Kimchi House

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Unlike any major cities in Canada, it is relatively easy to find restaurants in U.S. that serve huge portions of good food at affordable prices. Seattle is no exception. You can enjoy excellent food even with a tight budget. Want to know where to eat? Read previous post to find out more!

Today, I will show you a restaurant we found in Ballard that specializes in affordable, modern Korean food. 

Kimchi House had an inconspicuous exterior that one could easily miss. With just a few tables, the restaurant took on a casual, homey atmosphere to greet its customers.

Aside from modern dishes, traditional options like bulgogi and bibimbap are also available. Much like at a fast food restaurant, once you’ve decided what you would like to have, you place your order at the counter. Next, you find a place to sit and bus your own table.

Have you ever wondered how it would taste if you combine kimchi and french fries? Here, you would have a chance to find that out. Kimchi fries (USD$6.50), one of their most poplar dishes, was a mountainful plate of fries combined with sautéed kimchi, cheddar cheese, sour cream and gochujang mayo. Essentially, it is a poutine. With the kimchi pieces, it had such a spicy, tangy flair.

kimchi fries

We were almost half full with just the fries. When our main dishes arrived, we realized that we might have overordered…

The cold bibimbap (USD$9.95) was served in a huge stainless steel bowl with an assortment of seasoned vegetables, steamed rice, fried egg and Korean sweet chili paste. While their ingredients were fresh, I found that the flavors a bit bland and conservative. I wish it was more heavily seasoned to provide a stronger taste.

cold bibimbap

Next came the kimchi soondubu soup with pork (USD$8.50). The bowl was filled with a generous amount of tofu. However, the spicy tofu soup was a bit water down. It was a lot less spicy and pungent than I expected.

kimchi soondubu soup

The soup came with rice and side dishes that were more than enough to feed one person. As to the side dishes, I found the Kimchi didn’t have much taste to it. It was probably not marinated long enough or seasoned enough.

side dishes to kimchi soondubu soup

If you’re looking for truly authentic Korean dishes, this is not the place for you. But if you just want a quick fix for your Korean craving, it is a place for consideration. For people who are up for creative inventions, their kimchi fries and edamame potstickers are worth a try 🙂