Cheese Dukbokki @ Arang

Arang
9 W 32nd St
2nd Fl
New York, NY 10001
Tel: 212.947.3028

I've always loved spicy dukbokki (spicy korean rice cake), but when a friend told me about the flavor of Cheese Dukbokki I knew I had to visit the place that served it. The eatery happened to be in the bustling alley of K-Town, in a restaurant called Arang. First, I wouldn't recommend the restaurant for any of its korean dishes except for their cheese dukbokki because their prices are pretty steep and simply not worth it. Not to mention they were so stingy about their banchan (korean side dishes) - I think we were only given 3-4 banchans compared to the usual 6-7 you might get in other korean restaurants. At first I thought the waiters were being racist because we were not Korean, but when a group of Korean girls at another table received the same treatment, we knew the restaurant was just being cheap.

Arang has a couple of variations for its dukbokki - we went with the Kimchi/Pork Cheese Dukbokki - delicious! The dukbokki was served on a cast iron hot plate, with a thick layer of cheese blanketed on top. Obviously, if you don't like cheese, this dish will not appeal to you. The other dishes we ordered were: Japchae (Korean noodles stirred in sesame oil with various vegetables and beef) and Jo-gae Tang (Korean clam soup). Good, but not exceptional. I would only come back here for their cheese dukbokki : )

We went to Arang for an early dinner; so the service was decent - we didn't have to wait for a table etc... The restaurant is opened even after hours (for clubbers and late nighters). It seems like the restaurant gets their business mainly from the late night munchers, but I could be wrong.

Cheese Dukbokki: 4/5