Soojung Korean B.B.Q.: Be still my panchan-loving heart

During a recent cold snap, I found myself craving the heat that Korean food so famously provides. Showing up at Soojung in Lynnwood, I was directed toward one of the large booths that line the perimeter of the dining room. Shivering, I gratefully accepted a cup of tea and the warmth from a radiant-heat fan to ward off the big chill that came straight through the plate-glass windows.

But the thing that finally kicked my internal thermostat into the red was the stir-fried squid and vegetables, whose searing heat came not from its sizzling platter but from the chilies-fueled sauce.

Man, I love Korean food.

Soojung, open since September, took over where its predecessor, Mi Rak, had failed. It offers a similar menu of tabletop barbecue (various cuts of beef, pork, chicken and cephalopods, $14-$17) and a wide-ranging selection of soups, stews, noodles, stir-fries and casseroles. Decorative touches — a fireplace, colorful upholstery, a flat screen monitor playing ads for local businesses — generate a mood several steps beyond that of the standard Korean joint.

Shareable dishes, moderate pricing and oversize tables make Soojung a swell place for large groups. Solo diners will appreciate weekday lunch specials: $8 best-sellers like bulgogi (grilled marinated beef) and bibimbap (rice with assorted vegetables, beef and egg meant to be mixed with red pepper paste).

Soojung Korean B.B.Q.

19226 Highway 99, Lynnwood; 425-778-9292

Korean

$$

Reservations: accepted.

Hours: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. daily.

Prices: lunch specials $8-$9 (weekdays only); barbecue grill items $14-$17 ($35 for four-meat combo); soups, stews, noodles, stir-fries $7-$19; casseroles $24-$27.

Drinks: A limited selection of Korean beers, American wines, sake, soju and whiskey.

Parking: private lot.

Sound: moderate.

Who should go: Anyone who loves Korean food; adventurers who'd like to learn why they should add this heat- driven cuisine to their favorite-food repertoire.

Beer, wine, limited liquor / credit cards: MC, V / no obstacles to access.

At far too many Korean restaurants, the one-note-samba(l) of chilies and garlic can overwhelm a sensitive palate. I didn't find that here though. And, as in similar settings, beef is a major ingredient, along with octopus, mackerel and skate wing. What sets Soojung apart is a broader range of flavors and obvious attention to temperature and texture, details notable in the kitchen's careful interpretation of Korean-food classics.

It wasn't just the impressive housemade mandu (thick ground-beef dumplings) or haemul pajun (crisp seafood pancake) that won me over and turned me into a "regular." It was also the eundaegu jorim — a shallow casserole brimming with bony slabs of gently cooked black cod, squash and chewy rice cake. And especially the naengmeon — cold slippery noodles in a refreshing beef broth splashed with vinegar and sweetened with Asian pear. It tasted like summer in a bowl.

The uncommonly attentive and informative staff's command of English helps make a meal an enlightening experience for those not born to the cuisine.

One plucky server cocked her head my way as I unceremoniously pulled meat from the combination of kalbi beef, ribeye, pork and chicken thighs on the grill in the middle of our table. "You need to learn to eat barbecue right," she kindly scolded. "May I?" she asked, instructing my friends and me on the fine art of Korean barbecue.

We looked on as she took a leaf of crisp lettuce and added scallion slivers dressed with sesame oil, miso paste, salted syrup and a slice of grilled meat. Then she suggested we garnish this crunchy-good roll-up with a spoonful of rice, something non-Koreans often fail to do (so she says). Bless her for that. And for replacing our grill-pan with an unsullied one halfway through the meal.

Soojung offers a very generous and varied range of panchan, the side dishes that are my favorite part of a Korean meal. "That's pork," instructed one helpful gal, pointing to one of the small plates of pickled vegetables, marinated greens and other less-identifiable dishes. Turns out she was offering fair warning. "It's pig's ear!" I squealed, before trying a very chewy slice.

You never know which panchan you're getting, but you can always ask for favorites.

I asked for a dish of Soojung's delicious savory custard. The server returned, minutes later, with a steaming bowlful of this comfort food and told me exactly how I could make it at home: whisk equal amounts of egg and water, add salt and three tablespoons of milk "to make it silky," then nuke it for three minutes. (Here, the custard's boiled.)

I'm still waiting for Korean restaurants to become the next big thing in our little corner of the world, as they have in New York and L.A. I'm still waiting for the sassy spices and tantalizing textures to move beyond the realm of "neighborhood ethnic" into finer-dining restaurants with downtown addresses. Until then, I'll have to be content with what we have. And what we have at Soojung is a great new Korean restaurant worthy of native diners — and nervous novices.

Nancy Leson: 206-464-8838 or taste@seattletimes.com. More reviews at www.seattletimes.com/restaurants

Sample menu

Seafood Pancake $13

Broiled Mackerel $11

Bibimbap $9

Dak Bulgogi (barbecued chicken) $14

Black Cod with Assorted Vegetables $17