Kaya Korean & Japanese Restaurant, Carbondale, IL

Yesterday we tried Kaya, a Korean/Japanese restaurant in Carbondale. Most of the Japanese food they have is sushi and sashimi. While we love them, it was a cool evening and we wanted some good hot soup. We went there at 8:30, an hour before closing. That's usually a bad time to go to a restaurant because they're usually trying to wind things down so they don't have to work too late. That didn't seem to be a problem at Kaya though.

I ordered their yuke jang (yoo' kay jang) which is a spicy beef soup. Un Hui ordered their cham pong, a seafood noodle dish. Our waiter asked if I like they yuke jang spicy, and I assured him I did. They didn't disappoint. I've had yuke jang in some restaurants where they only put a little beef in, but at Kaya they put in an ample amount of sliced beef brisket. The taste was excellent, and serving was huge. Un Hui's cham pong was chock full of assorted seafood: squid, mussels, shrimp, etc. A little exotic for some people, but for those who like this type of seafood it's great.

A word of caution: if you go there be sure to bring your appetite. My soup came in a very large bowl. Un Hui's seafood soup came in the size of bowl I use to serve mashed potatoes to the whole family at Thanksgiving. In other words, huge! We brought leftovers home for another meal.

For those less adventuresome they do offer foods that are not so spicy or exotic. Parking is behind the restaurant. The restaurant us just south of the Y where 51 splits on the south side of Carbondale on the east side of the street.

Kaya Korean & Japanese Restaurant
817 S Illinois Ave
Carbondale, IL 62901
(618) 457-0968

Jim on Food

This blog is to give my opinions on restaurants I eat at. I have an affinity for Asian cuisine, and sometimes go for the exotic, though I am conscious of price. You won't see reviews here of the ultra-expensive restaurants.

Occasionally I will talk about foods in general or discuss dining in general. Anything about food. I truly believe that food is a gift God has given us to not just nourish our bodies, but also to bring us happiness. In every culture, gatherings are celebrated with food, and food is shared with those we love and cherish.

I heard a story once of a man who died and was given the option to see both hell and heaven. In hell everyone had all the food they could ever want, the most scrumptious of delicacies, and everyone had a spoon with a long handle affixed to their hands. They all went hungry, though there was plenty, because they could not bring the spoons to their mouths. The man was then brought to heaven. The setting was identical with all the delicious foods, and as before, everyone had a long handled spoon affixed to their hands. Instead of suffering from hunger though, in heaven they used the long handled spoons to feed each other so everyone had plenty and there was much happiness.

May your life be such that you always have plenty and you are always happy to pull up another chair around the table.

We live in southwest Illinois so most restaurants we eat at are in the St. Louis metro area and southern Illinois. Bon apetit.