Mr. Kimchi, a Korean fusion restaurant, recently opened on King Street. This early review draws from the friends and media dinner that I attended, and it should be noted that the menu is still being tweaked. Still, I was impressed with the food and the semi-upscale atmosphere, and I look forward to future visits.
If you have difficulty choosing from the wide variety of starters, then follow my lead. I began the meal with the suyook ($14), a plate of tender pork belly with a crispy skin alongside moo kimchi. I absolutely loved this kimchi, as the sliced radish holds the perfect amount of crunch, and the chili paste was thick and semi-spicy. For people who aren’t fans of regular kimchi, you may end up liking the moo kimchi.
I also ordered the Korean fried chicken ($11). It’s three giant whole wings in a wonderful, light batter that would be satisfying on its own, but then the chicken is topped by delicious hot sauce that actually leans on the sweet side. Note, you can choose soy garlic instead of the hot sauce.
Mr. Kimchi’s bibimbap is served in a hot cast iron skillet, and you get your choice of purple or brown rice. Protein selections include spicy tuna and salmon. The cubed steak ($15 lunch, $18 dinner) was a little under-seasoned and served medium-well, but all the other fixings made up for it, though I would have preferred a fried egg instead of the hard-boiled egg.
On the back of the menu you’ll find ssam plates, which feature leafy greens to wrap all the components, including kimchi, rice and sliced jalapenos. The pan-seared pork in the jaeyook ($26) was tender, spicy and plentiful (although I did get two pieces that were way overdone). The pork was delicious as a wrap and by itself, which was good since you get much more meat than the leafy greens can hold.
You’ll also find weekday lunch specials, such as galbi hansang (marinated short rib, $14) and soondubu (tofu casserole with beef, $12), on the menu, as well as a few noodle/soup dishes, though I didn’t try any of them.
The restaurant makes good use of the large bar, and it has specialty cocktails. The K-Old fashioned ($10) is an enjoyable old fashioned (with bourbon, not brandy) with the noticeable addition of soju. Meanwhile, you’ll mostly taste the coconut rum in the pink-colored My Sassy Girl ($9), which certainly lives up to its name.
Mr. Kimchi is open for lunch and dinner Sundays and Tuesday-Saturday.
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See more photos in our Mr. Kimchi Flickr album.
