Ashleys Korean

I found Ashley’s Korean in the back of the Pleasing Market. Three women and one man were busy grating carrots and de-​seeding jalapeño peppers. There was a small sign on the counter with three meal options. I told them I had come for lunch, and I ordered the bulgogi. I sat down at a small dining area near the counter which consisted of three chairs and one table put against the wall. It was a small area, but clean, and I was the only one in there. The man offered me a small bottle of water while I waited. The bulgogi came out in a Styrofoam carry-​out box and I told them I would like to dine in. They gave me a fork and chopsticks not knowing which way this white boy would lean on his utensil preferences. The meat was a little stringy. I pulled a couple of the stringy fat pieces out of my mouth while eating it. This seems to be a common theme with bulgogi. The texture of the white rice was good, and no soy sauce was available. I didn’t want to offend anyone so I put a little salt and pepper on that, without asking for soy sauce. The veggies in the bulgogi were good, and came with sesame seeds on top. The kimchi was spicy but fresh and delightful. They brought a side of pickled radishes to the table during the meal. These were less pickled and spicy, and more sweet than what I’ve gotten at other Korean establishments. I believe they must have been just made and were fresher than I was used to. Ashley, I believe it was Ashley because she seemed to be in charge, thanked me for coming in and asked me to tell my friends and to come back. The meal was listed at $ 8.50, but they charged me $ 7.50. I had my AF uniform on and only assumed they may have a military discount. The woman behind the checkout counter of the Pleasing Market rang me out. She offered me a piece of her Wrigley’s gum because I was sniffing my nose (the kimchi had gotten to me). Overall, it was a pleasant experience and I will be back to sample more of the menu.

Ashley’s Korean really should be renamed Pleasing Market. It’s a grocery store with a eating area between the shelves and the little produce case as mentioned by Steve. The bulgogi was the worst I’ve ever had in my life. I pulled a bottle of Chilsung out of the fridge and paid $ 1.89 for it and it was FLAT!!!
Selection of grocery items was decent. Ashley is very nice so 1 extra star for service.

It’s like mum used to make. Well, not my mum since she wasn’t Korean, but maybe a friend’s mum.
Since Ashley/​Ae Sook’s second business is in her grocery store, it’s easy to get fresh ingredients. She cooks the same things for us that she cooks for herself.
Today, I had a hunger for bi bim bop, but she removed that from the menu. Instead, I got chop chae/​jap chae and she added what we would call side items in a restaurant. She also poured some soup since I was the last one eating before close.
The soup was okay but it probably would have tasted better if I had eaten it first. The mix of the jap chae and kim chi threw it off. In any case, I enjoyed it as much for the taste as it felt like eating at someone’s house. There wasn’t a thought of «this is restaurant food». It wasn’t. It was home-​cooked food. Sure, we’ve all been to a house where someone couldn’t cook, but this wasn’t the case. It was consistent with Korean restaurants all over the U.S.A. That’s awesome considering there was no fancy menu, no fancy table, and some really down-​to-​earth conversation, as though you were with relatives.

If having lunch in between a produce case and the Asian snack isle is interesting to you… check this place out. Ashley does the cooking behind the register. If Ive had more refined dining, I havent had quite as comfortable and unique an experience. Worth checking out… the portions are big and unpretentious. Kim chi, of good quality. Hell… Ill be back just to check on Ashley.