Korean Restaurant Serves Exotic Lunch Specials

815 S. School Ave.

Fayetteville

The lunch box specials at Arirang Korea House are worth a venture into south Fayetteville. Unlike anything else we’ve found in Northwest Arkansas, the Korean and Japanese grill offers 14 reasonably priced lunch dishes that sample the restaurant’s exotic dinner menu.

Each lunch special included white or fried rice, a bowl of miso soup with mushrooms, an egg roll and a choice of vegetable tempura or a honey chicken wing. Each meal also included specific side dishes. On our visit, the waitress served slices of banana doused in a sweet, thick red sauce and kimchi, a spicy cabbage dish.

We also opted to share a California roll ($7 for 12 pieces) as an appetizer. Made of crab meat, cucumber, seaweed wrap, avocado and rice, the roll tasted deliciously fresh.

We noted the cleanliness of the dining room, and service at the restaurant was very friendly … although a diner at our table sweated a bit when he was stranded for about 15 minutes with an empty water glass and a mouthful of red pepper sauce. When she noticed the problem, our waitress refilled his glass and apologized for the delay.

One member of the party ordered No. 1, the Bul Go Gi ($5.50), described on the menu as marinated thin slices of prime beef. She proclaimed the flavorful shreds of meat as tender and refreshingly unique. At her request, fried rice and vegetable tempura accompanied the meal. She enjoyed both.

The restaurant served portions in divided trays that kept each flavor separate from the other foods. Even our hungriest guest was satisfied. He tried No. 2, the Jeyuk Gui ($5.50), featuring marinated hot and spicy pork. Our resident fire-eater, this diner especially liked the side of kimchi. Speckled with red peppers, Arirang’s kimchi met his fiery standards.

Another diner ordered No. 10, the Teriyaki Shrimp ($6). The tasty, medium-size butterfly shrimp in a Japanese sauce impressed her, and she favored the beef and vegetable eggroll, too.

Our fourth guest chose a lunch item that varied from the rest of our table’s fare. He tried No. 12, Bibim Bab ($6). Served in a large bowl rather than a divided tray, the meal included layers of white rice, shredded beef and vegetables. A dish of hot sauce accompanied the meal.

He said the beef tasted good, but there wasn’t much of it. Only three or four bites included meat, leaving him with large servings of rice and veggies to finish. He said he plans to try another meal on our next visit.