Food Review: Ddukbokki & Kimbap at Red Holic

The front of the restaurant (source)

The soup

Recently I went to visit one of my friends (KS) who lives very close to Annandale, VA, which is a sort-of Koreatown situated in Northern Virginia. With her not having much experience with Korean food, we decided to go for a fare consisting of two popular Korean street food dishes, ddukbokki and kimbap. For those of you who may not know these dishes, ddukbokki is rice cakes in a chili sauce, and kimbap is rice rolls with different ingredients in them. kimbap is said to be "Korean sushi", although it doesn't usually contain fish. To start the meal, our waitress brought us a miso-type-soup and some sweet radishes. The kitchen prepared our meal very quickly, and so we were feasting on yummy ddukbokki and kimbap. Since KS was the Korean-food newbie, I had her review Red Holic based on three categories: the service, the atmosphere, and of course, the food:

"My experience at the restaurant Red Holic in Annandale, Virginia, was excellent. The prices were reasonable, and the large portion sizes made it easy and convenient for two people to split the platter. The atmosphere of Red Holic was comfortable and cultured, with small facts about Korean culture on the walls, and vibrant Korean music playing throughout our experience. The service at Red Holic was very professional and efficient. The server described the food options in detail, which was beneficial considering my vegetarian diet, and she answered my questions thoroughly. Our food was served in a timely manner; it took less than ten minutes to receive our dishes. My favorite food was the dukbokki: a blend of chili sauce, soft rice cakes, kimchi, fish cakes, and boiled eggs. I really enjoyed how the dukbokki was spicy and savory, and full of flavor. The portion size offered was filling, and it was a great lunch option. The kimbap was also flavorful and served as a hearty meal; it complemented the dukbokki dish well. I enjoyed dipping the kimbap into the chili sauce. After my great experience at Red Holic, I will definitely be going there again in the future!"


RATINGS: Service: 5/5 Food: 5/5 Atmosphere: 4/5


--KS 

Now, here are some fun pictures we took to finish: 

The cute wall of messages and dreams 

KS enjoying her radish

The dukbokki and kimbap meal looking yummy

We also ordered some cheese kimbap.

--Lauren

Do not take without proper credit!
Image Credits: myself, as linked