 |
|
Bibim bap bang >> Arirang dishes up delicious, healthy and |
|
by MATHILDE RABBAT Mention the word "Arirang" to someone of Korean heritage and chances are they'll know exactly what you're referring to. A popular folk tune, the word can be found all over the world as the brand name for products, from educational videos to powerful Web server security scanners. Restaurants have borrowed the word too, of course, as eateries in such places as Hong Kong, Perth, London, Stockholm, San Diego, Boston and New York all bare the name. Ours is comfortably nestled on Ste-Catherine, just west of Le Faubourg. A picture menu, with MSG-free dishes priced no higher than $8.25, will help you decide if you're in the mood for a Korean stew or a bibim bap. You can ponder the question over a hot appetizer or side dish. I liked the teok-bok-gi (aka #27), composed of chewy rice cake cylinders, fish cakes in the shape of little flat pizza wedges and slices of al dente carrot and pepper with square cabbage sheets ($5.25). The real kicker, though, is the red-hot juice in which it's all bathed, so best keep your water glass on standby for this one. That chilli sauce, along with stainless-steel chopsticks, make gripping the springy little rice sticks a slippery, at times frustrating, affair. Once you snare them in your trap, however, their slightly rubbery texture is oddly satisfying to squeeze between the teeth. In short, a great dish for the inner masochist. If you're looking for a standard offering from the Korean kitchen, the bibim bap or "mixed rice" series is a good bet. With its jam-packed ingredients served in a deep dish, it satisfies most Canadian food guide requirements. Priced at just under $8, the beef bibim bap is just what the dietician ordered. The fruits and veggies category is colourfully represented by crispy shredded zucchini neighbouring an absolutely delicious shitake mushroom mound and a small heap of crunchy sprouts. You've got your carbs too - that's the large bed of rice, stained like an artists' palette by the grub on top. Protein is taken care of through strips of beef marinated in a mega-garlicky vinaigrette and a small sunny-side-up egg that caps the whole thing. (If anyone out there has figured out how to eat this kind of egg with chopsticks without puncturing and leakage, please let me know.) Truth be told, though the strips of sautéed beef were flavourful, they could've been a bit more on the lean side. Many mix up bibim bap into a multi-flavoured stew before digging in, while some sample the elements more systematically. If that's the case, try jazzing up your remaining sticky rice after the toppings have been savoured with the hot sauce from your entrée or, even better, slather some kimchi over top. This side dish is a staple in many a Korean diet. The version I thoroughly enjoyed was made up of fermented shredded cabbage and spiked with red pepper powder. I washed it all down with a five-grain tea ($1.50), which I found to be on the bland side. The warm milk with mixed nuts, including hazelnut and pine nut, tasted more like warm oatmeal than tea. Though I'm told by the friendly server that it's supposed to invigorate and stimulate, it did next to nothing for my own stamina. Arirang's décor isn't as folksy as its name. The place fulfills the artificial flower requirements standard in many an Asian eatery and decorations linger from holidays past, but the background music selection is more reminiscent of American show tunes - from Garland to Minelli - than it is of traditional Korean folk music. That holds its own charm, and you definitely won't find an Asian eatery that's as affordable, or promises to have MSG-free food with so much taste, anywhere else in the vicinity. Arirang |
 |
|
|
| MIRROR ARCHIVES » Mar 17-23.2005: INSIDE - COVER | ARCHIVES INDEX | CURRENT ISSUE SITEMAP | STAFF | WEBMASTER |
|
| © Communications Gratte-Ciel Ltée 2005 |