While I know I often mock the food scene when I go home to MD, if you are willing to branch out there are actually a lot of great ethnic places to try. Last time I was home, we went to a great Korean restaurant specializing in tofu stew that I really enjoyed, so this time we thought it would be fun to try out another Korean place but this time a bit further away. Annandale, VA has a bit of a Koreatown feel to it with lots of Korean shops and restaurants in the area. Yechon is a large 24-hour restaurant that had quite a wait when we got there at prime time on Saturday night. It looked to be popular with both family and young kids looking for a place to hang out. We got there around 7:30pm and were told it was be about a 45 min wait.
When we were finally seated, I was in heaven. The place is huge, loud, bustling and a good mix of Koreans and non-Koreans. The menu has everything you can think of - Korean BBQ, stews, bibimbap, casseroles, and even a few pages of Japanese food. You could spend hours on the menu but the cute little old Korean waitress came by pretty quickly and ask you what you want so you do feel a bit pressured to order right away. We got a spicy bulgogi (the kind that doesn't have to be cooked table side), broiled mackerel, seafood pancake, and codfish stew. They quickly bring out the banchan (the small side dishes), which is my favorite part of Korean food. The rest of the food also comes out in rapid succession and your first impression is that portions are gigantic. The seafood pancake was fantastic - crispy with the right texture and consistency. It wasn't greasy either but I knew that if I ate more than 1 piece I wouldn't have room for anything else on the table - I wish they had a small size you can order because unless you're sharing with 4-5 people, that dish is a meal in itself. The broiled mackerel was also spot on - it's a whole fish, broiled and sprinkled with salt. The fish was tender and flakey and perfectly simple with salt and lemon. It didn't have a fishy taste to it at all which is the usual complaint that people have of mackerel. Next I tried the spicy bulgogi - as much as I would have loved to done the tableside BBQ, you generally need to get at least 2 other types of meat for it and that was way too much food for us. The bulgogi was served on a sizzling plate and was tender and marinated perfectly. It wasn't really spicy but you could tell that it had a different rub/marinate than a traditional bulgogi dish. Lastly I tried the spicy codfish and clam stew which came with vegetables and tofu. It could have actually used a bit more spice and heat to it and I was disappointed that it didn't come with a raw egg on top but mixed with the rice they gave me, it was nice and comforting.
The one complaint I had was around the service. They were very attentive in the beginning, shuffling around and making sure you have all your food but once you get your food, you never really se them again. We had asked for some extra bowls so that I could dole out my stew and we asked a bunch of waitresses several times and no one brought us anything, so that was frustrating. But otherwise, this was a super enjoyable experience. I can see how the long wait time and chaotic environment can be a bit of a turn off for some, but I really loved it. It is a bit of a trek but it was definitely worth the drive for something fun and different. Total bill: $100 for 3 people with tax and tip
Photo Credit: Yelp
No comments:
Post a Comment