Food That Tastes Like a Million Bucks

July 29, 2012 By Nicole Monton Photos By Nathalie Walker

Annyeonghaseyo (hello), all you hungry foodies! Head on down to Yakiniku Million on Sheridan Street for its extensive array of food from yakaniku (grill-it-yourself meat) items to soups and hot dishes. For more than 25 years, the establishment has served its customers the best Korean food at reasonable prices, and it’s no wonder on any given day the restaurant will be filled with patrons eating to their heart’s content.

Yakiniku Million is a family-owned establishment, and all the dishes on the menu are family recipes. While the yakiniku items are popular, take the time to glance further through the menu for some amazing already-prepared Korean dishes.

Sul Lung Tang ($10.95) is a beef tendon soup that will warm you up in a heartbeat. Sul Lung Tang is often served as a breakfast food and is the perfect food to eat when you’re sick. But you don’t have to be sick (and it doesn’t have to be morning) for you to enjoy this soup. The milky white broth is made by boiling beef bones for hours, which adds tons of flavor to each slurp. This is a season-as-you-go kind of soup, which means that you season it when you’re ready to eat it, not while cooking it. And according to manager Angela Park, this dish is becoming increasingly popular with Yakiniku Million’s customer base.

For those of you who like a fishier taste, Million serves up a great Dried Pollock Soup ($7.95 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.; $10.95 from 2 p.m. to midnight), also known as Bugeo Gook. Dried pol-lack soup is a soothing dish that warms you down to your core, but at the same time is very refreshing and invigorating. It’s served with pollock fish, green onions, eggs and daikon radish all in a tasty special soup base that’s made by boiling the seasoned fish.

Million’s Hamachi Kama ($17.95) is a favorite among locals, according to Park. Hamachi kama is the collar part of the yellowtail fish right behind the head, which means it has a smooth, buttery taste that’s downright delicious. At Million, the hamachi kama is grilled to perfection and each bite will have you closing your eyes with a smile on your face.

Chili pepper was introduced to Korea in the 17th century and since then has become one of the most widely used spices in Korean cuisine. Korean food tends to be associated with spiciness, and O Jing Eo Bok Um ($14.95), made with stir-fried squid and vegetables mixed with a spicy sauce, exemplifies that taste and flavor. This dish also comes with topokki (rice cake), which makes for a great added texture. According to Park, the Korean customers who go to Yakiniku Million really like this dish.

Korean cuisine is affected by its geography, hence the abundance of seafood, and climate, which calls for many foods to be fermented (like kimchi). And no matter what you order, you’re sure to get an assortment of banchan (side dishes) to start your meal, as well.

For traditional, homestyle Korean food and exemplary cutsomer service that makes you feel right at home, look no further than Yakiniku Million. And as they say in Korea, mokja (let’s eat)!