The Dish-- Li Hua

At the bustling corner of Grand Street and Baxter Street, technically within the confines of Little Italy, stands a distinctly un-Italian hotspot—the Korean restaurant Li Hua.

As the name Little Italy slowly shifts from a reflection of reality to a reminder of the past, the recent influx of foreign restaurants, mainly of the Asian persuasion, continues in this neighborhood. While it may not be Koreatown, or even Little Italy for that matter, Li Hua is at once out of place, and right at home.

The restaurant’s simple, yet polished dining room caters to its clientele, a young crowd clutching shopping bags from nearby trendy SoHo shops. Low lighting sets the refined mood, and the large bay windows offer great views of a lively neighborhood, even if it’s still searching for its identity.

Specializing in typical Korean fare, Li Hua doesn’t try to do anything new, choosing instead to excel at traditional dishes. The younger sibling of Mandoo Bar, which has an outpost in Koreatown, Li Hua features outstanding, straight-forward Korean fare, from pajeon, a scallion pancake ($11), to the pork mandoo, or dumplings ($4).

But it’s the bulgogi bibimbop ($12), however, that is most popular. A rice casserole of sorts, it is served in a large stone pot, where the rice at the bottom becomes crisp and hardens.