Sharing a building with a pet store, a pizza joint, a salon and a telemarketing company doesn’t make The Scallion Korean Restaurant the easiest place to find in Campustown. Will Welch’s hidden treasure impress impatient lunchgoers? The Daily’s resident critics check it out.

Atmosphere:

AL:The Scallion seems to have taken tips from the Ev Cochrane School of Design — exposed pipes equal a modern industrial look. Fortunately, the light green paint treatment and clever paintings, which feature fruits and vegetables laid out to look like cute little animals, made the restaurant incredibly soothing and comfortable for dining.

ER:When the colors in the paintings complement the centerpieces on the table and the air vents are painted the same color as the walls, you know the owner cares about attention to detail and your dining experience. The spacious, spotless dining room has a very modern feel and scored huge points with me.

Service:

AL: Twenty minute wait. The words alone are enough to send rushed lunchgoers scurrying. And maybe it should. If you’re in a hurry, The Scallion probably isn’t for you. However, if you don’t mind having a few cups of the delicious roasted corn tea while your meal is being freshly prepared, trust me — it’s worth clearing a little time from your schedule to dine at this restaurant.

ER: I’m a huge fan of the spice. I once ate a jalepe¤o in Louisiana so hot I got dizzy, cried and about passed out. In search of the same intoxicating kick, I asked the woman who took our order if I could have my chicken hot. She advised me not to get it too hot because I might not like it. I stopped before ordering extra red peppers, smiled and took her advice. It was nice to know she was looking out for the customer’s satisfaction.

The only drawback was the wait — 22 minutes elapsed before we got our food. Aaron stopped me twice from wandering over to other tables and asking for a bite of their meal.

Quantity/Value

AL:I can’t think of another restaurant in Ames where $5.95 will get you a complete meal and drink and not come from a drive-through window. Plus, this meal is actually worth eating. My bulgogi was filling enough, but it was only the centerpiece of a meal that also included sticky rice, kimchi, salad and potatoes.

ER: The amount of food you get for $5.95 was astonishing. A huge helping of sticky rice, tons of chicken, kimchi and salad made me a really happy Scallion patron. A shortage of food wasn’t the case here. If you’re upset about not being able to “super-size” your meal on Welch anymore, run over to The Scallion to satisfy your hunger — it tastes better anyway.

Quality/Taste

AL:After wasting a substantial portion of a lunch break just waiting for your meal to arrive, the food had better be good. Which works out well, since The Scallion’s food is much, much better than good. The beef in my bulgogi was so perfectly marinated in a rich soy sauce, it was hard not to drool while eating (good thing I picked up lots of napkins at the door). The side dishes were also done to perfection, including the sticky rice, which was actually sticky, not just pasty and gross. I’m not Korean, and these definitely weren’t tastes of which I was accustomed, but it’s not hard to tell the difference between the best and worst Asian food in Ames, if not the state.

ER:“Perfect” isn’t a word I use often in reviews, but in the case of the taste of the food at the Scallion, it’s about the only word I can think of. The chicken was braised to perfection, not too tough and didn’t have a heavy deep-fried taste. The sweet soy sauce was blended flawlessly with garlic. The chicken was garnished with sesame seeds to add just a bit more to the already perfect meal. There wasn’t a flavor that was overpowering, but each spent a moment dancing on my taste buds. The side dishes were great as well. Everything was prepared with care that many other restaurants in Ames are missing. It’s too bad the Scallion doesn’t serve breakfast, because I would live there.

Final Say:

AL: 4 1/2 of 5 forks

ER: 4 1/2 of 5 forks