Nor Boo Korean Restaurant
1536 Robson Street
Vancouver, BC
To a certain extent, despite there are so many Korean restaurants near my workplace, I seldom go to these. It is not that I do not like them; however, for some reason, I feel that it is “better” to go with somebody else or in a small group. However, that does not mean I haven’t to one myself – check my post on Ma Dang Coul. So, when I checked a colleague to go for lunch, I suggested Nor Boo Restaurant, one of those nearby places I haven’t been. In a funny way, others joined us…
I remember when Nor Boo opened several years ago. Actually, it wasn’t the restaurant itself; rather it was a character drawn outside, I couldn’t take a picture of it but, let’s say that I thought it looked similar to a djinn. A friend of mine who lived in Korea told me there is a legend/tale associated to this character (which, according to him, the restaurant is named after), but doing some searches around became fruitless. But the fact it has been there for some time ought to mean something, right?
As a funny note, in almost all Korean places I have been, there is usually a button you press for service. However, here in Nor Boo, probably due to the seating arrangement, which looks somewhat open, does not have that. I guess you just try to flag your server… And, come to think about it, despite there were not that many customers (we were having a somewhat early lunch), sometimes it was difficult to do so…
Once we “chose” a tables, which unfortunately ended up being inside (it was sunny that day but cool), I ended up on the corner seat. Oh, well, unlike some other bloggers *cough* *cough* who might even stand up to walk around to take pictures, I chose not to go this way. Instead, I limited myself to those around me. Anyway, after given the menu, rather than ordering to share, each one of us ordered his/her own dish. Too bad for me, I guess. But, then again, it as lunch and some of us might not have wanted a large meal (not to mention we had to go back to work soon). And as for the food itself, below are the pictures of what was ordered. I apologize for the quality of the pictures, given the somewhat odd light conditions. Also, I will apologise for the name of the dishes, as I did not take notes of them.
Banchan – bottom left, kimchi; middle row, bean sprout and pasta salad; in the back, stewed/sweet potatoes.
Wait, if there were three adjacent seats plus myself, that makes four dishes. How come there are five??? Well, what happened was that I ordered the last one, a seafood version of dolsot (stone bowl) but somewhow the waitress understood the next dish in the menu which happened to be something similar to chirashi, i.e., sashimi over rice. I took my chances I sent it back, though there was some confusion by the waitress. I don’t think they liked the fact I did that and “warned” me it would take an additional 7 or so minutes (ended up being ~10 minutes).
Sorry for the fuzzy picture. Tried several times but…
But, putting that aside, most of my colleagues mentioned their dishes were good so I leave them at that. As for my dish, I think it was slightly disappointing. It was piping hot and, as per the dish name, it had some seafood in it. To add some contrast, it also had some chestnut. However, I won’t say I really like it. For some reason, I couldn’t taste any seafood flavours. Come to think about it, I couldn’t “feel” any of the texture either! If I had to make a wild guess, I think it was because everything was so hot (as in temperature – due to the stone bowl?) that ended up masking any potential from the dish. Probably my mistake but…
As for the place in general, I would have to say it falls in a limbo. To me, there wasn’t anything unique, anything that make it stand out to the other Korean places nearby. However, and again, my colleagues liked it so that should count for something… Service, well, they did change my order but I couldn’t shake some odd feelings about it. Regardless, there are still other Korean eateries…
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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
you should try one their fruit shrimp salad… *thumbs up!
Hmmm, did you get any “extra” ingredients in your second order? LOL… If you think I walk around and take photos, wait for an upcoming post, I’ve sunk to a new low…
Carolyn, welcome! Given my experience, I am not sure if I want to come back. However, if I gather enough courage, I will go there again and order the dish you are suggesting.
Sherman, I don’t know, I am not sure if I want to know…
Notice that I did NOT mention which blogger it was. Are you feeling guilty or conscious about something? 
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