K-Plate’s soft opening started this past Saturday, September 16, and my friends and I made a mad dash to get our next fix. The modern Korean restaurant relocated from Troy Kitchen to a location of its own on 4th Street, next to Pastime Legends. (That’s near the better-known U.S. Postal Office.)
Their main selling point is three rice plates, the first being its namesake: the K-Plate. This contains bulgogi—marinated beef sirloin—with rice, lettuce, pickled radish, and your choice of mild, spicy, or sriracha mayo sauce. That also comes in a Hot-Plate, which is spicy, and a Short-Plate, which replaces bulgogi with kalbi—marinated beef short ribs.
But that’s boring, old news. In addition to a new space, the restaurant has new dishes. There’s now a spicy chicken dish and wings available in soy garlic and spicy sauce. They now also serve green tea; misugaru, a multi-grain powder drink; and bori cha, which is barley tea. In addition, their Facebook page teases at more future additions, so there’s a lot to be excited about!
I was delighted to find the original rice dishes were exactly the same in price, delivery, and quality. Dine-in or takeout, they come in a disposable tin reminiscent of halal carts in the city; in fact, I think you could consider K-Plate the Korean response to chicken over rice. The rice dishes are both gastronomically and aesthetically well-balanced. Rice and meat are a satisfying pair, and the lettuce and radish add juice and crunch, like tomato on a burger. The icing on top (excuse the pun) is the sauce. You have the option of sriracha mayo, and mild or spicy sauce. These add the bulk of the flavor, and the way they’re drizzled across pulls the dish together. In my opinion, it tastes more traditional with just mild/spicy sauce. (Sriracha and mayonnaise are very Western tastes apart, but together… that’s damn American.) But if I’m feeling fun and want more flavor, sriracha mayo always packs a punch. I haven’t tried the wings, but the spicy chicken was good. Even if it’s not as satisfying as its beefy brethren, it’s still wonderfully spicy and fragrant. I tried misugaru, which I found pricey at $3 a cup, but I thought it was good. Then again, I grew up drinking Taiwanese rice drinks, so I have the palate for it.
Finally, the décor was very lacking. The walls are bare, and there’s nothing aside from tables and chairs. Maybe they’re going for a modern vibe—that would match their modern fusion-esque menu and young staff—but to me, their new space seems more like a clean slate that will continue to be furnished and improved. On the note of improvement, service seemed slow, but that might be due to moving, and an influx of customers that have waited half a year; hopefully they’ll get in the swing of things soon. The soft opening lasts the week, with their grand opening scheduled for the next. At an average of $7 per meal, K-Plate is one of the best food bargains in town; I think everybody should stop by for a taste. Try not to get addicted!