J I N H W A F I C A T I O N

Korea meets Russia : Elza Fancy Food in Brighton Beach, New York

It's been a long, long time since I'd even logged in this website.

Well, I did something extraordinary. I gave a birth to a lovely, but sleepless (so far) little girl! 9 months of pregnancy, and a true traumatic delivery, then now I'm a novice parent. Enough reason to neglect this blog, don't you agree?

Being a parent means a lot of things. And one of those is that you can't go anywhere without thinking of hassles you have to go through with a new born baby. Even going to a grocery store on my block makes me think, think, and rethink. 

So, going to Brighton Beach that requires me  an hour subway ride for lunch? Forget it. But it's a painful give-up because I do miss authentic, hearty Korean Russian foods there at Elza Fancy Food. This post is a true 'pre-baby' nostalgic one. 

The place used to be called 'At Your Mother-In-Law' Cafe.  but I saw a same chef in the kitchen before and after. 

Obviously, Koreans migrated to Russia (Soviet Union then) in late 1800s to 1900s. After so many years, they do look like Korean but they rarely speak Korean. However, Korean foods did survive in their gene. Elza Fancy Food is the perfect example of this survival. 

Unassuming attitude is everywhere in the place. Not so Russian feel, I would say. Just a Russian TV channel hints you they might serve you something Russian. Or Russian Korean. Or Korean Russian. On the menu you will find a handful of 'Korean' this and that. 

You will notice an extensive list of Kimchi, first. They call it 'Chim Cha' or 'Hye'. It's not surprising old Korean name for Kimchi used to be 'Dim Che'. A strong connection there, you can imagine. 

From the most common napa cabbage kimchi, Chima Cha ($3.40/lb), to exotic eggplant hye ($3.99/lb), Elza Fancy Food has many options to offer.  

Chim Cha has a cleaner taste than regular kimchi you'd find at a Korea restaurant. My hunch is that Elza's version skips fish sauce. Theirs is more like refreshing salads. I loved it. 

Eggplant hye wasn't bad, but it was oily. It also had black pepper in it, which is an odd ingredient for regular Korean kimchi. Guess it's Russian infusion.  

Cucumber cha ($3.99) was similar to eggplant one. Not so spicy but oily and peppery, but you can definitely tell fermentation is part of the making process.  

Now, this is my favorite, Yug-Gyadya ($7.5). Elza put another name next to it, 'Korean beef soup'. If you're familiar with Korean cuisine, this one would remind you of Yug Gye Jang, a spicy beef soup with various of vegetables and glass noodles.  Here, they serve you a white soup with all kinds of spices, onion, garlic, and cilantro. Mix and match as you wish. 

This was the my version. It's so hearty and satisfying. Mix a bowl of rice right into it, then have a spoonful bite with a piece of kimchi. A little sweat on your forehead and nose will tell you that you're eating really WELL and your body likes it too! 

My other favorite is Kuksu (picture above). Yep. This one has an identical name. Kuksu means basically noodle dish. At Elza you can have a refreshing cold noodle soup. I suspect it's beef broth. Kuksu comes with beef strips, cabbage, egg, cucumber with a touch of dill. Again, dill is herb that you would never see in Korean dish. 

Now, this giant omelet isn't particularly Korean. Eggs are everywhere! Inside of this, you'd find beef, mushroom and good amount of mayonnaise. It can be little heavy for someone, but filling.  It's served with carrot kimchi.  

I am missing this little place, tucked in on the corner of burstling streets of Brighton Beach. Maybe I can visit with my little one soon, hopefully. 

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Grilled Pork Belly Korean Way : Miss Korea in Korea Town, New York

Koreans love to grill pork belly. One report shows that a Korean eats 9 kg of pork belly a year on average. That's at least once a week, people. Their love for pork even made it possible to open a pork butcher shop in Jordan, a Muslim country. 

Since I'm away from that pork belly loving culture, it's about once or twice a YEAR that I'm grilling pork belly. What a shame..

So recently, when the pork belly craving God descent, I didn't resist. I decided to check out one of the most recent Korean restaurants in New York, Miss Korea. It turned out they have a nice lunch pork grill menu with a decent price tag. 

