New Seoul Garden Yakiniku an oasis on Canyon Road

November 1, 8:19 PMPortland Ethnic Restaurants ExaminerIan Dodge

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Variety of banchan served at New Seoul Garden

Korean food is growing in popularity with people who love Mexican, Indian, Thai and Chinese cuisine. Thrill-seekers looking for the next adventure in chili peppers often turn to Korean cuisine for its provocative heat levels. Meat lovers go for the sweet and salty barbecued beef. In Portland, It’s not uncommon to see Mexican families dining at Korean and other Asian restaurants. The Mexican and Korean cultures were thrown together long ago in the restaurants and marketplaces of larger cities like Los Angeles, where kitchen workers slowly moved their way from cleaning, to cooking in some of Korea Town’s most notable places. The blending of the two cultures has led to some of the southland’s more creative endeavors, and one that’s become the hottest ticket in town, The Kogi Truck. The little coach “Twitters” its way around the city selling Korean tacos stuffed with marinated, grilled beef or chicken, salsa, kim chee and cheese, or blackjack quesadillas featuring spicy Korean pork with salsa verde. The idea of blending Korean and Mexican cuisine has become such the rage in the L.A. area it was bound to spread up the I-5 corridor. Now, Portland has its own version in the form of Koi Fusion PDX. But I digress. If you’re not quite ready for that adventure you can always start by trying a traditional Korean restaurant, like New Seoul Garden Yakiniku. Yes, Yakiniku is a Japanese word for grilled meat, and there is a long and complicated past between the Koreans and the Japanese, but we just don’t want to go there.

Bulgogi, or Korean marinated beef

New Seoul Garden sits in the heart of used-car row on Canyon Road in Beaverton. It’s a little refuge to escape the shifty sales people and autos rotting on crowded lots, to have a Korean meal. New Seoul Garden left the more aesthetically pleasing southwest Beaverton-Hillsdale highway for its current location, but regardless of the neighborhood, the food is delicious and traditional. Like most Korean restaurants the dining tables feature gas grills in the center. The fun of Korean barbecue is that you cook the meat you order at your table, all while noshing on delicious side dishes served complimentary with your entrées. The side dishes can best be described as Korean “tapas” and contain a variety of pickled, seasoned or fried vegetables, meats, fish, or tofu. They are collectively called, Banchan. Each dish usually contains a range of spice levels from the mild and savory to the piquant, courtesy of a favorite ingredient in Korean cooking, ground red chili that is used either as a powder or a paste. Banchan is generally served liberally including the popular, kim chee or hot pickled cabbage. If you want more of something, all you have to do is ask.

Daeji bulgogi, spicy marinated pork

The focus of the Korean meal is on the meat. Bulgogi is generally marinated beef, but has grown to include chicken and pork. Pork can also be ordered as Daeji Bulgogi, which is covered in a sweet and spicy marinade. Meat is the anchor of the dinner to which other dishes act as the supporting cast. There are many dishes to choose from, but it is customary to have soup with every meal, even if it is just a clear, savory broth. Other soups qualify more as stews, like Chigae, which feature a spicy red pepper broth accompanied by tofu, meat, and vegetables, topped with a freshly cracked egg that’s left to cook in the residual heat. Order the Soon Du Bu for starters. Other dishes include Bindaeduk, or what’s known as a Korean pancake made of mung beans, vegetables or kim chee, with meat or fish. If you’re into noodles you simply must try the Jap Jae. It is a mélange of noodles made from sweet potatoes, mixed with sautéed Korean beef, carrots, spinach, bell peppers, onion and sesame oil that can serve as an entrée on its own, but is usually eaten with a variety of meats and vegetables at dinner.

The trick to eating Korean cuisine is not to over order. Many people don’t understand that side dishes will be served along with the entrees, and feel there won’t be enough food, but it adds up quickly and before you know it, you have a feast in front of you. New Seoul Garden Yakiniku has a lot of soul, and a spunky hostess/waitress that breaks the mold of the typical Korean hostess, casting aside the stodgy, business-like persona you’d typically find, for someone who’s main priority is to make you feel at home.