I Love Korea in Huntsville, AL for Lunch

Communication is the key to any relationship, more specifically, good communication.  Planning to meet my wife for lunch at a korean restaurant turned out to be a test in communication.  I assumed that we were going to meet at Garam, she assumed we were going to meet at I Love Korea.  A fortunate turn of events, as I Love Korea was quite tasty.

Service was overall attentive without feeling as though we were being rushed or having them stop by the table every few minutes.  

Drinks

My wife and I had the unsweet tea, while my daughter had sweet tea.  Sweet tea tasted a little off in the water, but the sweetness of the tea was fine and on the low end of sweetness for the south.  My unsweet tea tasted fine, without the tang found in the sweet tea.

Appetizer

A bowl of miso soup instead of an item off the menu served as the appetizer.  Standard miso soup, neither poor tasting nor mind blowing.  Our daughter, who was dining with us, did enjoy it however which is unusual for her tastes.

Main Course

My wife and daughter both had the beef bulgogi, a safe choice for those unused to eating korean or not sure what to try.  The portion of beef was satisfactory, though possibly a bit on the smaller side for what is considered a portion today.  Beef was tender and with a flavour that was not overpowering nor underwhelming.  No heat or spice to the dish to surprise the unwary.  My wife liked it and my daughter loved it, devouring her portion with glee.  

I had the spicy pork bulgogi and highly recommend it.  Portion, again, was satisfactory for lunch.  The sauce had a nice spicy flavour that had some heat, comparable to the heat level of a bottle of Cholula sauce.  I would recommend this over the beef bulgogi for those who like a little heat to their meals.

Along with the main plates we were given three small dishes of cucumber kimchi, fried tofu, and bean sprouts.  I enjoyed the fried tofu, though it was a bit bland in flavour.  The bean sprouts had a light vinegar tasting sauce to them, which was a nice palette cleanser.  The cucumber kimchi was the standout dish of the side dishes.  The sauce was slightly peppery but again the heat level was very low and paired nicely with the coolness of the cucumbers.  Wife enjoyed the kimchi the most, while my daughter shied away from all three dishes.

Presentation was a bit lacking on all the dishes, but on par with what I would expect in a lunch setting with a quicker get in/get out mentality.  My wife was disappointed with the presentation overall, hoping for more small bowls instead of the single plate.

Dessert

While originally not part of the plan, my daughter ate only the beef of her dish which left her still a bit hungry.  We initially wanted to try some green tea ice cream, but they were out.  We instead switched our order to the fired sweet bean paste dumplings.  Wow.  Very tasty and also very sugary little dessert.  Small little doughnut balls filled with sweet red bean paste that almost had me ordering a second round of them.  A big hit at the table.

Overall

A definite recommend.  The portions could be a little larger if they plan to compete on the quantity level with other lunch menus, but we all left feeling that we had had enough to eat.  My wife already has made plans to go back and try one or two of the dishes we saw coming out while eating our items.