3 Times Cafe - Korean BBQ

Yesterday while running errands, Cristen and I had our first stop on our Random Restaurant adventure.
 

The name raises so many questions.

"3 Times Cafe - Korean BBQ"
Sitting quietly in the little strip mall on the corner of Grand river and Okemos roads with Payless shoes and a Golf pro, this 'cafe' with the weird ass name and Ironman colored sign has always caught our eye but never enough to go in. Even as you get closer to it it doesn't do much to invite you in, stark decorations of food, mix matched fonts in broken English and Korean, generic neon Sam's club open sign, etc.. In the spirit of the project we decided not to let the cover ruin the book so to speak and headed on in for some lunch. The inside continued the theme of clashed decor and simple furniture. In terms of the aesthetic this place's only good point was it was super clean, everything else about it was functional at best.   

On walking in we were greeted by a very pleasant woman who directed us to the menu board. Her English was passable, and her attitude warm and friendly as a great counter point to the cold exterior of the store. The menu itself was pretty straight forward. We had just missed the lunch specials so we ordered from the Korean Dishes side. The first thing that caught my eye was the prices, ranging from $8 to $20 but with an average of around $12, they seemed a bit high. But we have squandered far more on far less so who knows. I got the #8 (Spicy Pork with Kimchee and Tofu) and Cristen got the #12 (Spicy Chicken Stew). We let her know we would be dining in and she happily told us to take a seat anywhere we liked. This was quite easy as we were the only people in the restaurant.


We were quite surprised by the pricing

 Now I am going to take a moment to explain something before we get too far ahead. I am trying to be fair and comparative in my reviews, so I may seem a little harsh on this place for its lower scale. That being said, this is my favorite kind of restaurant to eat at. I am a big believer in the little family owned restaurant. Even though they can't always afford all the niceties of there national competitors, there is something about people working hard and pouring their lives into a place that just makes eating there so much more satisfying to me. After she took our order I watched her walk into the back and give it to a man who I am certain was her husband or brother who turned off the TV he was watching and came out and made our food fresh. I like knowing that the people I do business with care about my service because its not just a job, its their life. If I ever owned a place, that is how I would run it. I would basically live there during store hours to make sure everything was taken care of and help out, because unlike just working at a job it would be me caring about something I made and that means something to me. Sorry, rant ended.


I wasn't sure what these were, but the look on Cristen's face
when I ate one of the little fish on the right (eyes and all) was
truly priceless. I guess she doesn't like food looking at her.

At this point they began to bring out food. Some kind of turnipy veggie, my kimchee, and little whole fish that seemed to be flash fried although they were very gummy for being fried. The veggie was OK but a touch bland (could have used some salt) and the kimchee was good for kimchee (Cristen is a far bigger fan of it than I am). The little fried fish reminded me at first of smelt, which is a food I genuinely enjoy, so I was not hesitant at all to try them. The taste was honestly not very strong but I ended up not enjoying them because of the texture. I am sure if I had been prepared for chewiness instead of the crispiness I was assuming, they might not have been so bad. Mark 0 / Preconceived Notions 1.
 

Mmmm, grilled pork and onions

 
Next out was the main courses and here is where our big mistake became obvious. Earlier I commented on the prices and how they were higher than we expected. They aren't by any means. The pictures will not do it justice but the plates they brought out full of food were enormous. Had we have known we would have ordered just one thing and split it and still had food to take home. As it stood we definitely looked like idiots when they loaded our table down with food enough to feed a whole family. The other thing we noticed is that this food was ethnic. I use that term loosely, because I know very little about Korean culture or food and I don't want people to take my statements as fact or one of my Korean friends to punch me in the mouth for saying it. When I say ethnic, I mean non-Americanized. From my experience, American cooking is all about detachment from a foods origins. We are ultra picky about what we do and do not want to see on our food. This tends to make us reluctant to eat ugly foods, which is to bad because anything that hideous that people still eat regularly is probably delicious, otherwise they wouldn't eat it. Anyway, my pork was very good, but it had big pieces of fat and gristle cooked onto it that one would have expected to be trimmed off. I know it enhances the flavors, but when its presented with the food it gives a chewy texture that again, I am not a fan off. The actual plate and Tofu and flavors were all very good, but I couldn't get past the texture. 

Spicy goodness with a Wingy surprise

Cristen's chicken stew came out next and again, would have easily fed two. The flavor was light, spicy, and it had a good mixture of veggies and meat. All in all I think her stew was the winner of the day. It's only flaw (so to speak) was that the chicken was rough chopped and cooked and served bone in and skin on. From my own history cooking I know that this gives the soup a far stronger and more satisfying chicken flavor, and the soup had just that, but Cristen was ill prepared for when she dipped in her spoon and pulled out a whole chicken wing. In the end we left the pork there and brought home the stew (mostly broth and veggies, not the meat) to pour over rice later (which was fantastic).

All in all we shelled out about $40 on lunch and left feeling a bit unsatisfied despite the pleasant service and decent enough food.

Final Thoughts:
Food : C-
     The food was well flavored, and fresh prepared, but texture ruined it for me.
Service : B
     Fast, courteous, pleasant, but a bit difficult to understand at times.
Price : B
     Good value for the price, one meal easily feeds two at $6 a piece.

Overall Experience : C+
     3 Times not necessarily a charm. Unlikely to go back.

Cheers,
Mark


Cristen’s Corner: 3 Times Cafe - Korean BBQ
There is not much I can add to Mark’s review, as it was succinct and accurate. However, I personally thought this was a great lunch place for those with adventure in their hearts.

The staff (owners?) were very pleasant, helpful, kind, and genuinely seemed invested in making us happy. The menu was limited but varied; although, I could have done with more descriptions concerning what each item was as I am not Korean. The food was very good but a little too authentic for me. As much as I want to say I have an open mind and a brave pallet, I just do not know how to deal with bones or anything that looks at me. I conceptually have absolutely no idea how to eat a chicken stew that still has all the bones in with chopsticks. That being said, the stew was good enough that I brought it home to debone it and eat it without fear.

I strongly recommend trying out 3 Times if you are looking to try, what I can only assume is, some authentic Korean cuisine. You will definitely have some to bring home and eat later and I am happy to say it will taste just as good the next day.

Let the reviewing begin!!

My latest project is this new site, blending my love of writing with my biggest vice. I love to eat. Specifically, I love going out to eat. I do find though, like most people I know, I have only a handful of local places I go to despite the vast number of possibilities. When we decide to go out to eat, why do we limit ourselves to only these places? Looking at my own history I find my tried and trues are all places I was introduced to by trusted friends.

No more, at least not for me. My goal is to try a new restaurant at least once a month (once a week if I can swing it). I will sample whatever the places specials are, and then report back on what kind and how good the food was, quality of service, average pricing, and overall experience. For me, this means a fun opportunity for adventure and exploration (with my lovely assistant Cristen who will be joining me for most of these stops and giving her own opinions as well) without straying too far from home. What this means for you is the same thing we have all come to rely on for finding new places to eat, a friend to point them out.

I look forward to indulging my vice for you in the coming days, and hope to uncover some hidden treasures amongst the Mom & Pop diners and out of the way eateries that litter our town. I plan to start with some of the better known places in the area and work towards the more obscure.

Most importantly I ask for your help. Out of the way places are just that, and hard to find. Please feel free to leave me suggestions on where to go! I would love both locations and stories if you have them, sometimes the best thing about a place is the story behind it and why you like it there!

Cheers,
Mark