This Korean is a welcome addition to the northeast quadrant of Dallas.
by Andrew Chalk
The best thing about random restaurant searches is when you stumble on an unannounced gem. It may only happen once a year but it makes up for all the underperformers, and makes it all worth it. That was the case this week when the first restaurant we tried, Pho Ca Dao, informed us that they were a smoking restaurant. Top marks for honesty. The Boiling Crab over the road was more than boiling. It was bopping with a queue outside stretching the length of the premises. Next door Woo Me OK Korean BBQ looked interesting, and was virtually empty (it turned out that it opened only a month ago).
What a pleasant surprise Woo Me turned out to be! Burners in the table type barbecue at a fixed price of $22 and offering all of (not a selection from) 2 beef, 3 pork, 2 chicken, one squid main courses, plus a glorious Korean mashup on scrambled egg called Steamed Egg, a choice of one of one of two soups per couple, and a large selection of platefuls (infinitely refilled) of the kind of appetizers that are a leitmotif of Korean cuisine (kimchi, sweet potato noodles, fermented bean sprouts, fermented radish) plus sauces. We took our own wine so walked out for $44 for both of us plus tax and tip. There was probably more food on our table than in the whole of North Korea.
And we could not finish the menu. The chicken remained unsampled. The Hawaiian pork also. The beef and other pork dishes were all exemplary, especially with a dash of the salt-laced sesame oil provided along with the sauce selection. My favorite meat was the brisket, which acquired a tangible crust from time on the grill. The moll went for the pork belly. We agreed that the spicy squid was too rubbery.
We chose the soybean paste soup as our soup and it was as earthy and umami-rich as you would expect. Refills are available. Take outs are not, as is the norm with all-you-can-eat.
I will be back. Great to see Korean in the northeast quadrant, another choice for us all.
Summary: Good value Korean BBQ that provides quality ingredients at a knockdown, all-you-can-eat price. Great to see BYOB as well, which is not very prevalent in Koreatown on Royal and Harry Hines. Friendly service.
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