New Seoul Garden Restaurant, Southfield, MI

Located just off of the Northwestern Highway in Southfield, New Seoul is a good-sized authentic Korean restaurant. I ate at New Seoul once for my cousin's baby's 1st birthday party. My cousin's wife is 100% Korean; therefore, her parents planned a 1st birthday party for their child which is customary and traditional in the Korean culture. When first walking in, impressions of Korean culture are given from the doorway and the foyer area. In the foyer, a whole wall is devoted to a quaint pond/waterfall exhibit and the walls are lined with authentic Korean art. Most of the people who worked at New Seoul were Korean, or of Asian descent, and spoke both Korean and English. Most of the customers as well spoke Korean and English. The party was held in a private room that could comfortably accommodate 80 people. As I toured the restaurant, I was impressed with the authentic tables that were 1-2 feet off the ground and the floor cushions that accompanied them. These were obviously for people who wanted to experience true Korean dining. Once the birthday dinner began, it was a feast of many foods! I'm not sure if all the food was Korean, but it was definitely all East Asian cuisine. There were spicy vegetables and rice, assortment of tempura, sushi, beef, and plain-old white rice. The tempura was the most popular dish among the Italians and Americans there, but personally I enjoyed all of it. Many of the dishes were spicy, so beware of that if and when you dine at New Seoul. Following dinner came dessert. A big surprise came to all of the Italians and Americans. Sweet-looking pastries were set up on a dessert table along with fresh fruit. Let me tell you, these pastries were not sweet at all. There were two types: a brightly-colored rice cake and a chocolate-colored rice ball. I certainly thought that both would be very good and I was quite excited to try them, but after one bite, I stuck to eating the fruit until the birthday cake was brought out.
Although dessert was not a highlight, I enjoyed New Seoul and hope to return very soon.