I enjoy many cuisines. I’ve pretty much not met a cuisine I didn’t like. But for whatever reason, I’d only eaten out at a Korean restaurant ONE other time in my life, well over a decade ago. Why I never went again, I’m not entirely sure. Perhaps because the restaurant I went to had all of one entrée without meat that I could order.
At the time, I was a vegetarian. I sort of still am. Nowadays, I could be described as a “pesco-vegetarian” — one who eats fish (and perhaps other seafood). Korean food typically uses meat in the dishes and I must have assumed all Korean places were like that one place I tried.
Then in making plans to meet up with a friend on Wednesday, she suggested Korean as a possible cuisine that she liked and that we could go out to get. She, too, is a pesco-vegetarian so I assumed she must have been to places that serve dishes she could eat without having to get the same thing every time. A few suggestions and a little bit of research later, we decided to try BCD Tofu House (http://www.bcdtofu.com/bcd_eng.php) on West 32nd Street between 5th and 6th Avenues in NYC.
Having glanced at their menu on their website, BCD Tofu House prides itself on using 100% organic soybeans to make their tofu and no MSG is used in their food. Being very ecologically, environmentally and health conscious, anti-GMO when possible, eating organic and/or locally when possible, I was glad to see the use of organic soybeans. (I just hope that claim can be trusted.)
After a 30-minute wait and a minor snafu where another party somehow poached our table (although, I suppose it isn’t entirely their fault or the hostess’ fault since the music in the background was just loud enough that names sounded muddled), we were led to the dining room in the back part of the restaurant. Having been torn between getting one of the soon tofu soups or the bibimbap, I ended up ordering the latter — “dolsot” or “hot-stone” style.
Very quickly after placing our orders, side dishes (known as “banchan“) came out.
The first thing that struck me was that one of the banchan was a small, whole deep-fried fish. Good thing I like fish and have eaten fish served whole before.
A little greasy, yes, but crispy and just a tad salty. I’m not sure what species of fish this is, but not that it really mattered that much. It wasn’t a fatty fish and flesh was white and gray — flaky and tender. Quite a few small bones that was a little bit of a challenge to pick out, but I imagine the bones were soft enough to be edible. (Actually, I’m sure I ate a few and didn’t even know it.)
Then I ventured to the other little bowls of banchan.
Who knows if I’ve tried kimchi (fermented vegetables) before. If I did, I don’t remember. Of course, I’m familiar enough with the concept (thank you, Anthony Bourdain and “No Reservations” and your South Korea episode). Vegetables — often napa cabbage — are mixed with red chili peppers and then fermented (or if you prefer, “pickled,” since it’s in a brine). I recognized the cabbage and cucumbers immediately. The daikon radish was the third kimchi vegetable given to us. Hot and spicy (but definitely tolerable to my tongue), surprisingly not too pickle-like. The cabbage was a little saltier than I expected, but quite good. There was also steamed (or gently boiled) broccoli with chili sauce, potato salad (which I have since learned is indeed eaten in Korea), and a third banchan dish neither my friend nor I could identify.
It seemed to be a mixture of things — something slimy and soft with very little resistance to bite that could have been something in the seafood genre, something that resembled jellyfish in texture, and perhaps onion? No idea. Anyone who can shed some light would be greatly appreciated!
Then our entrées — dolsot bibimbap.
The vegetables in the hot stone bowls were still sizzling when the bowls were brought to our table. It is customary to stir the raw egg that’s cracked on top of the mix of vegetables (sautéed spinach, shitake mushroom, carrot, zucchini, radish, 100% organic tofu — according to the website … but I think that’s gosari or bracken fern stems instead of shitake mushrooms). I mixed in a little more of the red chili paste and dug in. Nice mix of textures and tastes, and just the right amount of rice underneath the vegetables. And because this was served in the hot stone bowl, there was a layer of crispy rice at the bottom of the bowl — something I’ve always enjoyed eating.
Overall, a very pleasant re-introduction to Korean cuisine that was much more enjoyable than my first exposure. BCD Tofu House seems to use fairly fresh ingredients in their food. Definitely more than filling, as both my friend and I were quite stuffed, but content and satisfied.
BCD Tofu House
17 W 32nd St (between 5th Ave & Broadway)
Koreatown/Midtown West
New York, NY 10001
http://bcdtofu.com