Mandu-Ru Korean Food Review

Mandu-Ru Korean Food Review

Vivi Feiser

 
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Restaurant: Mandu-Ru

Location: H-Mart, Terminal Square

Type of Cuisine: East Asian (specifically Korean)

Waiting for good food is difficult, especially when you go in with a grumbling stomach and you’re on the most important mission: to find the perfect feast.

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Fried dumpling appetizer at Mandu Ru.

Luckily, at Mandu Ru the wait was short and the food was hot and fresh. The Korean cuisine restaurant is located in a food court above H-mart, which is the largest Asian-owned grocery store chain in the U.S.. The local H-mart is located near 69th street terminal. The smell upon entering the building was tantalizing and mouthwatering and prepared me for the meal ahead. I started with mondu, which are fried dumplings filled with scallions, shredded pork, and rice noodles. They looked a little bit better than your average pot sticker, but the taste was phenomenal.

The main course, Jobche (pronounced “Chop-Chay”) came out next, and is a dish that consists of Bulgogi–meat cooked Korean BBQ style–together with rice noodles, white rice, kimchi (pickled radish or lettuce with red pepper, garlic, and vinegar, and is super spicy!), and pickled radishes that were bright yellow and slightly sweet in a very pleasant sort of way.

I grew up with lots of high-calibre Korean food ( My grandparents spent an extensive amount of time in Seoul, South Korea as missionaries and came back with several Korean cookbooks, and my wonderful Aunt Sun-Mi is Korean, and is an amazing cook, among other talents), so I think I have a decent idea as to what counts as “Authentic” and “Americanized” Korean dishes. The proper texture, taste, smell, and overall presentation are really important, and Mandu Ru did not disappoint.

First were the mondu; the texture was a bit too fried to be truly authentic, but the flavor and smell were pretty good. A solid 6 out of 10. If you have never had mondu before, Mandu Ru is the place to go!

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Vivi bitting into the massive main course, Jobche.

The main course Jobche was absolutely massive in proportion, and probably could have fed two other people, maybe even three. The rice noodles have a certain sort of consistency to them that you just don’t find in wheat-based pastas, and the mixture of grilled mushrooms, bulgogi, onions, and squash was awesome. Also with the dish came some decent white rice, which was a little too dry but still really good, and some pickled radishes and spicy kimchi. This meal was 8.5 out of 10, and I look forward to the leftovers!

Because the entire food court was in fact a food court, the atmosphere was lacking, and I think that if you were looking for a strong and substantial Korean meal, I would suggest a place with a lot more atmosphere, perhaps more restaurant-ish than just a food tray loaded with some awesome food and styrofoam cups. Factoring in the atmosphere, food quality, pricing, and overall satisfaction, Manchu Ru did really well- I give it a final score of 9 out of 10, and look forward to many return trips!

 

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