Yes! Buckwheat 예메밀 — Restaurant in Annandale

This restaurant has been around since 1993 in Korea. It had featured in MBC, SBS, and KBS for their unique use of buckwheat in all their dishes. The restaurant name is "Yes! Buckwheat." They really should've been, "Oh, yes! Buckwheat" or "Oh, my gosh! Buckwheat" because every spoonful and every morsels were that delicious. My kids are hard to please. But, they absolutely loved the Nangmyun- the cold noodles. The broth was so refreshing. Mmm~ My husband's Bibimguksoo- the spicy cold noodles were so good that I kept taking some from his bowl. The sauce was... perfect. It wasn't overly spicy with overdone gochujang that leaves a bitter aftertaste. The way they arranged the vegetables was pleasing to the eyes. And, my Udon? It was the best I ever had- Not salty like other places. After we were finished eating, we just had to try the steamed Mandu- Korean dumplings. Yum! The only caveat is that it has ground beef. Sorry, vegetarians.

Now, let's talk about the noodles. Each of the noodle dishes, although made with yes, buckwheat, were all so different and made to perfection. I make my own pastas and mandu wrappers using whole wheat and ground oats. So, I know it's not easy making noodles with anything other than typical flour. I can't believe how delicious Yes! Buckwheat noodles are! So chewy. Whenever I stole a bite of my husband's bibimguksu, I couldn't take just a little bite because the noodles stretched and stretched as I wrapped them around my chopsticks. My Udon noodles were soft but not too soft. It tasted better than any Japanese restaurant's Udon. The biggest surprise for me is Nangmyun. I've never eaten such noodles with Nangmyun. My father's side of the family came from N. Korea. So, I grew up eating lots of Nangmyun with buckwheat noodles. Yes! Buckwheat is unique. Surprisingly addictive. I must go back. Soon.

For those of you who haven't tried Nangmyun, I'll quote from NPR's article: "Italy has its pasta salad, and China its cold sesame noodles. But there are few places where cold noodles are held in as high esteem as in Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea. Naengmyeon, as it's called, is enjoyed both in the sweltering heat of summer, and the frigid depths of winter, and on both sides of the heavily fortified border between the two Koreas. This dish for all seasons originates in North Korea." (North Korean cold noodle master brings northern tastes to Seoul. August 15, 20225:43 PM ET. Heard on All...

I can say this is one of my personal favorite to go, especially during summer when it’s so hot outside and I am craving for something to cool down.

Owners are very friendly and always greet you with smile. It’s a self-serve restaurant in a food court, but they answer your questions in a nice manner and appreciates you dining with them.

The food is so gooood. Cold buckwheat soba is a must-try here, especially during summer. There is a bowl of sauce that you mix wasabi and minced raddish, and you put buckwheat noodles into the sauce and eats it from there. Other buckwheat noodle dish are solid as well if you want something warm or hot to heat you up.

Over the summer, I go to this restaurant at least once a month, if not more. I highly recommend this restaurant for anyone who wants to eat healthy noodles with...

I forgot the name of the dish I got, but I'll update if I remember. I know it was the #9 on their menu- it was a warm, opaque & whitish, ground beans/nuts soup with buckwheat noodles. I drank every last drop! It's wonderful to find a restaurant that appreciates buckwheat, and incredible to find a spot that does so many different dishes (not just noodles!) using buckwheat flower. I haven't seen another restaurant that portrays this side of Korean cuisine so widely and so well! You can tell they really care about representing this ingredient. 10/10 amazing food. They also provide free water from a nice cold Coway dispenser, which is unfortunately getting rare in...