Kunjip

This bustling 24-hour Korean has a reputation for turning tables quickly, so I was pleasantly surprised to share my table with no fewer than eight panchan, the little free dishes that precede and accompany your meal. They included kimchi, of course, but also sweet potato, bean sprouts, two varieties of greens, some sort of small dried fish, and what may have been pickled apple. Add a bowl of purple rice, and my lunch special — kam ja tang ($9.95), meaty pork bones, potatoes, and greens piled in a spicy soup — turned into my big meal of the day.

Kunjip
9 West 32nd St. (near Fifth Ave.)
212-216-9487
www.kunjip.net