Have you tried Da Rae Korean Restaurant in Fullerton?

For all of my SoCal friends who like to get out and try new food excursions, take a look at Da Rae Korean Restaurant in Fullerton.  If you enjoy Bibimbap, and I do, this place is definitely worth a look.

Tucked away in a little strip mall on the corner of Yorba Linda Blvd and N. Placentia Ave in Fullerton, it may be a little hard to find.  Not really difficult as it is in the Target shopping center, but tucked back behind a bigger Japanese restaurant.

The restaurant itself isn’t very big.  They had maybe a dozen or so tables.  There was a sign in sheet on the door before we went in, but it looked to be fairly empty, so we walked right in and were seated.  This was at about 6pm on a Saturday.  We were greeted as soon as we walked in from a few different people, and from what sounded like the kitchen.  As soon as we sat down, menus were brought and water as well.  I always enjoy the metal chopsticks and cups that some Korean restaurants offer.  I find the metal chopsticks a little easier, maybe not as slippery as the plastic sets you get in some locations.

The menu wasn’t extremely extensive, but they did offer up all of the popular Korean dishes.  First off, I am not Korean, and don’t speak Korean, so please forgive me if I butcher any of the names, or for that matter, don’t know the proper names for the items on the table.  There were plenty, and I probably know the right name for one of them.  The menu did include a few different items that I hadn’t seen before, but it looked to have all of the standards.

After perusing through the menu I decided on the Chicken Bulgogi Hot Stone Pot Bibimbap and my wife went with the standard Bulgogi Hot Stone Pot Bibimbap.  The restaurants menu had some photos, but the plates that were walking by looked and smelled delicious.

Almost as soon as we ordered, the appetizer plates started to arrive.  The first was an omelette style dish that had green onions in it, as well as a little dish of tofu with seasoning.  It was pretty tasty.  We figured out that we have had this before, but usually not brought out on a full-sized plate.  Usually it seems to be served sliced and along with the various other dishes that arrive.

A few minutes later the full series of appetizer dishes arrived.  A total of 8 plus a bowl of miso style soup.  Here is a look at the various appetizers that arrived.

These first dishes were pretty tasty.  The kimchi wasn’t super spicy and had a nice full flavor.  The radish dish, on the bottom, had a nice crunch to it, but had a little more heat than the kimchi.  The seaweed dish on the right, had a sweet sauce with it.  The seaweed had some crunch still which was nice.

This set was good as well. The dish on the upper right was an apple dish of all things.  Cut up apple in a yogurt-ish sauce.  The cucumber dish is always one of my favorites.  The cucumbers were nice and crispy and held a lot of flavor.  Not too spicy.  The sprout dish was very delicious as well.  A lot of flavor and seemed that it held the marinade perfectly.

This last set was also good.  The fried tofu is always good.  I did end up dipping it in a couple of the other sauces, but it was good on its own.  The bottom was sort of like a yam cake.  Not totally positive on what it was, but it was good.  Lots of flavor as well.

Well, we put our heads down and powered through the appetizers.  Heck, that’s what we do.  I probably didn’t mention that all of these come standard with your meal.  No additional charge for all of the side dishes or appetizers.

Now came the main dishes.  They come out on a hot stone, like in the title of the dish.  The items are sizzling and very hot.  Here is a look at my chicken dish.  The photos don’t do them justice.  There was a ton of food on these bowls.  The bowl itself had to have at least a 10″ diameter.  Filled with veggies and plenty of meat all on a bed of rice.  Very delicious!

And my wives beef bulgogi.

I always like to add what I call Korean ketchup.  To be honest, I really don’t know the name of the sauce is, but its good.  Adds a little heat, but really kicks up the flavor.

The food was very flavorful and delicious.  We have another place that we like to go to in Fullerton, but this one was right up there.  A lot smaller, friendly staff, and very attentive.  Some time we have to what seems like beg for water, but they brought us a little jug to fill up our glasses.  That is always a nice touch and very much appreciated.

Overall, we give Da Rae Korean Restaurant Fullerton a very positive rating.  I don’t know if I’d go 5 stars, but a good 4.5 for sure.  As I said, if you live in the area and are looking for a little variety, they are definitely worth the look.  We got right in, seated, and served immediately.

Oh, one last photo.  Here is a look at the aftermath from our meal.

 

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Happy eating!
Davey