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| - This review is based on one dish (Sul Lung Tang) that I got for carry-out.
Sul Lung Tang is one of my favorite soups and one of the best cures for hangovers (based on second-hand experiences).
I grew up eating Korean food. I LOVE Korean food. My go-to Korean restaurant in Champaign is Bi-Won. I had tried all the other Korean restaurants (even the sushi restaurants owned by Koreans) except K-Bowl. A year or two ago, K-Bowl had a very limited menu, so I didn't give it a try. Seeing that their menu has expanded and reading really great reviews here on Yelp, I thought I should finally give it a try.
I got Sul Lung Tang (ox bone soup). I knew it would not be the best (which is Han Bat's in L.A.), but I expected to actually get what I ordered. When I got home, I opened the container, and what did I smell? Man Doo Gook (dumpling soup)! Unmistakeably!
There were measly, grisly, awful pieces of meat. Sweet potato noodles, which were appropriate. And EGG! Egg does not go in Sul Lung Tang. When I called K-Bowl, I asked the nice gentleman (with excellent English) if he gave me the right order. After I described the food, he talked to the cook, came back and told me, "That's how we make Sul Lung Tang".
I told him that I have NEVER in my entire life had egg in this soup. (I've had this at restaurants in L.A., Korea, Chicago, Dallas, Fairfax, D.C....never.) He said, "Well, we put egg in it".
Doubting my Korean-American judgment, I asked some Korean friends if egg goes in Sul Lung Tang. They confirmed no, never.
Basically, this restaurant uses the same soup stock for two VERY different dishes. There's nothing wrong with using the same stock for multiple dishes. But one should never say something is something it absolutely isn't. It's a misrepresentation; it pains me to think that people who aren't familiar with Korean food may think that Sul Lung Tang is what is served at this restaurant.
Don't get the Sul Lung Tang. I can't comment on the authenticity of any of the other dishes.
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