Korean Food and Cooking

The Ramen Experiments at Soma

I love ramen. Like the ubiquitous pho (Vietnamese beef noodle soup) you find all over Houston, to me, ramen is comfort in a bowl of noodles. Hearty, filling and affordable, if done well it's one of those dishes that you'll come back to time and again. It's one of those dishes I crave. Regularly. Wh ... More >>

Here, Eat This

A beginner's guide to Korean cuisine.

Here, Eat This: A Beginner's Guide to Korean Cuisine

To say that Koreans like beef is an understatement. To say that Koreans love their beef as much as Texans do is getting closer. South Koreans eat about 20 pounds of beef per person year, and although that number is much lower than the average U.S. consumption of 60 pounds per person, it's a number t ... More >>

Kimchi Ramen and a Flaming Hot Cheeto Roll at Miso Yummy: Ramen Purists Beware

While half the city was gorging themselves on ramen at Goro & Gun this weekend, I lucked upon a less crowded spot to slurp noodles: the front patio of Inversion Coffee House, where brand-new food truck Miso Yummy was parked only a few feet away. (Full disclosure: I ended up eating ramen at Goro & Gu ... More >>

Soma Sushi Offers an Amazing Deal During Houston Restaurant Weeks

There are several restaurants offering four-course dinners during Houston Restaurant Weeks instead of the traditional three-course dinners, and I'll admit that this is the main reason I chose Soma Sushi for dinner with a friend last Saturday night: the opportunity to eat four dishes for only $35 (fa ... More >>

Keep on Truckin': Chi'Lantro BBQ

Chi'Lantro BBQ is a Korean Mexican fusion truck -- the name is the combination of two of the most important ingredients in the two cuisines, kimchi and cilantro, respectively. The truck started in Austin and came to Houston at the beginning of this year. My first encounter with Chi'Lantro was in Aus ... More >>

The Bounty of Dadami

For an evening at this Korean restaurant, come hungry, and with friends.

Sashimi, Korean-Style: Hwe at Dadami

What's pictured in the video above has several things in common with what's offered at Dadami, the subject of this week's cafe review: green perilla (or shiso) leaves, red gojuchang sauce, dark brown soy sauce, a bowl of minced garlic and chiles and -- of course -- super-fresh sashimi, or raw fish. ... More >>

What's Cooking This Week? Making the Most Out of Kimchi

I love cooking for my fiancé and me, but most of the time, cooking for two proves to be difficult. If I don't make a plan, I end up running around in circles at the grocery store and wasting half the ingredients I've bought (and I hate wasting food). Enter What's Cooking This Week - my weekly meal ... More >>

Haute Wheels Houston

Stew on This: One Pot Meals From Around the World

Family-style dining is a universal trend in food. There are cultures whose every meal is shared, served in a communal pot with some sort of bread or grain as an accompaniment. With origins in leaner times, one-pot meals exist the world over, bringing families together in good times and in bad. G ... More >>

Arirang Korean Restaurant Is Now Arirang Delicious Dumplings

Arirang Korean Restaurant was never as popular as the Tofu Village down the street. Maybe it was the poor ventilation, which had you reeking of Korean barbecue by the time you left its doors, or the notoriously poor service. Whatever the case, the owners have done the smart thing and turned it into ... More >>

Chef Chat, Part 3: Benjy Mason of Down House and His Take on Classic American Dishes

Benjy Mason Down House 1801 Yale St. 713-864-3696 www.downhousehouston.com This is the last installment of a three-part chef chat series. Click to read Part 1 and Part 2. For the last two days, we've been chatting with Down House's executive chef, Benjy Mason, about his love of Chinese food as a ... More >>

Nabi Debuts New Korean Side of a Trimmed-Down Menu

Nabi has quickly turned into my favorite neighborhood restaurant. It's the answer to the question Where do I want to eat tonight? when I'm not dining out for work and instead want to relax over good food with good friends. It's inexpensive -- especially during happy hour -- and offers a range of op ... More >>

Ingredient of the Week: Korean Barbecue Marinades

When you want Korean barbecue, and you want it fast, prepared meat marinades are the way to go. Now you can have a weekday dinner that's both quick and tasty. What is it? Bulgogi, which translates to "fire meat" in Korean, involves cooking marinated beef, pork, or chicken over a hot grill. In mo ... More >>

Ingredient of the Week: Korean Red Pepper Paste

Photo by John SuhBibigo from CJ Foods is the new kid on the gochujang block and pretty delicious.​What is it? A staple of Korean food, red pepper paste (or gochujang) is a condiment made from fermented soy beans, red chili pepper powder, glutinous rice, and sometimes garlic and onion. It is ... More >>

Hand-made Korean Noodles and Kickin' Kimchi

Photos by Mai PhamInstead of banchan side dishes, you get an urn of some of the best kimchi I've had in Houston​The thought of eating handmade noodles was too tantalizing to ignore. So within a week of hearing that they were a specialty at Korean Noodle House (1415 Murray Bay St., 713-463-8870 ... More >>

A Mini Food Tour Through Korea Town

Photos by Mai PhamThe English translation was "cow's feet," but it was just a beef shank soup with tendon at Korean Diner.​Just because I'm Asian doesn't mean I can read Korean. So if you take me out of my comfort zone and into the Korea Town (K-Town)/Spring Branch area of Houston, I'm just as ... More >>

Do These Noodles Look Kind of Alive in the Bowl?

