Do you remember the popular 1990s Hanson song “MMMBop“? Well, the title has been stuck in my head since I had a late lunch/early dinner date at Do Hwa with my husband Reggie on Saturday. Do Hwa is a Korean BBQ restaurant in NYC’s West Village…and their food is amazing. I loved the bibimbop dish that I had so much that I’ve been saying, “Mmm Bibimbop” for the last couple of days and plotting my next visit to Do Hwa. (Although they spell the dish bibimbop, I mainly see it spelled bibimbap. I’m more concerned about the taste than the spelling though!)
I wish that you could smell and taste what I experienced. I videotaped my meal, so that I wouldn’t bother my fellow diners (including Reggie!) with my camera flash. In case you are ever in the mood for Korean BBQ while in NYC, I highly recommend everything that we ordered…
-One of the reasons that we went to Do Hwa was that it has bbq grill tables where you can grill your own dishes (with assistance). I wanted to grill! Although we had reserved a grill table, we didn’t actually end up grilling. I now know for future reference that not only do you have to reserve a grill table, but that you also need to indicate to your server that you intend on grilling yourself. It probably worked out for the best though. The barbecue that they prepared off the menu was perfect. We considered ordering the pork belly, but once the waitress mentioned that it was fatty, Reggie ordered the DEJI BULGOGI, a spicy pork barbecue, from the grill table. I knew from doing a google search before we went to the restaurant that lettuce leaves were served with the barbecue, so that you could wrap the meat in it. It came with so much more – kimchi, lotus root, string beans, tofu, beans with nuts, miso and spicy peppers – in addition to the lettuce leaves. (The meal reminded me of my first roommate, Dong Jin, after graduating from college. Originally from Korea, she was the first person to introduce me to the spicy cabbage kimchi. I ate so much of her kimchi that I ended up chipping in to buy the large jars!)
-I ordered the CLASSIC BIBIMBOP. I was a little wary at first because the waitress wasn’t exactly sure which seven vegetables were included in the rice dish. Also, it included an over easy egg on top. (I like my eggs thoroughly cooked!) It worked out great though. The rice and vegetables were cooked in a hot pot with beef and an over easy egg on top of it. Once the server brought the dish to the table, he asked how spicy I wanted the dish. (There was a man and a woman who were sharing serving duties for our table.) Anyway, he then mixed everything in the pot together along with the appropriate amount of gochu-jang (chili sauce). Since the pot was hot, the egg was continuing to cook as everything was being mixed up. There was no runny egg at all …it was perfect and I ate everything in the pot.
I highly recommend Do Hwa for a Korean meal. As I was talking to Reggie, I couldn’t help but to share how much I love living in NYC. Although I definitely want to travel more in the future, I could stay right here and still enjoy authentic food from practically anywhere in the world. New York City is definitely the ultimate foodie city!
Do Hwa
55 Carmine Street
New York, NY 10014
(212) 414-1224
www.dohwanyc.com