Category Archives: Blog

When you think about Korean food, the first thing that should come to mind is kimchi. This is the quintessential korean dish, one of Korea’s biggest health secrets, and you can try it out for yourself at our Seattle Korean restaurant.

Kimchi may not seem like much, generally appearing as nothing more than pickled cabbage in a red pepper sauce, but it truly is a phenomenal food. Koreans will hardly go a meal without it, finding themselves craving it like an addict whenever they have to go without for more than a few days. There could hardly be a better addiction to have, of course, as kimchi has been labeled one of the top five healthiest foods in the world. Science has shown that it may play a key role in the country’s famous health, including the low obesity rate and decreased instance of certain cancers. It’s even demonstrated the ability to cure chickens of avian flu!

If you’ve never had kimchi before, come and see what you’re missing out on today.

At our Seattle Korean restaurant, you’ll find many ways to enjoy octopus. You can partake of some spicy fire baby octopi, or try one of our delicious octopus hot pots. It’s a common food in Korea and, though it remains a bit more of an oddity in the States, it’s a taste worth acquiring. If you’ve never been inclined towards the ocean’s more tentacle-y bounty, consider the many health benefits of our favorite eight-legged meal.

Octopus, like much of the rest of the seafood world, is very healthy for you. It’s rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, low in fat and calories, and it provides a good supply of protein and iron to many people who choose to eschew land-based meat. It also contains an array of other valuable nutrients, including vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, potassium, phosphorous, selenium, and taurine. It’s a good way to keep your body in balance, boost your immune system, battle the effects of aging, and prevent a laundry list of some of the more deadly cancers.

With that in mind, why not come and give octopus a try down at Old Village? Your body will thank you for taking the plunge!

The concept of being a vegetarian is still fairly strange to much of Korea. Many vegetarian visitors to the country experience difficulty getting natives to understand their preferences and securing a truly meatless diet. However, our Korean restaurant in Seattle is pleased to offer a selection of clearly marked vegetarian dishes on our menu.

In spite of modern day sensibilities, the Korean tradition of vegetarianism goes back hundreds of years. The concept was first introduced to Korea via its strong Buddhist influences, which actually led the country to prohibit the consumption of meat for a long while. Meat managed to work its way back into the Korean diet in the form of bulgogi and galbi, which remain favorites to this day, but the Buddhist emphasis on vegetables can still be seen in the vitamin-and-fiber-rich dishes that make up the distinct taste of Korea.

It should be easy enough to find mackerel at our Korean restaurant in Seattle. We serve it grilled, we serve it steamed, and above all we serve it delicious. You probably already know that fish are good for you, and you may already be well versed in the many benefits of the Omega-3 fatty acids that they provide, but did you know that mackerel is by itself one of the more recommended fish that you can eat?

It’s true! Not only is mackerel counted among the fattier fish, providing a greater dose of Omega-3, but it’s also rich in other nutrients as well. The vitamins it supplies include niacin, choline, folate, vitamin E, vitamin D, vitamin A, vitamin K, vitamin C, and vitamin B12. It’s also rich in protein, providing twenty-one grams in a three-ounce serving. Finally, it contains calcium, potassium, selenium, and magnesium, all of which are valuable for maintaining proper bodily function.

So if you’ve got a craving for fish, come to Old Village! We’ve got the mackerel to keep your body running happy and healthy for a long, long time!

There’s a delicious aroma that permeates the streets in some areas of Seoul. Foreigners seek out the source of the smell, and if they have any luck at all they are presented with galbi. So if you’re passing by our Seattle Korean restaurant and are arrested by the enchanting odor of savory-sweet meat, don’t be afraid to come on in and try out this taste sensation for yourself.

Galbi (alternatively “kalbi”) literally translates to “ribs”, describing the kind of meat that it is made from. It comes in many different varieties and is served in many different forms, but is generally characteristic of a savory marinade made from soy sauce, rice wine, sesame oil, sugar and garlic. Not only is this preparation famously delicious, it’s grilled in such a way as to be relatively low in fat for a red meat dish.

At Old Village, you can enjoy galbi by itself or in a soup, salad, or rice pot. Come and give it a try today!

Are you a connoisseur of exotic noodle dishes?  Then come down to our Seattle Korean restaurant to try the unique pasta experience that is Korea’s famous “glass noodle”.  A true curiosity among the domestic pasta world, jahb chae (alternatively “japchae”) is made from sweet potato starches, to which it owes not only its pleasing, rubbery taste but also the near-transparency that gives it its nickname.

Jahb chae is a versatile dish, frequently enjoyed in Korea hot or cold, either as an entree, a side, or even a snack.  No matter what form it takes, it’s generally mixed with a rich array of vegetables and tiny strips of beef, flavored with sesame oil and soy sauce.  Noodle enthusiasts the world over have embraced this exciting Korean taste, and now you can try it yourself at the Old Village Korean Barbecue!

Why is rice so prevalent at our Seattle Korean restaurant? Because rice is astonishingly important to Korean cuisine. In Korea, rice is so synonymous with food that the common Korean parlance for “Have you eaten?” is “Bap mogeon nya?”, which translates literally to “Did you eat rice?”

This shows us yet another of the key philosophical differences between dining in Korea and dining in the West. While an American meal generally centers around the meat course, Korea builds a meal entirely around the carbohydrates, or grains. In Korean, a meal is said to consist of “busik” and “jusik” components, the former referring to side dishes and the latter referring to the part of the meal that features rice. Either category can be eaten entirely by itself, but, while jusik without busik is still a meal, busik without jusik doesn’t count as more than a snack.

Our Seattle Korean restaurant is proud to bring the ancient tradition of Korean fermentation to you today. Be it the fermented cabbage of our kimchi or the fermented soy that makes our bean paste or soy sauce, fermentation is a big part of the Korean dining experience. People have been fermenting for thousands of years, sometimes to preserve food and sometimes to improve its taste. However, did you know that fermentation is also surprisingly good for your health?

Yes, fermented foods have been shown to boast a wide range of health benefits. The beneficial microbes that go into the fermentation process not only work to improve your metabolism, but they also convert nutrients into a form that is easier for your body to digest. The vitamins and minerals made available by fermented foods boost the immune system and kill harmful microbes, resulting in a lower instance of disease. Even certain cancers respond to components of fermented foods.

With this in mind, come on down to Old Village today and start making a bigger portion of your diet fermented!