Photos by Mai PhamThis is the picture I posted on Twitter. Do the noodles look alive? ​When I posted this picture with my Tweet of "Cold Korean noodles rock!," I thought people would take a look at the picture and immediately agree about how yummy it looked. But no, that's not quite what happe ... More >>

Spicy Korean Tofu Soup (Soondubu Jigae) with a Side of Mackerel

Photos by Mai PhamSpicy Mushroom Korean Tofu Soup "Soondubu jigae"​You'd think that a restaurant with the name "Tofu House" would be vegetarian, but this only applies outside of Chinatown. Inside Chinatown, where the Asians are, people can tell that a name like Jang Guem Tofu House means that ... More >>

First Look at Kobecue: Korean Fusion Food

Kimchi cheese fries: I am become fusion, destroyer of cuisines. (No complaints here, though.)​Kobecue opened quietly four months ago, tucked between Skewers and Aroma Classique in the flagstone-fronted strip center at Richmond and Weslayan. "Most of our customers come over after seeing us fro ... More >>

Keep on Truckin': Oh My Gogi!

Oh My Gogi!​The guys of the Oh My Gogi! truck know exactly what they are doing by parking, on most nights, next to bars until 3 a.m. It's the kind of food you crave at that hour, the kind of food you might have thrown together out of necessity and desperation, using some leftover takeout and e ... More >>

Our 5 Favorite Chilled Soups for the Summer

Photo courtesy of TintosA refreshing gazpacho trio for summer.​Hope you enjoyed our gorgeous spring, folks. It's summer again, more or less. And there's a lot of it left to go. Last weekend, even though it was a pleasant 62 degrees outside in New York, I found myself taking solace in a creamy ... More >>

The Best Thing About Eating at 99 Ranch

The No. 10: bibimbap with kimchi at Yori Yori​...isn't the ever-growing food court. Yes, the cheap dim sum is good for a thrill. And the pre-packaged barbecue beef buns are great for taking home to snack on while you watch a movie. But the best part about eating at 99 Ranch -- on a Sunday even ... More >>

Upcoming Events

There's still time to buy your tickets to the Great Gulf Dinner, happening tomorrow -- Saturday, October 16 -- at The Usual from 2 to 6 p.m. $15 buys you a plate filled with delicious Gaido's seafood and sides along with an afternoon of great live music and a raffle with prizes you can only find at ... More >>

A Soul-Warming Meal at Seoul House

Oustanding haemul dolsot at Seoul Kitchen.​"What's your favorite thing here?" I asked the young, blithesome girl who was waiting on us at Seoul House. Without hestitation, she quickly pointed to a ruddy-colored picture of haemul dolsot on the small menu. "This is the best. It's the only thing ... More >>

Top 10 Restaurants In Chinatown

​"Chinatown" seems like an awfully lopsided epithet for Houston's enormous and vibrant pan-Asian community, straddling Beltway 8 on the southwest side like an entire city unto itself. There are Chinese restaurants in Chinatown, sure. But there are also Vietnamese, Thai, Korean, Japanese, Malay ... More >>

Snow Peas

The Top 10 Places to Eat on Long Point

There's more to Long Point than just taco trucks...​As more development and activity pushes consumers north of the Katy Freeway -- such as the giant new shopping center and mega H-E-B at Bunker Hill, the push from MetroNational to create a "Memorial City"-branded area around Gessner, the etern ... More >>

Cold and Flu Season Beware

​As if we didn't have enough to worry about with the H1N1 virus, now we have to watch out for the common cold. And, let's face it, Houstonians are not meant for winter. Our magic cure - kimchi. It's good for colds and the occasional holiday hangover. You will just have to find another excuse t ... More >>

BBQ Buffet

Korea Garden Grille offers a stellar selection of barbecue items in unlimited quantities — and new and interesting ways to eat them.

Simon Moon Teaches Korean BBQ 101

​Chef Simon Moon is the owner of Korea Garden Grille, the subject of this week's Café review. If you have never eaten Korean barbecue before, this is a great place to try it, because chef Moon makes the experience really easy. When several people in our party confessed that they didn't know w ... More >>

Grilling Recipe: Kalbi Fajitas

Photo by Robb WalshWhile I was working on this week's feature story, "Not So Clear Cut," I grilled a lot of different beef cuts fajita-style and asked my friends and family what they thought. The hands-down favorite at every taste test was the short rib meat. It was also the cheapest. I bought a big ... More >>

The New Bistro Steaks and Fajitas

Jang Guem Tofu & BBQ House

Sounds crazy, but you'll stop laughing when you eat some of this spicy tofu soup and barbecued bulgogi.

Combo Meal at Thyme Table Cafe

The Cookie Jar and Be-Wiched, Thyme Table Cafe

Tofu Village

This tofu and barbecue restaurant isn't for vegetarians

Mom's Hand Restaurant

Inside the Komart store on Gessner, you'll find Korean food like Mom used to make

The Sweet Smell of Wang Galbi

This stunning new Korean barbecue restaurant looks like a picnic grove inside a shopping center

The Seoul of Sharpstown

Broaden your horizons at Houston's most eclectic Korean eatery

Best Korean Restaurant

Barbecued Squid

A special dish scores as the Seoul food of Korea Garden

Bibim Bap's Rap

Best Bulgogi

Seoul Garden Restaurant

Brilliant Korea

At Nam Gang, flavors are anything but dull

Korean Adventure

Camellia Korean leads you to take chances -- and make discoveries

World Peace and Barbecue

Texans and Koreans can unify behind Woo Mi Gwan's ribs