A better exterior design of Miss Korea looked promising. I like the big opening window, too. 

It's quite a big space inside. Do you see overhead grilling fume ventilation systems? For lunch, it didn't work at all. When we asked why, one of the waiters said, it was working "FAINTLY". But, honestly, it didn't work. When we pressed harder, she chose to keep her silence. 

One of the joy of Korean eating is endless side dishes (banchan). When you order BBQ stuff, they will give you a full version. So to experience side dish frenzy fully, consider ordering BBQ, not a bowl of cold noodle. Miss Korea spread out about 10 items before the meal. Nothing exceptional, but they hit the average taste bar. 

Grilled pork belly always tastes better when wrapped into a lettuce leaf on the bed of spicy scallion salads. The white old kimchi was accompanied to be grilled together with pork. Delish, delish. Try this trick at home, too. Slices of kimchi grilled with pork belly oil will open your eyes, I promise. 

The main cast of the day; Pork belly. It's unfrozen which makes a big difference. The belly was thick and healthy looking. Three strips were a lunch portion for two people ($12.95 per person). Four strips for a dinner menu. The lunch menu reads "cook your own BBQ with today's chef special soup" but they didn't serve the special soup for us saying they "don't serve the soup", so I don't know if the menu tells you the truth. 

Grilling time! Waiter does the job, so don't worry if you're new to this stuff. But, again, without ventilation system working, be prepared to be soaked with porky smoke. 

I like it as crispy as possible. Look at that brownish grilled kimchi. Sooo good. 

A perfectly grilled pork belly slice on a bed of scallions; it was full of tastes in my mouth. Pork belly means "three layers flesh" in Korean. What you see is three layers of white fat, though. When the fat loses some of weight making itself tight and chewy, you know it's grilled to perfection. 

It's hard to go wrong with this kind of dish unless the meat is really bad. Miss Korea's version wasn't exceptional to me. Like I said before about side dishes, the pork belly just hit the average. If you give me a blind test, I wouldn't distinguish it's from Miss Korea. There's no special about their pork belly. 

However, if you do the test about this Kimchi cold noodle ($4.95), I will definitely know it's theirs. It was unexpectedly yummy. Slightly sour with a sweet touch from soda (possibly Sprite) was refreshing. Floating kimchi slices and cucumbers were crunchy and noodle was cooked well. This was a half portion, a usual way to finish a Korean BBQ meal. So, next time, show off your sophisticated knowledge of Korean eating ordering one of those cold noodles after BBQ. :)

Spicy Cold Buckwheat Noodle (Bibim Naengmyun, $4.95) was good, too. But I kept tasting MSG-like buzz in the sauce. I would go for Kimchi noodle instead of this one. But it's just my taste. 

Service was spotty. Our waiter didn't look like she knew what she was doing; that kind of confusing manner makes me nervous, especially when it comes to a BBQ . And this is one of the reasons that I absolutely favor old-mom-like waiters at older Korean restaurants. I mean, they can be mean, but they know what they're doing. 

The whole meal experience wasn't memorable, but the Kimchi noodle stood up for me. I guess if you're a pork belly connoisseur, you wouldn't be satisfied at Miss Korea. But go there for their Kimchi noodle! 

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Wired Seoul : Where You Can Find a Good Cup of Espresso in Seoul, Korea

A good cup of coffee in Korea used to mean two spoons of instant coffee, powdered cream and sugar. Now that's all changed. The word espresso is more often used than coffee, and firm milk foam is preferred over sandy cream powder.

Especially Seoul, with WiFi available underground and high fashion on display, is witnessing people becoming quite fussy about coffee. Seoul is coffee-sophisticated enough that Paul Bassett, a champion of the World Barista Championship (WMC), opened up his own café here.

Instant coffee? No thanks. A cup of vending machine coffee? If you are desperate. Hand-picked and small-batch roasted beans from Yemen? Bring ‘em on. Oh, make sure it's individually hand-dripped. Wait, temperature of the coffee is 82 degrees C, right?

