Nourish your body and your taste buds at Korea House

As a lifelong Lansing resident, East Lansing’s Korea House is where I was first introduced to Korean food and has remained a regular in my eating-out rotation ever since. The restaurant has a beautiful dining room with low, warm lighting and sleek wooden tables and booths, as well as efficient and friendly service. The menu offers a huge variety, from Korean classics like bulgogi and fried chicken to sushi, noodle dishes and soups.

On my last visit, after weighing my options, I went with a familiar takeout favorite of mine: the bibimbap. Because I was eating in this time, I opted for the dolsot version, which comes in a hot stone bowl.

Before my entree arrived, I got to enjoy what is perhaps the best part of eating out at a Korean restaurant: the banchan, or small side dishes that are served before or with your meal. There’s kimchi, of course, as well as bean sprouts, pan-fried strips of tofu and a sweet and vinegary mashed potato creation.

The base of bibimbap is rice, and when served in the aforementioned sizzling hot bowl, the bottom layer of rice becomes a crispy delight. Atop this, all in their own neat little sections, there are tender strips of sesame-and-soy-marinated beef, bean sprouts, pickled daikon radish and sauteed spinach, cabbage, zucchini, mushrooms and carrots. The whole thing is topped with a perfectly fried egg and served with a sweet and spicy gochujang sauce.

The fun of this dish is in the variety of fresh, vibrant ingredients, making for endless combinations. You can either stir everything together from the outset or combine things bite by bite, scooping beneath to add some rice to each mouthful and getting what’s left of the banchan involved as well. In tandem, the flavors are smoky and savory, with inflections of vegetal brightness and earthy, caramelized sweetness. It’s a healthy meal, too, full of veggies and fermented ingredients. You could make it into two meals, but I was too hungry, and it was too delicious.

Whether you’re new to Korean food or are already familiar with its charms, you can’t go wrong with Korea House, and you can’t go wrong with bibimbap, dolsot or not. It’s got everything that the body needs and everything (and then some) that the taste buds crave.