Gastrolust

In Bellevue, Oma Bap is a new Korean restaurant in the midst of a grand opening celebration through tomorrow. “Inspired” is a word they tout, but I’m not quite feeling the inspiration.
Part of the problem is in the honesty that the food is “Korean inspired.” My bibimbap (and the other food [...]

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Dish: Job chae
Place: Kimchi Bistro, Capitol Hill
Price: $10.00
On the plate: Per the menu: “stir-fried potato noodles w/assorted veg and beef.”
Supporting cast: Banchan (including cabbage kimchi, bean sprouts, and daikon) and a small portion of rice.

What to do: Dig in, eating the banchan between bites of the job chae.
Noodling around: I love to cook jobchae (or [...]

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Dish: Ja-Jang Noodles
Place: Red Lantern, International District, Seattle
Price: $11.95
In the bowl: Fresh, Korean wheat noodles (thick spaghetti size) with a julienne cucumber garnish
Supporting cast: A second bowl contains fermented black bean paste, beef, shrimp, squid, onions, and zucchini. And a side dish with pickled daikon slices, raw onion pieces, and plum paste.

What to [...]

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Dish: Bee Bim Naeng Myun
Place: Hae-Nam Kalbi & Calamari in Shoreline
Price: $8.95
In the Bowl: A fiery red mass of buckwheat noodles with daikon kimchi, cucumber, beef slices, Asian pear, and half of a boiled egg.
Supporting Cast: Scissors, and a small bowl of clear beef broth. Also a nice selection of banchan and, if you ask, [...]

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When Jonathan Kauffman, Seattle Weekly’s former food guru, recommended a restaurant, I always went without hesitation. His reviews resonated with me, as we have similar food preferences.
But when a recent shopping trip to H Mart in Lynnwood enabled a visit to Original Sul Lung Tang, I had a rare episode of betrayal. Kauffman had been [...]

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Go to Tai Ho (despite repeated recommendations, it took me 11 years), and if you’re observant, you’ll notice two different-colored take-out menus at the front counter. If you’re staying, that’s your clue to ask your server for both menus, as they’ll otherwise just give you one–the Chinese one.
The other is also Chinese, but Korean-style. I [...]

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Yes, it’s been a little quiet here at Gastrolust. Don’t worry: I’m still eating. And I’m still writing. But a little less so here at this humble website. (And also not at City Arts, at least for now.) Stay tuned, though, for an announcement or two about new writing projects.
Posting will likely be light for [...]

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We found ourselves downtown one day, an unusual thing, and walking by a little Asian eatery called Red Bowls, I saw Matthew Amster-Burton’s little “Out to Lunch” review posted.
“Hey, we’re out to lunch,” we thought, “And that guy knows food.” So we went in, and we had what he had been having.
From the first column [...]

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Still catching up on all my pre-December restaurant reports. Consider these quick bites of the Asian variety:

Buddha Ruksa serves up some beautiful plates, placing it in the upper echelon of Thai restaurants in the Seattle area. Not as high as Noodle Boat in Issaquah, which might be the best around, but certainly a solid choice [...]

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Before I get into a negative rut, here’s a place I like – and it’s even a chain!
I discovered BCD Tofu House a few years ago when shopping at the Ranch 99 in Edmonds. Now there’s another branch, this time in the same shopping center as H Mart in Lynnwood. If you haven’t been to [...]

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