Even when full, this combination yuppie coffeehouse/Korean barbecue joint in Bed-Stuy is quiet — too quiet, if you ask me. People only dare whisper when ordering a superb Stumptown roast or a hearty seafood stew; it’s as if they wish not to disturb an unseen malevolence, some just-offstage presence that carefully polices the boundary between restaurant and café, lest the two sides annihilate each other in a white flash. The quietly looping K-pop that filters through the tony exposed-brick space serves only to underline that some powerful service-industry demiurge is working its arcane operations: How else does one not only keep the two halves from repelling one another, but get them to work together successfully? The atmosphere may be tense, but the aromatic noodle soups are affordable, the coffee high-quality, and everything ably prepared and served by a kind, scared-looking waitstaff.
232 Taaffe Place, Brooklyn
718-623-2232
232brooklyn.com
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