AUGUSTA, GA – Arirang Korean Restaurant was an enlightening dining experience, even though I’m still not quite sure what I ate.

Situated in a former diner on Deans Bridge Road, Arirang specializes in authentic Korean cuisine and seems to cater more to take-out diners, at least during lunch.

Initially, I was the only diner there for lunch on a recent Thursday. I anxiously scanned the menu full of hard-to-pronounce, and pricey, entrées, trying to decide what to eat as a cooler near the register droned and my server loomed. My server wasn’t a whole lot of help. When I asked what she recommended, she merely said that different people like different things.

OK. Thanks.

I was a Korean food newbie, but I had at least heard of bibimbap, a rice dish served up in a stone pot with various accoutrements.

So I chose the bibimbap ($9.99) and kimbap, an appetizer of Korean-style sushi with steamed rice ($7.99).

First, my server brought the kimbap, a generous serving of sliced sushi rolls with beef, cucumber, carrot and another ingredient that my server identified as lettuce, but was clearly not. It was yellow in color and had more of the texture of pickled daikon or some other type of radish. My server would later identify at least two other ingredients with entirely different textures in the rest of my meal as the same “lettuce.”

The Korean sushi was fairly good. Basically, it tasted like most any other non-fish sushi roll, but the rice was a tad sweeter. The vegetables inside were crisp and fresh tasting.

To my amazement, my bibimbap took two trips to deliver.

First came seven different small bowls filled with various accompaniments like potatoes, yellow bean sprouts, cucumbers and kimchi, the famed fermented cabbage that is a Korean staple. There were also two bowls filled with that “lettuce,” but on closer inspection, one of those small bowls appeared to contain strips of daikon,carrots, green chilies and fried egg.

The main bibimbap dish arrived in a black stone pot that was still sizzling. Inside the pot were rice, broccoli, beef and other vegetables. A soft-center fried egg rested on top.

On the bottom of the stone pot, the rice formed a nice golden crust as it continued to cook on the table.

I broke the egg and dug into the dish, stirring in some of the accompanying sides, most of which wore a liberal coating of red chili flakes. I also stirred in some of the red chili paste that came with the dish.

The eating of the bibimbap was nearly as fun as it was satisfying.

I would definitely like to try more dishes on the menu, but with someone who knows more about the cuisine or is at least willing to share their knowledge. My server seemed more eager to get back to the kitchen than help me interpret ingredients.

Arirang’s prices do seem a tad high given the surroundings and lack of atmosphere. There are no entrées less than $9.99, even at lunch, and the menu tops out at $26.99 for dishes like jeuksuk bulnakge, chopped octopus in sauce for two, grilled at the table; and al jungol, a fish egg soup in casserole for two.

I would consider Arirang for take-out, but that, too, posed a problem. When I asked my server for a take-out menu, she said they didn’t have any.

Arirang Korean Restaurant
3008 Deans Bridge Rd.
Mon.-Sat., 10:30 a.m.-11 p.m.; Sun., 11 a.m.-11 p.m.
706-793-6800