What is it about Korean food that has us obsessed? I am not complaining, but have you seen the Midtown Lunch archives on Korean food?? Seriously. I am guilty, and since K-town Proper is technically in the ML boundaries by a block (just one block!), I think it is only fair that we have our own Korean restaurants in the Flatiron District (not that we can’t and don’t walk that extra block to partake in the joys of K-town.) A few weeks ago, as I walked the northern most Flatiron boundaries, I spotted a small place hiding under scaffolding and went in to investigate further. It was dinner-time, and every table was filled with young, hip Koreans. I asked to see a lunch menu and didn’t see a single item over the ML budget, which isn’t surprising for K-town, but was for such a design-y, trendy spot.

I met up with a few friends for lunch, and they all immediately liked the vibe of the place. The exposed brick with slightly mix-matched furniture made the interior very cozy and casual. Since it is kind of hard to tell from this one photo, they apparently have a YouTube channel that you can see for yourself. Not sure the purpose of the YouTube videos, but I guess it is part of their young, hip vibe. It feels like the type of restaurant that serves updated, comfort food. The staff was all young and good-looking, and I know this might be a huge turn off for some readers, but the vibe reminded me of Penelope. (Yes, Penelope. The over-priced comfort food on Lexington and 30th. Except Take 31 is not overpriced.)

This is the lunch menu when we visited a few weeks ago. Actually, this was the one for non-Korean speakers that included short descriptions and ingredients of each dish. They didn’t have many copies of this at the time (and one less since I took one…hehe), so we all had to share which means it took forever to order. If you know the names of your favorite Korean dishes, you will be better off. The service (along with the lack of extra menus) was fairly slow. They had two other tables of 5 or more, but otherwise not a full house. Perhaps they are going for that slow, relaxed vibe, but I hope, for the sake of the ML’ers that have only an hour, they speed up the service.

A walk-by this week had different menu in the window, which is also on their website. Since they only opened a few months ago, I am sure they are still working out what menu items sell which is probably why they streamlined the menu. Everything is still under $10.

One friend ordered the Odeng Udon with shrimp added. The dish started at $6.95, and I think they only charged her $2 extra for 6 pieces of shrimp. The Udon was the right chewiness, and the dish came with a couple pieces of pickled daikon which provided a nice textural palate cleanser for the dish. It looks like this Udon preparation might not have made the cut to the new menu. They did keep the Myungran Udon with Cream Sauce – Udon noodles are cooked with sautéed shrimp and scallops and combined with cold fish roe in a Parmesan cream sauce for $7.95 with free coffee (eh? Is coffee good with Korean food. I don’t get it.) Honestly, I don’t know what to make of this cream sauce. I am not sure I could bring myself to order it when I go back, but I applaud any of you readers who order it. PLEASE post in the comments how that turns out.

Another friend ordered the Crab-meat Nachial Bokkeumbap. (On the current menu for $6.95) Which was a pile of rice sautéed with crab meat, corn, onion, served just slightly warm with a layer of sweet mayo over the top. I was skeptical, but she thought the crab flavor was distinct yet well integrated with the rest of the dish. It came with pickled daikon and a small “house salad” of romaine hearts dressed with a little mustard flavor.

I ordered a special, Don Kimchi Jigae ($8.95). It was listed as a spicy stew with pork and kimchi. This strikes me as a good cold weather dish, so I wouldn’t expect it back on the menu for months. The pork reminded me of pork belly, and it wasn’t too gelatinous despite not having a good sear. In addition, I counted at least 10 pieces in my bowl, but might have missed a piece or two through the red kimchi broth. I was most impressed by the presentation and sides with my dish. The whole meal was served on a massive tray with three small dishes on the side holding pickled daikon, egg scramble and small house salad. In a separate corner, I was served toasted seaweed papers in a mini saucepot.

The most impressive dish in terms of taste and presentation was the Saessak Bibimbap. It was a bed of rice with beautifully placed servings of bulgogi, scrambled egg, carrot matchsticks, lettuce and sprouts. On the side, she got a little bowl of Korean spicy (sweet) sauce, kimchi, pickled daikon, and small dashi broth soup. In my opinion, this meal had the best flavors, and I had a serious case of order envy.

