It's not, right now, very busy, but we've seen large tables of folks chattering in what is probably Korean, as well as young couples and families in the booths. The occasional bottle of wine or six-pack of beer appears out of paper bags brought in by diners, and the servers happily supply glasses. (A Riesling with a hint of sweetness, or a Gewurztraminer, is great with this food.)
Placed in the middle of the table after orders are taken are a half-dozen or so small metal dishes full of different items. Called panchan, they are traditional accompaniments to Korean meals, the way sambals go with Indonesian rijstaffel or small dishes arrive as part of the thali at Indian restaurants. The content varies, but always has a couple of kinds of kimchee, the pickled-fermented vegetable condiment. A clue to spice: dishes with a red-orange sauce are hot-hot-hot. Cabbage is a regular, and so is crunchy daikon radish, which looks like chunks of turnip in a vivid red-orange bath, and zucchini, pickled but less explosive. Others might be bean sprouts or baby spinach, dressed with a little garlic and sesame oil, cold bits of what might be called a Korean fritatta with egg and tofu, or a fish cake, beige strips of slightly chewy consistency and a salty taste. They can be nibbled beforehand, or more properly, used as sides with the main courses you've ordered.
And what might you order? Bul ko gi, what the menu terms BBQ beef, is probably the most familiar dish. By American standards, this isn't barbecue, but it is lean, tender, moist beef, possibly from a tenderloin, that arrives thinly sliced in a tangle with green and yellow onions. It's tangy, not fiery. Another barbecue dish the menu is the spicy pork, shown below, which much resembles the beef but with that reddish tinge and spicier, as if something beyond simple chili peppers have been added to the dish. Believe the menu. If something says “spicy,” it definitely is. Only once were we asked just how spicy we wanted things.
Another spicy dish was the squid, with even more of the chili, but beautifully cooked at just the right point of slight chewiness, avoiding rubbery, with more onions and some carrot. And then there was the grilled mackerel. A whole fish split in half, with major bones and the head removed, dusted very lightly and cooked until crispy, it was a marvel, rich and full of the flavor of real fish. It is not for people who want fish that tastes like chicken, but it is deeply satisfying.
And then there are the hot pots, on a butane-flamed burner that keeps a big pot of soup and many other things simmering gently. Big, yes; enough for two or three, perhaps even four if it's part of a larger meal. We chose the spicy seafood and were rewarded with a broth that seemed to begin with a miso-like base, and went on to garlic and pepper. Pieces of a small crab, a few mussels, at least two kinds of fish, chunks of tofu, several different leafy vegetables and some thick, chewy wheat noodles kept us busy, and left plenty for the next day's lunch. Rice for all, of course, in individual containers, the slightly sticky short-grain that Koreans prefer.
If Asian Kitchen is crowded, we don't know how the kitchen will copes with being slammed because every dish seemed cooked to order. Most of the servers' English is a second, or maybe third, language. Diners may need some patience. But they'll be well-rewarded.
Asian Kitchen
8423 Olive Blvd., University City
314-989-9399
Lunch & Dinner Wed.-Mon.
Credit cards: Yes
Wheelchair access: Fair
Smoking: No
Entrees: $9-$18
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