For the last ten years, Seoul has produced skillful basristas competing for the Korean Barista Championship. Now competition winners are respected as bona fide “coffee masters.” Jong-Koo Bang, who won the Championship in 2005, is the owner of Coffee Lab (327-19 Seogyo-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul; 822-3143-0908)

At Coffee Lab, wooden chairs are hung on the ceiling, creating a mood suggesting an underground hip-hop club. Baristas at Coffee Lab look like servers at a Michelin three-star restaurant. They wear crisp white shirts and tight glossy black vests.  It's easy to spot foreigners sipping espresso in a reminiscent pose. They look relieved with their favorite brew.

A cup of espresso macchiato (about $4) shows off the complex bitterness of coffee beans. A sweet dollop of milk foam is tight as a baristas' crisp shirt. Experienced baristas play comfortably with a worn-out espresso machine, La Marzocco. 

I usually let the coffee sit for a minute just to watch how crust & foam sink. This cappuccino (about $5) was a little milky but still the strong flavor of the bean kicked it. Of course, they're showing off the artsy painting skill with milk. 

If you want to test the custom “Lab” spirit, try Caffe Orzo (about $6). The comforting taste of Italian organic barley bookends a burstof tingling caffeine. 

First-generation Korean baristas learned from Japan. Coffee Mihak (300-268 Ichon-dong, Yongsan-gu; 822-3785-0723; www.coffeemihak.co.kr) showcases one of them. Mihak means “aesthetic” in Korean. Arrays of “Made In Japan” kettles and hand grinders convey caffeinated tradition. Here they use Saeco, a Japanese espresso machine.

Sweet and bitter coffee crust on the edge of espresso macchiato (about $6) promises a full, tangy taste. Its creamy quality refuses to be compromised by any form of milk.

If you need to be wired, try hand-dripped Aqua Blue from Brazil (about $9). Its strong flavor is like a cigarette, but it is also fruity, chocolatey with a heavy note.

Serious coffee connoisseurs who want to dig out the origin of Seoul's coffee culture should pay pilgrimage to Jeon Kwang Soo's Cofffe House (15-11 Namsan Dong 2ga, Jung Gu, Seoul; 822-778-0675; www.jeonscoffee.co.kr), the first hand-roasting coffee destination in Seoul. Baristas here brag of their seasoned skills. They hold pour-over kettles up in the air aiming right to the center of ground coffee, just like tea makers in Turkey or India. In another area of the shop, a Dutch coffee machine looking like a science experiment creates a less caffeinenated iced coffee (about $6) running through cold water over 10 hours. Slow-dripping tears of coffee made this way comes across creamy and less aggressive.

Now if you're really serious about coffee, take one of Mr. Jeon's classes. Some of them are weeks long and they cost up to about $3000. 250 cups of espresso or one class? Either way, you would be a certified coffee citizen in Seoul.

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As Local As It Gets : New Taste of the Upper West Side in New York

The Upper West Side locals took the apocalyptic rapture seriously. On the 21st of May, 2011, we all gathered under the huge tent for the last supper before the earth collapsed. 

D-day came, and we held our breath; Sky darkened, air cool and humid. We had, oh well, a shower. It damaged a little on the tent and carpet, but other than that, life went on. We celebrated our prolonged life with food, drink and fun.

New Taste of the Upper West Side is a grand food fair which brings locals, chefs & eaters, all together. 

The first day was the Comfort Classics ($85) which featured lots of sliders, and next day was the Best of the West on Saturday ($125) showcased fresh seafoods on majority. CC was less crowded than BW, but the best way to enjoy NTUWS is to look at the list of  restaurants on each day. Go with what you crave for. 

Now, I was ready to fill my hunger on both days. 

I was not the only hungry soul. These guys, parked right next to a garbage can, went on a Memphis pork ribs binge prepared by Virgil's Barbecue. 

The fair was also a nice way to welcome new comers to the UWS. 

It was lovely to taste the Starr Restaurant, which will nest their NY home at the New-York Historical Society in November. Their Stuffed Zucchini flower was fresh and delicious. 

Missy Robbins of A Voce prepared Chilled Spring Pea Soup. It was nice, but not memorable. 

Now, one of my favorite moments of NTUWS was surviving a maze of flooding orders of hand rolls of Blue Ribbon Sushi. 

