#bibambap

Sun & Moon Korean Restaurant 95 Warren Avenue East Providence, RI 02914

Ph: 401-435-0214

Hours Closed Monday Tuesday – Saturday  11:30 a.m. – 10 p.m. Sunday 12 p.m. – 9 p.m.

There is probably nothing more exciting then introducing your friends to a new cuisine (or is that just me?).

When I was home last week, I took my best friend to Sun & Moon Korean Restaurant for her first Korean food experience!

This family owned and operated restaurant opened in 2002 under the direction of “Mother of the Family” Chef Lee on Warren Avenue in East Providence. If you aren’t paying close attention, you might miss the sign hanging outside. When you step inside, you are standing in a narrow room where there is a ‘bar’ to the right, which faces the very small open kitchen. It honestly feels like you’re walking into someone’s home. That’s how intimate it is. We were brought into the next room of the restaurant (you could call this the living room!), which had four tables. This room was attached to another private dining room with a table that could fit six or more.

Truthfully, it has always been my experience there that you might have to wait a few minutes to be greeted by your server. Don’t let it turn you off. Whenever I have been in there, she’s been the only one serving…but once she is at your table you can expect everything to come out in perfect timing.

What we ordered:

Steamed Vegetable Dumplings ($7.99) BiBimBap with Chicken ($13.99) BiBimBap with Shrimp ($13.99)

Complimentary on the table: Kimchi (a traditional fermented Korean side dish made of vegetables with a variety of seasonings. It is often described as spicy and sour.In traditional preparation kimchi is often allowed to ferment underground in jars for months) Pickled Cucumber (OiMuChim) Pickled Celery We happily munched away on the small dishes that were placed on our table – the pickled cucumber is always my favorite. It’s sweet, cool and refreshing. I always have the kimchi when I when I’m there but honestly I have a love hate relationship with this dish. I love the spice, but there are some kinds of kimchi that sit oddly on my taste buds! Almost like it’s a bit sour. I think everyone is different, but I never go without having some when I am having Korean food.

Our steamed dumplings came out shortly after. I was so happy and so was Chelsea. Our waitress brought over the steamed basket and removed the lid. Through the steam I could see Chelsea’s eyes light up (haha). Talk about fresh! The dumplings were a delight and I could have eaten three more baskets.

I wanted to ease her into Korean cuisine and I thought there was no better way then BiBimBap. If you’re not familiar with the dish:

The word literally means "mixed rice". Bibimbap is served as a bowl of warm white rice topped with namul (sautéed and seasoned vegetables) and gochujang (chili pepper paste), soy sauce, or doenjang. A raw or fried egg and sliced meat (usually beef) are common additions. The ingredients are stirred together thoroughly just before eating.

There is nothing better than the BiBimBap at Sun & Moon. It’s easy to taste how fresh it is, and every dish is definitely made to order. I made sure to snap a picture of our bowls before we stirred them all together and devoured them. One of the best little treasures when eating BiBimBap is scraping up the crunchy rice at the bottom of the pot. It’s absolutely to die for.