their lunch menu is all under $8, and a steal for the amount of food that you get. This one was the Pork Bulgogi at $7, similar to a bento box, offered (from left to right) Fried tofu accompanied with a seaweed salad.  The pork, marinated and thinly sliced with vegetables.  Korean kimchi, fried pork dumplings and rice.  The value, unmatchable, the taste of everything, impressionable, and the the next course...still to come.

 Also on the lunch menu and also totaling in at $7 was the Chicken Donburi.  (means covered chicken, Chong informed me)  What she didn't tell me is that it was covered in egg and love.  Strips of nori lend depth to the dish and the vegetables are a must to tie it all together with the rice.  Now at the bottom of this bowl, totally unbenounced to me, there awaits this flavorful broth.  I was picking away at my dish, layer by layer when Chong catches me performing poorly. She comes over. 

"No! No! Honey, like this," grabs my spoon and incorporates it all together for me, makes a perfect bit on the spoon and even offered to feed it to me.  Now that is service!  She was right, the dish instantly become richer, sweeter, and more balanced.  As for the chicken, it was like schnitzel brought to the Korean level.  Moist, tender, and, succulent.  They offer the same dish in pork and beef varieties so what ever mood your in for protein, the rest is going to tie together... guaranteed.

Kimchi is located near my home turf so I plan on making this a regular stop.  I already have my eyes on a bulgogi beef burger they have on the menu, and I must stop in for dinner one night.  If you have no idea how the Koreans do dinner, then your in for a treat my friends, and that is another blog.  For now check it out, I will be the one sitting at the bar with a stack of empty plates and beer bottles for my (oh so much needed) Korean dumpling and beer rain day.  Chong...I will see you soon!

If your an avid reader of the LBC, you know that I am a sucker for after diner mints or "free candies," (that one was for you Brian,) and the one they gave us at Kimchi can be described as a bowl of "Pop's" (milk, sugar, cereal) all in one hard candy. Now that...is an after dinner mint!