A couple of days ago, I posted about seeing hand-made potstickers at one of the vendors in the Ala Moana food court. Since then, dumplings has been in the back of my mind. I decided to look for dumplings last night.
Back in January 2011 I posted about this place. I like it here because at night, they have a vegetable, soup and rice buffet that accompanies any entrée order.
Banchan Sample #1
From the 12 o’clock position, Korean savory pancakes, simmered eggplant, salted vegetables, and deep-fried doufu in kimchi sauce (think stinky doufu without the stinky part).
Banchan Sample #2
Can you tell I like the doufu and eggplant?
Seaweed Soup
Yum.
On to the main course, steamed mandu. Tonight, I wanted simple, soulful food.
Steamed Mandu
The owner/chef really tries to plate each entrée attractively (unlike most Asian restaurants where appearance is an afterthought). The picture doesn’t do the plating justice. The fried onion ring stacked vertically behind the mandu landscape kind of reminded me of a Stargate (sorry, a geek slip). On the top of the Stargate is a deep-fried sliver of Okinawan sweet potato. Too bad they don’t offer a pile of them as a side order, it’s that good.
The mandu tasted fresh made (not commercially frozen). It satisfied the craving.
One caveat, I don’t consider the place “cheap eats” but with the soup and banchan buffet, worth it. It can’t be a “go-to” place though because of the prices.
Enjoy.
The Mouse
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