Get ready for a food coma after Yee Hwa
Written: Apr 27 '05 (Updated Apr 28 '05)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
| Food and Presentation: |
 |
|
| Ambiance and Decor: |
 |
|
| Quality of Service: |
 |
|
|
Pros: tasty, great service, good portions, complimentary soup and hors d'oeuvres
Cons: atmosphere somewhat lacking
The Bottom Line: Yee Hwa is a fun and tasty way to dive into Korean cuisine. Go to Yee Hwa and leave with a major food coma!
|
|
|
| workingel's Full Review: Yee Hwa |
Yee Hwa, which means "flower" in Korean, is a fantastic place to dabble in Korean cuisine. It remains one of the only places in the city to get Korean food. Yee Hwa also serves Japanese food, but when I decided to head over to see what this place was all about, I was resolved to only have Korean food.
You can miss Yee-Hwa easily; the restaurant has an awning with its signature flower logo but its front windows are covered by Japanese screens. When you walk in, you get the feeling that it's a low-key, hotel restaurant type of place. The ambiance is somewhat lacking as it's a very simple interior - tables, chairs, and Japanese screens. There's no background noise, so if you're sharing secrets, keep your voices hushed. There were a few parties inside already when I arrived later in the evening on a weeknight. Reservations are recommended for lunch as I understand.
The menu is pretty extensive; there are lots to choose from. All of the items are translated in Korean with a detailed description of what's in the dish. If you can't handle spicy food, make sure you ask what is spicy. Korean cuisine is spicy in general! Helpful hint: ask for spicy sauces on the side, that way you can adjust the seasonings later on to your liking.
For our appetizer, we ordered Man Doo, small fried dumplings that come with a spicy chili sauce. They were quiet tasty and not very greasy at all. We also ordered Hae Mul Pa Jeon, a very delicious pancake stuffed with vegetables and seafood pieces. It's a very generous portion and cut into small pieces, so it's a perfect starter. There's also complimentary miso soup and hors d'oeuvres at the beginning of the meal. Tiny little dishes will arrive in front of you with an assortment of items like pickled lotus root, kim chi (cabbage fermented with chili paste), mashed potatoes, pickled eggplant, broccoli, and bean sprouts. By the time you're done with your appetizer and these little dishes, you'll probably be halfway full!
As for the main course - which I could barely finish since I had a lot to eat at the start - I chose the Dol Sot Bi Bim Bap (shredded beef with vegetables and a fried egg over rice). Talk about a lot of food. It arrived in a super hot stoneware pot and you could still hear the rice sizzling 10 mins after it was brought to the table. The stoneware pot has rice on the bottom, with beef and vegetables over that, and a fried egg ontop. With this dish and the vegetarian Bi Bim Bap, you want to mix everything together and put in your hot sauce. Mix quickly, because the pot is so hot that the rice will fry/burn slightly if you let it sit right away. I like my rice a fried/hard so it was no problem. You can avoid this by mixing up your rice as soon as it gets to the table.
And lastly, for dessert, we had an egg custard type dish. It was OK. I'm not really into eggy-type desserts but everyone else seemed to like it. We received sweet rice soup and cantaloupe on the house, a refreshing way to finish the meal.
In short, Yee Hwa is fun and tasty. The service was very good; the servers were attentive and friendly. One word of caution: the food comes out very quickly, so if you'd like to slow the meal down, let your server know. The tables are small and the dishes are plentiful so it can be crowded at times. Nonetheless, give Yee Hwa a try and you'll end up being very very stuffed!
Appetizers range from $5-10; entrees from $12-35. If you have trouble deciding, Yee Hwa has a "favorites" list which may be helpful.
Yee Hwa
1009 21st Street NW
Washington, DC
Phone: (202) 833-1244
Fax: (202) 833-8509
No valet parking
Metro: Foggy Bottom (Blue, Orange lines); nearby attractions are Dupont Circle, George Washington University
Hours: Mon-Fri 11:30am - 2:00pm, 4:30pm - 10:00pm; Sat-Sun 12:00pm - 10:00pm
Credit Cards: all the major ones
Dress: casual (though you may often see the business suit crowd)
Recommended:
Yes
Kid Friendliness: No
Vegetarian Friendly: Yes
Best Suited For: Friends
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
workingel
|
|
Reviews written: 10
Trusted by: 2 members
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.