Someone over on the Trib food board had mentioned KoJaBa as a potential place to get authentic Asian food. So tonight I went out on a limb and tried it. I was a bit skeptical about a good restaurant being housed in the Parkade Center. I figured it might be sort of marginal Americanized stuff that I could get anywhere.
I was wrong.
The first thing I noticed was that the decor was very nice. It's a tiny restaurant but the colors are restful and light—beiges and white with accents of black. It makes the small space seem airy. The chairs (there are tables only, no booths) are all padded and quite comfortable.
The second thing I noticed was that I was the only non-Asian there. A large family sat at a long table just inside the door, and another couple sat at a smaller table on the other side of a half-high wooden partition. They all seemed to have an assortment of dishes. There were huge bowls on grill plates simmering away.
Waiting for a friend, I opened the menu. I found it both exciting and a bit scary. There were things on there that my 'white-bread hick from Kentucky' soul was afraid to think about, much less try. It is, as one of our commentators made in another post, an ambitious menu. Amongst the recognizable items such as Kim Chee, Bul Go Gi, and Teriyaki Chicken were items probably geared directly toward the Korean or Asian palate. Gob Chang Jeon Gol is beef tripe and vegetables. Several dishes feature sliced pork belly. We could choose Nae Jang Tang, a soup featuring beef intestines. A casserole of cod caviar.
I thought I was a fairly adventurous person, but I admit it. I wimped out. I chose fried Hot and Spicy Shrimp. My friend did the Bul Go Gi, which is marinated beef.
Both dishes, served very quickly, were excellent. The sauce on the shrimp had just the right combination of heat with some savory and a small touch of sweetness. The Bul Go Gi was smoky and tender. Along with our main plates we got 5 (yes, count them, 5) side dishes. I recognized some of them. Kim Chee, Vegetable tempura, bean spouts, and what I think was O Jing Uh So Myun, marinated squid with vegetables and noodles in a spicy sauce. I'm not sure what the 5th side was. It was light yellowy-pink and fluffy and tasted eggy. It and the bean sprouts were my least favorite. The squid was my favorite with the Kim Chee and Veggie tempura close behind. Oh and I can't forget the rice. Perfectly cooked, flavorful sticky-rice.
I hate to declare a place like this "genuinely authentic." I don't have the right to. I have never visited Korea or Japan, much less lived there. But it felt authentic, and it seems to be very popular with our local Asian population—it just kept getting busier while we were there.
This is one to try folks. If you go, be braver than me and order something really different then tell us about it.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
21 comments:
I'm glad you reviewed it. I'm the one who commented yesterday on Revee's Sake review. I hope to build up my braveness to try some of the "lesser western" items.
Thanks TH. It was your post and one over on the Trib board that sent me there.
I'm glad that Robin got to it before me. I was brave to try Sake. Not sure I could go much more authentic.
I was taken to this restaurant by a Korean temporarily living in Columbia, who gave the food very high marks and chose our food. I was impressed.
The food overall is OK. But this is the only place one can get Dolsot Bibim Bap. So, we must support it!
Dare I ask?
Check my blog.
Ah. Thank you! That helps loads. I may have to try it (except I hate runny eggs...maybe I won't cut into mine so soon...
It's usually better to let the rice cook a little. The crunchier the better. And don't forget the hot sauce!
It sounds amazing. I promise to try it next time I go. If I can remember the name!
Pork belly is not that foreign a food. In the US, we know it well in it's smoked and salted form, bacon.
Foodies should not only pay attention to where their meat cuts come from, but know them, well and/or by heart, into order to be more informed consumers, as well as know when they are risking exposure to potential infections by consuming meat bits that have a high contamination rate.
Tripe and organ meats are a popular picnic food in the form of hotdogs, bologna, and many other sausages popular in the US as well. Yes, even the kosher dogs.
While some of the serving traditions and styles of asian cuisine may seem like something so new and foreign, we really all end up eating the same shitty cut of cheap meat.
We tried KoJaBa this past weekend and enjoyed it. My wife and I lived in Korea for a couple of years and really fell in love with Bulgoki. Although the Bulgoki at KoJaBa tasted different than anything I had over there, it was still very tasty. It was lacking in garlic, but that was probably better for our breath the next day anyway.
Our daughter got the fried rice and it was addictive. We were full enough after our meals, but couldn't stop eating the fried rice.
