Mom's Hand Restaurant

Bibimbap is very popular among vegetarians. It was the food of the moment in Los Angeles a couple of years ago, because it's so healthy. Personally, I find it boring. It is, after all, a bowl of rice and vegetables. Granted, the addition of a fried egg, some strips of meat and a whole lot of hot sauce helps the wimpy flavor profile, but in truth, I would prefer the bacon and eggs without the rice salad. The crusty texture makes the dol sot bibimbap at Komart exceptionally tasty — for bibimbap.

The best thing about the bibimbap for my money was the smoked radish garnish that came with it. The deep brown vegetables had a smoky, salty flavor. They tasted more like smoked ribs than radishes. Whoever came up with the idea of smoking radishes was a world-class genius. There would certainly be a lot more vegetables in my diet if more of them were barbecued like this.

The crunchy fried pot stickers called yakimando were also a big hit. I am guessing they are filled with a pork and turnip green mixture, but it was the dumpling skin that was remarkable. It has little blisters on it like the McDonald's fried apple pies used to get, back when Mickey D's fried pies. (I think they are baked now.) The skin is very crisp on the outside and tender and chewy where it touches the filling.

The tempura plates from Japanese Kitchen and Noodle Deli come in $5 and $7 sizes. You can get all shrimp, all vegetables or shrimp and vegetables mixed. We got the $7 mixed tempura, and it was sensational. After burning our fingers trying to eat the shrimp before it cooled, we finally got a bite and burned our mouths instead. The batter on each piece was exceedingly crunchy, and the shrimp inside was succulent. The crispy onion rings were greaseless and heavenly. The tempura green beans were batter-crunchy on the outside and bean-crunchy on the inside.

Some of the best food I have ever eaten in Asia was supplied by street vendors. The street vendors are called pojangmacha in Korea, and they are very popular. The rice dishes, tempura, fried dumplings and noodles sold by the four little independent restaurants in the Komart store are very close to the fare offered by the street vendors of suburban Seoul.

There are lots of great Korean restaurants in Houston where you can cook your own bulgogi at a barbecue table or sit in a private dining area. The Korean restaurants also offer a much wider variety of dishes. But the stalls at the Komart are a Houston version of Asian street vendors. And that's why I love to eat there.