Korean home cooking

When I’m a little homesick for my mom’s cooking but I don’t have the friends or the money to have a big Ktown bulgoki blow out, I head over to Woorijip (12W. 32nd St. bw 5th Ave. & Bway). My parents actually discovered it for me maybe 5 years ago during a visit. My folks love those buffet style cafeterias. Woorijip’s steam table is good. It has your standard Korean fare, a variety of pancakes, meats, kimchis. While it ain’t my mom’s cooking, it’s a pretty good substitute. They also have boxes with set portions of kimbop, teriyakis, omelets and chicken. I’m sure people grab them during lunch hour like hotcakes. The refrigerated cases also contain make-at-home bulgoki, bibimbop, and lots of different banchan (side dishes like spinach, cucumbers, and kimchi, of course). But my favorite aspect of Woorijip is the noodle bar. Just today I wanted to try out a new Korean restaurant in Gramercy (She Ja Meh on E.18th St.) but it was closed. I needed Korean food, so I walked up to 32nd St. and was happy to find the noodle bar open. The air had a little nip to it, so I knew that I wanted kimchi jigae. "Jigae" means stew and is always a great way to use leftovers. When kimchi is getting sour, but not unbearably so, you throw it in a pot with some meat and let it cook until the cabbage softens and the meat and kimchi juice make a rich piquant broth. Topped with some rice to soak up some of the salt and spice, kimchi jigae is both exciting to the palate and comforting to the soul. Woorijip makes a nice pot of it for $6, and the noodle lady is so nice. They also sell a variety of udons and ramens if you’re in the mood for something milder.
The atmosphere has really improved over the years. It’s now painted a warm yellow, and easy listening cd’s play continuously. "Girl From Ipanema" or Ray Charles is almost always playing while I’m there. They also have a frequent visitor card that you can get stamped and when the card is filled you can get a free mug or bag with the Woorijip logo on it!