Sushi master asks, "Did you order Tuna?"   

"What? Was it you?" 

"Why don't You take it?"

I was more than happy to take this yellowtail roll. Rice was warm, dried laver was crunch, smashed yellowtail with scallion was delightful. 

Tangled Vine assembled this yummy Mussels en Escabeche which I repeatedly munched on several times. Refreshing garnish with mussels were one of the best.

Now, if you drink, NTUWS is the place for you to drink liberally. Unlimited refills of wine, hard liquor, beer surely made lots of people  happy. 

Drinking work environment was embraced by chefs. Marc Murphy from Landmarc couldn't help smiling with a bottle of beer, you see. Of course, his shrimp toast was so delicious. 

You can survive solely on sweets at NTUWS. I deconstructed the order of dining at NTUWS. Dessert first, then a bite of burger, then maybe another dessert? 

This pretty marshmallow was a work by TJ Obias of Compass. He urged me to try one saying "Zero Calorie", well, I listened to him religiously.

Always lovely baked goods by Soutine Bakery made their corner there, too. A slice of Red Velvet cake excelled my appetite more than any appetizer. 

Valrhona really showed off the ability of what they can do with chocolate. First day, they concocted this rich chocolate milk (of course, they named it with some high words that I can't remember now). So sumptuous. 

This neat, artsy, clever presentation was by Graffit. On the bed of Manchego Cheese, there were four bites including wine jelly. I actually felt bad to destroy this pretty thing whenever I bit it off to fill my swollen stomach. 

A cup of Stumptown coffee was perfect to finish the meal, of course. 

There were so many stuffs that I gobbled down than these pictures; Salmon on the warm bread by Jean Gorge, Local Razor Clam by The Yard 610, Grilled Long Island Squid by Lincoln Risorante, Beef slider with caramelized onions by 5 Napkin Burger, Eggplant and Smoked Bufala Mozzarella Timbal by The Leopard at Des Artistes, Grand Bank Scallops by Atlantic Grill,  Montauk Lobster Brioche by Nick & Toni's.... just to name a few.

They must have been REALLY good to survive my feeble memory. 

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Mexicali Blue : Grilled Taco & Burrito in New Paltz, New York

We go up to New Paltz, New York quite often. Relatively short drive, easy hiking courses, and abundance of green always eases our busy eyes. Since it's only a weekend trip, we are not serious about where to eat there. Usually a cozy brunch at B&Bs is enough or left-over from our cooking with local veggies is more than good. 

However, that all changed after we found out about this ridiculously good taco joint right on the Main Street. And if Anthony Bourdain approves it as "Best Taco on the East Coast", you are just obligated to go there.  

Mexicali Blue, has become our must stop in New Paltz. 

The foremost important thing about Mexicali Blue is that foods start and end on the grill. Beef, pork, salmon, tuna, veggies, catfish, whatever you order, they will pull fresh item out of a refrigerator, then let them sizzle on the grill. No defrost time for frozen stuff here.

Another standing out point about Mexicali Blue is crunchy texture. Look at those burritos lined up. Black beans and rice (they only use brown rice, stir fried with corns) are not mushy. One of my main complaints about burritos was that runny-ness, which gave an impression of lazy, tired ingredients inside. THAT is  not found here. 

Despite of my dull passion for sauces, Mexicali Blue ones are tempting. All freshly made, coconut to raspberry to blueberry to roasted garlic, variety is  impressive. 

So, shall we eat now? 

First one is Port0bell0 Mushroom Taco (the picture on the top). One head right went to the grill, then cut up, mounted with sweet red onion & super fresh guac on the toasty grilled blue corn taco for $3.75. What do you want more? 

This is Chicken Taco ($4.25) with freshly chopped tomato, cilantro, and onion. Cilantro sometimes gets me, but not this fresh one. Slightly burnt white chicken was pleasantly smoky.

Tuna Burritos ($11.50) was impressive. Asian inspired marination with Teriyaki sauce, this sushi degree of fresh tuna was cooked perfectly pinky. Then crunch cabbage with a kick of wasabi aioli all complimented each other. Also, I love the lightly oil brushed, then grilled tortilla. Its grilled, caramelized mark is always yum. 

