Alirang Korean (merivale) - Ottawa

Haven't been back to Alirang in a while and it seems to have gone downhill. We got the seafood pancake, tangsuyuk, galbitang, pork kimchi jjigae, bulgogi and ojingeo bokum/spicy squid. galbitang was very beefy with a good amount of tender beef ribs. ojingeo bokum had a good amount of heat and the squid was cooked perfectly. Seafood pancake was greasy but not crispy and the flour wasn't mixed evenly with pockets of doughy flour. Bulgogi was standard. Tangsuyuk was freshly fried but the crisp didn't hold up to the end of the meal and the sauce was a ginger forward and leaned more Chinese than Korean Pork kimchi jjigae lacked a depth of flavour, maybe the anchovy stock base?, and had tomato flavour in it which wasn't terrible but definitely not expected.Also, I didn't realize the restaurant is run by Chinese folks now. Not sure if it always has been but that to me explains why some of the dishes seemed to have some familiar chinese flavours.Service was quite slow and we had to actually try to flag down our server. Washrooms are quite dirty and the odour made its way into the dining room area.

We 've been exploring more Korean cuisine and decided to try Alirang due to how highly reviewed it is. We were not at all disappointed! I don 't think we can look up what we had while writing a review for the proper Korean names, but it was all excellent. We shared the appetizer seafood pancake, which was wonderful. The shrimp were not at all over cooked, and the green onions were still very crisp. Surprisingly, for me, at least, the star of the bulgogi bibimbap was the mushrooms. With the bibimbap, they also give you traditional condiments garnishes. It was the best (probably freshest) kimchi we 've ever had, and we were pleasantly surprised by some sort of sesame bean sprout that were not at all oily. We also had a spicy (mild, despite the 2 chili peppers in the menu) pork and vegetable stirfry that was very nice--probably my husband 's favourite dish--although it might have been the most familiar to him.Service was polite and knowledgeable, but also fairly hands off, which was nice. The decor was very basic. Things were fairly clean and uncluttered, but atmosphere was definitely mid.The only things I want to flag are the parking situation and the lack of accessibility, neither of which could be helped given their location. The parking lot is tight, even in back. Going to the rather small washroom involves a flight of stairs. Neither of these things were a problem for us, but they are things to be aware of.Oh, also--I think we had an over-steeped batch of tea or something. It tasted like warm straw-wrappers.Sorry about the pictures, we started eating before I remembered to take some--a testament to how good it was!Wheelchair accessibility: As a non-wheelchair-user, I feel that it might be a bit tight, and the washrooms are inaccessible. They 're down a flight of stairs. I 'm not saying don 't go, but it 's definitely an obstacle that ought to be planned around.

It was my first experience with Korean food and it was really good. Nice cozy place with good atmosphere. We'll be going back.

Not sure if it’s shrinkflation or a bad night but my bibimbap barely had any meat. I found myself rationing the meat in my bowl and still I just had a crazy amount of rice in my bowl. I ended up having to take meat off my partners plate. I’ve never left a place hungry before (I’m very small) and that was the first. I went once before and it was fantastic which is why I was excited to bring my friend, but I left disappointed in my meal. I hope they figure it out!

The food is top notch at a very reasonable price. The service is generally good, but can get slow during peak service hours, which is often given the popularity.Parking: There isn't enough parking in front of the actual restaurant, but plenty of parking in the back. The parking in back is fine, but uncontrolled, and I have been very close to being blocked in by other patrons.