Eating vegetarian (seafood OK) in Koreatown
Hello,
Meeting a friend there Wednesday for dinner.....currently abstaining from all animal products except seafood, eggs and milk, so my usual favorites of bulgogi and fried chicken aren't making the cut. What is the best dish to be had around the 32nd-35th area that does not have chicken, beef, pork, etc. (the meat itself or meat-based broths)? If you know a dish in general that would suit these needs or a version at a particular restaurant, that would be amazing. The main place where I feel I might slip is with meat broths being used as the basis of seafood dishes.
Your experience and input would be much appreciated- haven't seen friend in a while, so would rather not have to ask a million questions or pore over menu too extensively. Thanks!
By 4Snisl
on Sep 14, 2009 11:34 AM
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Hangawi isn't the best food, but it is vegetarian Korean: http://www.hangawirestaurant.com/ Otherwise, I think that you are going to have a really hard time staying away from all meat products in Ktown. If a particular restaurant serves japchae, kimchi pajeon or soontubu chigae, those dishes would be would be good bets, but you will have to speak with your server to be sure that there is no meat or meat broth involved.
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ugh; anything is better than hangawi or its sister restaurant franchia so avoid those.
miss needle's coverage below is good for specific dishes. a hwe-naeng-myun somewhere might do you right; also been looking for a good hwe-dup-bop myself which would also be perfect; between those and the usually vegetarian ban-chan you should be covered. cho dang gol might be a great choice with their emphasis on tofu in general.
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I ditto the japchae suggestion - I had a really good one at Mandangsui recently and a decent one at Kunjip. I really like japchae and I am not vegetarian - something about the chewiness of the noodles plus the "wood's ear" mushroom and sesame oil is tasty tasty. But not all places serve a vegetarian version, so check the menus before you go.
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Kunjip has an amazing spicy stew with tofu and shellfish, maybe soon doo boo chigae (their spelling)? http://www.kunjip.net/menue.html.
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Are you sure they are made with seafood only? A lot of Korean soups and stews use a base of beef broth, even if there's no meat in the dish. I think when it comes to soups and stews, it's a good idea to ask the waitress if the broth is made of meat.
A few dishes that would satisfy your friend's requirements are:
Bi Bim Bap (hot stone, regular, whatever) -- just ask them to omit the beef;some restaurants such as Kum Gang San and Kunjip serve a seafood version as well
Haemul Pajun -- scallion pancake with seafood
Ojingo or nakji bokum -- stir-fried squid or octopus in a hot spicy sauce -- one of my favorite dishes; Cho Dang Gol serves it with their fresh housemade tofu
Kongnamul gook -- soup dish where base is generally dried fish; personally not my favorite
Hwe dup bap -- a hot/cold dish of raw fish, rice and greens served with a hot and spicy and vinegary gochujang-based sauce
Fish gui -- broiled fish
Yang nyum tofu -- pan-fried tofu served with garlicy, spicy sauce
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Hae Mul Chongol I think is typically a seafood broth and I don't believe has non-seafood meats in it. Many places would serve it, and others would have a better sense of who has the best version of it. It's a "family" dish, so you'd probably want to share it.
Of course as mashpee says, there's Hangawi and maybe Franchia-- they're related, I believe.
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Actually, hae mul jungol is generally made with beef stock. But you're right as there are no meats in the dish itself.
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gotta reiterate here; they are related yes, and they are both horrible. stay away.
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Hangawi is by no means horrible. It may not be to everyone's taste, but I've loved every meal I've had there. I think their mushroom preparations are excellent, and I also like the set menus. Although I could do without the porridge.
I love Korean food, and I don't eat meat. I don't mind sticking to seafood dishes when I eat out in that area, but it's really nice to open a menu and realize I can eat anything on it.
Why are you so down on it? There are very few restaurants I'd call horrible. I certainly wouldn't describe Hangawi that way.
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had 3 meals there over the years; the mushroom dish i had which was supposed to be different kinds of mushroom served on an cast-iron platter, not quite teppanyaki, consisted of all white button mushrooms in a very plain sauce, served warm. the emperor crepe thing which i thought would be great since i love DIY stuff had ok ingredients but the crepes were soggy and cold; the piles themselves were tiny. the ginseng salad would have been good if there was more than 8-10 1mm wide strips; I understand ginseng is expensive but it was almost like just serving the bark. we defaulted with the bi-bim-bop as a safety and it was not transcendent even tho it could/should easily have been, being a simple vegetarian option that they could make shine. the combo pancakes were also soggy, although hot. my one meal at franchia was just as bad; enormous vegetable dumplings served overcooked yet also room-temp, we had spring rolls or summer rolls which were uninspired, i think we had some sushi rolls as well.
overall, i didn't end up feeling healthful after eating it as well, and the greasy taste on my lips didn't contribute to any actual delicious flavor. if i wanted this type of food (not that it necessarily has to be ascetic) i would just hit souen for a macro plate and feel a million times better; simple food executed to real health principles at a fraction of the price.
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Well, there you have it. Souen is one restaurant I actually would call horrible. I went there once for brunch and had the rice flour waffle, which was a dead ringer for a styrofoam cup. It was about 5" in diameter, there were no accompaniments - not even a skinny slice of melon - and it cost $8.95 (this was at least 15 years ago, also). I guess we won't be running into each other at any vegetarian restaurants!
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let's just meet at kate's joint and eat fried "chicken" fingers sometime then!
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Deal. I love Kate's Joint.
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Fairly recently, I enjoyed the seafood soon tofu at BCD Tofu. I can't say with complete authority that the broth wasn't meat-based, but I can usually tell, and it seemed meat-free to me.
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/647525
I like Cho Dang Gol as well.
http://www.chodanggolny.com/
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Miss Needle is right that soon tubu chigae (soon tofu) often has meat-based broth. I can't vouch for the ingredients in BCD's version, but I think that it is the best soon tubu chigae in Manhattan. Hope that you are able to eat it! I think that their bibibim naengmyun is also great and could potentially ordered without beef.
Enjoy your meal!
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Wonderful- most of these dishes didn't initially occur to me! And I'm definitely getting some interesting new tidbits from you all.
My friend has chosen BCD Tofu as our dinner spot, so it looks like I have a few options to enjoy....definitely helps to have choices narrowed down in advance!
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