For the table, we ordered two orders of the Vegetable and Gim Mari Fritters each. They were devoured so quickly, we didn’t even get a photo. The veggies are shoe-stringed, lightly battered and then fried. They were perfectly crispy without being too heavy. The Gim Mari were vermicelli wrapped in nori, and then lightly battered and fried. Also, delicious, but if you can only pick one fritter (why would you do that?), I recommend the Vegetable Fritter.

While discovering Take 31’s YouTube videos, I also saw a few photos of insane looking chicken wings. Koreatown is always looking for the next hottest Chicken Wing so I plan to give these a try…you never know!

The + (What somebody who likes this place would say)

• I like a modern take on Korean food.
• The relaxed, hip environment is a nice contrast to most of K-town.
• Take 31 gets 5-stars for presentation, especially at those prices.

The – (What somebody who doesn’t like this place would say)

• I prefer more traditional Korean food.
• Why wouldn’t I walk an extra block to get all of this food, plus some, at Woorijip?
• The service is too slow for ML.

Take 31, 15 East 31 Street btwn Fifth and Madison Aves, (646) 696-8901

On Fridays during Lent I’m always on the lookout for a good meatless lunch. While I love me a good fried fish sandwich, sometimes I’m in the mood for something a little lighter but still filling. So when I saw that O-de-ppang! at Food Gallery 32 was now offering a Sashimi Bibimbap for $9.95, I had to check it out.

The photo signage is a little misleading. My sashimi bibimbap lacked the fake crab leg and variety of fish I saw in the picture when I ordered. But the description posted above the cash register (“sashimi, sauces and spices, rice, assorted fresh greens, spices. It’s a little bit – sweet, tangy and very interesting!”) was right on target. What I got was a sizable serving of tilapia on a bed of rice and shredded lettuce, a side salad, miso soup, and plenty of gojuchang sauce on the side. The tilapia was sliced thin and covered with roe and a sprinkling of sesame seeds.

I’ve gone twice for this particular dish and I will caution that the quality of the fish pieces has varied. Some of the slices seemed better cuts than others–there were definitely a few pieces that were chewier along the edges than I was expecting. I’m not a fish expert, so I’m not sure if it was a problem in fileting it or what. But in any case, if you’re expecting Nobu grade sashimi for under $10, you’re not going to be pleased, but if you’re looking for a very filling (I started with the tilapia and didn’t even have room for the soup and salad) lunch that’s on the mildly fishy side, this is worth a look.

O-de-ppang!, Food Gallery 32, 11 W 32nd St (between 5th Ave & Broadway)

Ladies and gentlemen, there is a new player in the Korean taco game. A couple of weeks ago, when I visied Yogi BBQ, I was certain that this would be the end of the Korean taco craze. But lo and behold, commenter “locondcoco” tipped us off to yet another: Seoul Food.

The menu has the typical protein offerings of bulgogi, “sweet and spicy pork”, kalbi short rib, and chicken, with the addition of portabella mushrooms for the vegetarians. You can order these in taco ($3.25 each, 3 for $8.95), burrito ($8.50), bibimbap ($9.95), banh-mi ($8.50), rice platter ($8.50), or slider (pork or bulgogi only, $3.25 each or 2 for $5.95) form. In order to try the most different meats, I once again went with three tacos, one each of kalbi, bulgogi, and pork. I had also seen on Twitter that day that if you said a secret keyword, you’d receive a free order of fries. There are actually a number of ways to score a free side, so freeloaders, take note.

The tacos come wrapped in foil with cute little stickers to indicate which protein is inside. This is great in theory and I appreciated the touch, but one of my beef tacos ended up getting confused the the pork one, so the labels were basically useless in my case.

Three tacos and a side of fries was definitely plenty of food for a full meal. The fries were nice and thick, but could’ve been crispier, although I may have sacrificed some crispiness during the walk back to my office. The tacos come with a generous portion of meat, dressed with kimchi, lettuce, raw onion, and spicy mayo. The bulgogi was sweet, fatty, and tender, just as it should be. It was delicious, but since I’ve been a little bulgogi-ed out lately it wasn’t my favorite of the three. I appreciated the fact that the sweet and spicy pork was actually spicy (and sweet!) and very tender. However, next time, I’d choose one or the other between this and bulgogi as towards the end I was getting a little overwhelmed with all the sweetness.

