Loads of spicy goodness await at Korea House BBQ in Fort Worth

The place: Korea House BBQ

The cuisine: Broiled fish, and a variety of Korean vegetable, beef and pork entrees.

The back story: The Cityview shopping-center space, which formerly housed a sushi restaurant, opened two months ago and is run by a smiling Korean proprietor who reminds visitors that her cuisine is MSG-free and very healthy.

The food: If your curiosity about Korea was fueled by the nation's recent Olympic feats -- and like some of us, you travel on your stomach -- you can save some frequent flier miles and sate some of your wanderlust with a visit to Korea House BBQ. Untested tasters, however, should note that there are some unfamiliar and mystifying options -- "stew of garfish" and "broiled hairtail," to name two.

Not that the goon man doo (fried dumplings) appetizer ($6.99) will stump anyone. The octet of nicely browned, flat, slice-shape dumplings were arrayed like petals on a big orange plate; they were filled with a savory pureed green vegetable mix and disappeared before they could even get cool in our fingers. The bowls of miso and seaweed soup were warming and welcome.

Making an entree selection may be a roll of the dice if you don't speak Korean, but we tried it and liked the results.

Take, for example, nak ji bo keum. It shares a menu description and $13.99 price with oh jing oh bo keum: "spicy stir-fried squid with vegetables." True to the text, it's loaded with enough chewy white squid tentacles, rice and bright-green sauteed veggies to please most ordinary appetites. And while the waiter queried us about whether we could handle the spice, the sweet fire in the red sauce did not overheat a pair of palates acclimated to Texas hot sauces.

About the time the spicy bulgogi -- "spicy marinated Korean-style beef" ($11.99) -- showed up on a hot cast-iron plate, so did a cavalcade of condiments in 10 little white bowls: pickles, bright-red kimchi and baked seaweed, to name just a few. Mixing bites of steamed rice with the thin-sliced, spicy beef yielded a variety of results, all toothsome.

And as for dessert, Korea House outdid itself. In addition to the green tea ice cream ($3.99), there was also a fresh orange half, peeled and served in its skin, compliments of the house.

The setting: Just south of Interstate 20 and surrounded by a slew of other eateries, the interior is crisp, minimalist and filled with the soothing strings and wind instruments of what was a presumably Korean-music soundtrack.

The service: Super-fast, -friendly and -efficient. It's a safe bet that your waiter's English is better than most North Texans' Korean, and staffers will do their best to translate, but communication can be sketchy.

You should know: In addition to specials and main dishes, there are six $7.99 lunch boxes.

The details: Hours are 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. and 5-9:30 p.m. Monday through Friday; noon-9:30 p.m. Saturday. Beer, wine and sake. Major credit cards accepted; wheelchair accessible.