No one is going to accuse the folks at Kimchi Korean restaurant of being too warm and fuzzy. The first time I tried to visit the Oviedo restaurant I stood at the front door for several minutes without an acknowledgement from the staff. I finally just left and went to a nearby lunch spot.
The second time I entered, alone, it was made clear to me that I could sit at the bar area, overlooking the unkemptness of scattered papers and a couple of wine bottles (this was not a working bar, apparently), or nowhere. The empty tables would not be wasted on a solo diner.
The attitude isn’t keeping people away, however. The place seems to do a brisk business.
I opted for one of the lunch specials, a spicy pork bulgogi box. It featured sliced pork sauteed with onions and peppery seasoning, but it wasn’t nearly spicy enough to be called spicy pork. It was accompanied by a ball of white rice, some soggy tempura, a surprisingly meager serving of kimchi, and a pretty good fresh salad with peanut dressing.
I found it all fairly unremarkable, but when I was leaving I noticed the people sitting next to me were being served more traditional Korean dishes from the main menu and it all looked much more enticing.
So I guess if I were to go back I would eschew the bulgogi box lunches and stick to the main menu.
But unless I know that I would be more welcomed, that isn’t likely to happen. You go; let me know how it is.
Kimchi Korean restaurant is at 7 Alafaya Woods Blvd., Oviedo. It is open for lunch and dinner daily. Here is a link to the restaurant’s website. The phone number is 407-977-4455.
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