Leavenworth Restaurants

1 more image

Arirang's is owned and operated by Dae Sung Lim, who does all the cooking and serving and runs the little grocery in the front. The restaurant is tiny and seats only about 10 people, and is mostly known to locals. Lim's bubbly personality and his excellent cooking more than compensate and he does not disappoint. In his grocery he sells some of his most popular salads, pickled vegetables and entrees as well as a variety of Korean, Japanese and Chinese staples. Lim is happy to share his knowledge of Korean cooking with anyone interested, and he has taught me to make several delicious dishes.

Favorite Dish: One is baby cuttlefish Korean style. I have had it at other Korean restaurants too, so I can't swear that this is Lim's version but it is similar. It is made with fresh garlic and ginger sauteed in sesame oil. Baby cuttlefish (small squid) are added along with green onions and cooked lightly until the tentacles curl up into the shapes of flowers. Korean hot red pepper paste is added and stirred into the mixture to make it a lovely red color and give it a hot peppery snap. A little soy sauce gives it just the right amount of salt and this dish can be served over cooked Asian noodles or rice. It is a spicy dish, which I love, and the flavors of the garlic, ginger, onion and hot red pepper are a combination typical of Korean cooking that set it apart from other Asian cuisines. The appearance is very beautiful too because of the little curled up cuttlefish tentacles. They are very tender and delicious with a delicate flavor.