Korean food is a relative rarity in Worcester. For years, finding a good menu lined with Korean BBQ or bibimbap was an exhausting task yielding little or no results. Now, Korean food is claiming Worcester its new home and Choose and Mix, its founding inspiration.
Rolling off the tongue like the sound of a jazz sequence, bibimbap is the quintessential Korean meal-in-a-bowl. Meaning, “mixed rice,” the bowl is a culmination of flavors and ingredients. A dish loaded with rice at the bottom (white rice, brown rice or sweet potato noodles are all options at Choose and Mix) and topped with namul (sauteed and seasoned vegetables), and protein like tofu, chicken, beef, spicy chicken or shrimp, Choose and Mix is serving an authentic Korean icon to all foodie lifestyles with the vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options. The dish is served in a dolsot, a hot “stone pot,” made of agalmatolite with the purpose of cooking the rice until crispy. Bibimbap is a dish exploding with flavor, texture, and creativity. In 2011, the dish was listed at number 40 on the World’s 50 Most Delicious Foods readers’ poll compiled by CNN travel.
At Choose and Mix, the concept of creating your own bowl is only a part of the restaurant’s dynamics. Including authentic Korean dishes like bulgogi – thinly sliced beef tenderloin strips in flavorful Korean barbecue sauce – and galbi – Korean barbecue ribs – Choose and Mix brings more than just good food to Worcester; they also bring culture. While the game changer remains in its presentation of stone pots, it is its price point that really speaks to the Worcester food scene. At an affordable price, ordering a bibimbap dish lunch special includes the bibimbap mix of your choice, miso soup, and a drink, and honestly, foodies love a good deal, especially when it speaks to our quest of searching for authentic recipes.
Choose and Mix offers a welcoming atmosphere, original flavors and a reason to visit again.