My favorite of the three was the kalbi. It was a little gristly, but it was pleasantly beefy tasting and not overpowered by the marinade.

If I’m going to be honest, I’m getting a little bit jaded by all of this Korean taco madness, but Seoul Food will definitely satisfy your lunchtime Asian fusion cravings. They have a pretty good variety of menu items, so they’ll probably get another visit or two out of me. If this craze keeps up much longer, we may need to do a Korean Taco Palooza this year to settle on the best Kortaco, once and for all!

Seoul Food appears to be parking on 51st btw. Park and Madison a few days a week, but as always, check the Twitter Tracker before heading out.

Seoul Food, 51st btw. Park + Mad, 212-612-3070

I can’t really explain why I went back the other day. But, I did, and was totally surprised to find that the Bibimbap is now $7.95 plus tax — welcome back to ML range! Sadly, the Dolsot Bibimbap (served in a hot stone bowl and looked amazing), is still over the ML limit- but beggars can’t be choosers. I ordered the special of the day with beef, and it was extremely reasonable.

In the above picture, you wouldn’t know I ordered a dish with beef, because the soft-cooked egg completely covered it, but if I had to guess, the amount of meat was a descent amount but definitely less than the size of my fist. The Bibimbap itself looked pretty similar to this shot from August, 2007, and didn’t have the egg strips that drove people way in 2008. In fact, the egg was perfectly runny, much to my delight. In terms of banchan, some of the containers have actually grown in size, but the amount in each container is definitely uneven. I got more beansprouts than I wanted to eat, but I would have loved more marinated tofu strips.

I wouldn’t by any means go crazy and immediately re-crown this the best bibimbap in the area — in fact, I’m not even sure whose dish would earn that title these days — but Ambrosia has begun to redeem itself in my book. Pricing themselves back as a Midtown Lunch is an obvious attraction. In fact, their Korean menu now includes a surprising number of options under $10 that I may return to try.

Ambrosia, 45th St. (btw. 5+6th)

Crisp on Wheels has also been tweeting lately about delivery in Midtown, usually around where their truck is parked. Could this be the new model for food trucks in 2012? Only time will tell …

You would think that the Korean taco niche has reached capacity by now, but apparently not.  Yesterday Lunch’er Harry tipped us off to this new cart on the corner of 56th and Madison, and we had to see if the new kid on the block could hang with the big boys.

The cart offers tacos, gyros, and platters over rice (white or fried) with your choice of either teriyaki chicken, bulgogi beef, or spicy pork. Of course, for the sake of gluttony science, I went with one of each taco.

The tacos come individually and un-photogenically wrapped in foil and cost $2 for chicken, and $2.50 apiece for beef or pork. Each is wrapped with a single flour tortilla. This will be a sticking point for some, but I personally prefer flour over corn tortillas, so this was fine with me. The tacos are dressed with iceberg lettuce, chopped tomatoes, shredded cheese, and a squirt of their ginger white sauce- which is a mayo based sweet and tangy topping, almost reminiscent of Miracle Whip (which again I happen to like, but lots of people hate, so I’ll be interested to hear other people’s take on this sauce). They offer kimchi as a free add-on, so I added it on, of course.

Each of the meats were easily identifiable and had plenty of flavor. The spicy pork (pictured above) was not nearly as spicy as I would have liked, but the kimchi added some kick and the meat itself was tender and still had plenty of sweet Korean marinade flavor. The bulgogi was also tender and juicy. If I had to choose, it would probably be my favorite of the three, but I think they’re all worth a try. The chicken was also a win. The teriyaki flavor was prominent without being too saucy. Three tacos was definitely enough for lunch, I was stuffed afterwards.

