Feed Your Face: Bibiya… Oh Yeah!

The marketing department of the Convention & Visitors Bureau has a tradition of going to lunch as a group to celebrate a staff member’s birthday and the birthday boy or girl gets to choose where we’ll dine.

Last week, it was Amy Michels’ birthday. (Happy birthday to Amy!) Amy is our marketing coordinator, and she chose Bibiya, a new restaurant on Springfield’s south side.

We’re glad she did! Overwhelmingly, the marketing department gave Bibiya rave reviews.

“I always like to try different foods and had been curious about this new Springfield restaurant,” Amy said. “The first thing I noticed was their great contemporary decor. As I glanced over the menu, I decided to try their signature dish, bibimbap, is a type of Korean cuisine which means “mixed meal” and is served in a very hot stone bowl. I chose to have shrimp with the spicy sauce. When I received my dish, it was sizzling and smelled delicious! There were lots of vegetables, shrimp and rice; which were all extremely flavorful. After I finished, I was full… not the ‘OMG, I am sooo full’ feeling, it was healthy full which will be one of the many reasons I will return!”

Laura Whisler, marketing director, ordered the same dish as Amy but went for the kid-friendly version of sauce. She boasted about the food and service.

“When we walked into Bibiya at 11:30 a.m., we noticed the restaurant was busy but not overly crowded. Five minutes later, the restaurant was packed with a line nearly out the front door! I was impressed by how quickly the front counter processed the orders and how quickly our food came. And, it was really quite tasty! I ordered the bibimbap with spicy shrimp in a hot stone bowl. Amy and I had the same thing but she ordered it with the spicy sauce and I got the mild one for kids. Mine was the perfect blend of fresh flavors with just a little kick from the shrimp. And, I loved that my food stayed hot the whole time. Since Bibi Ya is owned by the same owners of Haruno and Kai, I knew it would be good but I was really impressed with the concept of good quality, fresh food fast and I will definitely be back soon.”

Shelly Grauberger, the department’s assistant, liked the hot stone bowl, too. She’s stickler for her food being the right temperature and the hot stone bowl did the trick.

“I’m picky about the temperature of my food,” Shelly said. “If it’s a hot dish, I want it hot. That’s not a problem at Bibi Ya. Some of their dishes come in hot stone bowls. My food was sizzling when it came to the table and stayed hot until it was gone! I thought the food was delicious and the restaurant is beautifully decorated. I can’t wait to eat there again!”

Sean Dixon, interactive media manager, also went for a dish served in a stone bowl.

“The menu at Bibiya presents you with several options for building a dish tailored to you,” Sean said. “Feeling rather indecisive, I opted for a dish of from the preselected side of the menu. The Kimchi Fried Rice (pictured above) is a mix of rice, beef and veggies served in a hot stone bowl. It reminded me of a southern rice dish with an Asian twist. If you aren’t feeling like selecting from an al a carte menu, give the number 9 a shot.”

Dustin Burke, one of our partner development managers, was a little more adventurous than Sean and opted to build his own dish. That, too, was a good choice.

“Bibiya is an experience in Springfield like none other,” Dustin said. “Choose your rice, add your meat, pick a sauce and take a seat! Fresh, made to order, and served in a bowl. Simply take your wooden spoon, mix it up and enjoy. Good stuff. I had the Bulgogi Bowl with beef, rice, and broccoli. Next time I will try the chicken teriyaki burger.”

And me, I’m Susan Wade, the public relations manager for the CVB, and I ordered the Crispy Shrimp Bowl with fried shrimp, rice, broccoli and sauce, number 10 on the menu.

I loved everything about it. The tempura shrimp had a light and crispy coating along with the onion rings and broccoli that came with the dish. I liked being able to choose the type of rice I wanted and went for the mix of black and white. It was the perfect texture and flavor to accompany the crispy entree.

Like my peers, I am looking forward to returning to Bibi Ya again. Hmmmm. I wonder whose birthday is next… Hey, it’s me!