Spicy Corea

[Jeff Lebowski]

I have a restaurant review for you diners in the UC. I am a big Korean food fan, but I am not sure I have enough background to call myself an expert. Until recently, the best place to go for Korean food in UC was Sam Hawk. The food there is good, but the service is awful (you could die of thirst waiting for a refill) and my wife won't go there with me because your clothes end up smelling like garlic afterward. There used to be a place called "Touch of Seoul" in downtown Provo just north of Los Hermanos on University but the food was not good. Some time ago the place changed to "Spicy Corea" (go figure - there must a clause in the lease that requires a cheesy name). Address and some reviews here:

http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/54/1221842/restaurant/Salt-Lake-City/Spicy-Corea-Provo

I really like this place. Unlike Sam Hawk, they have speedy service, they watch your drinks, and they offer refills on the side dishes. The food is good and it is ridiculously cheap. Lunch specials are $5.95. I recommend the spicy pork. It comes with rice and three side dishes. My wife and I went on Saturday. We had stone bowl bibimbap and beef bulgogi with lettuce spears and a soda. The bill came to $21. I always leave a big tip because I feel like I am stealing food at those prices.

By the way, I googled the name and found this unintentionally funny review by the Daily Herald food critic. Apparently one can be a food critic for the DH knowing next to nothing about Korean food. I wonder what other foreign cuisine Mr. Molyneux has yet to try.

http://www.heraldextra.com/entertainment/article_28a7b72f-205e-5717-bb2e-9bc02059cd81.html

I loved this line:

Spicy Corea serves a noodle and vegetable dish unlike anything we've tried. The noodles were translucent and stretchy, like bungee cords. A mouthful with a variety of vegetables was full of interesting textures and flavors.

[jay santos]

Agree, the new owners are better at the Spicy Corea than the old Touch of Seoul. Wife and I go there at least every couple months. I like Sam Hak better, but the wife has no patience for the long wait. I absolutely love the ojingo pogum (squid fried rice) at Sam Hak. When I go Korean I'm 50-50 between getting pulkogi or the ojingo pogum. She always gets the stone bowl pibim pap and loves it at either place. Last time we were at Spicy Corea it was a Friday night and we were the only ones there and after paying $20 for the meal (and yes I'm the same way on tipping there), I'm thinking there's no way this place is going to be in business long. The kimche and the sides are better at Sam Hak, but given the time wait to get your food, I'd probably recommend Spicy Corea.

[Surfah]

If you want decent service at Sam Hawk you need to go with Koreans. No lie. I have sat there and waited for my food while Korean parties have come in after me, ordered and finished eating before I even got my received my food. I am not saying they're racist there. Well, yes I am.

[jay santos]

If you want decent service at Sam Hawk you need to go with Koreans. No lie. I have sat there and waited for my food while Korean parties have come in after me, ordered and finished eating before I even got my received my food. I am not saying they're racist there. Well, yes I am.

hmm...the Koreans complain about the wait just as much as the Americans, as far as I know. A lot of people call ahead. I did that a few times but it just seems rude, I just can't do it.

[Tim]

I have a restaurant review for you diners in the UC. I am a big Korean food fan, but I am not sure I have enough background to call myself an expert. Until recently, the best place to go for Korean food in UC was Sam Hawk. The food there is good, but the service is awful (you could die of thirst waiting for a refill) and my wife won't go there with me because your clothes end up smelling like garlic afterward. There used to be a place called "Touch of Seoul" in downtown Provo just north of Los Hermanos on University but the food was not good. Some time ago the place changed to "Spicy Corea" (go figure - there must a clause in the lease that requires a cheesy name). Address and some reviews here:

http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/54/1221842/restaurant/Salt-Lake-City/Spicy-Corea-Provo

I really like this place. Unlike Sam Hawk, they have speedy service, they watch your drinks, and they offer refills on the side dishes. The food is good and it is ridiculously cheap. Lunch specials are $5.95. I recommend the spicy pork. It comes with rice and three side dishes. My wife and I went on Saturday. We had stone bowl bibimbap and beef bulgogi with lettuce spears and a soda. The bill came to $21. I always leave a big tip because I feel like I am stealing food at those prices.

By the way, I googled the name and found this unintentionally funny review by the Daily Herald food critic. Apparently one can be a food critic for the DH knowing next to nothing about Korean food. I wonder what other foreign cuisine Mr. Molyneux has yet to try.

http://www.heraldextra.com/entertainment/article_28a7b72f-205e-5717-bb2e-9bc02059cd81.html

"Wow, what a unique and wonderful Korean restaurant! They brought me all these little side dishes with extra food in them, and they served them family style! It's too bad more Korean restaurants don't do something like this, because those little side dishes were great!"

[Surfah]

hmm...the Koreans complain about the wait just as much as the Americans, as far as I know. A lot of people call ahead. I did that a few times but it just seems rude, I just can't do it.

Well that was a trick I learned from Korean friends who said don't go there without one in your company.

