While there are many Korean restaurants located in the Fort Lee area, we decided to try the recently opened Seoulville in Somerville, which turned out to be a delightful change from the Asian restaurants (Chinese, Thai and Vietnamese) that we usually patronize. However, we must give you a heads up that you should not order entrees until you finish your appetizers as the food comes out fast. Our table was filled edge to edge with dishes.
Appetizers were egg-batter fried eggplant fanned out on a plate and served with fried onions, beef and finely slivered mushrooms. We were told to place the ingredients on top of the eggplant, fold it and then dip the sandwich into the special sweet and vinegary sauce. Super crunchy, deep-fried chicken wings glazed with honey soy sauce were gobbled up, as well as the colorful shrimp and scallion pancake that covered a whole dinner plate and came with a tangy/spicy dipping sauce. This version superseded any Chinese scallion pancake we have ever had.
Every Korean meal includes side dishes called banchan. At Seoulville, we were served spicy cucumbers, doughy seafood cakes, chunks of spicy potatoes with a red glaze, bean sprouts, kimchi and an airy steamed egg that looked like a sponge.
A thoroughly enjoyed bibimbap, a signature Korean dish, was served in a hot stone bowl filled with finely shredded cabbage and carrots, thinly sliced mushrooms and zucchini, beef, spinach and a fried egg. A condiment of hot, red-pepper paste accompanied this dish allowing us to control the heat. We were instructed to mix all the ingredients and eat this dish with a spoon. The rice on the bottom of the bowl got crispy adding texture. Also recommended is the grilled pork belly beautifully presented with slivers of red, orange and yellow peppers and green leaf lettuce.
An added bonus at Seoulville was the friendly service. When we asked our waiter questions about the specials, he went into the kitchen and came back with his phone and not only showed us pictures of the dishes but explained the ingredients in them. Additionally, as noted above, we received instructions on how to eat each dish, which was greatly appreciated.
Seoulville
45 W Main Street
Somerville
(908) 864-4100
BYO
Shrimp and scallion pancake.
Bibimbap
Photos courtesy of Lowell Saferstein
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