I think I may have said this before, but Maynard is like the land that Monster forgot. One night while the suburban ladies were getting together and drinking wine, I was saying that I felt like the thing I missed most since moving out to the ‘burbs was good ethnic food. My neighbor then RAVED about this little Korean place that if you give a wink to the little old lady, she’ll make it spicy as hell. Intrigued, I ordered take out one night. First, my navigation couldn’t even get me to the right address, so here I am, running around the empty streets of Maynard in the dark looking like a tourist.

The shop is small, and a little dated, but I’m hoping that means that the food is just super delicious because little grandma is more focused on cooking than decor. The man du (first photo) is a meat and vegetable dumpling that I order fried (you can get it steamed too). The filling is good, but not crave-worthy for me. The bulgogi is a traditional dish, marinated beef with vegetables. Again, just ok. It’s served with a side of rice, and when I asked if it was white rice, the woman said it was a mix of white and brown…with beans….

One of my favorite restaurants for soup is Myung Dong 1st Avenue in Allston. I was excited that Little Pusan made my favorite soup, the dok ramen, made with rice cakes, ramen noodles, vegetables and egg in a spicy soup. The soup was tasty, but again, fell a little flat for me. I wasn’t sure about the vegetables in the soup and the noodles were a bit soggy.

Verdict, OK for suburbia, but for this girl, just meh.

Little Pusan

83 Main Street, Maynard, MA

www.littlepusan.com

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Bulgogi ($15) is my go to Korean dish. Sliced beef sirloin with a sweet soy glaze shrooms, onion, and scallion. This dish did not disappoint.

When we dined in the restaurant, the decor is not what you would expect for a Korean restaurant. The space is open and airy, with wicker furniture and painted brick. It almost feels like you would expect to see this restaurant in California. The kitchen is in the back, behind what looks like a sliding closet door.

Service was excellent, our server was friendly and attentive.

The presentation of the dumplings, when eating at the restaurant is lovely.

The fried sweet potatoes ($6) were tasty and so much lighter than a traditional tempura.

Bibim chicken, large ($18)  was too much food for one person, we ordered it half and half, chili garlic and sweet soy sauce.

Bibim

166 Harvard Ave, Allston, MA

https://www.facebook.com/bibim.allston

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[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYisI-dzk-s&w=560&h=315]

Don’t have a clue what k-pop is? Check out this video, it was playing while we ate.

We go with some standby favorites for apps, the scallion pancakes are substantial with a great scallion flavor.

I could eat mandoo for days – these are pretty tasty, they are fried beef dumplings.

And the ramen just hits the spot. The broth is spicy and makes your lips tingle. I get the dduk ramen with rice cakes, and man does this hit the spot. This place is usually pretty empty on the week days but on the weekends it is mobbed. There are only 2 other tables seated when we arrive.

Myung Dong 1st Ave

90 Harvard Ave, Allston, MA

http://myungdong1stave.com

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Myung Dong is located on the corner of Harvard and Brighton Ave. The decor is sparse, TV’s on the wall playing K-pop and some graffiti on the wall. Other than that, it looks like a typical Allston bar on the inside. The food however is delicious.

KImchi Pancake: Korean style pancake lightly pan fried with scallions and kimchi; served with seasoned soy sauce. A little spicy, lip tingling. A hearty dish.

Small order of fried dumplings: Lightly fried pork & vegetable dumplings; served with seasoned soy sauce. I love these – a really delicious dumpling – the filling is tasty and the wontons are perfectly golden brown.

Bibimbop: Fresh vegetables, a fried egg and beef. This hot pot dish is a favorite – mix it all up and meld all the flavors together.

Mandoo ramen: Ramen noodles, pork dumplings, scallions, sliced carrots, and egg drop in a spicy broth. The ramen is amazing. The broth is spicy – not unbearable, but spicy. The dumplings plus the noodles make this a carb lovers dream. By the time I was done, I was completely full. I was dreaming about this ramen for the whole week!

Dduk Ramen: Ramen noodles with rice cakes, scallions, sliced carrots, and egg drop in a spicy broth. We went back and had takeout the following week – I had been thinking about this ramen since we were there before. It combines my favorite things, rice cake noodles and ramen. The broth was spicy, but bearable. The soup was good at home, but I think for best results, ramen is best consumed at the restaurant.

Myung Dong 1st Ave

90 Harvard Ave, Allston, MA

http://myungdong1stave.com/

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The place is like an extension of a home – there are drawings taped to the register, photos and memorabilia.

We started off with some gyoza. Lightly pan fried, these dumplings were really tasty.

We also had the kimchi pancake. I wish that there was more of a bite to this dish, as the raw kimchi was SO tasty.

Korean meals come with complimentary little side dishes: tofu, anchovies, bean sprouts, tofu, kimchi etc.

The anchovies always freak me out a little….

Chicken Bokum- really lightly breaded and fried chicken, something like a General Gao’s chicken, with a sweet sauce.

The Okdul bibimbab- rice, veggies and some beef served in a hot pot-you mix it up with the house sauce, which isn’t too spicy, and I have to say that the best part of this dish is when you get close to the end and you have the crunchy rice that has been cooking away while you’ve been eating.

And the ever favorite of mine, bulgogi- marinated beef with a side of white rice- DELICIOUS!

At the end of our meal they brought these out with the check….not sure what they are, but they are so yummy. I was nervous to try it, but it ended up being this cold creamsicle flavored drink. Yum! This place is certainly worth the trip out to Arlington.

Manna House

9 MEDFORD ST, ARLINGTON, MA 02476 USA
781.648.8878

http://www.mannahouse-cuisine.com

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