finally sat down and collected my thoughts on the various korean restaurants i've been to over the years ... here's what i came up with ... note: these commentaries are a little stilted b/c i'm vegetarian. i.e. i make no comparisons about any of these places' korean bbq, etc. generally i order a pajeon (korean scallion pancake) and bibimbap (mixed vegetables w/ hot red sauce). i also generally know what the chopjae (clear noodles with stir fried vegetables) and dokbokki (spicy rice cakes) and such are like. compared to the 3 places i've been in new york (all of which were quite good), i'd have to say that boston's korean eateries are generally on a lower level. one last comment, for korean groceries, check out lotte in central square (297 mass ave). now on w/ the reviews ... best: *** suishaya (chinatown, 2 tyler st): surprisingly good. i've been twice, the first time wasn't so memorable, but i went again recently and it's prob. my fav. of the korean restaurants i've been to lately. one of two korean restaurants in chinatown. good: koreana (inman sq, 154 prospect st): just reopened. the interior is nicer than it was, although our group of 4 ended up being seated right next to another group of 4 in an adjoining table, which was sort of annoying. o/w pretty good, although i found that i preferred suishaya. wuchan (union sq): usually near the top of most people's list. need to go again. the one next to wuchan (union sq): heh. i don't remember the name. people call it the jjajjang myeon place, b/c they have the korean black bean noodles which isn't really common. not bad, but need to go again. average: choe's cafe (957 comm ave): nothing special, but the waitress was better than average. kaya (581 boylston st + 2 other locations): average. pissy waitress. andy sez that kaya has one of the best renditions of stir fried kimchi in town. korea garden (central sq, 20 pearl st): average, but i haven't been in a while. apollo (chinatown, 84-86 harrison ave): a little less than average. shilla (harvard sq): a little less than average. not bad (cheaper alternatives): seoul food (porter sq, 1759 mass ave): i think this place is cheaper than average. the panchan (side dishes) were really subpar, but the food was good. super 88 (1095 comm ave): in a food court, so it's fast foodish, but it's good. porter exchange (porter sq): fast foodish. about the same as the restaurant at super 88 or a little lower in quality. eh: q-vin (545 boylston st): def. below average. the dok bokki and their kochujang (red bean paste) were really really sweet, i.e. not very good. jae's (locations on columbus and also in inman): okay for what it is, i guess, which is overpriced americanzied generic pan-asian food. but why bother when you can get the real thing?