Li Hua

Li Hua (Korean Cuisine)
171 Grand St
(at Baxter St)
New York, NY
(212) 343-0090

(Sorry about the rain drops, apparently my camera picks everything in the air. Wicked cool?)

Reservations: No

This restaurant belongs to my list of cheap eats in NYC.  This is probably the only Korean restaurant that I can think of in chinatown so don’t expect anything spectacular like the ones in K-town in midtown but don’t think that it’s disappointing.

So when I went here with Griever and the place looks:

Look, kinda desolate? Maybe because this was at 6:30pm and that it was drizzling outside.  But, but later on there will be more customers.

Anyways, this restaurant is literally located right next to Little Italy, a block away, and it’s located in a nice quiet location, which is why the place is not packed to the max.  The decor is alright and the restaurant is — cozy, literally.  This restaurant is not bad for chinatown!

Drinks:

Nothing special, just ginger ale and coke.
Price: $2

Free Appetizers

Yeahh free appetizers, but they look pretty skimpy. I had a review on other korean restaurants on Xanga, but I will bring them back and re-review it.

Clockwise from top left: Kimchi, spicy pickled cucumbers, korean pancakes, last one I don’t know what it is but it tastes like either tofu or noodles. It tastes pretty good. Of course they’re all cold except for the pancake.

Verdict: It didn’t taste anything special, but it’s good to munch on.  It’s for free so you definitely cannot go wrong.  This is a sample taste of what korean food can be.

Appetizers

Goon Mandoo Lightly pan-fried dumplings filled with pork and vegetables
Price: $3.95

Verdict: I actually like this, I really do. I’ve never seen a dumpling like this and it’s very crispy on the outside and the pork is tender and juicy on the inside. I loved it. Drools, I want more of it. It was very fun to eat.

Recommended: Yes!

Duk- Bok- Ki Korean rice cake, fishcake, and vegetables, sauteed in a sweet and spicy sauce
Price: $4.95

Verdict: As I chewed on the soft ricecake, I can taste a hint of sweetness followed by a strong lingering spiciness; this is the same for the fishcake and vegetables. I’ve had this dish before in other korean restaurants, and this one is pretty skimpy compared to that, but for the price of it, it’s not too bad. I can’t eat too much spiciness anyways, so this suited me well.

Recommended: Yes.

Entrees

Bulgogi Hot Stone Bibimbab Sliced beef and vegetables over rice in a hot stone bowl. (Red pepper paste or house special soy sauce recommended)
Price: $11.95

Oh man, it’s 1:15am and I am getting hungry looking at my pictures. Ha, softrice mentioned that I need to be more objective and mention that I am hungry on my blog. Well I am certainly getting there and of course this means some dishes gets more points. Don’t worry I’ll give the necessary changes when I’m not hungry or full if there needs to be.

Verdict: Sorry about not taking a picture before it was mixed in. The waiter offered to mix in my hot scorching bowl because I’m scared that I will be burned, plus he can do it fast enough so that the bottom part of my rice will not burn. He mixed in the house special soy sauce that I requested to have, you can add hot sauce if you want too, which intensified the smell of the bowl. This is a smaller bowl than the korean restaurant in K-town and by St Mark’s place, but it is one gorgeous bowl.

Recommended: Yes. I did like the crispiness of my rice from the bottom of my bowl that was burned. You might need to add the soy sauce to this because it gets pretty dried. I really liked this, I highly recommend this dish for you to try.

Chicken Hot Stone Bibimbab Sliced chicken and vegetables over rice in a hot stone bowl. (Red pepper paste or house special soy sauce recommended)
Price: $11.95

See, this is how my dish would have looked like this instead of the chicken. Looks better if it’s not mixed. But it tastes better if it’s mixed. MM…. Because I chose all of Wing’s dishes, the Goon Mandoo and the Bulgogi Bibimbab, he had to choose the dumplings, which I liked too and the Chicken Bulgogi.

Verdict: The chicken is pretty dried and isn’t as flavorful as my beef. Griever poured all of his soy sauce to give the chicken more moisture.

Recommended: No, try the beef instead. Griever, you can prove me wrong about this.

So overall it was a tasty night. The waiter was nice, but he’s so impatient so I minus-ed some points for that. I hate being rushed. Let that be known for the rest of your waiters, never rush your customers. Pretty soon they’ll come to you.

Rating: 3.8/5

I’ve tried some crappy korean restaurants around St Mark’s place that was more expensive and definitely not worth the money. For the price, Li Hua do give you a good portion. This is the best korean restaurant in chinatown, maybe cause it’s the only, but I got a good impression already. You guys should try it out when you’re out in chinatown.