Mandu-Washington, D.C.

I was fortunate enough to have met someone in D.C. who loves food as much as I do. Elizabeth, like all the foodies in my life, has an adventurous palate. Needless to say, we instantly became friends. She took me to a Korean restaurant called Mandu in D.C.’s Dupont Circle neighborhood. Now, before I tell you about the wonderful authentic Korean fare I had, I want to tell you more about Dupont Circle. If you live in Boston, picture the South End: gorgeous brownstones with big stoops, small bistros and trendy bars. Given that it is a very gay friendly part of town, it was tasteful, trendy, and absolutely fabulous! Being the fabulous gal that I am, I felt right in! Now, onto the food.

D.C. has something Boston doesn’t have and will never have: happy hour. Not the kind of happy hour where you get a half-priced burger, but you still pay full price for a drink. No, not that kind. In our Nation’s Capital drinks are discounted EVERYWHERE usually from 4-7 P.M. At Mandu, beers were $2 and martinis were $4. A girl who loves to get her drink on could get used to these kinds of prices. I ordered, upon Elizabeth’s recommendation a soju martini. Soju is a typical Korean alcohol, usually made from rice and resembling sake. My soju martini was mixed with aloe juice. Think of how refreshing aloe feels when you rub it into your sun burnt skin. It felt just the same drinking it. It had a very refreshing herbal taste, perfect for a hot summer afternoon. My second martini (because there is always a second) was soju mixed with yogurt. Korean yogurt is not the creamy flavored food that most of us have for breakfast. It was milky, but not creamy, and very sweet. Because of it sweetness, it was an excellent after dinner drink.

For an appetizer we shared the pan fried mandu, or dumplings. We couldn’t decide which ones we wanted to order, so we settled for a combination of shrimp, vegetables wrapped in a spinach wonton, and beef and pork (ground and mixed together). The inside of the dumplings were steaming and the outside was fried to a delightful crunch. They were accompanied with a very simple, soy and sesame sauce. The sauce was tangy, so I am assuming it contained rice wine vinegar.

Korean restaurants serve complimentary sides, or appetizers. These are the chef’s choice- they constantly change and you never know what you will get. The server brought out four sides: sweet potatoes cooked in a sweet glaze and paired with green beans, sliced zucchini cooked in a red chili paste, tofu with eggplant and onions, and a spicy pickled cabbage, called kimchee. They were all served cold. The sweet potato was my favorite. It was very sweet and was great to eat after the zucchini and the cabbage to offset their spiciness. This sounds like a lot of food, but the portions are small and serve as the perfect course between your appetizer and your entrée.

For an entrée I ordered the Dolsot Bibim Bap. It was a rice dish served in a very hot stone bowl, so it kept on cooking while you were eating it. Plain white rice was served with a variety of vegetables, such as mushrooms, spinach, bean sprouts, carrots, thinly sliced beef and topped with a fried egg*. Elizabeth explained that you mixed all the ingredients together so that yolk breaks and soaks into the rice. A spicy red bean sauce, similar to a red chili paste, was served on the side so that you can add as much as you’d like. I added a couple of dollops and it added the perfect amount of spice to my dish. To me, this was the perfect meal because it contained all the nutrients you needed: carbohydrates, proteins, fiber, and of course, the right amount of fat. Since the rice kept cooking, when you reached the bottom, it was crunchy. I have zero complaints about the Bibim Bap. I absolutely loved it!

Elizabeth ordered the Duru Chigee, thinly sliced pork belly served with kimchee, tofu and rice cakes. The rice cakes are made with rice flour and are chewy in texture. I sampled her dish and I was a huge fan. Pork belly resembles bacon, but contains more meat. It is a fatty meat, so I don’t recommend it if you are concerned with your fat intake. In fact, Elizabeth’s only complaint was that her dish was a bit fatty. Otherwise, it was a very flavorful dish.

This concludes my authentic Korean experience. I loved it. Absolutely loved it! It has been one of the greater culinary experiences I’ve had. I already found a few Korean restaurants in Boston so that I can introduced all my Massholes to this wonderful cuisine.

Buen Provecho!

*As a side note, I want to tell you that one of my favorite dishes growing up, being the well-fed Cuban girl that I am, was plain white rice mixed with a fried egg. I used to have this all the time, served with steak or just on it own. Try it some time. It’s delicious!