Kristen H.
Yelp
When I think of cities in the U.S. known for authentic Korean food, my mind doesn't immediately jump to Detroit, Michigan - however, I'm always pleasantly surprised when I visit Soora, an unassuming little Korean restaurant in Bloomfield Hills owned by a Korean family. From the outside, the restaurant doesn't look like much - it's located along a busy road surrounded by other various shops ranging from a car wash to a tanning salon. Inside, the restaurant is darkly lit, with a good number of tables (there are both standard tables as well as grill-it-yourself KBBQ tables if you choose to grill your own meat). While not all of the servers are Korean/speak Korean, most of the patrons inside are, which is always a good sign. On a Saturday night at around 6:30pm, the restaurant was around 3/4 full, so my party of four was seated immediately.
There's enough variety on the menu to suit everyone's needs: from traditional Korean classics such as Jokbal (pig's trotters) and Gopchang Jeon-Gol (beef tripe hot pot) to more Americanized fare (think Bulgogi and Bibimbap) to Korean-Chinese fusion dishes (e.g. Jjajang-Myun, a black bean sauce noodle, and Tang Soo Yook (deep fried sweet and sour pork/chicken), there will be a dish for anyone.
We were quickly served Boricha (Korean barley tea) as well as banchan (traditional Korean side dishes) - this is also a sign of an authentic Korean restaurant! The boricha was soothing and warming on a cold Michigan day, and the banchan was solid if not stellar: the four side dishes were comprised of kimchi (tasted fresh, not quite spicy enough), kkadugi (Korean spicy pickled radish - nice and crunchy), assorted vegetables in a savory vinegar sauce (think seaweed, onions, and carrots), and potatoes in a sweet honey glaze. What was nice was that there were free refills for all the banchan if you asked!
I was out with my grandparents and cousin, and we all ordered separate dishes. All main dishes come with a small metal pot of rice for no additional cost, which is a nice addition. My grandparents split a bowl of Woogeoji Galbitang (Spicy Beef Short Rib Soup w/ Cabbage, $16.95). The bowl was a nice size, and the broth was the perfect spice level for them (think a 2 or 3 out of 5 on the spiciness scale). It came with a generous amount of cabbage, which soaked up the flavor of the broth, and the short rib meat on the bones was tender as well. However, there were very few bones with not a lot of meat on them.
My cousin ordered their Soondubu Jigae (Soft Tofu Soup w/ Seafood, $13.95). Again, the broth was good and tasted like many soondubu places in Korea, although they weren't very generous with the seafood (you can also swap out the seafood for pork, if you prefer). It's nice that they give you an egg at no additional cost! She also ordered the Yangyum Chicken (Korean Deep-Fried Sweet and Spicy Chicken, $22.95), which comes with quite a lot of large chicken wings/drumsticks in an addictively sweet and spicy sauce. There was a good amount of meat on each piece of chicken, and it tasted high-quality. Additionally, there wasn't too much breading, and the sesame seeds and fresh green onion on top added a good freshness to the dish. Between the soup, rice, and chicken, she wasn't able to finish it all, so she took half of the chicken home, and it reheated up great in the air-fryer the next day!
Lastly, I got the Gamja Tang (Spicy Pork Bone Stew w/ Potato & Vegetables - $15.95). The broth was savory and hearty, thickened up by the consistency of the boiled potato. There was a consistent theme here of Soora being generous with vegetables (in this case, lots of cabbage and what seemed to be a whole potato), and a bit stingy with the meat (there were several pork bones in the soup, but none of them had much meat on them). Additionally, in Korea and L.A., this usually comes with kkaennip (perilla leaves), which add a lovely acidity and bitterness to the dish, but I guess Soora doesn't garnish with this, which just made it feel like it was lacking something. Overall, this was a hearty and filling dish, but it lacked enough pork and that signature perilla leaf flavor.
Overall, I always enjoy my meals at Soora - while it's not the best Korean food I've ever had, it's consistently decent. Service is fast and friendly, prices aren't cheap but relatively reasonable (especially given the fact that they COULD price-gouge, given the lack of competition in the area), and there's enough variety on the menu that anyone could find something that they like. A very solid four stars!