Like barbecue or spicy tacos? Check out this Korean hidden gem in Lexington

Of all the east Asian cuisines, that of Korea may be least familiar to Kentuckians. It lags behind Japan, China, Thailand and Vietnam when it comes to the number of area restaurants offering Asian menus.

That’s ironic in several ways. Korean food is heavy on beef and easy on bamboo shoots and seaweed, which should appeal to meat-loving Bluegrass appetites. Second, Koreans – like Kentuckians – have a way with barbecue.

Among the handful of Lexington restaurants specializing in Korean cuisine is JY Kitchen. Located in a nondescript building on Delaware Avenue that formerly housed Dupree’s Catering, it has a cadre of devoted fans who wouldn’t think of going anywhere else for their Korean food fix.

They can be seen leaving with loaded down with bags and boxes filled with tasty dishes from the kitchen of JY herself. That would be Jeeyoun Kim-Yi who, along with her husband Kwan, has been operating at the location for three years.

Jeeyoun does the cooking and her husband runs the restaurant as well as running interference when food writers come to call.

“She does all the cooking herself,” says Kwan of his wife. “I just take orders.”

In case you’re wondering how much cooking that is, it translates to 20 to 30 meals on a slow day and 50 to 60 when things get busy. During the pandemic, JY Kitchen, like many restaurants, pared its menu down to a more manageable number of options – for both customers and cook.

I sampled several of them, starting off with the pan-fried dumplings. These plump little pockets are stuffed with pork (or veggies if you don’t eat meat), onions, mushrooms, chives, tofu and chili flakes. They come six or 10 to an order.

I also sampled the Korean barbecue tacos (three to an order). They are made with your choice of beef, chicken, pork or tofu, topped with mayo and Napa cabbage slaw.

For me, tacos and Tex-Mex are synonymous, so I tend to steer clear of those appropriated by any country or state that is not Texas.

Apparently, JY Kitchen doesn’t need me or my Tex-Mex bias, as Kwan says the tacos were created especially for the staff and customers at nearby Pivot Brewery, who can’t seem to get enough of them.

What I couldn’t get enough of was the chicken with Korean barbecue sauce (the chicken thigh is coated with a sauce that combines ketchup, soy and chili.) You could say it’s the Korean equivalent of General Tso’s chicken.

It comes with a small salad that I wished had been twice its size. The simple serving of greens is topped with a dressing created by Jeeyoun herself. It combines sweet corn from a can, lemon extract and pineapple, and is refreshing and delicious.

I also tried the Bulgogi Bibimbap (don’t try pronouncing it; just eat it.). Bulgogi literally means “fire meat” and can be either beef or pork grilled on a barbecue or stove-top griddle.

At JY’s the marinated beef is combined with mixed vegetables (carrots, spinach, zucchini, mushrooms, cabbage and cucumbers), fried egg, chili paste and/or soy sauce.

While it’s definitely on the spicy side, to call it fire meat seems a bit of an exaggeration (or maybe my palate has just become conditioned by all that Tex-Mex.) At any rate, it’s good-to-the-last-bite delicious.

Two dishes I didn’t try – spicy pork and ramen – are the most popular, according to Kwan. I was also sorry I didn’t have room for one of the three dessert items – sweet apple pancake, sweet rice doughnut and almond croissant, particularly since Jeeyoun has a certificate in French pastries from a school in Montreal where she and her husband went when they initially relocated from their native Seoul.

I picked up my order curbside, but one of the restaurant’s two dining rooms is open. However, according to Kwan, only one table is available, seating six to eight people and reservations are required.

JY Kitchen

Where: 100 Delaware Ave.

Hours: Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. for lunch; Tuesday, 6 to 8 p.m. for dinner; Wednesday through Saturday, 5 to 8 p.m. for dinner.

Call: 859-474-0277

Online: jy-kitchen.com

This story was originally published March 25, 2021 at 6:00 AM.