I was pretty excited to check out Bul, as it's supposed to be regarded as the first 'pojangmacha' (refers to the tented restaurants/street stalls in Korea that serves up street food, but obviously, this is a brick-and-mortar establishment) in DC. Opened up by the same owner of Sakuramen (yes, the ramen shop), the menu offers yakitori and anjus (Korean-esque tapas that you eat with alcohol).
The menu, which was not too extensive, still had a variety of items that we were curious about, and ordered a good handful (!!!): Chicken Wing yakitori (was not a fan of this; it looked juicy, but it wasn't cooked to our specifications and not all the way through); Asparagus Bacon yakitori (not salted, but I'm assuming the salt from the bacon was to be sufficient? This was still tasty, as the asparagus was still crunchy); Gingko Nuts yakitori (definitely different; never saw gingko nuts as part of the yakitori menu, so this was a treat); Dukbokki (pleasantly surprised with this dish, as the sauce was thicker than usual, and the rice cakes were not overly done and still soft and sticky); Spicy Popcorn Chicken (one of our least favorites; the sauce was just not tasty; I did appreciate the small bits of chicken chunks, though); O-Dari (I had to giggle at this, as this literally translates to 'Oh, leg' :D These were crispy fried squid 'legs' - one of my favorites, as it was deep-fried battered squid tentacles - yum! No need for the small dollop of tartar sauce it came with, as the squid was lovely on its own!); Crispy Flying Fish (3 pieces of shishamo (smelt); could have been crispier, but I liked these all the same; eat it all, including the head and tail! No need for the tartar sauce); Potato Shrimp (kind of reminded me of a Chinese dim sum option; it was a battered shrimp that was laced with shoe-string potato); Tofu & Roasted Kimchi (we both were not fans of this dish, as the tofu was the 'soft' version, and there was this odd cream sauce to it that did not complement the dish at all; we would have been happier if the tofu was pan-fried, or even a 'medium' in terms of texture with the roasted kimchi - we thought they should have stuck with simple, as the name intended it to be); DC Galbi Ssam (marinated beef short ribs on a cast iron - came with a side of rice and gochujang; the meat was definitely flavored well, so we were both pleasantly surprised; however, it could have been more tender!); Pork Belly Ssam (thin slices of samgyuhpsahl; I personally didn't think it was worth the $20 price tag with the amount that they gave you as well as the size of the cuts that were offered); K-Pork Fried Rice (the hubsters wasn't a fan, but I thought it was pretty okay - no need for the fried egg on top (which was an additional charge)); Three Shroom Bibimbop (shiitake, oyster, and portabella mushrooms with bean sprouts, carrots, zucchini; we also opted to add bulgogi, roasted kimchi, and a fried egg - the bulgogi was okay in terms of flavor; the kimchi didn't really add much to it as the other banchans were just way too overpowering (but, definitely would be a favorite among the vegs out there!), and the fried egg was way under easy; I would request it to be 'over medium' next time; we thought the dish was forgettable); and, the Hangover Soup (fish cakes and enoki mushrooms in a kombu broth - I wasn't a fan of the soup, but the hubs thought it was okay; it had a slight kick to it, but I didn't think it was soothing or tasty; I did appreciate the ample amount of ohdengs in there).
We were seated right away by Simone, as we made reservations (just in case); there was also seating upstairs as well, which I thought was a smart way to use the space. Our server was Diane, who was cordial, but did not have an open/friendly personality; there were other servers who served our dishes who were more welcoming and seemed more attentive; she also didn't really check up on us as much, as we would have brought up some of the dishes we weren't that happy with (and, to avoid such a sticky/uncomfortable situation at the end) T___T In addition, there was a couple who sat next to us, who seemed confused and had many questions about the menu, so we actually had to help them out and offer them explanations/our suggestions (we definitely didn't mind, since the server was MIA).
I don't regret trying such a Korean eatery in DC (as Korean eats is quite limited in the District), and I'd love to see if their menu expands or makes some changes; the price is definitely on the steep end, so keep that in mind. Limited metered-parking and restricted permit parking can also be found around the area.
+O-Dari (deep-fried battered squid legs; no need for tartar sauce)
+Crispy Flying Fish (request it to be extra crispy; no need for tartar sauce)
+Dukbboki (solid!)
+DC Galbi Ssam (flavorful; would prefer it to be more tender!)
+K-Pork Fried Rice (pretty okay; no need for the fried egg)
+inconsistent customer service throughout the evening T___T read more