Beyond Bulgogi

if you think korean food is only about bulgogi and kimchee, head to woorijip. this spare restaurant bills itself as a provider of "korean comfort food." but "comfort food," for the young korean office workers who pack woorijip at lunch, means "unusual delicacies" to the uninitiated.

i eagerly grabbed my large styrofoam container and went right to the salad bar-like array of just-made korean fare. at $6.49 a pound, it was possible to sample eight different items. when i put five items in my tray and found it was only $3.89, i went back for about three more tempting treats ($2).

here's what i got: cellophane noodles wrapped in seaweed, battered and deep fried; cold buckwheat noodles doused with a soy-type sauce; radish sprouts and crab rolled in a thin pancake; a rectangular egg dotted with seaweed and veggies (think japanese sweet egg omelet); cellophane noodles with vegetables and just enough srichacha sauce; battered sweet and sour pork with black 'shrooms; thick gummy cylindrical noodles in meat sauce; and a square, verdant scallion pancake with a thin won-ton wrapper bottom. everything was interesting and delicious, especially the battered seaweed roll and the scallion pancake. and, happily, there are more than a dozen more to sample when i return! -- woorijip 12 w. 32nd st. (near fifth ave.) 212-244-1115

got a snack attack to share? contact nbrand@aol.com