Namul Restaurant

This namul (나물; seasoned/prepared vegetables) restaurant in Ansan (Jungang/중앙 station area) is quite good.  They have 3 set menu choices, priced at 9,000W, 12,000W, and 13,000W.  Since all I had eaten for breakfast was a banana, I opted for the 13,000 W option (I think the lower priced option doesn't include fish or 더덕, the root of a flowering plant, considered a health food).

Yapche (sweet potato noodles with vegetables, served as an appetizer at this restaurant)--yummy!

The two oval dishes on the right middle are the fish and 더덕 (the root dish, on the far right)

The rice is put into the large bowls to make bibimbap (비빔밥), rice mixed with vegetables and red pepper sauce (and, at this place, sesame oil), using the vegetables on the round serving dish on the left middle; so, rice, vegetables, oil, and hot sauce go into the bowl and then it is mixed with a spoon and eaten with the spoon--delicious!

Korean Fast Food Restaurant

A friend and I went to a Korean fast food restaurant today.  It's a sit-down place, serving things like noodles, dumplings, bibimbap, and other Korean food, but the orders arrive quickly, maybe in 5 minutes.  It's a chain kind of place, so not 'homestyle' food, but there is a nice variety on the menu and it's relatively cheap.

Above: the side dishes are served first. From right to left: regular (cabbage) kimchi; sliced radishes (the big Asian radish which is mellow in taste . . . it's naturally white, but, while I don't like the added coloring or sugar, it's still good); cubed radish kimchi (not colored); bean sprouts (softened); and a slightly salty broth

Bibimbap served in a hot (sizzling) stoneware bowl; veggies on top (with an egg) and rice on the bottom

Fish cutlets with rice, coleslaw, and what looks like spaghetti (but the red stuff isn't tomato sauce--it's hot pepper sauce)

Bibimbap

One of Korea's national food dishes is bibimbap (비빔밥), a bowl of rice layered with vegetables and a spoonful of spicy red pepper sauce on top. (bim, 빔 = spicy,  밥 = rice).

It is a nice mixture and can be a healthy meal.

Usually eaten in a lunch restaurant for about $5, here are a few pics of a "take-out" version of bibimbap, bought at a local supermarket.

You need to microwave the rice for two (2) minutes to reheat it:

The vegetables don't need cooking, though they may need a bit of dicing with scissors

And then everything gets mixed together.  Often a fried egg is planed on top, but I didn't do that as I have been eating hard-boiled eggs in my salads.

Delicious!

Cheap Lunch Food

Bibimbap: a mix of veggies and rice, served with some spicy sauce. From the supermarket, it's about $3. At a restaurant, $4-5. Delicious!