Restaurant review: Koso Hae mixes traditional Korean flavors with contemporary styles

Here’s a rare thought to have about anything nowadays: I hope this becomes an enduring trend.

Still, that notion shot to my mind when the recently opened East Market succeeded Budd Dairy Food Hall and the Open Air building as an instance of urban revitalization. Because, just like Budd Dairy and Open Air, East Market inhabits a once-dormant, old brick building rife with vintage character that, rather than being demolished for “urban renewal,” was repurposed into a dining-friendly facility with appealing outdoor seating near a convenient parking lot.

Trolley tracks still crisscross the concrete floor of East Market, which long ago functioned as a trolley barn. Apart from those literal traces of yesteryear, this 1880s-era structure near Franklin Park (it’s just a few goose hops away, if you know what I mean) offers an up-to-date interior that can appear surprising given its blast-from-the-past exterior.

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Along with vestigial trolley tracks, East Market’s sleek, inviting and unusually deep space houses a cocktail lounge (Switch), a roomy and alluring TV-equipped bar (The Railhouse), boutique-style vendors and food stalls whose current cuisines include — additional eateries are due to open — Moroccan, Creole, pizzeria, deli-meets-bistro, waffles and more.

The stall commanding my attention here is Koso Hae, a kicky offshoot of longstanding campus-area Korean restaurant Diaspora. Founded by Raymond Kim, the son of Diaspora’s owners, Koso Hae tweaks traditional Korean flavors with some contemporary-style fun.

Sandwiches have become fashionable in Korea lately — K-pop idols are often photographed munching them — and Koso is the rare local Korean eatery where you can get the Japanese-invented katsu sando ($13). The sandwich (sando) stars a huge, crunchy-yet-tender pork cutlet (katsu) loaded into toasted yet still fluffy and comforting Japanese milk bread. Add shaved cabbage, mayo, plus a savory-tangy sauce made with ketchup, Worcestershire and soy, and you have a standout, signature-style sandwich.

The Dosirak with beef ($14) was another good value brimming with fine flavors. This combo platter — Dosirak loosely means “lunchbox,” and conjures a Korean answer to bento — partnered plenty of delicious, melt-in-your-mouth bulgogi with rice, long scallion threads, noodle-like shaved daikon and terrific house kimchi.

Equally tender and delicious, but fiery, pork bulgogi can be substituted. If you just want rice with either bulgogi (expect some tricky-to-maneuver lengthy slices), the affordable price is $11.

House kimchi contributed deeply to the success of the Spam + kimchi ($13). Because the notorious canned pork was cubed, seared, completely incorporated with kimchi and crowned with a frizzled, sunny-side up egg decorated with nori strands, this rice-based entree was among the best-tasting and best-looking dishes showcasing Spam around (OK, low bar).     

Small plates can equal big entertainment. Dumpling fans should target the Mandu ($10): delightfully crinkly pan-fried wrappers packed with a righteous blend of ground chicken and onion.

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An order of Korean wings ($9) brought exemplary Korean fried chicken with a crackly, candy-like shell and a spicy, sweet, garlicky and sticky sauce. Koso’s casserole-like corn cheese — corn beneath attractively broiled, peppered mozzarella — nicely mitigated the chile sting of the wings, but my serving was small for $10 and lacked the saucy mayo presence I’ve enjoyed in other versions of the indulgent dish.

Better to spend money on Koso’s inexpensive bodega-style goods such as Korean popsicles, spicy chips and refreshing Sanzo sodas in flavors like lychee and yuzu. Koso also sells premade sushi that's supermarket-priced but of much higher quality (the salmon was my favorite) and house banchan ($8 a jar) such as obokchae (think Korean giardiniera) and various kimchis, like a spicy-sweet cucumber-based rendition. 

Whatever you get will taste even better when enjoyed from a wicker-esque chair on East Market’s transporting patio. Relaxing there recently while staring at an 1880s-era brick building slated to become a Columbus Brewing Co. outlet, I almost thought I heard the faintly clanking echoes of a trolley car whooshing by. 

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Koso Hae

Where: 1600 Oak St., (inside East Market), Near East Side

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Koso Hae in Columbus mixes traditional Korean food, contemporary style