Arirang — Fresh Korean Cuisine in Ann Arbor

Arirang, is Ann Arbor's newest Korean restaurant, located on Ann Arbor-Saline Rd, in the former Original 60s location just a few doors down from the Godaiko Japanese restaurant.  The restaurant is named after a Korean folk song. We stopped in on their second day.  Clearly we were not the only ones keeping an eye on them.  A few large family and several smaller groups were already there, and new people arrived regularly.  The interior was neat and clean, and the shogi screens arrayed along the plate glass windows transformed the diner-like interior into a pleasant space. The manager (we think) quickly brought us water and tea and menus, and the traditional Korean salads arrived soon afterward. They featured three chili-based salads, a cucumber salad, Korean potato salad, and fish cake salad.  Their kim chee had a nice clean sharp flavor. The appetizers featured the expected dumpling and fried tofu, but was caught our attention was the chili rice cakes.  And rightly so.  They were fabulous...

For dinner we stuck with basic dishes that would offer a good comparison to the Korean restaurants we've tried. Both entrees came with a light miso soup. (I suspect it's shiro miso, but I'm no expert.) Joe got the Bi Bim Bop in hot stone bowl.   To my delight, it came with the egg still soft.  At so many of the Korean diners around town (and Arirang is NOT a diner), when I order bi bim bop, the fried egg comes nearly hard — even when I ask for it soft.

I ordered the bulgogi on a hot plate.  It came with chili bean paste, rice, and lettuce for wrapping.  I enjoyed its slightly sweet, grilled flavor. We were very pleased with our first experience at this family-run restaurant.  I was impressed with both the freshness and flavors of their dishes, the friendly service, and clean pleasant atmosphere of their dining room. (And, bonus, their prices are more reasonable than Seoul Garden.)  The only thing they could have possibly improved was to re-fill my tea cup more frequently.  But it was only their second day, so they deserve kudos for handling the service and food preparation as well as they did with steady business coming in.

Comments

[Joe]

Some added comments: first, the sauce on those rice cakes was a wonderfully smooth and creamy version of the standard "spicy Korean stir-fry sauce". Second, the fish cake side dish was unusually good (yes, I'm obsessed with it), and one of those chili-based salads was thin-cut squid, which was a new twist. Finally, while the stoneware bowl used for the dol sot bi bim bap was less picturesque than the actual stone kind, it was hot as hell, and that smooth surface made the best rice crusts I've ever had.

The downside? Compared to many Korean restaurants, their menu is limited. They don't have exotica like the seafood pancakes, and they don't do sushi. They don't have grills so you can cook at your table.

But what they have, they do very, very well, and the menu may expand in the future.

With their reasonable prices, friendly service, and endlessly-filled side dishes, I'm looking forward to checking out the rest of the menu.

Fun place.

[Micha]

Hey there KC! Another swell post w/ enviable photography!

I understand the menu is relatively limited at Arirang, but wonder if there are any vegetarian options. I'd like to check it out this weekend with my honey.

Thanks!

[Joe]

We didn't take a picture of the menu, but we did take a menu (with permission ;-). I'm remembering that there aren't a lot of options for actual (i.e. non-fish eating) vegetarians, but there are some. KC or I will let you know later tonight.

If nothing else, there's those awesome rice cakes and the fried tofu appetizer, along with the non-fish side dishes; that wouldn't be a bad thing.

(I'm KC's husband, by the way)

[Kitchen Chick]

The menu is limited, but then it is a small kitchen.

I seem to recall tofu options for at least some of the entrees. Of course, the chili rice cake and fried tofu appetizers are vegetarian, as are most of the Korean salads/side dishes. The miso soup probably uses a fish stock base.

[the ulterior epicure]

kitchen chick.

i LOVE dolsot bi bim bap... how does theirs stack up to the seoul garden's? what different meats do they offer on their dolsot?

i see from the picture that they don't use a traditional rough hewn stone pot - which i prefer b/c it gives an extra crispy crust on the rice on the bottom that i love scraping and mixing into my bi bim bap... the one in the picture looks like it's one of the smoth ceramic types.

u.e.

[Joe]

Arirang's dol sot doesn't have as many rare and wondrous things in it as Seoul Garden's does (like that crunchy, slightly sugared seaweed thing that you always get a piece of). However, their smooth ceramic pots give a much better rice crust than the rough ones at Seoul Garden.

[Joe]

Followup: we just went back there, and not only did they remember us, they're still good.

[Jay - ARIRANG]

Hello All :)
My name is Jay and I am the son of the owner (also manager) of ARIRANG. Thank you all so much, especially to the fabulous "Kitchen Chic" :), for these great comments. I remember you telling me about this site, so I finally found time to check it out. We are in our 3rd month of business, and we are doing well. I just wanted to thank every one of you for visiting and enjoying. Without warm loving guests like you all, the restaurant would not be as enjoyable to be at. If you do have ANY questions, please e-mail me @ [email protected] We are also LIVE on an online site called 2goclub.com. So please check that out as well. Once again, GAHM SAH HAM NEEH DAH (which is Thank You Very Much in Korean).

[Jeanie Lee]

I would agree with you that Arirang is a nice small korean restaurant. That being said, I still prefer Seoul Garden because it still is the largest korean restaurant that provides the most extensive korean menu. SG gives you a wider variety of side dishes and most of the time they offer free "bubbly egg". Most of all korean BBQ tastes much better on the grill than served from the kitchen. I have gone to Arirang several times, and one thing I would like to add is that there has been a few times the food was prepared very differently. Perhaps I caught their main cook on his off day?

[Joe]

(Kitchen Chick's husband here)

You might have -- the downside of family-run places is that they tend to have a smaller labor pool.

In our experience, though, Arirang has been remarkably consistent in quality. Over the years, that hasn't been the case with Seoul Garden. We've had some great experiences there, and some not so great ones. The current management and staff are very good, and there's nothing like being able to grill your own bulgogi at the table. And they do have a more extensive menu.

But Arirang's prices are a bit lower across the board, their food is just as good (or better depending on what you get), and it's always high quality.

We like both restaurants for different things, and we're glad to have the choice.

[Jay - ARIRANG]

Hello again! This is Jay (the son of ARIRANG & manager). Jeanie, I am really sorry that happened. This is the first time I've heard something like this! Our chef is an excellent one, and he has high qualifications and experiences ( well known Korean restaurants in NY, ATL, etc). He was hired a couple years ago, and our sous chef trained hard underneath him with great detail. Our chef is always there, and he has always been consistent. Please e-mail me at [email protected] with your contact information, and I will be more than happy to send you a free gift certificate to come and try again.
Seoul Garden is a good restaurant, but so is ours. We both have our advantages and disadvantages. I would suggest everyone to try both places!

[Jack]

Jeanie, you most likely went to Arirang when the head chef had his day off. He used to have a day off once a week, and someone else would take over that day. The head chef is excellent, he is now in charge of Seoul Korner, which is now called Maru.