YuGaNe Korean Restaurant is an honorary staple in Bellingham. It is the one place where locals can get authentic Korean food, bringing further diversity to a growing city. While we don’t have a wide plethora of Eastern Asian cuisine in Bellingham, YuGaNe is a great start, and will hopefully create a bigger trend of local restaurants to support.
This was my first time trying YuGaNe and Korean cuisine in general, and I can say that I am happy that I did. Here below is my review of all the foods we ordered, and hopefully this’ll encourage anyone willing to try some new cultural food to go out and support this local business.
YuGaNe is on Cornwall Street downtown, tucked right by between Señor Lopez and the Ramen Bowl. For such a busy area at this time of day, me and my family were surprised to see that we were the only ones in there. Note that you may have to pay for parking, depending on the time of day.
Upon arrival, the place was quiet (given the lack of people) and cozy, the owner greeting us kindly and being great in customer service. She was one of the highlights, seeing as she was the one to serve and make our food, and her cheerfulness whilst working made the experience much better.
We were sat down almost immediately in the middle, and given water and our menus. A small nitpick I had was there wasn’t a lot of options categorized or targeted towards kids, if any. It’s an acquired taste, and for that I can’t blame them, but have more catered meals and smaller portions towards kids would help a lot of families out when trying their meals out. However, they had accomodations for kids otherwise, such as booster seats and coloring pages for the kids.
However, a benefit of their menu is that they have indications for meals you can get spicy, as well as gluten-free and vegan meals. These are great for anyone who wishes to try but may be discouraged because of their food preferences or dietary needs, but YuGaNe creates a welcoming community and helps everyone get the meal they want.
Once we sat down, I knew what to order immediately. I got the Beef Bulgogi for 20 dollars while my mom and brother decided to share the Vegetable Yakisoba for 18 dollars together.
The Bulgogi, was, least to say, amazing. It had a rich and chewy flavor, and the decorative green onions on top added a nice crunch and fresh flavor to it. The sauce added a lot to the dish; it was great on the beef, a smoky and savoury flavor that helped emphasize the varying textures. The side dishes were also great, though the highlight was the purple rice on the side. Having rice on the side with beef helped create both a nutty and salty taste, two additions that made this trip worthwhile.
The Vegetable Yakisoba was great too, though there wasn’t too much about it that made it particularly special. However, that doesn’t need to be the case for everything that you try; even the simplest dishes are the most comforting. The thin, stringy noodles paired greatly with the sauce, and the vegetables like onions and thinly-sliced carrots added some additional crunch to the meal. An overall great choice for someone who likes to play it safe and wants to try something a bit in their comfort zone.
Overall, our total came out to around 50 dollars (including the tip we gave for their great service). While I believe that that there may be more affordable options out there for Korean dining, for the experience I believe that it’s a great choice to go and support YuGaNe.
Overall Rating (for experiences and food): 4/5 stars; Great customer service and food, but there could be more options for children and the price may not be ideal for everyone.
