Seoulville offers homestyle Korean food, from the familiar to the spicy and daring
Between the Thanksgiving turkey and the holiday prime rib, it might be time for something a little different. You'll find it at Seoulville in Somerville, where a gentle introduction to Korean food is in store.
Seoulville is a family restaurant in a dual sense. Not only is it a kid-friendly place, where several generations can feel comfortable dining together, but it's also run by a family. Helen Kim is the chef; her husband, Kenny, is the owner and their son, Brian handles the front of the house, waiting on tables and patiently answering questions.
Korean-born, like her husband, Helen Kim was educated in nutrition and also had cooked professionally in her native land, though many of her recipes are traditional and handed down through her family.
Chef Helen Kim prepares a meal at Seoulville. The Kims formerly had a catering business in Edison but wanted "to challenge ourselves," as Brian Kim put it, to see if they could make a success in an area without Korean restaurants, so they opened Seoulville at the beginning of 2015.
Brian Kim characterizes the offerings as "home-style Korean comfort food," which should put newcomers at ease, though he noted with a chuckle that sometimes patrons "are at first afraid" because the cuisine is unfamiliar to them.
However, "once they get something they like and are used to the flavors, that's when they start ordering different things," he added.
Guests who want something different that isn't too exotic can dip into jobchae ($15), stir-fried vegetables, glass noodles and beef, or bulgogi ($17), thin-sliced marinated ribeye stir-fried with scallions and onions. Bulgogi also is available as a soup ($15), with the same beneficial effect as a fireplace in terms of warming up on a chilly day. The interest is increased by slick little rice cakes that go down easily and add substance to the brew.
And there's always Korean barbecue. A sharing dish for the table of LA Galbi ($28) involves fire-grilled marinated short ribs, an option with universal appeal.
The restaurant attracts a multi-ethnic crowd, and those who aren't familiar with Korean food won't feel out of place.
While toning down the heat on request is possible to some extent for various items, the manager noted that can't be done with certain foods. They would include pork that already has been marinated, such as the stir-fried spicy pork ($17) that also comes with spicy red pepper paste. However, the dolsot bibimbap ($15) has its spicy sauce on the side, so you can add as much as you like to the vegetables served over rice in a hot stone bowl (add tofu, beef or chicken; your choice) and topped with an egg sunny-side up.
Anyone who wants to start with something that needs no translation should order the nicely crunchy "KFC" -- Korean Fried Chicken, as the menu puts it tongue-in-cheek. Served in two sizes, for $8 and $13, the sauce options are sweet and spicy (though the spice is quite mild) and honey-glazed soy. They are deliciously messy to eat, so it's not first-date food, but wet naps are supplied to wipe away the residue.
After that, it's time to see what Korean cuisine is really about. If you're still treading delicately, the seafood and scallion pancake ($15) is the way to go. Squid, shrimp, scallions and other vegetables are battered and fried into a satisfying palette of colors and tastes. Brian Kim called it "Korean pizza," but it's far lighter than its Italian counterpart.
Speaking of pancakes, the platter of nine delicacies ($15) is a fun do-it-yourself project. Items such as sliced egg whites, yolks, beef, mushrooms, shrimp and zucchini are arranged around a little stack of pancakes, ready for any combos a guest cares to roll together and dip into a horseradish-based sauce.
The platter of nine delicacies at Seoulville. After the appetizers and before the entrees comes a plate of the complementary intermezzo of side dishes, banchan, with black beans, potato, mung bean jelly and pieces of white fish. Of course, kimchi is part of the meal. These fermented vegetables can be eaten on their own, but are an appropriate complement to other dishes.
No need to save room for a hearty dessert; the way to end an evening of discovery here is with a dessert drink. A very sweet persimmon slushie ($3/12 ounce; $4/16 ounce) is soothing after all those spices, and the sweet rice punch ($2) is another option.
The decor at Seoulville is simple and functional; it's the food that provides the color and atmosphere, while the price is right for an experience that is both filling and fulfilling.
Seoulville
45 West Main St., Somerville. 908-864-4100 seoulvillenj.com. Hours:11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. and 5-9 p.m. Tuesdays-Fridays; Noon-10 p.m. Saturdays-Sundays. Closed Mondays. BYOW. Three stars.
Cody Kendall may be reached at CodyDine@aim.com. Follow Cody on Twitter@CodyDine. Find NJ.com/Entertainment on Facebook.