Right one is Chilime Burrito($11.50). Lime juice bathed chicken with hot sauce, cheese, guac, fresh salsa and herb sour cream created every bite joyful. If you have a spicy craving, this is the one to go for. 

On the left is Shrimp Garlic Marinated Burrito($10.50). Perfectly grilled shrimp was sweet. Then raw cabbage balanced that mellowness out. My another favorite.  

Veggie Quesadillas ($7.95) was gooey with susbstance. A giant flour tortilla held up a nice mix of melting jack cheese and pico de gallo (fresh salsa) and chunks of meaty portobello.  

Achiote Burrito ($11.50) wrapped orange juice marinated pork, cilantro, guac, onions, pineapple with coconut ailoi. It truly is their version of Hawaiian Pizza. Overall sweet, but pork was a bit tough and pineapple overpowered the organic balance of all. 

Look these guys. Food So Good It Hurts? As I'm writing this, I feel the pain. 

They do franchise, but didn't hear that they found anything in New York City, yet. And of course, we emphasized UWS is THE best place to open one. We even hinted the address of a vacant space near us. Meh. Didn't work out.

Ah, they say they deliver.... Can you deliver yammy burritos to UWS.. like right now?

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AsiaDog : Asian Toppings Meet Hot Dog in NoLita, New York

Everything is Starbucks-ized these days.

This highly personalized concept seems to work. You choose skim or soy milk for coffee, you select whole wheat bun over white, you mix match colors for your new sneakers, you can even choose what kinds of news you are going to consume. 

The idea of personalization in this rather categorized world retouches dull 21st century consumers. Many options do not necessarily celebrate one's free will or desire, but we still do think that way, when we see an array of choices. (I didn't mean to be philosophical before introducing a hot dog joint, but guess I just did.)

So why not, individualized, personalized hot dog, people? 

AsiaDog famed itself driving & parking around New York City. Dogs, buns, and Asian inspired toppings delighted New Yorkers. Energized up with dog eaters' enthusiasm, Asia Dog recently opened their first brick and mortar shop in NoLita, New York. 

Its simple entrance without a big sign, a toned-down, heavy use of woods interior, an exposed brick wall, an open kitchen, big clean open-able window... It's a chic place, indeed. 

Let's Starbucks-ize dogs. First, choose your dogs from beef, chicken, or veggie for $4.5. Feeling organic? Organic beef is available for $5.5, too. Then  choose your bun. White or Wheat? Then go for your toppings. They offer 7 different kinds. We ordered 4 hot dogs (with all wheat buns) and 1 corn dog. "It's just a hot dog" is what we thought when ordering. 

With a refreshing freshly squeezed Limeade Soda ($3), we were ready to 'dog'  in. 

First one was Vinh with beef. This Bahn Mi style dog was well balanced between sweet pickles and jalapeno spice-ness. Toppings were fresh bringing out another level of it. Generally its taste was mild, but balance was the word to describe this one. Good start. 

Mel+Steve with beef was chosen only because I liked the name, but the taste was not memorable. Its toppings were Asian sesame slaw, scallions, and sesame seeds.  The taste just didn't live up to the name or the vibrant color. If slaw was more sour, it might've been better? 

Ginny with beef was all about homemade Kimchi. Surprisingly well fermented kimchi stood out. It's not super spicy nor smelly; it's well controlled version for non Koreans, you know. Dried nori didn't do much for the taste, but looked good. I'm still not convinced if kimchi+hot dog combo brought something new out. It's like 1+1=2 rather 1+1=46. It didn't wow me. 

Ito with chicken was my favorite. Japanese curry (like chili on hot dog) worked well. I felt familiarity, and it was tasty. Oh, apple kimchi on the top of that? Fresh ideas, new interpretation, bold application of ordinary things... I finally welcomed the Starbucks-ized hot dog.  

However, the very best discovery of the day was yet to come. Kimchi Pancake Corndog ($6) was absolutely delightful. Kimchi pancake flavored batter (thinly applied) on the dog was solid. Korean chili dipping sauce was a killer. I kept thinking of buying more of those (if possible) for my bibimbap. Just so good. 

