Sokuri — Restaurant in Kokomo

I so much wanted Sokuri to be good. A good Korean place in Kokomo would be a very good thing. They are still in soft start mode, and the menu is fairly limited so I will try to cut them some slack. They claim they plan to eventually have sushi and Korean BBQ, and I hope they do, but they don't right now.

I can sum up our experience with Sokuri in one word – bland. In my experience, the word bland is not what one expects of Korean food. While I am far from being an expert in Korean food, I have eaten it in a number of restaurants, both in the midwest and on the west coast. I have also been to a few Korean places in Japan. All were pretty good. All were better than what we had at Sokuri.

At Sokuri, the three dishes we requested were quite edible, but they tasted like they were either deliberately made bland so as to not offend the American palate, or they were made by an amateur cook who has no professional restaurant experience. Korean food is known for spiciness and bold flavors, including flavors from gochujang, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, and gochugaru. None of those flavors came through in our dinner. Even the banchan was lacking in pizazz. And, I was surprised they did not have my favorite noodle dish on the menu, the very popular japchae, which is easy to make and flavorful.

The first dish we ordered was bulgogi, a staple of many Korean restaurants and popular with Americans, because it involves steak. It is supposed to use a nice cut of beef like ribeye or tenderloin, providing a tender bite of well marinated meat. What we got was under-marinated and tough. It seemed to be both a tougher cut as well as overcooked. It was edible, but chewy and a bit dry, and not as flavorful as it should be.

Second was a seafood tofu combo dish that contained shrimp, mussels and cuttlefish. The amount of tofu was generous and the seafood was not bad. But again the dish lacked flavor. It was under-seasoned, bland and not as satisfying as it could have been. It was just not really restaurant quality.

Finally we had the pork tonkatsu, which was OK but unremarkable. The pork could have been a bit more moist, but the batter was good and it had decent flavor. Not “knock your socks off good”, but acceptable and the best of the three dishes.

The staff was friendly and helpful, especially the Korean lady who came around and offered explanations of the dishes and banchan. She seemed pleased that we had at least a bit of familiarity with Korean cooking. Our server was friendly and helpful, if a bit inexperienced with Korean dishes. I asked her if they had kimbap and I don't think she had a clue what that was.

Finally, given the quality of the food, the pricing seemed a bit high. That could be a problem here in Kokomo where people are pretty price conscious. Certainly the quality of the beef in the bulgogi did not justify the price of that dish.

I am hopeful that Sokuri is successful in the long run and they can figure out how to up their game. I suggest they get help with their recipes because at this point they are disappointing and in my opinion will not lead to enough return business for them to be successful. Perhaps if they get a good sushi chef they will garner more business, but because there are already three sushi places in Kokomo, relying solely on that strategy may not be enough. I wish them the best of luck. We really can use a good Korean...

Update! 3/6/24 I now have been here three times! They have expanded the menu. Japchae is now on the menu along with a ton of other things. Tonight we had the squid with udon noodles, pork cutlet (again) and a pork belly and squid bulgogi. Super delicious! Also, each dish is large enough for two people. They gave us tons of to go boxes because clearly we ordered to much because we want to taste it all. Also, the minute one of my complimentary sides (there were 5) was low it was refilled! There is now a large carafe of chilled water given to the table when you are seated. I have to say, I love that they have addressed all input given on other reviews and delivered. It gets better each time I go. I'll be going back (clearly I can't stop) because it is now one of my favorite places to eat in town. I have been here twice since opening! Both times the food was amazing. If you want quality this is it. Every dish is fresh and full of flavor. Each time the chef has made variety small plates of kimchi and other assorted options. Tonight there was eggplant and anchovies. To be honest, I haven't had an eggplant or anchovy I have enjoyed until now. The chef there has a talent for balancing all of the flavors. The Bulgogi beef is delicious. Also, I have tried the grilled pork belly, the spicy pork stir fry, and the fried pork cutlets. They also have many vegetarian options. The rice is sticky and comes in the cutest bowl with a lid. You leave feeling full, but never bloated. They are working on expanding the menu, but it is clear they aren't rushing because they are focused on providing quality food. The plum wine is also delicious and one bottle is enough for two. The staff are so kind and they really bring the whole experience together. If you haven't tried it yet, you should give it go. I can't wait to see what...

Initially I was extremely excited to find a local Korean restaurant. I love Korean food and whenever I hear of a new one I have to check it out. However, Sokuri did not live up to the hype. I walked in to a beautiful dining area and was sat a small table up front. My waitress seemed kind but, didn't seem to know how to really be a server. In an empty restaurant I waited a good while for her to get my drink and food order. I wasnt given napkins or even really acknowledged. I asked and got a single napkin. Then came ordering. $2 for TAP water is ridiculous by the way. The Sundubu Jiggae with seafood was $20 and came with banchan and rice. I never complain about price when the food is quality but.... Sadly, the only things I really liked were the banchan. The sundubu jiggae tasted like Shin Ramen soup base. The "seafood" in it was 3 small shrimp, 3 mussles, and a small amount of imitation crab meat. I pretty much just ate the seafood out of it. Then, mid meal I saw a scavenger insect on the wall, I'm no entomologist but, you can probably infer from the photo what it is. It completely ruined my appetite. I drank my over priced water and couldn't even get close to finishing my over priced Sundubu Jiggae. I paid, tipped, and left sorely disappointed. I really hope that this was a fluke but, I dont think I will be back to figure...