$3.99 JaJangMyun Special at KumMoon Do

Continuing the theme of exposing specials advertised in Korean only, the PaboPage is here to report that the Korean-Chinese restaurant KumMoon Do (pronounced like Kum-Moon-D'oh!) in Flushing is offering bowls of JaJangMyun for only $3.99.

The offer is presently running all day, everyday, with the only exception being that it is only good for dine-in only. So if you somehow you can find your way to the corner of Northern Blvd and Murray St, go now and get your JaJangMyun fix, for less than the cost of a round-trip fare on the MTA.

KumMoon Do
152-12 Northern Blvd.
Flushing, NY 11354

$4.99 Lunch Special at Shilla

Intrepid eaters willing to cross cultural and linguistic boundaries in the quest to expand their gastronomic horizons have often encountered the following experience. When going to establishments which serve authentic "ethnic," cuisine and are frequented by a clientele composed primarily of that ethnicity, English largely goes out the window. Save for a basic menu of standards that the proprietors believe that outsiders are likely to order, much of the "real," menu remains untranslated.

While some might see this as conspiracy of the other, to keep the man out. I think it is probably more the result of complacency (and a lack of faith in the adventurousness in the American eater) . Many dishes and their ingredients do not easily translate into anything meaningful to the general public. Going through the effort to make such a menu is seen as too much of a unprofitable hassle for most. Unfortunately this can result in missing out on changing specials, new menu items and the like for those who can't read or speak a certain language.

A good example of this phenomenon is now taking place at K-town's Shilla Restaurant where during the month of May six popular Korean dishes and a variety of pan'chan are available for only $4.99 during lunch (11:00a-3:00p). The special is advertised throughout the restaurant as well as on the window out to the street, however every sign is in Korean.

As a service to all my non-Korean speaking brothers and sisters out there, here is my translation of the above menu. I took photos of about half the menu thus far, so without further ado, the $4.99 menu (in order of their menu listing) is...

DenJang JiGae
fermented soy-bean soup

Soon DuBu
spicy Tofu Stew

Hae Jang Gook
"Hangover Stew," a blend of beef stock, bean sprouts, napa cabbage, and sweet potato stems.

The remainder of the menu includes, KimChee JiGae (KimChee Stew), Sol Long Tang (Ox Bone Soup) and Kong Bi Ji (would take to much time to explain ;) .

I've had the chance to try them all and they were all fairly decent interpretations of standard Korean dishes. The KimChee JiGae and Soon DuBu tend to go towards the HOT side, while the rest of the dishes tend to be on the earthy side of the flavor scale. All of the dishes come with a bowl of rice and a selection of pan'chan.

Remember places like this aren't trying to keep you out, they're just lazy! If you ask the servers or other patrons for some help, most of the time you'll find that they'll be more than happy to help you try something new. Someday the people who run such places will become fully assimilated, speak only English and lose their penchant for using spice. Then foodies of the future will lament the loss of another culinary tradition. So until then, eat it while you still can. Besides where else you going to get all this for only $4.99?!

Shilla
37 W 32nd St.
New York, NY 10001.

Scenes of Winter

New York City saw its first "significant" accumulation of snow today. For the most part the result was a slushy mess, however a few inches of snow did manage to settle down and cover the city in a wintry white. Here are some scenes from mid-afternoon in the middle of the storm.

54th St

42nd St and 6th Ave

9th Ave

Return to the Mothership

Our first sunrise in Asia, as seen from the plane as we passed over Alaska

My wife and I have made our first return to Korea in over 2 years. It is now the third day of our trip and already we have met several family members, eaten several memorable meals, and seen a lot of unique sites. There is so much to share, so its my hope to update this blog at least every couple of days. In the meantime, please check out my flickrstream which I will updating regularly.

For now here are some of the early sites we've seen so far...

Friday night crowd in MyeongDong, Seoul's fashion and general night life mecca.

Smiles all around in MyeongDong. Generally Koreans don't have a reputation for being the most lighthearted people, but I think these sorts of scenes prove otherwise

CheongGyeCheon

Victory!!!

YES WE CAN!

Gahm Mi Oak

Seol Long Tang

With longer nights, falling temperatures and the impending end of the global financial system, times have never been more appropriate for some good ol' comfort food to soothe the soul. In my case whenever I'm feeling particularly down either spiritually and/or physically I invariably turn to my gastronomic roots, and seek some good Korean food.

