Arirang House Korean Restaurant

NOTE:  You will not see any prices in this post because dinner was paid for by a couple of friends.

A couple of days ago a couple of friends called and asked me to join them for dinner.  Since it's been a while since I had seen them, I said sure...where?  When they mentioned this place, I was stumped.  It was practically in my backyard and I didn't even know about the place.

Arirang House is just like any number of neighborhood Korean restaurants that you'll find all over Honolulu.  It's on a major roadway, but since I pass by so often, I seldom glance in the restaurant's direction.

When I arrived here, I found the restaurant to be filled with a number of diners.  The restaurant was bright and clean, and in the air was the sweet, smokey aroma of barbecue.

After placing our order, a number of ban chan (side dishes) started to appear at the table.  Some of these were sour, others were bland, a few were spicy and still others were salty.  This is really what I enjoy most about Korean food -- all the side dishes with various tastes and flavors that are included with each meal.

Have another look.

The assortment of ban chan here was excellent, and if I remember correctly, there must have been 8 or 9 different dishes on the table -- definitely something for everyone.  I was also happy to discover that they served this multi-grained rice with the meals here.  This purple-hued rice (sorry, I don't know the Korean name for it) is mixed with different types of grains before being cooked and served.  It has a slightly sweet, nutty flavor that I enjoyed.

For starters we had the haemul pajeon (seafood pancake).

The pancake itself wasn't as crisp as I was used to and maybe just a little too oily. 

And finally, the waitress came by with a plate of sizzling kalbi (barbecued short ribs).

Our waitress proceeded to slice the meat for us into bite-sized pieces.

With steam rising fast and furiously from the sizzling platter, I popped a piece of just delivered kalbi into my mouth.  Tender, juicy and well-marinated, the kalbi here was some good stuff. 

And finally, the meal was finished off with a few cups of ginger tea.

In this particular area of town, you're bound to find at least 20 or so Korean restaurants that serve kalbi and ban chan.  What separates Arirang from the rest of these is not necessarily the food, but the service.  The waitstaff is helpful and efficient.  Our waitress came by every few minutes to refill our water and replace any ban chan that we may have finished.  I'm not sure about the value as I didn't pay for this meal, but I guess I've just been introduced to another neighborhood joint that I might just want to visit again.

Arirang House Korean Restaurant
1334 Young Street
Telephone:  808.593.8830

Comments

[babe_kl]

salivating already... i'm still stuck in the office :(

[AugustusGloop]

I agree. I love all those little Korean side dishes! And pajeon is one of my favourites!

It's always unnerving to have someone else show you your own neighbourhood secret huh?

[Kirk]

The Kalbi looks good - just the cut that I enjoy. And on Young St? Never heard of this place....

[Clinton]

Reid,

Is this the same Arirang from way back in the 50's and 60s or is this a new place? I have a feeling that Arirang is a common name?

[Kirk]

Ummmm Clinton - I wouldn't want to eat Kalbi at the place I remember called Arirang! :o) We have an Arirang here in San Diego as well - I guess that song must've been really popular!

[MamaBoK]

I love the look of the BBQ ribs..!

[Clinton]

Kirk,

I thought I'd ask. Just making sure that wasn't the same place I was thinking of. Ha...you're right, I'm starting to sing that song in my head right now!

[lance]

Wasn't Arirang one of the first KB???? I guess we all went there at one time. LOL

Reid, Would you rate the taste of their Kalbi as good as Kim Chee II? KCII prices have gone up so high, I'm looking for another good Kalbi place.

[Clinton]

Lance,
I thought the kalbi at KCII was the best I've ever had. The taste was very unique and flavorful. I still think for the amount of food and the price at KCII, it's still worth the effort and trip back. But I've heard recently that they have cut back and excluded some of their usual condiments.

[MBS]

Wow, Reid. Every post is better than the last. =)

You know, the great thing about Honolulu is that there are an abundance of really good restaurants within an easy walking/driving distance.

Big difference from LA, where you pretty much need a car to get anywhere. =(

[Jo]

Boy MBS, you aren't kidding about a car in LA. Although I spent my teenage years there. I had a 10 speed (back in the days when 10 speeds were state of the art!) and it wasn't unusual to put 20 or 30 miles on the tires during the weekend. LA (well Torrance to be precise) was the first place I ever ate Japanese food. I don't know if I even knew Korea existed until M.A.S.H. came out. =o( Sad huh?

[Reid]

Hi babe_kl,

I started salivating when the kalbi came to the table. Everytime I look at the picture, I remember how tasty it was.

Hi AG,

I loved all the ban chan here. They had a really nice selection. I have to say that I was a little unnerved by this discovery as the person that brought me here has only lived in Hawaii for 6 months!

Hi Kirk,

The kalbi was yoso-ono! =) I had never heard of this place either. How funny is that?

Hi Clinton,

No this is not the Arirang that was opened in the early '60s. That restaurant was on Kaheka Street and was run by the Noh family.

Hi Kirk,

What place do you remember here called Arirang?

Hi Mama BoK,

They were so good! I wish you could have tried some! =)

Hi Lance,

From what I've heard, the original Arirang was started by the Noh family in 1961. It was one of the first Korean restaurants in the state. This kalbi was really good. I'm not really a fan of the kalbi at KC II because it's more local style. This one is more Korean style...if that make sense.

Hi MBS,

You're so right about the abundance of restaurants. Not every one is good though. I really like living in town because there are so many places to eat at and they are all so close by.

Hi Jo,

Didn't know about Korean until M.A.S.H.? You're kidding right? If you did all that bike riding back then, you must have had some powerful legs. When I lived in Miami, I used to ride my bike everywhere. =)

[clare eats]

oh I want some!!!! mmmm that looks soooooo yummy Reid!

[lance]

No kidding.....KC II is really localized style Kalbi. I guess I've got to try Arirang now to really know what true Korean style Kalbi taste like. Thanks for the information.

Is the Noh family that started the first Arirang the Noh family that's doing those instant mixes now?

[Reid]

Hi Clare,

The food here was good. If you and Case come by some time, I'll be sure to take you to have some! Deal?

Hi Lance,

Yes, that is exactly the same Noh family. According to some article I read a while back, they offered a meat jun plate for $1 back in the mid-60s/early 70s. Can you imagine?

[Jo]

HA! I wish I was kidding. I can still remember my Dad breaking the news to me that not everybody was Catholic! Then he added shock on top of shock by telling me that there were more Buddhists and Hindus than Catholics! "What the heck were Buddhists and Hindus?" I recall wondering.

Yep, I had some power in my legs back then. I need to get some of that power back! We did a lot of mountain hiking back then as well.

[shirley]

Hi, i looking for Korean Restaurant in singapore. Must taste good and not too far as i stay at the east side. Any recommandent?

[Reid]

Hi Shirley,

Thank you for stopping by my blog.

Unfortunately, I do not live in Singapore, so I wouldn't be able to give you recommendations on Korean restaurants there.

You may want to check out Julia's blog, Aroma Cookery, for some leads on Korean food in Singapore. I believe she has been to several of them.