While Yogi BBQ doesn’t offer the varieties of kimchi and veggies that Korilla does, with all of the controversy recently swirling around on this site, Yogi BBQ may come to develop a loyal following in this part of town. I’m also curious to see what a bulgogi gyro would look like…is Korean gyro the Korean taco of the future?

The + (what someone who likes this place would say)

• I can’t get enough of Korean tacos, I can’t wait to try a new version!
• Midtown East needs a new Korean taco joint now that I’m boycotting Korilla.
• I prefer flour tortillas over corn on my tacos.

The – (what someone who doesn’t like this place would say)

• Another Korean taco place? It’s time for a new food trend already!
• Flour tortillas are so inauthentic.
• When I see “Spicy Pork” I expect SPICY pork.

Yogi BBQ Cart, SW Corner of 56th & Mad.

Back in August, we announced the opening of a brand new Bon Chon location in Turtle Bay, but never got around to a full review. Since I’ve never been to Bon Chon (criminal, I know), I decided it was most definitely time for me to venture over.  Korean fried chicken places can get a bit expensive if you aren’t careful, but there are four lunch specials on the menu that all clock in at under $10: BonChon Chicken Lunch, LaFrieda Korean Bulgogi Burger + Frite, Balsamic House Salad, and BonChon Marinated Chicken Fried Rice.

The namesake chicken lunch ($8) consisted of 5 wings and 1 drumstick, in either Hot & Spicy or Soy Garlic flavor. I got the hot and spicy, and it was nice and spicy without being uncomfortable. The skin on the chicken was crispy, and the wings were clearly fresh out of the fryer. In my opinion, they could have been a bit saucier, but once again I am a BonChon newbie, so maybe this is just how they are?

I had very high hopes for the burger ($9). LaFrieda? Check. Bulgogi? Double check. Unfortunately, the result did not live up to the expectations. The burger was small and overcooked, and had none of the juiciness, sweetness, or fattiness I generally associate with bulgogi. The lettuce and thin slice of cucumber were an afterthought and added little to the burger.

Another thing I need to mention is the fact that the service was very slow. I would try to do takeout unless you have a full hour for lunch, and stick to the chicken if you’re going to go for a lunch special. The one other item in the ML range I would be interested in trying is the Seoul Rice Bowl ($10): marinated steak or spicy chicken, mushroom, and local vegetables.  But considering what they did with the burger, I might just stick with what I know is going to be good: aka the chicken.

BonChon, 957 2nd Ave (btw. 51+50th), 212-308-8810

The Bob & Jo truck has been in Midtown a lot lately. Earlier this week, I found myself happily ordering at their window after unsuccessfully trying to solve the Vietnamese food mystery at Taz. Having enjoyed the chicken rice platter in the past, I went with the chicken baguette sandwich. The chicken was even better than last time, because this time, it WAS hot and spicy, as promised on the menu. The heat was tempered by the condiments in the sandwich. Served in a crispy baguette and topped with sweet and sour radish and carrot kimchi, the sammie was an absolutely delightful lunch.

The chicken baguette will run you $7.00, which is $2.00 less than their chicken rice platter, and the sandwich came with Korean shrimp crackers. I’m not going to lie, it’s a little drippy with delicious spicy sauce oozing from the back of the sandwich. If you don’t mind a little mess, this is a great take on spicy street meat chicken. Hypothetically speaking, would it have been bad form to lick that saucy goodness off my desk?

Bob & Jo was on Vanderbilt btw. 45+46th last Wednesday, but you’ll want to check their twitter or the ML Twitter Tracker before heading out.

Over the past several months, rumors started flying amongst friends and co-workers about a new bodega on 8th Avenue with an eclectic but intriguing variety of international foods. European friends murmured about their hefty line-up of Kinder chocolates and Cadbury confectioneries, and Korean friends spoke of their impressive stock of kimchi, banchan, and packaged noodle soups. The bodega that they were referring to, was none other than Midtown West newcomer, Bread & Honey.

During our first pass, we’d unfairly labeled this place as a “generic deli”. Instead, Bread & Honey is like a bodega on steroids. Sure there’s your standard sandwich, soup and salad stations, and a tremendous steam table of prepared by the lb food. But there’s also an incredible and eclectic line-up of snacks and groceries to keep your office drawer stocked, or for a quick shopping trip on the way home.

