The Caring Place Community Kitchen celebrated the end of another great session by dining out. We would love to take a break from laboring in the kitchen.
Minnie was asked to bring us to a Korean Restaurant. Minnie, thank you for being our Korean culinary guide again. She brought us to Kyung Bok Palace which located at the Lansdowne Mall in Richmond. I love this bright red signage on the dark wall of the restaurant because it stands out very clearly although I cant read the Korean language.
Kyung Bok Palace also has patio seatings and it’s just great for their all you can eat BBQ which is only served in the summer evenings.
One good thing about Kyung Bok Palace is there is a sample of the dishes served in the restaurant displayed outside the restaurant. These displays are common in the Asian countries. This is a good way to advertise and bring customers in as many will not dare to try new food which they have no idea how the food looks like. The pricing displays along with the model dishes also helps as one can expect how much the food costs.
All Korean restaurants serve side dishes like these which include soy bean sprouts, braised potatoes, kimchee and other vegetables. You can ask for refill for these side dishes.
Minnie was incharged of ordering the food for us. Due to the presents of people who cant eat spicy food, Minnie mainly ordered food that is not spicy. The first dish is ‘Galbijjim Jung Sik’ which is braised beef ribs and rice with side dishes. The beef ribs are tender and the sauce is slightly on the heavy side, goes best with the steamed rice. This dish costs $15.95.
Next came the ‘Haemul Pajeon’ which is Seafood and Green Onion Korean style Pancake. The pancake came in a sizzling hot plate. Jean and Minoo called this Korean Pizza. This dish also costs $15.95.
Minnie also ordered two ‘Haemul Kalguksu’ which is Seafood with Handmade Noodle. The noodles are really nice and chewy. One bowl costs $7.95. The bowl is huge and good for 2 to 3 people.
We also had ‘Tangsuyuk’ which is Sweet and Sour Pork. The pork is deep fried to crispy and drenched with lots of sauce, should goes well with rice too. This dish costs $17.95.
Lastly, we had ‘Japchae’ which is Stir-fried Sweet Potato Noodles with Shredded Meats and Vegetables like Spinach, Onion, Carrot and Mushrooms. I wonder if the sweet potato noodle is more healthy than the regular wheat noodle. This dish cost $15.95.
Overall, the meal is good except the pricing is slightly on the high side. This meal costs $95 including tips. I would like to mention that some of the members did not turn up and Minnie had ordered enough food for 10 people. The five of us ended up eating all the food and no dinner for me, I’m not sure about the rest of them. Nevertheless, we had a great time checking out each other’s summer plan and wishing each other a great summer. We’ll meet again in September.
Ben–
I agree with your assessment of this restaurant. For the price, we didn’t think it was worth it and was quite disappointing. We had the Galbi ribs, chicken and tempura (everyone seemed to be ordering tempura) and were not very impressed. Perhaps the buffet is a better deal. Are there other Korean restaurants you would recommend instead?
So where is a good place in Richmond for all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ?
Only five of you for so much food? My goodness. It all looks really good.
I agree that you can find better korean food for the price in Richmond. Although I did enjoy the salmon salad when I ate there. Their jajiangmyun is only ok. Everything else was so-so or subpar.
The fast food outlet at Yoahan Centre, the Seoul Express, never disappoints with their spicy beef soup and their tofu soup always hits the spot. The pajeon and mandu at the Jang Mo Jib in Aberdeen Centre is also very tasty and well priced.
For awesome galbi ribs, my favourite by far is Chosun on Kingsway in Burnaby. They have $9.95 lunch specials with a large bowl of noodle soup and rice, but I always find myself wanting more of those delicious ribs (they only serve a small, but yummy, portion with their lunch specials. I also think their banchans (side dishes)are delicious.
As to korean food otherwise, there are some really awesome places to try in Korea Town, otherwise known as North Road and Lougheed Highway.
Happy eating.