AsiaDog is lovable. Somewhat it is intellectually stimulating, too. Did I enjoy their dogs 100%? Not so. Am I going back there again? If I happen to be around NoLita. Am I still against to the concept of that Starbucks-ized thing? Probably. But it's more complicated than that. 

Try your hot dog with chopsticks, as they display in their menu. It's certainly a new, fun way to do it, but is it the most comfortable thing in the world? You know what I mean.

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Pure Thai Shophouse: Authentic Thailand Restaurant in New York

We had a nearly impossible mission; We wanted the Japanese soba master's noodle that we saw on No Reservation 2 nights ago. There we were in Hell's Kitchen in New York, looking  at constant waves of Thailand restaurants, we wanted Master's hand made noodle.  Plus, we had only 35 minutes before the show, Arcadia by Tom Stoppard. 

A cup noodle was appropriate for this moment, but we insisted. We checked out Toto Ramen, of course a long line didn't seem promising. Little Japanese places on the streets didn't look like they had the master we were looking for. 

As our grand mission was diminishing to "let's just eat something" , we found a pleasant, open window Thai restaurant, Pure Thai Shophouse. And it turned out such a serendipity of the day. 

Pure, which opened in October in 2010, is narrow and long. However, the open front round table erases claustrophobia. Most of the petite seatings is at the back . Without a grand seating area, naturally it makes sense that this could be a pretty good option for quick lunch or afternoon snack joint. 

We asked, first. "How fast are you?" "Quick" a server answered without a hesitation. So, we sat at the bar. 

This wholesome looking chicken broth pot caught our eyes. We had to start with a chicken noodle soup. Japanese soba master ain't there, but sweating Thai mama was there in front of this huge pot. 

Nakorn-Sawan Chicken Noodle ($8) arrived. Thin rice noodle was cooked perfectly; chewy but not gummy. Five spice soy broth was simple but satisfying with a sweet touch. Two big thighs were just breaking apart from a long, long braising. Very delicious. Bean sprout is always welcome to my world. 

"Ah..."

Japanese soba master, finally, left our heads. Our jealousy of Anthony Bourdain waned. We were fixed from our noodle yearning. 

Steamed Vegetable Dumplings ($6) were sweet. Maybe too sweet for our taste. An appetizer should be able to open, prepare palates for coming dishes, but this one just closed ours with sweetness. One can blame the unbalanced peanut taste, but it's Thai food in the end. It claimed that it had tofu, spinach, garlic chips, but I did not taste any of that; Only peanut stood out along with the electric green color dumpling skin. 

My sweet-numbed palate came alive again from inhaling this spicy chicken dish. Wok Basil with Chicken ($10) was pleasantly hot. Minced chicken meat was danced in basil + hot oil. Crunch bites of string beans was fun for a warm spring evening. Oh, how good it was when mixed with white steamed rice! 

Pure is a shophouse. Here you can buy things like Tamarind with Chili ($.3.25), Durian Chips ($3.5), Mango Slice with Chili ($3), or Siamese Salt ($2) . On my next visit, I will get  Thai Coffee Powder ($5) . 

Pure offers not only culinary adventure, but cultural one as well. Whatever this movie is, I might be interested to peek at it. 

Such a pleasant, unexpected find, it was. And we did all this in exactly 22 minutes; we even managed to get a cup of espresso before the show!  

Many of us make reservations of hip restaurants  after reviews, but one's dining experience is not necessarily same as the other one's. 

Pure Thai Shophouse was a fine gem we stumbled on one balmy spring night. We didn't hear about it, we didn't research, we didn't make a reservation, either. It did appear before us spontaneously in Hell's Kitchen, and we will be ever grateful for this running into. 

PS. I post-research about Pure Thai Shophouse and found out it's  a sister restaurant with Land Thai Kitchen and Recipe in our neighborhood, UWS! We will definitely check these out. 

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Jung Sik Dang : New Korean Cuisine in Seoul and Soon in New York

In July 2011, you may be a little embarrassed  to say "I've eaten Korean foods" after only adventuring bibimbap or Korean  BBQ. That month, a totally different Korean restaurant will invade Tribeca, New York. Behold, New Yorkers, Jung Sik Dang (@JUNGSIKDANG on Twitter) arrives. 

