sun and moon cafe (duluth, ga)

Did you know? Hidden next to Jeju Sauna is Sun and Moon Cafe - a Korean restaurant/bar much like the popular Cafe Todamgol (Cafe T). A big banner advertising AYCE pork belly and thinly sliced brisket for $9.99 flies outside this restaurant but what you really want to come here for is the bossam (보쌈) and the agujjim (아구찜) which is monkfish braised in a spicy sauce topped off with bean sprouts and other veggies.

The pork for the bossam is perfectly braised and while tender, it still retains some bite giving it texture. One thing that's also worth noting is that the pork has no "porky" scent which you try to get rid of in Korean cooking. The daikon kimchi is sweet and spicy giving it a flavorful kick and the dish also comes out with a generous mound of oysters in the middle. Kimchi, pork, oysters - the holy trinity. Wrap all of it inside a steamed napa cabbage and let the flavors explode in your mouth. Delicious.

(agujjim pictured above)

The agujjim looks like a sloppy melange of fish (don't worry, it's supposed to look like that), bean sprouts and other vegetables but don't let the presentation fool you - it's absolutely tasty. The monkfish rests at the bottom of this huge platter and the bean sprouts still have great crunch giving the dish texture. The sauce is spicy and slightly sweet which makes for a killer accompaniment with alcohol. What I like to do is add some of the veggies to my rice and mix it together to make a quick bibimbap. Very tasty.

Sun and Moon Cafe is another great example of how there's more to restaurants than that meets the eye, Yelp or Urbanspoon - you just have to know what to order. It gets a bit more difficult to order food if you don't speak or read Korean but that's why you have bloggers like me, Eat Drink Man, Blissful Glutton and ChowDownAtlanta around for. Helping people overcome language barriers to order food and spreading word of the deliciousness that is Korean cuisine.

Tips:

• Located in the same plaza as Jeju Sauna in the opposite corner. Across from Wild Bill's/Chipotle/Hooters
• There's an AYCE pork belly and chadolbaegi (thiny sliced brisket) for $9.99 per person with the purchase of alcohol...although I'd rather cough up the extra $5 to eat at Iron Age across the street for that. That's just me though.
• May not be friendly for people who have asthma, COPD or breathing problems...
• There is English translation in the menu but if in doubt, just ask one of the waitresses for help.