Eating Around the World - 2022 "Challenge" [February - Korean]

I came up with a fun "challenge" for the hubby and I to tackle in 2022. You see, we try and limit our eating out to once a week (because I'm frugal like that ;)). With that said, we tend to stick to our tried-and-true favorites (you gotta make the most of those dining-out experiences, right?!). Well, that means we usually eat at the same two restaurants. Hear me out, I am NOT complaining, but I thought it might be a fun "challenge" for the year to try a new place once a month. To take the idea one step further, I thought we could try a different cuisine every month - that way we aren't just trying a new Mexican restaurant every month (because, let's be real, I can never turn down great chips and salsa ;)). Here's how it went:

[Originally this was going to be a single post, but blog readers said they preferred monthly, so ask and you shall receive.] 

January - Indian

February - Korean

Next up we decided to try a Korean restaurant in Oceanside. (#RealTalk - It is considered Korean AND Asian Fusion, so there is a possibility that it isn't legit Korean, but since Korean was the first descriptor on Yelp we decided it would work for us.) The new-to-us restaurant was Mr. bibi and we made our way on a Saturday night in the month of February. 

We had seen this place open a couple years ago and were excited to finally give it a try! We decided the long(ish) line when we arrived boded well because that normally means it’s good, right?! RIGHT! When you enter the restaurant you make your way to the back corner to get in line to order. It was a bit cramped feeling, but everyone was respectful.

A Yelp reviews mentioned it was like a Chipotle version of bibimbap and I see where
they got that from! You walk down the line adding your protein, toppings, sauces, etc.

Both the hubby and I ordered Hot Stones of Bibimbap. We had read that the hot stones make the bottom rice (or whatever base you select) crispy and it’s worth the extra $2. We would agree, although it did keep the food HOT so next time I’d be okay skipping the hot stone container. I got the brown rice and tofu while the hubby got fried rice and tofu. I got all of the veggie toppings except for no jalapeños or cucumbers (I also didn’t get the egg on the top). The hubby got all of the toppings except for no kale or pineapple. (Because we got the hot stone we were required to eat in, but if you don’t get the hot stone they package it as though it is to-go whether you eat in the dining area or take it with you. With at that said, if it’s not in a hot stone you get the choice of two of the sauce toppings. If you get the hot stone you get a holster with all of the sauces while eating in the dining area. Hubby was stoked he didn't have to choose! He loves sauces!)

The hot stone isn't as aggressive as a fajita plate, but that's what it reminds me of - the steam, sizzle, etc.

The hubby’s favorite sauces were the spicy teriyaki and spicy mayo, while I stuck with soy sauce. (I am a wimp when it comes to spice and although I tried all of the sauces they were either too hot or covered the flavor of the meal too much so I just added a small amount of the soy sauce so I could still enjoy all of the individual fresh and flavorful tastes.)

Hubby barely wanted to wait for a photo before he dug in... but he also didn't want
to scald his mouth so he humored me with a picture while he let it cool just a bit.

We were both extremely happy with our meals and will DEFINITELY be making this a rotation in our normal restaurants. I would even be totally fine getting the same "build your bowl" every time - it was THAT yummy! We were even saying how it’d be a great meal to grab and go to the beach to watch the sunset. TWO THUMBS WAY UP FROM BOTH OF US!

I guess you could say we liked it... Our hot stone bowls were EMPTY by the time we left!

When was the last time you tried a new-to-you restaurant?