Gohyang Restaurant

Gohyang has a fun scrappy feel right on Route 9 where it is easily reached from the 5 Colleges. It has the added bonus of having an attached little Korean market.

So let’s get down to the bibimbap. First, the presentation was good. The stone bowl was generously sized, great for sharing with the three people at the table. The fillings seemed to have a nice balance between the kongnamul (sprouts), spinach, zucchini, preserved fern (I think), egg, mushrooms, kimchee, carrot, lettuce (more on the lettuce later), and seaweed shavings. It was also clear from the start that the bowl was deliciously hot. The rice formed a nice layer of crunch that was easy to distribute in the bowl. We also opted for added tofu that was fried and cut into finger-like strips.

 Once the gochujang was mixed in a few things began to be apparent. First, I’m not so sure lettuce belongs in bibimbap, in fact, I’m not sure iceberg lettuce (shredded or not) belongs in any hot food. It gets wilted and unappetizing fairly quickly. Second, the bowl and rice were of generous proportions, but the fillings, while colorfully balanced on top of the rice, seemed to disappear and become subsumed by the rice once mixed together. While the crunch of the rice was fabulous, most of the vegetable flavor seemed to be overwhelmed.

Rice crunch: 10
Filling mix: 6
Presentation: 8
Hot lettuce: 2
Happiness factor: 6

So all taken into account, the crunchy rice was first rate. The things that remind you of mom, the spinach and kongnamul were a bit too sparse to trigger raptures of nostalgia, but it was still wonderfully filling on a cold night.

I would say, Gohyang's bibimbap was a fantastic college student dinner, felt healthy, and is on the path to growing up and being a contender with the greats.