Free ice cream caps a Korean lunch in Leonia

Dolsot Bibimbap is filling Korean comfort food with rice, vegetables, ground meat, fried egg and a mildly spicy sauce (gochujang) prepared in a hot stone bowl. Above, a meatless version served at Dok Ka Bi Restaurant in Leonia.

By VICTOR E. SASSON

Editor

Palisades Park, Fort Lee and Leonia are three neighboring towns with a wide selection of Korean restaurants for fans of the colorful and often spicy cuisine.

On Thursday, I met a friend for lunch in Leonia, which has only a handful of places to choose from.

At my first choice, Miga, we opened the door a little after 1 p.m., only to find a line, and were told the wait for a table was 10 to 15 minutes.

But my friend didn't want to wait. 

We strolled down Broad Avenue to Dok Ka Bi Restaurant, which replaced the Leonia Cafe, for a filling lunch with four free side dishes, a small bowl of soup, iced tea and ice cream for dessert.

Excellent cabbage kimchi is one of four free side dishes served at Dok Ka Bi, above and below.

Made from acorn powder, this seasoned gelatin is easier to eat with a spoon than with chopsticks.

Crunchy turnip pickles, above, and bean sprouts, below.

Big menu

The restaurant has an extensive menu, but we didn't see any lunch specials.

I chose one of my favorite Korean dishes, meatless Dolsot Bibimbap, a rice-based mixture of seasoned vegetables topped with a fried egg, and served with gochujang, a red-pepper paste, on the side, allowing you to make it spicy or not ($11.99).

Unfortunately, the restaurant doesn't serve brown rice or Mixed 7 Grain, a combination of brown rices and beans.

My friend had a Bulgogi Box with kimbap (seaweed-rice-vegetable-and-egg rolls) and fried dumplings ($14.99).

We were served excellent cabbage kimchi, three other free side dishes, iced tea and a small bowl of hot soup.

When we finished the kimchi and bean sprouts, a waiter brought us more. I enjoyed all of my food, and was pleasantly full.

Before we got the check, the server brought us two small bowls of what looked like strawberry ice cream, but I turned mine down (I'm on a diet).

Hot soup.

The Bulgogi Box includes slices of marinated beef, upper right; kimbap, upper left, and salad.

Judging by the 10-to-15-minute wait for a table on Thursday afternoon, Miga is the most popular Korean restaurant in Leonia (344 Broad Ave., near Fort Lee Road).

Dok Ka Bi Restaurant, 374 Broad Ave., Leonia; 201-947-5799. Two hours of free parking on street and in municipal lot.