mmmmmmmm.....bibimbap-alicious

Today was supposed to be Korean cooking day, but my friend who was going to teach me some recipes got strep throat so we are postponing (get well soon, Erica!!!!).  But, undeterred, Shannon and I went out to   the Do Re Mi House (best name ever), and had a delicious Korean feast!

Do Re Mi House is located near Convoy Street, the part of San Diego most associated with good Asian restaurants, and lives up to the neighborhood's reputation.  It's not much to look at outside - a typical storefront in strip mall, and the decor was nice, but not especially notable (however, we very much enjoyed watching a Korean tv talent show). The waitresses were super sweet and helpful, and oh man, the food was delicious!

Korean meals often include lots of little side dishes called banchan, which are brought out prior to the main dishes.  The first thing our waitress brought over had a texture that REALLY surprised us - does anybody know what this is called? The noodles kinda popped....I liked the flavor - super light and fresh!

mystery banchan!!!!

They brought so many little banchan out - it was a really interesting component of the meal and gave us a great opportunity to try out a bunch of Korean flavors! Some of them were very tasty - beansprouts with sesame oil,  spinach with yummy seasoning, broccoli with a spicy sauce, and thinly sliced mushrooms. Others weren't quite our cup of tea, but it was fun trying them all - definitely had some surprises!

assorted banchan

We both ordered Dolsot Bibimbap, which is warm white rice with sauteed and seasoned vegetables,  often topped with thinly sliced meat and/or a raw egg, served in a sizzling clay pot.  We mixed it all up to cook the egg and to add in chili pepper paste. The bottom of the clay pot is coated with sesame oil, so the rice browns and gets crispy - yum-o!

Dolsot Bibimbap

                                                                                                                                                                       

Here is a video of our dinner table, starting with egg dish (gyeran jjim) which was at such a high temperature in its little hotpot that it was bubbling! You can also hear my bibimbap sizzling...mmmmmm! 

Altogether delicious! I will definitely be going back at some point! And, I plan on rescheduling Korean cooking day, and will hopefully have a post up soon with more Korean culinary adventures!