Nor Boo on Robson St.

I personally find Korean restaurants just slightly intimidating and not easily accessible, in the same way that finding out about jazz music can be. Even though I like them, it can be difficult to know where to start, and what to choose for the uninitiated like me. I have some trouble remembering the names of the dishes too. To me, they all seem to sound like something Cinderella's fairy godmother should be singing (like Bibimbap...wasn't that her magic word?). Anyway, because it's all new to me, it makes diving into one of the Korean restaurants frequented by actual Korean students feel like a little adventure. I went to Nor Boo (1536 Robson St., 604-806-0369) in that stretch of Robson a few blocks east of Denman that has several Korean places. I just like the name. The sweet barley hot tea was great. The side dishes were very good, including the kimchee. I'm not usually a big fan, but their kimchee was quite nice. This time, I also received bean sprouts, potatoes which are a bit sweet and salty, and a little macaroni salad.


Side Dishes

I ordered a big beef, vermicelli noodle dish, which was massive and very tasty. It wasn't very spicy. At about $15, it's meant for two people. Other dishes are about $7 -8. They also have these great bubbling pots of soup that have noodles and other things added at the table.


Beef and Vermicelli Noodles

These little student hang outs have a youthful energy to them, and they're great casual places to get some good, cheap food. I'll go back to Norboo, and I'll try some of the other Korean joints too. There's also a great cluster of Korean restaurants in the Port Moody/Coquitlam/Burnaby area, near Lougheed Mall.