[wuapinmon]

"Wow, what a unique and wonderful Korean restaurant! They brought me all these little side dishes with extra food in them, and they served them family style! It's too bad more Korean restaurants don't do something like this, because those little side dishes were great!"

"It's like a Korean Dillard House."

[beefytee]

I'll have to try it sometime.

I didn't like Touch of Soul. I do like Sam Hawk. It is tough to get my wife to go with me. She isn't a fan of Korean.

[Jeff Lebowski]

Agree, the new owners are better at the Spicy Corea than the old Touch of Seoul. Wife and I go there at least every couple months. I like Sam Hak better, but the wife has no patience for the long wait. I absolutely love the ojingo pogum (squid fried rice) at Sam Hak. When I go Korean I'm 50-50 between getting pulkogi or the ojingo pogum. She always gets the stone bowl pibim pap and loves it at either place. Last time we were at Spicy Corea it was a Friday night and we were the only ones there and after paying $20 for the meal (and yes I'm the same way on tipping there), I'm thinking there's no way this place is going to be in business long. The kimche and the sides are better at Sam Hak, but given the time wait to get your food, I'd probably recommend Spicy Corea.

I was happy to see that they were packed on Saturday night.

I will be sure to check out the ojingo pogum. Any other recommendations?

[jay santos]

I was happy to see that they were packed on Saturday night.

I will be sure to check out the ojingo pogum. Any other recommendations?

Kalbi's always a favorite. You've probably had that.

Sam kyop sal is great, but not a specialty of either of the Provo places. They cook pork belly on a stove in front of you and then you eat it like pulkogi with the lettuce wraps but you usually have more sauces available for flavoring especially the one where it's you combine a ton of salt with sesame oil.

The soups (chigae) are more common as meals in Korea and sometimes I get nostalgic for them, but I usually end up going for the meat dishes. The chigaes are: Kimche chigae, dwen jang chigae (like a heavy miso), and sun tubu chigae (spicy, lots of tofu).

Another great one is tang su yuk, the Korean version of General Tsao's chicken. In Korea you only get that at a "Chinese" restaurant. I don't know if it's Koreanized Chinese or if it's more like an authentic Chinese dish, but it's quite a bit different than General Tsao's you get at a US Chinese restaurant. edit: you can't get this at the Provo places either.

[wuapinmon]

Kalbi's always a favorite. You've probably had that.

Sam kyop sal is great, but not a specialty of either of the Provo places. They cook pork belly on a stove in front of you and then you eat it like pulkogi with the lettuce wraps but you usually have more sauces available for flavoring especially the one where it's you combine a ton of salt with sesame oil.

The soups (chigae) are more common as meals in Korea and sometimes I get nostalgic for them, but I usually end up going for the meat dishes. The chigaes are: Kimche chigae, dwen jang chigae (like a heavy miso), and sun tubu chigae (spicy, lots of tofu).

Another great one is tang su yuk, the Korean version of General Tsao's chicken. In Korea you only get that at a "Chinese" restaurant. I don't know if it's Koreanized Chinese or if it's more like an authentic Chinese dish, but it's quite a bit different than General Tsao's you get at a US Chinese restaurant. edit: you can't get this at the Provo places either.

The kimchi chigae at Touch of Seoul used to be my go to sinus infection ender. It was so damned hot.

[jay santos]

I love Wikipedia.

[ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_Chinese_cuisine"]Korean Chinese cuisine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia@@AMEPARAM@@/wiki/File:ChineseDishLogo.png" class="image"><img alt="ChineseDishLogo.png" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8d/ChineseDishLogo.png"@@AMEPARAM@@commons/8/8d/ChineseDishLogo.png[/ame]

I've always been curious about Korean Chinese food. In Korea, you have Chinese food restaurants and the menu is always the same (listed on this wiki page), but you can find none of the menu items on any American Chinese restaurant. I've always wondered if they are authentic Chinese or just as bastardized as American Chinese is. Reading this wiki page I had a flash memory of the respite found in a cozy Korean Chinese restaurant on a freezing cold day of unsuccessful door knocking. Hot plate of oil can rice (jajang pap) with a half cooked fried egg on top and a steaming cup of bori cha to warm your hands. Good times.

[cougjunkie]

Not sure if it is still there but has any tried Fusion? It was at the bottom of the provo/orem hill.

I went there with a guy that was married to a Korean and who served his mission in Korea. He said they had the best Korean in Utah County. It was pretty good, he got some soup whose name in English translated to "Creatures of the Sea" It seriously looked disgusting but he loved it and got it everytime.

[Mrs. Funk]

I've been to both Spicy Corea and Sam Hawk. I liked both of them. I've never had bad service at Sam Hawk—though the three or so times I've been, we were the only people in the joint.

Korean food is awesome.

[old_gregg]

spicy corea's beef lunch special for $5.95 is unbeatable. sides were good, and were in huge portions. i used to go to that crap hole rice king every so often, but spicy corea will replace that for sure.