The opening of H-Mart on Aug. 12 introduced the public to a new food court connected to the grocery market. Since then, the H-Mart food court has been a popular place for Woodbridge High students to stop by and indulge in foods they enjoy.

Woodbridge High students have a diverse menu to choose from in the new H-Mart food court, spanning from more traditional-style meals to foods that have become trendy in recent years. The H-Mart food court can be accessed easily due to its close proximity to Woodbridge High. 

Sophomore Benjamin Shih acknowledges that the new H-Mart food court could attract a lot of high school customers. “Compared to the other food court in the other H-Mart down the road, I think it’s a lot more modern and it has a lot more food that appeals to the younger generation,” Shih said.

From rice dishes to hot dogs, these are some foods that Woodbridge High students might enjoy at the H-Mart food court:

Sweet Potato Mozzarella Hot Dog – Myungrang Hot Dog 

A pocket of mozzarella enveloped inside little cubes of sweet potato provides not only a substantial snack but also an aesthetically pleasing cheese stretch when pulled apart. With softer notes of cheese complimenting a sugar-coated exterior, the hot dog will disappear in a few bites.

Myungrang Hot Dog appears to be a popular booth in the H-Mart food court for Woodbridge High students since both Senior Joelle Hong and Senior Mari Galvey mentioned hot dogs as being their favorite food they enjoyed at the H-Mart food court.

For some that lived in Korea, like Hong, this snack can be nostalgic. “I really loved it, and I was really looking forward to [eating] that because I tried it in Korea, and it was so good, and I was like, ‘I really want to have that again,’” Hong said.

Bulgogi Over Rice in Hot Stone Bowl – Woomiok

Galvey describes this dish as similar to a hot stone bibimbap. Bibimbap consists of rice topped with an abundant amount of vegetables and sometimes proteins of complementary textures and colors. Served sizzling in a stone bowl, the rich and savory smell wafting from the dish is sure to make people’s mouths water. 

The balance between the slightly bitter greens, light nutty taste of sesame seeds and sweet marinade of the meat creates an explosion of flavor that still somehow works well together.

Galvey usually enjoys Korean food. “I love the variety,” Galvey said. This trait of variety present in Korean cuisine is also present in this dish, with all the different ingredients coming together to form a cohesive presentation and flavor.

KyoDong Jjam-ppong – KyoDong Noodles

Jjam-ppong is a dish of noodles and a variety of seafood submerged in spicy soup. Although the soup’s intense red color could be intimidating, as soon as the distinct sweet and spicy flavor kicks in, you’re hooked. Burning one’s tongue with the first few hurried sips of soup would be a worthy sacrifice to ingest the noodles before they lose their chewiness.

The soup part of jjam-ppong is infused with a delicious contrast of seafood and spicy flavor, and the noodles have the right thickness and texture for a pleasing chew, creating a satisfying dish.

Shih enjoys the jjam-ppong from KyoDong Noodles. “Those were probably some of the best noodles I’ve had in a while,” Shih said.

In the relatively recent opening of the H-Mart food court, the diversity of food could increase because of the food court’s contribution to a more extended availability of Asian cuisine. Warriors can try these foods, as well as others, at 3825 Alton Pkwy.