Chung Ki Wa Awards

Chung Ki Wa Restaurant Review:

With its lacquered burlwood booths and side rooms with sliding paper doors, Chung Ki Wa has an air of Korean rusticity, and so does the hearty fare. Start with an assortment of banchan, some ten seasonal side dishes, from marinated vegetables and kimchi to stewed fish and seaweed, then move on to mandu-guk (beef broth swimming with doughy pot stickers) and a mixed green salad brimming with ribboned scallions and sweet chili dressing. Those are just a few stops on your way to selections from the huge menu: favorites include barbecued beef (bulgoki), chicken (dak bulgoki) or beef ribs (kalbi), all from a marinade rich with garlic, soy and sesame oil. Or you can order large plates of raw meat such as rib-eye, filet mignon and pork loin, which you then cook at your table's stovetop. In case you're worried about all that spice, your bill is thoughtfully delivered with sides of chewing gum.