Among my favorite cold weather Korean comfort foods is the classic soup Sul Long Tang, and perhaps no place in the city does it better than Gahm Mi Oak in Midtown. While Gahm Mi Oak offers a handful of other dishes as well, most everyone comes for the sublime milky broth that is at the heart of Sul Long Tang. The broth is derived from the slow boiling of ox bones over the course a day. Once the broth is done, rice, somyun noodles, and slices of beef are also added. To add the final touch, each table in Gahm Mi Oak also has bowls of roasted sea salt (add sparingly), black pepper and green onions for garnish.

Of course as in nearly every Korean experience, the meal is never truly complete without the addition of kimchi, and here is another area in which Gahm Mi Oak excels. As a counterpoint to the soup, the kimchi served here is of a slightly more aged and more pungently fermented than the kind you would typically be served. To indulge in this pairing of old stinky kimchi with simple beef broth is an truly an epiphany of the Korean gastronomic experience. Thus upon making your order, your server will return to you with a large bowl of KkakDuKi (Daikon KimChi) and BaeChu KimChi (Napa), and then ceremonially cut it into more manageable pieces.

As mentioned earlier Gahm Mi Oak has a handful other menu items, and a quick visual survey of fellow diners, will reveal that the handful of other menu items (SoonDae Sausage, BoSsam, and the ever present BiBimBap, which my aunt swears by) also sell quite well. For myself and my wife a bowl of Seol Long Tang and a good helping of KimChi are more than enough, but knowing that the BinDaeDuk (Mung Bean Pancakes) here are wonderful (think Korean latkes, but made with mung beans, and filled with veggies), I had to order some as well.

A serving of Seol Long Tang makes a great hearty meal and at $8.50 a pop (24/7), a great value as well. As the weather gets colder, and world seems to become ever gloomier, order some soup, and soothe your Seoul ;)

BinDaeDuk

Gahm Mi Oak
43 W. 32nd St.
New York, NY 10001
212-695-4113

HanBat

GobDol BiBimBap

With commodity prices continuing to soar, finding a healthy and affordable meal in Midtown has gone from slight challenge to near impossibility. However for those who are fortunate enough to have easy access to Koreatown, and are willing to spend around $8-12 for lunch, can choose from among at least a dozen different delicious and fairly authentic Korean establishments.

Now as most American are still relatively unfamiliar with Korean cuisine, I find that many Korean-American restaurants, are really nothing more than Korean diners. That is to say just as the prototypical American diner has its encyclopedic menu with "served 24/7," breakfast menu, BLTs and chicken fried streak, etc. Probably 95% of the Korean joints in the US have similarly thick and generic menus, with the standards of BiBimBap, BBQ meats, amongst a hundred other variations of stuff with veggie, protein, and loads of red pepper derivatives. Yet despite this seemingly cookie cutter nature, there are places that distinguish themselves through the care with which they prepare and serve their food. HanBat among my personal favorites in K-town, is one such place.

HanBat executes standard Korean fare with a consistency sometimes lacking in some of its neighbors a few blocks south on 32nd St. Little details such as regularly rotating panchan (which btw are side dishes, not appetizers!) make each meal unique.

HanBat's PanChan

On a recent visit, my wife and I stuck with the standards, and ordered the GobDol BiBimBap and KimChi ChiGae. Both were just what we were looking for in the severely hungover state in which we were in. Again the little touches showed through, as my BiBimBap was served along with a large (complimentary) serving of SolLongTang, which is a wonderfully slow cooked beef/marrow broth and noodles. While the BiBimBap itself was composed of a wonderful assortment of various veggies, which were really just a hodgepodge of other forms of panchan. Meanwhile my wife's KimChi ChiGae (KimChi and Slice Pork Soup) had a soul full homeyness that would make any Korean mother proud.

To be sure there are places in the city, even K-Town that excel at their house specialties, like GahmMiOak for their SolLongTang, or say BonChon or Baden Baden for their Chicken, but for the best overall "Korean Diner," experience, HanBat is hard to beat.

KimChi ChiGae

As HanBat is open 24/7, anytime is a good time to go, however as the lunch specials are very reasonable, lunch is probably the best time.

HanBat
53 W. 35th St., New York, NY 10001
(near 6th Ave)
212-629-5588