Spicy Kimchi is a mother-daughter owned Korean restaurant in Diamond Bar. As a family run place, service is done with care in a very informal, casual manner. Place your order at the counter and then seat yourself at any of the available tables. Dishes run the stand Korean route from Bibimbop to to Bulgogi and include some randomly placed dishes with Japanese influence like the Katsu Curry Rice, Udon and Spaghetti with Cheese.

No more than five minutes after seating ourselves, we were brought out an assortment of panchan. They were all of the ordinary sort, with the exception of the potatoes, which I've never had prepared in this manner before. The diced and boiled potatoes were bath in a thick spicy pepper sauce. It was similar to gravy, only slightly more "sticky" - which clung tightly onto the potatoes. It's not something I'd ever crave, just something new to spicy things up. I bet there a least a hundred (I think...) variety of panchan out there and sometimes it's makes me sad to think I've only tried just a fraction of them!

We didn't expect a restaurant this casual to offer any panchan, so when a complimentary plate (or rather, basket) of green onion pancakes was placed before us, I had to give a little slient applause. It's not easy running a whole business with just two people! Though flavorful and well packed with onions, the pancake was uncharacteristically greasy - but hey, it's really the thought that counts in this case :)

Meg Bulgogi was a fairly large serving given the $8.50 price. The beef clearly of good quality, tender soft and well seasoned. Perhaps a little too sweet, even for my Hawaii raised, teriyaki chicken and honey fried spam tastebuds, but any well executed plate of hot beef would have been a pleasure on this rainy day.

The Bulgogi came with a plate of rice, scoop of mac salad (nothing like the kind you get back home!) and a little bowl of seaweed, picked carrots and shredded imitation crab. The little trio in the bowl struck me as well intended but nonetheless, random - how does imitation crab fit into the dish?

Yuk Gae Jang is what I imagine to be Korean comfort food, a gloriously deep bowl of flamingly spicy beef stew with glass noodles, chunks of stewed beef, eggs, kimchee for good measure, an assortment of root vegetables and green onions. I poured in my entire bowl of rice and gave it a good stir to make for a true meal in a bowl. Alas, I was not sick or in search of comfort, but it sure healed everything that could have used healing!

Spicy Kimchee
1381 S. Diamond Bar Blvd
Diamond Bar, CA 91765
(909) 396-9968