Jung Sik Dang (which opened in 2009 in Seoul) is new Korean cuisine. By that I don't mean, un-distinguishable fusion stuff. I do mean new, innovative Korean cuisine. 

Chef and owner Yim Jung Sik is young. The 3o-something guy who first got interested in cooking while serving army as a cook (cooking un-edible military foods!) in Korea is curious. So he and his team are naturally playful and flavorful. He then later trained himself at an institution like CIA, then restaurants like Bouley, Aquavit, but his spirit never got trained, which is good. He also worked at Zuberoa, Akelare in Spain. 

Recently, when I went back home in Seoul, I hurried myself to dine at Jung Sik Dang. I couldn't wait till they open in Tribeca, New York in July. I had to try. Below is very similar what you're going to taste at his Tribeca post. Chef Yim confirmed me in an email.  "We will set similar menus as in Seoul", he wrote. 

The space wasn't huge, just enough for 6 tables with a room for privacy. Dark wood floor, tables were calm. Chairs were comfortable. Light green painted wall was lively. Top to bottom window corner was open facing a park, creating atmosphere of a well maintained resort of South Asia.   

Bread serving is unusual at Korean restaurants. They give you rice, you know. Jung Sik Dang offers interesting bread selections ; A petite baguette on the left is Korean hot pepper (Korean version of jalapeno). Every bite is full of surprising spicy kicks and smell. If you don't welcome this spiciness, you can apply sweet and rich butter on it, then you will be saved. The one on the right is cranberry which presents nutty and biscotti texture. 

Amuse bouche arrives. This little cute glass bowl holds a quite amazing combo in it. On the bottom, there are cherry tomatoes topped with apple foam. Ah, how refreshing! Plus, pale pinky powder of salmon adds a little ground-ness to the dish. It's light enough to be amuse bouche, but fancier to be a regular amuse bouche. Then, sprinkles of dill and herb oil. Unusually perfecto. 

Jung Sik Dang only offers tasting menus. For lunch, I chose to savor 5 courses (about $65, which features three kinds of desserts!). Here we go, my first dish, "Picking your Salads" . 

This is an edible pot of salads. A waiter warns me. "You have to wash your hands after this one, would you mind?" he asks. Of course not. First of all, variety of greens is absolutely fresh. Edible soil that holds greens is white foam of coconut & citrus yuzu. That rich creamy texture is almost like whipped cream. For greens' well being, they spray lime essence oil. That works as salad dressing. I had to restrain myself from not digging the coconut foam all the way down. Absolute pleasure start.  

 

"Korean hot pepper Cream Kalkuksu" is a must to try. Kalkuksu (hand made noodle I adore), traditionally, is not associated with cream and it usually is served with lots of soup. So, I dare to taste the experiment. Clams are sauteed first, then added to the soup. That produces a well balanced Chinese character to the dish. Also, creamy broth isn't heavy at all. Soft and sweet zucchini, garlic, and hot pepper are all working graciously. Noodles are cooked perfectly as well. Oh, they give you fork, not chopsticks to try this one. So it is sort of in between Chinese noodles and Italian spaghetti based on Korean spirit. 

This dish is a killer. "Spanish Mackerel" is cooked and presented perfectly. It is my favorite among dishes I tried that day. Fish is grilled well, but it is stuff accompanied with it that amazes me. First, the black, green sauce on the bottom is made of sesame leaves and soy sauce. That distinctive aroma captures the smoky flavor of fish. Then, see that black rocky shape sponge? It's made of dried laver. How do they do that. I can't even describe that taste. Just shockingly good and interesting. You can almost taste the curiousness of chefs. Then grilled baby potatoes to give some familiarity. It's not shown in the picture, but there are pickled radish and cucumber to cut thru fishy-ness. Also, arugula works as same purpose ; Bitter taste cutting thru oily, fishy taste. Oh, that white foam is made of soy sauce and vinegar, popped right in front of me exuding playfulness. 

