If I’m too lazy to travel to K-Town, I’m definitely too lazy to travel to Queens, thus, I’m constantly on the lookout for alternate places to get good Korean food. Since I live in LES, I frequent the East Village a lot so I was happy when I uncovered a little Korean gemstone here. I love it when I have an excuse to be lazy. I tried Bonjoo on 1st ave between 6 & 7th streets. They have rooms in the back for large or private parties, and I believe a bbq option. I loveeee Korean BBQ, but I hate the stench in my hair and clothes afterwards.
Mickey D’s advertisement reflected in the windows
Bonjoo is big on their presentation, because the ban chans [my beloved side sides] came in a oblong plate with just a scoopful of each side. Although the presentation is very nice and looks very nice all in one place, I kept running out of kimchi and had to keep asking for more!
Aside from the regular seafood pajun/pajon, or fried Korean pancakes, they had a jon sampler, the sam saek jon. It comes with a small pajon, which is the traditional scallion panckae, kimchi jon, pancake made with kimchi, and a green tea jon. I’m always slightly put off when people try to get creative with their native cuisines, but I was pleasantly surprised with the green tea jon. The korean pancake differs from the scallion pancakes served in Shanghai restaurants, those are flakey and crusty, these are thicker and more doughy tasting. The kimchi didn’t really taste like kimchi, but it was still very good, I don’t think it was spicy at all. Bonjoo scored high with me with the pajuns alone because there are so many seafood-less options. Allergies could be the death of me. Even though they are much tinier than the traditional panjuns, which span about the size of a medium sized pizza, it was enough for three of us.
I ordered my favorite dish, mainly because it has a little bit of meat and a lot of veggies, and usually comes with a sunny side up egg, which I love to pop and mix in with my rice. Egg yolk & rice with a bit of soy sauce is sooo yummy! My mom used to make it for me sometimes as a child. Dolsot bulgogi bibimbap comes in a sizzling cauldron looking clay pot with rice, veggies, and red pepper paste on the side. The bottom of the pot always fries the bottom layer of rice, so if you don’t like that crispyness, you need to mix everything really well after you put the red pepper paste in. I think the paste is probably the key to this dish, aside from my beloved egg yolk, of course. The dish itself is bland without it, and I really like the added spicyness- although, half the time, the food can’t cool down as fast as I can eat it, so I can’t tell if it’s the hot sauce or the food that’s making my mouth burn.
I’m glad I finally got to try Bonjoo after walking by it so many times. The food was very affordable, my bibimbap only cost $12 and it was very filling. Bonjoo will satisfy a Korean craving without having to travel to an outer borough or venturing uptown [for those of you Lower Manhattanites like me].
Miss Beancurd's Foodings 