‘The best Korean restaurant in Columbus.’ We decided to grab lunch and see if it’s true

Tucked away in a strip mall on St. Mary’s Road in Columbus is a restaurant that serves up some delicious Korean food.

John F. Greenman, former president and publisher of the Ledger-Enquirer, called it “The best Korean restaurant in Columbus.” Having not eaten at another Korean restaurant in Columbus I wouldn’t be able to accurately say the same.

However, I can say Golden Chopsticks would be incredibly hard to beat. Our visual journalist, Mike Haskey, was stunned to find out I had never had it. So, we hopped in my truck one day and decided to grab lunch there.

The first thing I noticed walking in was the hot pot tables in the restaurant. For those not familiar, hot pot is a bowl full of flavorful broth that is kept simmering on a warmer to allow diners to dip meats, vegetables, tofu and various other foods into it to cook and absorb the flavors from the spices in the broth.

The weather was a bit chilly that day, so I decided to order the Kimchi Jjigae — a kimchi soup with pork, onions and tofu. Kimchi is a Korean dish made of fermented vegetables which typically includes radishes and cabbage along with other spices.

Kimchi is not for the weak of heart or tongue. It has a very potent flavor and smell, and can definitely make your tongue long for a swig of ice water to help cool it down from the spiciness of the dish.

However, the soup I had it in was divine. The spice from the broth was not burning heat and was complimented nicely by the undertones of the pork flavor from the meat.

My favorite thing about the soup was probably the tofu in it. As a dedicated meat-lover in my culinary adventures, I was surprised to find how much I enjoyed it.

The tofu soaked up the flavor of the broth but retained its rigidity without becoming mushy. Each bite of the tofu made me think a life without meat might be possible, but then I remembered the joy that is bacon and my mind quickly dismissed that thought.

Mike got Lunch Special “B,” which was Dak Guee (marinated and grilled spicy chicken breast). It came with chop chae, spring rolls, yaki mandu and rice. He definitely seemed to like each item.

So if you’re wanting something to brighten your day, I definitely suggest heading down to Golden Chopsticks.