Kum Chee Restaurant Review - Best Kalbi Short Ribs on Oahu

Many people think of Kim Chee when they think of Korean food and who can blame them? Kim Chee is probably the most popular dish or side that people have ever heard of when they think of Korean food. In Pearl City on the island of Oahu you can find Kum Chee, yes it is Kum not Kim, in the Newton Center on Kaahumanu. Kum Chee is served buffet style so if you like buffets, then you will like this place.

The restaurant is located in a business district in a building that is filled with businesses, so the restaurant may be a bit surprising to find there. When you drive in to the parking lot, what seems to be the entrance or the front of the restaurant is actually the back while the back is actually the front. I know that sounds confusing, but believe me when I say that the food more than makes up for it.

The buffet offerings are awesome. You get your usual rice pot that you can fill your plate with rice to your heart's content. You can also get a green salad that you make yourself. One of the great parts of the buffet is the seafood offering. You can get all you can eat shrimp cocktail or ahi poke. Ahi poke is just a mix of raw ahi with tomatoes, sesame seed oil and onions.

Next you will find the Korean main dishes. There is barbecue style chicken and also one of my favorites Meat Jun. Meat Jun is a beef that is dipped in an egg batter then fried; sort of like an egg foo young only better. It comes with a soy based type dipping sauce. Then there is my all time Korean food favorite - Kalbi Short ribs. These are marinated and grilled short ribs. Lots of times when you get Kalbi at any other place the meat can be very tough, not so at Kum Chee. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the meat was almost falling off the bone. I asked and found out later that it was from their marinade. They use a sauce mixture of pineapple juice, Fuji apples and some other secrets to tenderize the meat.

In addition to the usual Korean dishes you can find there, my ultimate recommendation is the Kalbi short ribs. They are worth the price of the buffet. The meat is tender with hints of spice and sweetness to it. There are many other dishes you can find at Kum Chee, but makes sure to try the short ribs. The restaurant may be hard to find, but is well worth it once you get there.