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| - Given the size of Champaign-Urbana, I was quite surprised by the number of Korean restaurants in this town. I have had generally good experiences at each one, but B Won is by far my favorite, especially as it is the best option for more formal dinners.
B Won radiates with casual elegance unlike the other Korean restaurants here, which feel more like sweaty lunch spots for strung-out college students. The real benefit of this building's high ceilings and good ventilation is that you don't feel like you're sitting in the characteristic smoke clouds found at most Korean restaurants (delicious, delicious barbecue smoke clouds--but, smoke clouds nonetheless).
The sophistication of B Won is also reflected in a menu that is both diverse and interesting. They have all the standards, like bulgolgi, jiggae, and bibimbap, but they really separate themselves from other Korean places in the variety of noodles, soups, and casseroles they serve. Each item in the menu is given a description of the full complement of the dish's ingredients, which can be helpful for diners unfamiliar with Korean cuisine--and reading about ingredients like bellflower root and sweet potato noodles just makes you feel like you'll be enjoying an exotic meal. During the winter, I love to eat their soups made of beef bones, which are always filling and well-seasoned. I also have to pay compliments to the kimchi, which really stands out among the side dishes for me. I usually overlook the nappa kimchi in favor of other dishes that I prefer, but at B Won, the kimchi has what I would describe as a very distinctive, carbon-y (think soda fizz) sensation in the mouth.
Lastly, I want to address comments from other reviewers about the behavior of the owner and wait staff. Although I'll admit that the waiters seem a bit socially inappropriate (by American standards), my own experiences give me the impression that their actions are mainly innocuous and can be attributed to cultural differences. My experiences aren't intended to dismiss the feelings of obvious discomfort felt by other patrons; I'm just merely trying to cast a more humorous, silly light on the situation. One time, I went with friends and we all ordered entrees. The waiter asked if we wanted white rice or mixed rice (a blend made of several types of rice, grains, and beans). My friend asked, "What's mixed rice?" We saw the waiter struggle for an English description: "It's, uh...well...it's...it's...it's good. Yeah, it's good." We had a laugh and just ordered the mixed rice, given his recommendation that it was good. Another time, we had just finished a meal and received our check, which comes with pieces of corn-flavored candy. My friends were weirded-out by the flavor and didn't eat their candy, much to the chagrin of the waiter when he returned to our table. He asked why they weren't eating it (rejection of food is considered pretty rude in Asian culture), but I quickly picked up the candy and said, "You don't want it? I'll eat it then." That seemed to resolve the whole situation, as the waiter hurried back with our change and more pieces of corn candy for me.
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