I had a sudden craving for kalguksu one night, which lead my boyfriend to do a search on yelp for them. We knew that a lot of Korean restaurants in Las Vegas don't serve this particular dish -- why? We don't know. Not popular enough perhaps? However! Kkulmat showed up and their menu said they had a chicken kalguksu! Score! I've been meaning to try this place and now was the time!
It's located where the old So Good Cafe was and you can't miss it because they didn't do anything to change the interior. So you'll probably see a lot of the old decorations from the old cafe -- macaroons on the wall and a coffee cup decoration on another wall. The tables and chairs all seem the same as well ... But you don't need to be afraid because this five star review isn't dedicated towards their decorations.
We came in for their food, hoping to find something warm and comforting. We were also hoping to find something other than the usual popular Korean flavors aka KBBQ.
My boyfriend and I decided to share three dishes: chicken kalguksu (chicken noodle soup), pan fried mandu (dumplings), and tteokbokki (spicy rice cake) with cheese. From some of the reviews and tips on this establishment, the dumplings are made in house here and by hand. And you know what? That definitely shows. The dumplings were amazingly delicious. I wouldn't mind just getting an order to go for lunch during work days. They don't skimp on the meat and it is packed with flavor. The skin of the dumpling is pan fried perfectly for that crispness.
The tteokbokki had really good flavor and they definitely give you a good portion! The rice cakes were really soft but they weren't that chewy. It was delicious. Though next time, I would've probably preferred it to be spicier.
The chicken kalguksu is most definitely home made. The broth is very light in flavor and there is plenty of chicken in there! It also has zucchini and a few mushrooms -- they sprinkle nori on top and that gives it a lovely aroma. Definitely satisfied my craving! The only problem that I'll see is that the flavor of this dish may get muted if you eat it after the tteokbokki. So, if you order this dish, be sure to eat it before anything spicy or heavy in flavor.
I would definitely come back to Kkulmat. I also hope that their business runs well because it's really hard to find Korean restaurants that home make their own stuff. Plus.. I'm in love with their dumplings! I need to come back to eat more!!!!!!!