Anytime Kitchen calls itself Korean-American fusion dining. This is our go-to spot when we want Korean food that is not Korean BBQ. We have been here enough times to have our favorites that we order every time we come here and dishes where we can say, we tried it, not crazy about it and won’t order it again.
It gets busy here on the weekends so reservations are needed. With kids, we generally try to sit down before 6pm and never had a problem getting a table at this time as long as we make reservations online a few hours before we arrive. By 7pm, this place is packed. Service is great; there is always someone attentive to take our order, fill our water glasses and remove finished plates.
Ben always orders his Yellowtail Jalapeño. It’s fresh, tangy and a little bit spicy. Alfred and I like to share the Hamachi Kama. This tender, fatty, buttery, flaky collar of the yellowtail fish is grilled and served with a side of ponzu sauce. We pick at it with our chopsticks, pulling the meat off the cartilage, dip it in the ponzu sauce, lose most of our fish in the ponzu sauce, then come back for the fish that has been soaking in that tangy soy-saucy goodness. Trace that with some soju and it’s the perfect way to start off my meal.
We don’t love the beef short ribs here. We had high hopes for this one but the beef was just so chewy it was hard to eat. We ordered this on more than two separate occasions and one time, we ordered two portions worth. We love Korean short ribs but this isn’t it. The dish is visually stunning but my jaw hurts just thinking about it. The spicy cod egg jeongol is a stew served on a small hot pot on a portable burner. I like to try new things, but the texture of whatever was in there was too odd for me. It looked like a glob of brain and tasted like dried overcooked mush. The soup itself was tasty but I didn’t recognize anything else that was in this soup, nor did I enjoy it. Pass. I burned my wrist on the pot reaching for my water glass.
Bodi, my 8 year old, is not very open to trying new things. His palate is more American than Asian, so he orders the Tonkatsu, which is a panko crusted pork cutlet. He doesn’t touch his cabbage salad but hoards the fries from the sticky fingers of his brothers. Blaise loves Korean fried chicken so the boneless chicken dish is right up his alley. Tender, dark meat chicken in the typical KFC crispy shell coated in a sweet soy glaze. The stir-fried spicy pork is heavily coated in a thick soybean paste sauce with onions, udon noodles and thinly sliced Thai basil on top. The squid and pork belly version of this dish is the same but also with squid. The star of the show here is the Grilled BBQ Bossam. It’s sliced pork belly served with napa cabbage, kimchi, garlic slices, jalapeños and ssamjang. There are so many dishes on the menu left to try but we get this dish every time. It’s why we come here and keep going back to Anytime Kitchen. I eat it like a taco, first a napa cabbage leaf, then a slice of pork, some ssamjang, kimchi, garlic and jalapeño and I try to fit the whole thing in my mouth. The pork is so soft and tender. Their garlic and soy sauce version is the same but with fresh minced garlic, soy sauce and chili flakes. I like the garlic soy sauce version better. I give this dish a 9.5 out of 10. It is so good.
Yellowtail Jalapeño
Seafood Pancake
Beef Short Ribs
Tonkatsu
Stir Fried Squid and Pork Belly
Spicy Korean Traditional Tofu Stew
Korean Army Stew
Grilled BBQ Bossam & Garlic Soy Sauce
The seafood pancake is thick and stuffed with vegetables and seafood. The spicy Korean traditional tofu soup is loaded with dumplings, mushrooms, carrots, zucchini, greens and of course, tofu. We asked for it to be made not so spicy so my 8 year old can try some and it was perfectly not spicy. The Korean army stew is loaded with spam, pork slices, ramen noodles, hot dog slices, onions, greens, tofu and rice cakes. The stews and soups comes in a pot simmering over a camper burner. This is right up my alley because I enjoy eating my food very hot, from my first spoonful to the very last.
I appreciate how all the food is seasoned to complement the food, not overpower it. Whether I liked something or not, I can taste the thought and care behind the dish. I walk away stuffed every time but never feel yucky the way eating something greasy, overly spicy, seasoned or salty can make me feel. Perhaps that is why we keep coming back and why I like to bring my kids here.
The portions are generous, the service is attentive and friendly, the food comes out fast after ordering, and the quality of food is great.
8.5 out of 10 from me.
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