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Orine Sarangchae, a closer look
 Orine Sarangchae on Yelp! |
Table Talk
Jo McGarry on Orine Sarangchae |
Aloha!
3/10/11 - Always tastes better at the beach, doesn't it? No, these Korean-style bbq meats are not from Orine Sarangchae, but my brother makes them so good, I think he could easily open a bbq house of his own!
I was actually waiting for an opportunity to return to Orine Sarangchae before posting a page, but unfortunately, at least for the time being, we'll have to settle with a single visit's worth of dishes. In other words, it's a pretty short story. I did, however, employ the help of a couple of friendly Yelper's, who were graciously willing to help out with a few pics of their own!
Perhaps one of the more interesting and unique of the relatively newer enterprises sprouting all throughout Koreamoku, Orine Sarangchae raises a lot of eyebrows for its outdoor section, housed in a former parking lot that's thankfully received a new facelift. Linked together by a maze of lots and establishments, the entire area has changed for the better. Instead of sleazy girlie bars, we can now enjoy a number of brand-new, respectable stores and restaurants - good one's, too, including the newest and nicest Korean grocery store yet - Keeaumoku Supermarket!
Just a little tip for getting to the supermarket or Orine Sarangchae, as well as other spots located nearby such as Ireh, Michinoku, and Nihao - you don't have to find parking on the street! Getting to this lot is easy - just find Nihao restaurant, which juts-out right to the sidewalk of busy Keeaumoku St., and this lot above is immediately to the right (makai). If there's no parking there, just follow the left-pointing arrows near the back, and it leads you to an entirely different set of lots, all of which share in accomodating the various establishments in and around the area. Orine Sarangchae is visible almost immediately after turning left through the thin corridor.
Kumi and I's single trip here occurred late on a weekday, at around 9:50pm. As much as the story is about kamikaze cockroaches (true-dat, we found-out first-hand!) and their outdoor dining area, there is also a rather roomy inside section as well. While the great outdoors are dark and mostly lit by hanging Christmas lights, indoors, it's well-lit and cleaner. Can't see it being a trend at all, but I think this is the first time I've ever presented a restaurant without a shot of both the entrance and dining areas! This is the closest I'll get to such a shot today:
We'll look further into this hotplate of kalbi later, but first thing's first with our complimentary banchan items. Very respectable, with a mix of kim chee, cucumber kim chee, mustard cabbage, choi sum, and sprouts:
Once upon a time, the only Korean noodle dish I knew about was bi bim kook soo, because, well, that was the only type of noodle available at Yummy's Korean BBQ! So little did I know! There are a wide variety of Korean noodles availabe, and no, they don't all come in a spicy red sauce! This seafood soup noodle carried no heat whatsoever:
After having this particular dish several times at several different places, I've concluded that I'm not really its biggest fan. While the thick, white noodles were excellent, I guess there just isn't enough punch in the broth, resembling, to me, simply a brine with a touch of seafood juice. Kinda leaves me a bit wanting for a pho-like side-dip of hoisin and Sriracha or something similiar.
Such is never the case with one of our favorite Korean noodles, a spicy naeng myun:
I love chewy noodles, and these brownish, slightly transluscent buckwheat noodles definitely play the part as well or better than any other noodle out there! Though broths are always good, sometimes, broth-less noodles with only a type of sauce have so much more of a concentrated flavor since there is obviously less dilution. The bowl above also came with a good deal more heat than at most places, a fact I can really appreciate. With a tasty, spicy red sauce, hard-boiled egg, mix of crispy vegetables, and most of all, those elasticity-filled noodles, this dish was absolutely fantastic!
Thanks to Will L from Yelp, on his last visit to Orine Sarangchae, here's a shot at the more traditional style of naeng myun noodles, served in a chicken/beef broth chilled with ice. Yes, ice!
 Check out Will L's most excellent Yelp reviews! |
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Having tried both naeng myun styles several times as well, I definitely favor the former, spicy-red stuff better. Placed in the middle of a hot, humid, muggy Korean summer, though, and I just may change my mind!
The self-cook style of yakiniku isn't the only way to enjoy Korean bbq here at Orine Sarangchae, as we found out through Val L:
 See Val L's awesome reviews on her Yelp page! |
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A mix of 4 different meats - chicken, kalbi, bulgogi, and spicy pork - were presented on a sizzling platter, and Val says they were all tasty and flavored just right. At $25, though, I find it a bit steep!
A few closer look's ago, at Richo Japanese/Korean restaurant, I was a bit confused as to something on the menu called LA-style kalbi. Turns out, I guess it's now a widely accepted term used for a cross-cut of the upper, frontal rib section of the cow, long known in the islands as simply short ribs. Growing up in Hawaii, we've always considered these short ribs as the standard Korean cut of kalbi, but in Korea, they actually cut them in a completely different way, using a thicker portion of the same rib and butterflying open the meat section several times over, forming a thick bone on one side and a wide, long finger of meat on the other. For traditionalists, this style is the only way to go, and since the cut is much harder to prepare, it also holds a kind of quality allure, as well.
The mixed plate from Val L. above contains the LA-style cuts, or your could say local-style cuts, while the self-cooked yakiniku kalbi shown here is done the traditional way:
And how were they? Delicious. I do have one caveat to mention, though. As nicely marinated and tasty as the meat was, the heated cast-iron platter contained no pukas outside of a single drainage system on one side, where excess juices trickled down into a small bowl. Without easy access for juices to escape adequately, the meats tended to be cooked in a kind of boiled/pan-fried equivalent. It's the first time I've seen hot plates without a steep grade, large holes, or even an open flame. Not really ideal for us.
Yakiniku orders also come with a side of garlic, jalapeno, miso paste, and lettuce called sangchu, and are used to wrap your meats hot off the grill:
Orine Sarangchae is definitely a great place for a wide variety of traditional Korean cuisine types. A bit expensive, though, and don't forget about the kamikaze cockroaches if seated outside. The crowd here is a good mix of Korean nationals, locals, and Japanese tourists. They do carry alcohol, but drinks are allowed in after a charge of $5 per table.
Next time, one of the hottest lunchwagons on the island today!
Take care, and Aloha till next time!
Aku
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