KOREA
[UPDATE: CLOSED]
A week before my visit to My Mom's, I was walking down Northern Boulevard on my way to another Korean restaurant and spotted this gem. I knew it was love at first sight, and the cuisine really did not matter as much as the charm. Thankfully, the stuff here is quick, warm, spicy, and most importantly, delicious.
You might think that being surrounded by bright green everywhere would create an environment that is not comfortable, but the restaurant somehow has a high level of coziness, probably because of the smells coming from the kitchen. It is Korean home cooking, cheap and accessible.
In this informal setting, you can either sit down or place your order at the register. There is a flat screen in the front that the chef watches when she is not busy and which also keeps the takeout customers occupied while they wait. Koreans in the area seem to have taken to this place so far, despite not really wanting to eat here. Most of its business was definitely to go.
We asked for some hot tea and were brought hot water instead. The lady explained that the machine that creates this water was very expensive and this was "better than tea." We took her word for it and of course were back for seconds after finishing our meal.
The spicy ramen w/ rice-cake ($7, below) was surprisingly package-y, that is, not that dissimilar to a ramen you might buy at the nearby H-Mart for 25 cents. But she obviously does more, adding the chewy cakes and plenty of extra spices to create a solid bowl.
We were in the mood for spicy foods on this evening and went for the spicy pork slice over rice ($9, below). The meats were dancing with red and green peppers, as well as onion and sesame. The sticky sauce was spicy enough, and served with a side of rice.
Not pictured are the lackluster steamed home made dumplings ($7, below), which will require a healthy dose of whatever sauce you are craving. These come in orders of eight pieces, and can be fried as well, an option I will probably take next time to liven them up.
After finishing everything, we lingered around to avoid the inclement night and our trips home. "My Mom" definitely hit the spot in all the ways we needed this wintery evening.
wow, the spicy pork over rice - love it!
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