Harmony

*** Update 3/8/2019 ***

This place has been closed for some time.

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Rating: OK
Meal:  Lunch
Price:  900 yen
Payment:  Cash only (probably)
Dish:  Bibimbap Teishoku
English Menu:  No
Smoking:  Didn't look like it


This is a newish restaurant in town.  There was some kind of fish restaurant here before, in fact Google's label and street view still show the old restaurant.  I was out riding my bike looking for something new today and I spotted the somewhat garish sign from across the street.

My opinion of Japanese Korean restaurants is quite low, so bear that in mind when considering my rating above.  What rates an "OK" in Yokosuka is that the food didn't offend me.  For real Korean, I might rate it subpar.  The lunch menu was very simple and easy to follow.  They had 3 or so "teishoku" sets (set lunches with some soup and 3 small dishes).  I played it safe and tried the Bibimbap, which is a good gauge for the basics.  Hard to go wrong with rice topped with lightly wilted vegetables and some ground meat.  There were some good things I liked about it, especially the raw egg yoke provided separately so it didn't get all cooked before I had a chance to eat it.  The seaweed/sesame pickle dish was good, and the kimchee wasn't noticeably sweet (or maybe I'm just getting used to it here!).  The 3rd little dish was some sort of penne noodle thing smeared with a mayonnaise substance.  I took one sniff and about gagged...so no go there, but I've seen this sort of thing before.  I sometimes wonder if they give that stuff to the gaijin thinking it's more "western" fare, but perhaps there are some people who actually like it.  They provided some soy sauce and "spicy" sauce to go with it.  I've learned by now to taste these things first and while the soy sauce passed muster (it had sesame seeds in it, which was a nice touch), the "spicy" sauce was far more sweet than spicy.  About half way through the bowl I decided to see if they had anything "in the back" and asked if there was something "spicier" then the sauce they had given me.  Once they got the gist, the cook gave me a dollop of a red paste from a jar.  This was a little better, but not much.  At least it was not quite so sweet.  It reminded me of a thicker version of the "aji kimchee" (kimchee paste) you can find in the stores here.  Anyway, I knew I had stretched the limits so I finished my meal in peace and departed.

The staff was attentive, the space small but good enough.  There were a few small tables and a bar area (where I sat).  There was an odd odor in the air, but I stopped noticing it soon after entering.  Maybe due to the recent renovation.  I might bring my family there if we are down that direction.