Adoremus seeks out Korean BBQ

Ah, Columbus Day, a great day to pay homage to cultural diversity and tolerance, if only out of irony. I had the pleasure of going to Nak Won, a Korean restaurant, for dinner this past Columbus Day with Adoremus, and despite the all-nighter I returned to, it was an event I’m glad I didn’t let myself miss.

Arriving in Baltimore from the “glorious” land of Southwest Fl., I had never been exposed to different ethnic foods. Korean food was entirely foreign to me, but Adoremus, a group proud of its Korean roots, has a habit of going to Korean barbeque often. Last year we first went to B-1, a Korean restaurant, where I was first exposed to the world of kimchi, bulgogi, seafood pancakes and those yogurt drinks you get at the end of a meal. Needless to say, it was an alienating experience. My next experience was at Honey Pig, which a few of you probably regard as the Holy Grail of Korean restaurants in Baltimore. Tragically, I tried mul naengmyeon, a chilled beef-noodle soup. It was probably the strangest thing I’ve tried to date and a major turn-off to Korean food. Not even Honey Pig’s wooden cutout of Psy could salvage that.

Coming out of two rough interactions with Korean food I was becoming increasingly skeptical. Then last winter Adoremus went to Nak Won. Suffice it to say that this was the best experience with Korean food I’ve had to date; it was a terrific experience. The sheer diversity of the menu was an immediate relief. If you want Korean barbeque, you can do that. If you want a seafood pancake all for yourself, you can do that. You want some dumplings or soup? Also feasible. Nak Won’s success comes in its ability to cater to both large groups and individuals.

All three times I’ve gone, I’ve ordered Korean barbeque, but I’ve also tried their dumplings and scallion pancakes and been impressed by both. The appetizers come in true fashion: kimchi, rice cakes, crab, seaweed, steamed egg, rice and so much more, all unlimited. The portions are also massive and, while we were a group of 12, we were able to get by with just six portions of meat and a few individual dishes. The price varies from $6 appetizers to $10 platters to about $18 for barbeque, but you’d be hard-pressed to find nothing within your budget here that satisfies. As for the location, Nak Won is situation on W. 20th Street, just about four blocks from Penn Station. The neighborhood is not safe to travel through alone, so if you plan on walking make sure you’re in a group. A taxi from Penn Station will cost you only $2-3.

Nak Won has ultimately proved integral in my familiarization with Korean food. Seeing steamed eggs, pancakes with chunks of octopus and rice gelatin on a regular basis just strengthens the point that Korean food is fascinatingly weird. Everything is sweet, salty and spicy all at once and I feel like a child in a candy shop every time I go back. I’m still warming up to the unfamiliarity of it all, obviously, but Nak Won was my first baby step into the world of foreign cuisine and I am glad that I was able to revisit it on such good terms.