Sanmaru

Sanmaru was a delightful change after I had a poor bibimbap experience at a restaurant in the US. The food was seasoned and cooked just right, and I enjoyed the sides and soup. My wife’s bulgogi, the sweetened beef, was very good, and the kimichi was top notch. Service was quick. On a cold winter day, they brought hot water with lemon. The menu is in three languages, and this is now one of our favorite Korean spots in the city.

I went for lunch with two colleagues, but after half an hour only one of the three dishes had arrived. Nearly an hour in, my colleague had finished eating and the other meals still hadn’t come. The staff seemed overwhelmed, and the kitchen clearly wasn’t prepared. We had limited break time, so we had to leave hungry. Seeing all the good reviews, maybe our visit was an exception, but I wish the staff had been upfront about the delays.

We enjoyed everything we ordered: beef bulgogi, chicken bi bin bap, and pork soup. The Korean food was great and the service was awesome. I only wish they’d brought more lettuce with the bulgogi, but that’s a small thing.

The Korean army stew arrived piping hot, and it was really good and seriously spicy. We had to remind them again and again about the drinks we’d ordered, though, and those took a while.