NongBu Korean Eatery

8115 104 St.

780-989-0997

www.facebook.com/NongBuKorean

Mon. to Sat. 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Closed Sundays

Food: 3 of 5 Suns

Ambience: 3.5 of 5 Suns

Service: 2.5 of 5 Suns

Dinner for two excluding drinks and tip: Basic, $30; loaded, $60

Graham Hicks

780 707 6379

graham.hicks@hicksbiz.com

www.hicksbiz.com

@hicksonsix

NongBu Korean Eatery represents an ironic, yet entirely logical, evolution of ethnic-based restaurants.

Until recently, most ethnic restaurants served Canadianized versions of ethnic dishes or simple “village” fare reflecting the food from back home ... 30 years ago. Hence Korean restaurants in town have traditionally featured bulgogi, kimchi and bibimbap.

But for the next generation that has stayed in the hospitality biz, village and Canadianized dishes weren’t enough. Many studied food trends in their ethnic homelands or in Vegas/ New York to see what fusion was up to.

And now there’s a counter-revolution.

NongBu Korean Eatery reflects the home-cooking its young second-generation Korean owner knew while growing up in small-town Alberta — Korean dishes that didn’t show up in any Korean restaurant in Alberta, because the mostly white clientele wouldn’t like tofu, cold noodles and hot chili sauces.

At the same time, these aren’t his gramma’s dishes at NongBu, at least not as she served them.

The ingredients come from the traditional side, the recipes are perhaps similar — it’s difficult for an outsider to say — but at NongBu, they are presented in a modern setting, with a back-to-the-earth attitude (NongBu in Korean means farmer) but in thoroughly contemporary Korean style.

One has to admire NongBu’s ambition. Certainly it’s following a less-traveled culinary road. But this experiment is still very young and still needs much work.

The restaurant itself, on 104 Street south of Whyte, is simple, cool and clean, Much thought appears to have gone into the uncluttered menu — five starters, two noodle soups, four make-your-own lettuce wraps, three “feature” dishes and packaged Korean ice-cream bars for dessert.

The noodle and mussel soup was first-rate — a nice big bowl of steaming fish broth, lovely fat noodles with a very subtle softness that comes with being fresh and hand-cut. Top-quality mussels were added at the last minute as to be perfectly cooked.

The multiple side dishes in small metal bowls — spicy sauces, a delightfully different kimchi, and “cleaner” bulgogi than you’d find elsewhere — were excellent.

Not so successful was the seafood pa-jeon — a crepe in which was cooked Korean basics — shrimp, squid, green onion with light soy and garlic overtones. Good, but slightly heavy and a touch oily.

The slow-braised pork lettuce wraps (ssam) bordered on disaster. The cooled slices of coarse pork shoulder didn’t have much going for them. I’m a fan of fatty meats, when the fat is hot, slightly crisped and flavourful. But cold — forget it. Even wrapped in lettuce with cucumber, cool veggie strips, thin-sliced peppers and dipping sauces, this meat should not have found its way out of the kitchen.

This may be an entirely ethnic taste, but none of us — three Euro-blended Caucasians and one Filipina — liked the chewy rice sticks. They looked like potato puffs, had a starchy, gluey texture and very little taste outside of an all-purpose spicy tomato coating. It was quite impossible to tell the two orders, one spicy, the other fried, apart.

Is it possible to be too ethnic? The bar was limited to Korean plum, herbal and rice liquors — truly acquired tastes — and one Korean beer. A choice of dry white wines would have been appropriate, and was missed!

Sadly, our sweet young Korean server was not ready for prime time. Her English was limited and she was useless as an advisor which is not a good thing in a new ethnic eatery. Plus the poor kid was clumsy, knocking over one glass and coming perilously close to knocking over another.

Love the concept, like the effort, but NongBu Korean Eatery still has much to work on.