There’s a new addition to the Korean eatery options in town: K-Bowl, a small restaurant located at 39 E. Green St. With only three months since its opening, K-Bowl aims to rise among campus veterans such as Woori Jib, A-RI-Rang and B Won with its authentic Korean taste and healthy traditional dishes.
One of the establishment’s highlighted dishes is Bibimbap, a bowl of white rice served with an array of vegetables (mushrooms, carrots, radish and bean sprouts), a sprinkle of marinated beef and topped with a cooked egg. The final touch, however, is the pepper paste and sesame oil seasoning, an option customers can choose to add to the entree.
Full of flavors and vibrant colors, this dish offers a meal pleasing to the eyes and to a hungry stomach.
But aside from this, K-Bowl’s Bibimbap and other traditional dishes succeed in passing an important test: a genuine Korean taste.
The owner of K-Bowl is chef Jay Cho. Before opening the restaurant, Cho also owned and operated Sushi Kame, located on 132 W. Church St.
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Having worked as a sushi chef in downtown Chicago and Champaign-Urbana, Cho felt opening a Korean restaurant in the community was part of his greater mission related to his ethnic ties.
“I’m a Japanese sushi chef, but I’m still Korean, so I want people (to) know about Korean food,” Cho said.
K-Bowl was created after several years of much thought and planning, allowing his dream to become a budding reality.
“I’m sure the quality of the Korean food is the best in town,” Cho said. “I think someone who stops by and eats really knows that and can tell what the difference is. I cannot tell that, but they know.”
This authenticity resounded with customers who have visited the restaurant.
“I grew up eating the best Korean food in the world: my mom’s,” said Ji Jung, senior in Engineering. “(K-Bowl) is just good, old traditional Korean food. (It had) no plan to cater to an audience or please a certain type, and (it) reminded me of my mom’s cooking. Added with the company of friends, that’s the atmosphere of home.”
“It’s not so Americanized like other Korean restaurants,” said Se Il Park, sophomore in DGS and frequenter of Korean restaurants.
Cho also hopes to draw in more customers with a new menu item due this week: Korean-style chicken wings.
“You need to stop by,” Cho said. “It is totally different.”
Stephanie can be reached at [email protected].
