2/5 stars

$$

Located on 18th Street a few blocks away from the Dupont Circle Metro Station, Mandu is a casual eatery for lunch or dinner. Mandu has two locations: the location I visited with my parents, and one on K Street. The one near Dupont is, quite simply, beautiful; the building has a lot of open space that is spread out over two floors and has light-colored wooden floors and a dark wooden staircase. The two restaurants are owned and operated by Chef Yesoon Lee and her two children, who try to recreate the recipes that Lee originally learned while growing up in Seoul, Korea. Despite Lee’s long history with Korean food, the dishes at Mandu fall short of being authentic.

My whole life, my family and I have been surrounded by Korean food. Because Korean was my mother’s favorite type of cuisine, my family often frequented many different Korean restaurants, and I quickly learned the nuances of Korean dishes and delicacies. From the plethora of free side dishes offered to the flavorful main dishes, Korean food requires a delicate balance between spices. However, all of the food at Mandu didn’t taste like I was used to, and even the customs seemed a bit off.

While usually the individual side dishes come in distinct small bowls and there typically are upwards of 12 different side dishes offered, Mandu only offered six side dishes in very small portions on a white plate divided into four sections. One of the most unique characteristics of most Korean restaurants is that the side dishes are usually free and unlimited. As soon as we finished our side dishes, however, the waitress took away our plate, effectively preventing us from asking for more. The side dishes themselves also tasted a bit strange. Although the pickled radishes were supposed to be spicy and the pickled cucumbers sour, they instead tasted sweet, which impaired the overall authenticity of the meal.

For the main course, I ordered the dolsot bibimbap, which is a white rice dish with different vegetables, a choice of meat and a sunny-side egg served with a spicy chili-and-bean paste in a hot stone bowl. Bibimbap is one of the most well known dishes in the Korean repertoire and requires mixing spicy bean paste into the bowl and mixing it in. Usually, this dish invites a love-hate relationship: the spice can be almost crippling, but it is so delicious that it’s impossible to stop eating it. Regretfully, however, Mandu’s bean paste was mild at best, even when I used the entire portion given to me. Despite the lack of spiciness, the meal itself tasted decent. One of the most ingenious things about the use of the stone bowl is that the food is kept very warm throughout the meal, since nothing is more of a turn-off than lukewarm food.

My mother ordered a different main course — the soondubu, a spicy seafood stew with tofu and egg. While she asserted that the soup did not taste bad, she said that it lacked the certain essence of real homemade cooking.

While not terrible, Mandu is far from exceptional. It is located in a nice and convenient location and serves decently priced food; for people who have experienced really great Korean food, however,Mandu misses the mark.