Won Ko
Google
Sorimmara is located on the second floor, and unless you know where it is, I can see people finding it hard to find. I have seen several restaurants close down from this location, so I am glad Sorimmara is surviving. I had visited once before, over a year ago, and while it was okay, I did not think I would return. But I did.
The interior is very much on brand, with the cute panda mascot and a primitive red color that helps increase appetite. It makes sense and gives a friendly, approachable mood. I noticed they were continuing to use the furniture from the last restaurant that closed, and it works. However, it is not a place I would want to stay in for an extended amount of time.
The DIY ingredient section for the mala soup or dry pot was great because it was clean and allows you to portion your foods. We came earlier during lunch time, and I hope it stays that way even when more people arrive later.
I saw that they now provide a side/appetizer situation (pickled radish with spicy seasoning is my guess), which I don’t think I was provided when I visited last time. It was a nice touch.
Regarding the food, last time I got the rose mala dry pot, which was okay, but its milky/buttery nature made me certain I would not want to have it again. Unfortunately, when I came back with friends, they raved about the rose mala dry pot. I thought the formula or the recipe might have changed, but it had not. It was the same, and I was left disappointed. Also from my last visit, I had ordered several other dishes that I cannot even remember, though I believe one was the 꿔바로우 (fried pork with sweet and sour sauce). They were all not bad, but I knew I would not order them again. Hopefully, recipes have changed for the better since that was over a year ago.
A major issue was with a cup; one had broken, and I almost cut myself because there was a sharp shard. That unfortunately left a bad taste in my mouth.
The bathroom, specifically the one at the back, was pretty dirty, which was surprising because the restaurant had opened not too long ago (about 30 mins before we arrived), and there were basically only two or three people in the restaurant at the time.
On the good side, the service was great! The lady helping us at the counter was a VIP. She did her job well and took care of everything once we placed an order with the ingredients in the bowl. Bonus points for giving us two bottles of water instead of one. I would have given 2 stars if it wasn’t for her.
While I think it is unfair to judge the restaurant solely by the rose mala dry pot since I have not tried the regular mala, I do not think I would be returning for the foods I had, and also because of the overall imperfections that can get ironed out.