Korean Food

2605 Pleasant Hill Rd #400
Duluth, GA 30096

I really like this place.  The meat tastes different than Gop Chang on Fire, but the sides are what makes this one stand out.  The other advantage is that there’s never really a long wait.

2550 Pleasant Hill Rd​ #101
Duluth, GA 30096

Normally open from about 10am -10pm most days.

As you can tell, I really like Korean food.  I think most in my family and circle of friends do as well.  There’s just something about the flavor for the Asian palate.  I could probably eat it every day and not get tired.  On my list is one of the original places that we still go to today, Book Chang Dong aka Tofu House on the corner in the original Super H shopping center.

I really like the way they marinate and cook the Galbi (Korean LA short ribs).  In fact I spent many a try at home on my grill trying to get the same flavor and charred-ness as to not waste anything.  I would have to say I can come pretty close.  To put things in perspective, I think that plate has always been around $20-$25 for the dinner portion(?).  You can buy a pack of LA short ribs from the Nam Dae Mun for about $10-12 on sale, plus the $3.50 for the marinade, and of course the time it would take you to grill it, clean, etc.  Not to mention the cost of the side dishes.  Lots of times it’s so much easier to take out of town guests to this location.  In all our years of eating here, the flavor of all the dishes has been quite consistent.My favorite side dishes are: fish cake, kim chi of course, and the rare cucumber one that tastes like our Lao “thum mahk thang.”  I’ve never been keen on the simplistic flavor less bean sprouts or the mayonnaise and potatoes.  I will however gladly take the fried croaker fish if someone doesn’t want theirs. 🙂The bimimbap is always good too.  I’ve had most of the varieties of Tofu Soup.  You can’t go wrong with normal beef or seafood, but if you’re looking for something different, get the spawn (fish egg) or the baby octopus.  I’ve found that those meats dilute the broth a bit so you’ll need to up your normal spice level one notch, especially with the fish egg tofu soup.

If you’ve never had Korean food, it’s basically the same everywhere.  Ordering even just a soup will get you a bowl of rice, and random side dishes of what is available for that day.  For some Western palates (and even young Asian kids born here), the cold, “slimy” and sour nature of kimchi is something you’ll love or hate.  It’s understandable, since lots of Asian cuisine, even from neighboring countries is about as different as can be.

We live in an interesting place and time here in Georgia–an area where we can get any type of food or the raw ingredients to make any dish ourselves, but the hidden issue is how to raise our kids to respect and hopefully like the food of their parents and grandparents.  It’s not easy from the perspective of the child either, growing up in a social system in which fish sticks don’t look like fish, fruit comes in a cup, and bringing your ethnic lunch to school comes with the looming risk of unjust cultural food shaming by classmates.

It’s just so odd, kids will make fun of others who can’t afford to even eat, and when that’s not enough, they’ll make fun of the looks of said food.  Just silliness all around.  Life is too short and there’s just so many things to eat and try out there! 🙂

We’ve definitely been going to this restaurant for over ten years now.  Ah to be young again… Boon’s Review: Recommended

1291 Old Peachtree Rd NW #205
Suwanee, GA 30024

Closed on Mondays, Opens from 4pm – 2am on other days!

Gop Chang is down the road from me on Old Peachtree Rd in the Assi shopping center.  I remember when the grocery store opened ages ago and it was the only thing in the entire complex.  Slowly but surely all the spots filled up with random Korean businesses and restaurants.  This area is a great easy option if folks don’t want to put up with the traffic on Pleasant Hill.

The meal that we normally get is the combo that starts at $50.00, and it’s a pretty good snack for about 3-4 people.  I believe it comes with pork and beef intestine (stuffed with some garlic cloves), tripe and liver, and some slices of onion and potato.  It also comes with a single bowl of pretty spicy vegetable soup.  The kimchee fried rice is extra, but quite tasty and affordable at about $4 I think. The workers are always swift to come by to cook the meat and cut it for you too.The side items are what I love about Korean food.  Lao people are big on pickled things as well, so you can see why the mixture of flavors is something we can agree on.   The chives salad gets better as you dig in, and as always, there’s no stinginess with refills on the side items.I think this was 3 orders of kimchee fried rice on one plate.  Easily enough for 4 people.  I could probably eat this by itself. The vegetable and tofu soup is pretty spicy.  The broth isn’t the normal kind that you get at places like Tofu House or the Assi food court next door.  If there was an option to get that soup, goodness that would be a powerful and filling meal.If you are a beer drinker, then this type of food goes well together.This photo shows the meat almost done and crispy.  The combo plate has enough for two rounds, but you can order a la carte since it is not an all you can eat like Iron Age.

Some folks don’t like intestine and other innards because of just the nature of the meat.  The way they cook it though, there’s not a sense of “kow-ness” (a Lao term) or a stench about it that might turn off folks already.  It’s something that you kinda have to grow up liking because, well, many immigrants, my family included, did not have the means to eat the choice cuts of meat from the grocery store.  Almost nothing is wasted in poor Southeast Asian countries, and you have to eat what mama cooked.

Ironically, my brother told me that some cuts of tripe (stomach lining) cost more per pound than steak.  I guess it took this long for poor people’s food to become trendy and exotic. 😉

Myself and others really like this place because of the flavor of the meat and side items, and just how all the flavors complement each other.  Living in Gwinnett County, there’s a Korean BBQ place on every corner so we’re definitely spoiled.

Boon’s Review: RecommendedThe other great thing about Gop Chang is that next door is Arte 3, a cute coffee shop where you can get waffles and ice cream (which alas, I can’t eat)!  Onward to the next post!

3360 Satellite Blvd #8
Duluth, GA 30096

Open everyday from 11am – 12am