In addition to the standard mega-brands, there are organic brands such as Green & Black chocolates, Annie’s, Brad’s, etc as well as local brands such as Michaels of Brooklyn and Sarabeth’s fruit preserves. Equally impressive is the variety of Asian groceries, whether they be frozen, jarred, or dry – it’ll be a handy substitute for H-Mart in K-town for sure. But since this is Midtown Lunch, and not “Midtown Grocery Shopping”, I stopped by the Mongolian BBQ station for a try.

For the few readers who are not familiar with the concept of “Mongolian BBQ” (quotes because it’s a concept of Taiwanese origin, and bears no resemblance to Mongolian cuisine), you grab a large bowl, and fill it at your leisure from a large buffet of raw ingredients. Being a rookie at Mongolian BBQ, I can’t say how this stacks up against other versions of it. However I was impressed with the variety and quality of raw veggies, herbs, proteins, including slices of chicken, beef, krab, and shrimp, and carbohydrates such as rice and several types of noodles. You have the option of adding sauces, such as Japanese curry, mapo tofu sauce, their house sauce, oyster sauce, etc, as well as condiments such as minced garlic, minced ginger, salt, pepper, etc.

Next, hand the bowl over to be cooked on a massive round skillet, and finally, take your bespoke bowl of pseudo-Mongolian goodness to the front counter, and pay $7.99 per pound. At this point, I should point out Zach’s excellent essay on maximizing the bang for your buffet buck – which I obviously didn’t adhere to judging by the amount of noodles in my dish. But I learned my lesson, and I’ll certainly be back for another go. And I’ll certainly rely on Bread & Honey when the need for an impromptu snack or grocery shopping run arises.

Bread & Honey, 941 8th Ave (btw 55+56th), 212-245-0007

When I last wrote about finding a sit-down, under $10 lunch in Manhattan’s Koreatown at Muk Eun Ji, I started by stating the obvious – the area is a treasure of affordable and filling lunch time options. But woe to those who have the tough but enviable task of deciding a venue, given the great selection – a good problem to have. If your heart is set on soondubu jjigae, the warming stew of soft tofu in a rich and spicy broth that simultaneously exhilarates and comforts, you’ll find no better on the block than at BCD Tofu House.

There are 11 riffs on this classic Korean dish; they vary primarily along the lines of which protein will be introduced to the spicy red broth. Each variation will cost you $9.95 (not incl. tax + tip). The cost of admission also includes a reliable line-up of side dishes (banchan) as well as a parting bowl of rice water (sungnyung), which is made from the toasted rice (nurungji) formed at the bottom of a hot stone bowl of rice.

Back when this place first opened, I used to come here solely for the complimentary fried fish. Seriously. It’s not a particularly special fish – oh sure, it’s pleasant, delicate and sweet, with just a whisper of salt. And this species of fish, yellow croaker, isn’t especially dear. But it’s a whole fried fish! And it’s free!

I’ve since fallen off of the fried fish band wagon, but BCD’s hook is firmly planted in my cheek because, 1) It’s open 24 hours, and is a fantastic late night refuge after a night of heavy drinking (or a good hangover cure for that matter) and 2) Their soondubu jjigae (soft tofu soup) is easily my favorite version found in Manhattan’s K-town.

BCD has carved out its place as one of the largest non-fried chicken Korean chain restaurants in the US, with multiple locations in LA, Washington, and locations in Manhattan, Fort Lee, NJ, Flushing, NY, and even restaurants in Seoul, Korea. They owe some of this popularity to some good old fashioned business savvy, but the foundation lies in their fantastic version of soondubu jjigae.

They claim that their soondubu jjigae is 100% organic and contains no MSG – I simply claim it to be delicious. They’ve somehow managed a far richer broth than their competitors, complemented by impossibly silky and delicate tofu. The other restaurants in K-town may offer lunch specials with more variety, but the excellence of BCD’s soondubu jjigae and banchan certainly overcomes their shortcomings in menu options.

BCD Tofu House, 17 W 32nd St (btw B’way+5th), 212-967-1900