Miami Korean Kitchen

My kid chose this place for our regular daddy-daughter date night. Talk about being inconspicuous, at the end of a non-descript strip shopping center in a former dental office, we drove past it and had to park in front of the extra-big-size shoe store next door. Noting the "Help Wanted" signs in front, of course I inquired of the waitress who greeted us if the place is short-handed. I was assured that the service was unaffected. We chose to eat in their dining room instead of the outdoor terrace. There were two occupied tables, both of them had authentic Asian people eating. That is a GOOD sign. The menu has plenty of choices, perhaps a bit more than most of us can handle. Being curious about Korean cuisine, we ordered whatever we wanted to try without thinking about portion size. We ordered enough food for four hungry people, intending to take half of it home to enjoy the next day. For starters, we had the Sweet & Spicy Chicken Wings and Chive Pancake. Breaded with an exceptionally crunchy coating, glazed with a flavorful sticky sauce that was easy to like--not too sweet, not too hot-spicy. Topped with a sprinkling of sesame seeds. The wings themselves were large-ish, fried perfectly and juicy. The pancake was similar to a latke, impregnated with pieces of tasty bits of chives--one of my favorite onions. My daughter didn't love those pancakes but they were hard to compare to other similar dishes other than Jewish-style potato pancakes. Slightly crispy on the outside, tender and soft inside. Served with a thin sauce that was a bit sweet and savory. My daughter's main was a gigantic bowl of Beef Bulgogi over rice with vegetables--mainly greens and carrots on bed of fluffy white rice. Marinated pieces of steak (I think sirloin), peppery with gochujang, ginger and sweet onions, it was fork-tender and delicious. As a sausage lover, I had to try their version of morcilla, "blood sausage." It's street food in Korea, made of pig intestines stuffed with rice, tofu and spices, it tastes savory, earthy, and with slightly metallic notes from the blood. It also had a curious kind of sweetness that I'd never encountered in sausage. Served with a small bowl of seasoned salt to bring out the flavors. Wonderful! The spicy pork was exactly what I expected. Tender pieces of marinated pork simmered in a chile-flavored sauce was medium-hot, delicious without being too fiery. Topped with shaved pieces of spring onions (chives). Another winning dish. After downing a Heineken, I decided to tame the heat with a Korean beer, a Terra. It was a pleasant, spritzy lager without a lot of malt or hops flavor, but it was a decent thirst quencher. We skipped dessert. Service was exceptional, attentive and quick. Maybe because there were only five tables occupied outside and three inside, and I mentioned the "Help Wanted" signs posted outside, it helped. The check includes an 18% tip. We added another 2%. Portions were generous. There was enough food on our table to feed four Americans and five Asian people.