Walking into Chorong House, my first reaction was, ‘…what?’

The atmosphere of the small Korean restaurant doesn’t have a wow factor. A crisscross pattern of thin wood sticks to the wall with superglue, and small posters printed from the computer declare different drink and food specials. Only a bamboo screen separates the kitchen and the dining area, giving the feeling that you may have snuck into a Korean family’s home, plopped down and demanded food.

However, it was the food and not the visual appeal that drew us to Chorong House in the first place. So when a steaming plate of delicious-looking dumplings arrived at the table of a woman eating by the window, my spirits lifted.

The moment we sat down, a waitress hurried over with water. She seemed especially friendly and recommended we order kimchi fried rice with beef and chewy noodles with beef. Both appeared on the lunch special menu, costing less than $9 each.

Next came the best surprise ever: complimentary banchan, traditional, small Korean side dishes. Although I’d been to a Korean restaurant in New York City that served banchan, I didn’t expect this Syracuse dive to offer some. Banchan can come in hundreds of different varieties, but we received spicy potatoes, black beans, kimchi and macaroni salad — the wild card.

My dining partners dug in with fancy metal chopsticks while I embarrassingly scooped some food onto my plate with a spoon. Getting to sample several different dishes made the dining experience more exciting and quieted rumbling stomachs before our food arrived. The thick potato chunks, lathered in a spicy red sauce, provided a satisfying slow burn, while the macaroni salad reminded me of something my mom makes for the Fourth of July — I say this lovingly; it tasted great. The kimchi, fermented cabbage, wasn’t too heavy on the vinegar, and the beans crunched satisfyingly with each bite.

We continued to pick at each dish when two plates, heaped with enormous amounts of steaming food, graced our table. When our food arrived, all of Chorong House’s five tables filled up, giving me the hunch that the food may be a cult favorite with Syracuse residents in the know. I confirmed this with my first bite of the fried rice. Similar in spiciness to the potatoes, the fried rice combined peas, beans, onions and other vegetables with an abundance of moist rice. It was all topped with a large, fried egg. I quickly became obsessed with the heat level as well as the soft and crunchy textural duality. Like the kimchi, this portion tasted flavorful but not pungent.

The other plate contained clear, skinny noodles on top of a hunk of rice, garnished with vegetables and pieces of juicy beef. I preferred the spiciness of the fried rice but loved the meat of the second dish, which provided just the right amount of saltiness. Everything tasted authentic, and I began to appreciate the homemade, right-in-the-kitchen vibe that first seemed like a turnoff.

Ordering only two dishes for three people, plus the banchan, still led to full stomachs and nearly unfinished food — though in the end we managed to scarf everything down. Chorong House automatically adds in 15 percent gratuity, which offered a pleasantly cheaper alternative to 20 percent. We waved goodbye to the two nice ladies in charge when we left, and — despite the muddy parking lot, unobtrusive looking front window and fairly unappealing surroundings — we found ourselves enamored with the small, hole-in-the-wall Korean place. You may not look like much, Chorong House, but your food sure tastes great.

jidonfro@syr.edu

Published on February 7, 2012 at 12:00 pm