Bi Bim Bap

Recently my Dad discovered a Korean restaurant in Novi called 비 빔 밮 AKA Bi Bim Bap. We've eaten there twice so far, and I can't wait to go back again!

 Yum!!!

The first time we went, I got the pork and kimchi pot. Basically, it was kimchi stew (more about kimchi in a bit) with pork and tofu in it. They bring it to the table in a small pot with the stew still boiling hot (literally). It is also served with a small dish of rice. It was pretty good, but boy was I in for a rude awakening!

Going into it, I expected the food to be spicy, but the kimchi stew was HOT. I'm not really one to eat spicy food in general so it was a bit of a shock for me. I think I got through about half the pot before I had to bow out gracefully. I knew there was going to be no way that I would be able to survive two weeks of spicy kimchi, so I've started to take some preventative action. Now I try to put hot sauce on my food whenever possible. Normally I only have it a couple of times a week when I have eggs. Luckily it paid off and the second time we went back I could eat the kimchi without a problem :D

The second time we went I ordered the seafood and tofu chigae. This was similar to the pork and kimchi pot in that it was served in the same pot, with rice, and boiling hot. It's hard to describe the taste of this but there was a couple of small clams, pieces of various fish, and tofu stewed together. The broth was light, but very flavorful. I really enjoyed the chigae and would definitely order it again!

 Bim Bap

Both times we ate at Bi Bim Bap Tessa has played it safe and ordered the Bim Bap. Bim Bap is basically a bowl of rice with an egg and a bunch of vegetables on top. You can also order meat with it like chicken, pork, or beef.

One cool thing about Korean dining is the side dishes. At Bi Bim Bap they give you at least five or six different side dishes with your meal. This is pretty traditional at every Korean meal. The side dishes that we've had before have been; potato salad, kimchi (two different kinds), seaweed salad, green beans, broccoli, and noodles. You get so many choices, and you get to sample a bit of everything!

 Kimchi

Now onto kimchi! Kimchi is eaten at every meal in Korea; breakfast, lunch, and dinner! It's spicy fermented cabbage. I've had someone describe it to me before as the Korean version of the pickle. There are hundreds of different types of kimchi, and it's such a serious deal that people get separate refrigerators just to store it! I didn't think it was bad, but it definitely takes some getting used to. Whatever the case, I'm sure I'll eat tons of it and come back to America as a kimchi expert ^_~

  A Grill Table

The other cool thing about Korean restaurants (Bi Bim Bap included) are the grill tables. All the tables in the restaurant have grills built into them! That way you can order whatever kind of meat that you want and you get to grill it yourself!

 Kalbi

The next thing I am thinking about trying at Bi Bim Bap is the kalbi, which is strips of Korean beef. My stomach is growling just thinking about it! Time for me to go eat!

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