Arirang is the name of a famous, traditional Korean folk song, “with deep meaning,” according to Jay Lee, the owner of the restaurant bearing this title. Lee selected it so his Korean customers would know “that our flavor will be as deep and authentic as the song,” he said. He opened this restaurant 4 years ago with his mother, Chang Lee, and it's been doing a brisk business ever since, among both Korean and non-Korean customers.

If you can get past the dingy surroundings, including beige-colored walls in need of a paint job and basic linoleum floors, you’re in for a treat of unique, delicious home cooking. The menu is one of the most extensive that I’ve seen serving Korean cuisine, with 16 different types of soups, as well as 22 entrees, 7 Korean barbecue dishes, and several different fried rice and noodle choices.

The biggest appeal here is the value. Every dish we ordered was enormous, starting with the seafood pancake appetizer, which was the size of a large pizza and absolutely delicious, sprinkled with scallions that added a burst of flavor to the seafood. The serving of spongy steamed dumplings also was large. That, in combination with the assorted Korean side dishes, was enough to fill us up even before we received our main courses.

I appreciated the range of side dishes, which extended beyond the standard kimchee and included light and flavorful noodles, an egg dish and soft potatoes. All were terrific.

Choosing a soup was daunting, as the ingredients ranged from pork to fish eggs, codfish and Cornish game hen. I opted for one that combined bean paste, tofu and seafood, in a light, tomato broth, called soon-doo-boo-jji-gae. Though I ordered this dish mild, it had a definite spicy kick. It melded a range of ingredients together beautifully in a dense, yet light broth.

The soup was delivered piping hot and never seemed to cool down, nor did my bi-bim-bop, which arrived in a stone bowl that maintained the temperature throughout the meal. It was so hot (in temperature, not taste) that I needed to let it cool off on my chopsticks before eating it. The bi-bim-bop was one of the most delightful versions of this dish I’ve sampled. I especially liked the plentiful fresh spinach along with the bean sprouts and egg. The chicken, marinated in a teriyaki sauce, added a refreshing element of sweetness along with the large number of perfectly cooked vegetables.

The same type of sauce on my chicken in the bi-bim-bop coated my daughter’s barbecue chicken and also bathed an enormous piece of fish in the teriyaki salmon. Beef in the bul-go-ghee was tender, accented with grilled onions. The chefs at Arirang were even able to lend a special touch to straightforward items like rice, which was moist and hearty.

The server was pleasant and we only encountered one snafu. She charged us for a tofu dish that we ordered and she forgot to bring. The meals were so large we wouldn’t have had room for it anyway.

The high quality of such a range of dishes, as well as the large portions of many entrées that cost $11 or less, make Arirang a welcoming destination for Korean food.

Arirang 3135 Oak Valley Dr. Ann Arbor 734-222-5959 Monday-Friday, 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m.; Saturday, noon-9:30 p.m.; Sunday, noon-9 p.m. Plastic: Visa, Mastercard and Discover. Liquor: No. Prices: Entrees range from $8.95 to $16.95; Many are in the $12 range. Value: Excellent. Portions are enormous. Noise level: Quiet. Wheelchair access: Yes. Smoking section: No.