Kimchi, that polarizing combination of napa cabbage,
gochujaru, ginger, garlic, gochujang, and fish sauce, though one of my current
Korean favorites, was not always on my radar. While there may have been an odd
mention of it here and there during trips to Houston, New York, or San
Francisco, the cabbage based dish truly came into my world a little less than a
decade ago when I was reading Jeffrey Steingarten’s excellent book “The Man WhoAte Everything”. In his book, Steingarten aimed to broaden his already well
cultured culinary horizons and began this quest by creating a list of food
phobias. Second on the list was the aforementioned kimchi. Although I highly
suggest reading the book on your own, I’ll spoil the surprise by saying that
Steingarten came to love kimchi by means of exposure and repetition. On the
other hand, I was, for the most part, rather ambivalent towards the national
pickle of Korea. I’d give it a try, say that’s not bad, and move along, but the
past few years of venturing into Korean restaurants across the south have given
me a new appreciation for the dish which brings me to the balmy January morning
in Birmingham when I decided to cross the threshold of Seoul Restaurant.
I had hoped that when I walked inside Seoul that I would be
hit with the smell of ashy charcoal, sizzling meat, and the sound of chopsticks
clicking on bowls of banchan. Sadly, Seoul doesn’t offer Korean bbq, but at
least there’s still bulgogi on the menu. But before the beef would arrive, an
order of deep fried mandu would get the meal started.


Despite missing any kimchi or glass noodles, the simple
filling of pork and greenery was still quite satisfying.
Missing kimchi aside, these were well fried dumplings that
were balanced by the rice vinegar tartness of the dipping sauce.
There may not be any grilling involved, but it had the look
of a damn good substitution.
Dumplings done, the bulgogi was up next.
Served in a crackling hot cast iron plate, this serving of
bulgogi was still faintly sizzling 10 minutes later.


Thinly sliced and slightly chewy, it was brimming with beef
flavor that was only augmented by the addition of sesame seeds and sesame oil.
The nuttiness of the sesame carried over to the sweet potato
noodles but this time was mated with caramelized carrots, zucchini, mushrooms,
bean sprouts, and a little more beef for good measure.

Juicy, nutty, beefy, this was homestyle japchae.

Juicy, nutty, beefy, this was homestyle japchae.
Much like the bulgogi, these noodles were inundated with
sauce and each piece of vermicelli was literally dripping with flavor.
Of course, I can’t forget the banchan.

It’s the usual array of side dishes with a few standouts

The crunch of bean sprouts with the heat of chili paste never gets old.

I don’t often see kombu as the focus of the dish, but the combination of sweet and spicy with the kelp worked quite well here.

What would a visit to a Korean restaurant be without kimchi? Seoul’s kimchi was lightly fermented and a bit watery at first with just a hint of a chili pepper powder on the tail.

It’s the usual array of side dishes with a few standouts

The crunch of bean sprouts with the heat of chili paste never gets old.

I don’t often see kombu as the focus of the dish, but the combination of sweet and spicy with the kelp worked quite well here.

What would a visit to a Korean restaurant be without kimchi? Seoul’s kimchi was lightly fermented and a bit watery at first with just a hint of a chili pepper powder on the tail.
Despite numerous complaints about speed of service on
Urbanspoon and Yelp, after my meal I had none of my own. Even though time and
appetite forced me to leave the stews, seafood, and rice bowls section completely
untouched, I still feel that the bulgogi, japchae, and mandu left quite an
impression. While Seoul is far from pushing the boundaries of Korean cuisine, there’s
a menu of familiar favorites that are prepared simply and well. Sometimes that
and a little kimchi are all you need.
Seoul Restaurant Address & Information
430 Green Springs Highway #8, Birmingham, AL 35209 //
205.945.8007
7 comments:
Next time you are in NOLA you should check out Little Korea on St. Claiborne. You can grill the food there.
>Fat Harry
-Thanks for the suggestion, I'm always looking for new Korean bbq.
Great review. I just tried a little place here in Winnipeg called Kimchi Cafe. Korean food certainly will be something I'm on the lookout for in the future.
You alive? Worried about the lack of updates.
>Anon
- Thanks for the concern. I am, thankfully, still alive but blogging has taken a backseat to the rest of life. I do have a backlog of posts to write so hopefully there will be something new in the very near future.
I'm guessing you lost your job or are on a diet? Either way, hope life is treating you well.
Sure do miss your posts and pics.
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