We'll definitely go back.
I went here with some co-workers a few months back and had an overall excellent meal. I'll admit that I'm generally ignorant about 'authenticity' but I really don't care whether something is authentic or not... I live in the Mid-West in the U.S.A., I'm not expecting authenticity. What I was looking for however, is satisfaction in finding something I found tasty, or at the very least, unique and different from the traditional Asia-merican fare (hot/sour soup, some rice and soy-sauced meat dumped on a plate with an eggroll or "crab" ragoon). My co-workers and I were all extremely pleased with both the quality and taste of the food (main dishes and the amazing assortment of sides... I got the Bibim Bop, and having never eaten Bibim Bop before, I loved it.) and pleased with the amazing service. If we did not need to return to work afterwards, we would have tried the Soju (spelling may be wrong). Highly recommended.
KoJaBa is gone from the Parkade location. R.I.P.
Where did it go?
Turbo I don't know where you got your information, but I was shocked at seeing your post since I had just driven by there yesterday and the open sign was blinking. So today I went by again, got out of my car, and actually opened the door to the restaurant.
It's definitely still there, still open. At least as of today. If you have news of impending doom please share, otherwise be careful of the information you disseminate, we don't want people to not go because they think it closed!
For reals.
Ah...I must have looked in the wrong part of the building. My brain doesn't work right when it is hot!
Thanks for the review. When I went there I only tried the Korean pancake. It was really overpriced for what I got. $12 for basically a pancake with a couple salad shrimp in the batter and some green onions. It was tasty, but definitely NOT worth 12 bucks. I was thinking of never going back, but you guys have sparked my interest again and I'm willing to give it a second chance.
We just ate there last night. My partner and our friend had spicy pork barbeque, and I (being more adventurous) had a stew of kim chee, "pork bits" and tofu. Everything obviously arrived at the table directly from the kitchen. While their pork was fine - too sweet for me, but tasty - my stew was one of the best things I have ever eaten: powerful, complex spiciness and a plethora of distinctive ingredients.
It is kind of worrisome to eat somewhere where you can tell the food requires a lot of preparation and number of ingredients that must be expensive to procure in the middle of Missouri; such places have to be hard to keep open. Still, this was certainly one of the best meals I've had, and I'm going to recommend the place to everyone I can.
I moved back to Columbia four years ago from Chicago with my Korean wife. We lived within a stone's throw of Lawrence Ave (aka "Little Seoul") and much to our amazement, even after what was then six years of marriage, discovered that the one cuisine we could mutually agree upon was Korean. My wife was born in Seoul, so it was an easy choice for her. But this born and bred Mid-Missouri Mule (MU class of '98) was floored by the complexity and range of flavors offered by some of our very authentic local Korean haunts back in Chicago.
Stumbling upon KoJaBa was like revisiting an old best friend. Yes, the location sucks. And you do not want to wear your favorite shirt or jacket while dining because, frankly, it will smell like KoJaBa for quite some time. If you have to go back to work, this is not exactly a good thing.
But those are just minor distractions. The menu, service and even the decor transported my wife and I back to our days spent on Lawrence Ave. My simple advice is be adventurous. Also, there is an excellent chance that you will like most, if not all, of the soups and hot pots offered on their menu. If you are afraid that something will be too spicy, have them prepare it mild and bring out the ku jigon on the side. ku jigon is what many refer to as "korean cocktail sauce" and is what adds a fascinating spicy/sweet flavor to the cuisine.
If you are looking for a fast and delicious lunch, I highly recommend the lunch ramen offering. But be advised, you should not expect the salty and bland noodle concoction that put many of us through college. If budget permits, go for the "Luxury" Ramen which will add a variety of tasty seafood items (shrimp, mussels and maybe a scallop) to your hotpot lunch. Around $8 gets you a soup pot that you cannot finish and three tasty side dishes. Note: you're served five with dinner only.
Sidenote: I agree with what the blogger above stated regarding the korean pancakes at KoJaBa(might be called pajun.) KoJaBa's are rather bland and are unusually pricy. In fact, at some past restaurants they actually provide them free when you first sit down at your table. Between your entree and the side dishes, which they will happily refill when empty, an appetizer really isn't needed.
I personally eat there once a week and recommend KoJaBa to everyone I meet. Hopefully if the word gets out enough they can move into a decent and adequately-vented location.
Post a Comment