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This summer I have found myself regularly craving Asian food: fried rice, dumplings, sweet and savory protein pairings, and hopefully a good dipping sauce.
So of course, I sought out those things for this week’s edition of MadCo Munchies. My search led me to Oriental Spoon — according to the restaurant’s website, it’s been serving authentic Korean cuisine since 2009 as the first-of-its-kind restaurant in the area.
The host greeted me immediately upon walking in. Several other parties were either finishing up or just coming in while I ate, and a few of them appeared to be regulars by how quickly they knew what they wanted.
It took me a minute to decide, though. The menu has lots of options, everything from the recognizable bulgogi to ramyun, a spicy noodle soup. I found the menu to be very accessible — all the items had descriptions, so I didn’t need to come in knowing what donkatsu was (hand-breaded, deep-fried pork, FYI).
I opted for the japchae mandu for an appetizer. Mandu are Korean dumplings, and these were stuffed with beef, pork, glass noodles and vegetables. Five dumplings came out hot, fresh out of the fryer, with housemade seasoned soy sauce for dipping. They were fantastic — crispy, golden and full, no skimping on the stuffing.
For the main dish, I ordered bibimbap. It came with a small bowl of Korean egg drop soup, which came out first. The broth was full of flavor, and the egg was soft without being chewy, marking the first time I’ve truly enjoyed a bowl of egg drop soup.
Where & What
- Location: Oriental Spoon, 229 Harvard Drive, Edwardsville, 62025
- Order: Japchae mandu, bibimbap and a fountain soda
- Total (before gratuity): $33.30
Fresh was the name of the game for the giant bowl of bibimbap that the server brought me. White rice grounded the dish, which also featured hearty portions of lettuce, zucchini, onions, carrots, shiitake mushrooms, spinach and cucumber. The protein, rib-eye beef, was marinated in bulgogi sauce. Everything was topped with a fried egg, cooked perfectly, and sesame seeds.
My server asked if I’d ever eaten bibimbap before, which I hadn’t. She explained that the spicy plum sauce on the side serves as a sort of dressing – you stir it into the bowl, almost like a salad. All the veggies stayed crisp, no wilting, and there was so much food that I got three total meals out of this one bowl.
While I didn’t partake (don’t worry, boss), the restaurant had an intriguing beer list, along with black raspberry wine and plum wine available, only $20 for a bottle. Even though I didn’t choose any food from it, I’m still very intrigued by the “spicy strawberry” section of the menu. I plan on going back to find out how strawberry sauce and roasted peanuts complement chicken.
