I don’t know about you but walking into an empty restaurant makes me nervous. Sure, the economy sucks and there aren’t too many diners out at 9 p.m. on a weekday in Irvine. I recently stopped in Chae Bahn, a Korean restaurant in the newly opened Asian shopping center - Diamond Plaza - off of Alton Parkway. Not one customer was in there. But when a pregnant woman is hungry, girl’s gotta grub.

Chae Bahn’s interior is modern, clean and brightly-lit. But the menu’s offering is pretty sparse. If you’re looking for a huge selection of typical Korean fare, you’re at the wrong place. At Chae Bahn, you’ll get variations of bibimbap (pronounced bee-beem-bop), a dish usually mixed with steamed rice, a variety of vegetables, barbecued meat, a fried egg, hot paste and sesame oil. Read the rest of this entry »