Daily Archives: April 7, 2012
At Sun and Moon, I Saw Stars!
Last weekend was unique in that I went out to eat three times! I usually try to keep the restaurant dining to once or twice a weekend max, but since we had so many fun plans with friends, it just so happened we ended up at three delicious restaurants on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Friday we feasted on Ethiopian cuisine at Abyssinia, Saturday we noshed at a little Korean eatery Sun and Moon, and Sunday was a night of tasty Thai at Lim’s Fine Thai and Sushi. I wanted to make sure each place received its own special post because they were all so fantastic, so sorry for recapping events that happened a whole week ago! I guess you can say I am a bit behind!
Saturday night was the only night my husband and I had to spend together, just the two of us, so he convinced me (against my own judgment) to go out to eat. He won me over by suggesting somewhere new, close, and vegan friendly. He did some Yelp searching and discovered Sun and Moon in nearby East Providence, a small family-run Korean restaurant with great reviews and vegan options. We decided to go for it, and arrived around 7:15 to a nearly empty restaurant.
I have to say, Sun and Moon is one of those tiny places that is easy to drive right by without even knowing it’s there! The restaurant front is small and not particularly eye-catching. We blasted right by it in our car before we realized it was there, and had to do a quick turnaround in order to get to the spot!
Like I said, we were greeted by a very friendly staff and pretty empty restaurant. They gave us a four seat table for the two of us, which I thought was a nice gesture since seating in general is limited and there were plenty of two person tables available. We should not have been fooled by the lack of diners at 7:15, because by 8, the place was full!
The menu cover made me giggle a bit– I thought it was funny how the restaurant is only BYOB on Tuesday and Wednesdays, but doesn’t allow it on Thursday, Friday, Saturday or Sunday nights!
I got another chuckle out of their drink descriptions. I love how they described the Cheong Hwa as “served at a chilled status.” It is a much more elegant way than saying it’s served cold.
I also appreciated how the health benefits of some of their drinks were listed– for example, the Bokbunja Ju helps enhance stamina for men and cure disease in women. . .
After we delighted in the menu descriptions, we ordered drinks!
Green tea for the win!
One of my favorite elements of the Korean restaurant dining experience is the pickled veggies that come as a starter. Fermented veggies are great for digestion, so I was eager to dig in! The kimchee, sweet vinegary cucumbers and bean sprouts were all wonderful, We asked for seconds. . . and thirds!
For our true appetizer, we had some edamame. Love that as a vegetarian protein option!
For dinner, I ordered the BiBimBap, served in a burning hot stone pot. The menu describes this dish as “cooked six kinds of vegetable over rice with side Home-made spicy sauce (carrot, zucchini, white radish, bean sprout, fern, and spinach).” I selected the tofu option, and also made the special request of leaving off egg, since I read on Yelp reviews that this dish does come with egg served on top, despite the fact the menu doesn’t mention it. I also asked for brown instead of white rice, which they easily accommodated.
When it came out, I literally squealed in delight! Look how pretty it is! And healthful looking too!
The spicy chili sauce came in a squirt bottle on the side. I added a generous layer of this delicious sweet and spicy sauce on top of my BiBimBap before I mixed it all together!
Let me tell you, this dish was hands down one of the best meals I have ever ordered at an Asian restaurant. It was simple, tasty and fresh. I could just tell I was eating something good for me, but the best part about it was my taste buds were beyond overjoyed. Delicious without the sweet chili sauce, the bowl of goodness was taken over the top when I mixed in the homemade sauce. I ate almost all of it, and let my husband polish off the rest.
The combination of green tea, pickled veggies, edamame and a steaming bowl of vegan BiBimBap resulted in the perfect meal when considering tastes and textures. I left the table content– the food was filling, yet light, and so flavorful. Look at the smile on me! Oh, and check out the cool artwork behind me too!
Notice how my nose is a bit red– that ‘s because the BiBimBap was so hot (temperature hot, not spicy hot) that my whole face took on a nice flush.
Sun and Moon is one of those “hidden gem” kind of places that people in the know take their friends to impress them with delicious food in an unassuming atmosphere. I declared to my husband that Sun and Moon must become a part of our once a month dining rotation– it’s that good!
Do you like Korean food? What’s your favorite dish?