The grand finale of main dish is "Rainbow Garden" featuring lobster. It's so very colorful, but before the waiter poured this green sesame butter sauce onto it, I should've taken a picture of it. It was even more beautiful; Innocent, pure colors of seafoods. Lobster was pan fried to give chewy texture, but it wasn't cooked well. Some parts were dry, and other parts were not cooked enough. I forgive that missing skill since I just loved all kinds of pickles and veggies were  presented together on this dish. Little tapioca jellies were gems. Interesting pairing of textures; jellies and lobsters. However, you're serious about lobster, skip this one. 

Now, odyssey of three dreamy desserts starts. They were all presented at one plate. This is "Rychee and Raspberry". It's so complex that I don't know where to start. White ice cream was rychee. Ah, that subtle sweetness with tropical touch! Cinnamon crumbles, raspberry cream block, spinach sponge were all delish. Each one of them should be presented separately. It's almost too generous to give those at one dish. 

This is innovative ; "Burdock Chocolate". Burdock is a root veggie that usually cooked with soy sauce for side dish. So burdock chocolate? It was just great. Brownie with burdock felt like a dark chocolate. The earthy, slightly bitter flavor of burdock works perfectly with chocolate. Then caramelized milk ice cream, yam, you can't complain. 

"Squash Panna Cota" was refreshing. Clean taste of silky and cold cream was complimentary to hugging comforting taste of squash mousse. 

Now, my very attentive waiter offers me variety of teas. You can choose from it or cup of coffee (not espresso). I choose a cup of mint tea. 

Then as if I didn't eat enough, they give me more desserts. I don't mind. Front one is shepherd's purse macaroon. Behind is mugwort muffin. In spring, Koreans are dying to eat those herb-like spring veggies which contain lots of vitamin C. We make soups, steamed side dish... But apply those into desserts? Genius. Absolutely delicious. 

We trained ourselves with Korean foods through David Chang of Momofuku, then recently with Hooni Kim of Danji. And of course, unbeatable Korea Town restaurants and Kimchi Taco trucks. They are all great. Yim Jung Sik of Jung Sik Dang, however, will take you further. Trust me. 

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Lao Bei Fang Dumpling House : Hand Drawn Noodle in Elmhurst, New York

When The New York Times ran a story on Hung Ry recently, I immediately thought of Lao Bei Fang in Elmhurst, NY. 

They are sort of Country Mouse and City Mouse; Hung Ry in Noho, the other in Queens (right next to loud railroad). Hung Ry has a fancy Western broth maker or chef (Michael Hodgkins), Lao Bei Fang has worn huge pots. One brags about "finest organic" stuff, but the other one do not use that word at all. You can connect to Hung Ry via website or Facebook, Lao Bei Fang doesn't have any of those except Chinese character dominated brochure, which you can only get when you're there. No virtual world stuff. (Of course, Yelp talked about Lao Bei Fang)

But you know what? Both of them are mouse! The two are sharing the core value; hand pulled or drawn noodle. Also, two Chinese noodle masters do not speak English, either. They communicate through whipping noodle. 

Lao Bei Fang is a small noodle & dumpling joint with about 15 seats. Noodle is the thing you have to order there. The noodle master will start to show off his magic trick right after you place an order. 

Quick hand tricks give a birth to this beautiful chewy noodle. Noodle could be thick or thin depending on noodle master's mood, but it's always chewy and springy. Hand pulled noodle tends to be thicker than factory produced ones; the beauty of irregularity of handmade. 

Above is vegetable noodle ($4). Clear broth with all kinds of veggie (including not-so-very-nutritious iceberg) would sooth you. Overall, it's pretty plain; no overuse of salt which highlights homemade noodle. If it's too bland to your taste, you can splash with hot pepper oil. It's not fiery hot, either.

On a recent visit, I ordered Fresh Pork Bone soup ($4.25). This is what I got. Three huge pork bones on the top of freshly made noodle with a few bokchoy and cilantro, scallion. Its gigantic, barbarian looking surprised me, them calmed me down with clean, sophisticated broth. Pork bones didn't have much meat on it, but what a presentation!    

This is regular Beef noodle ($4.25) that you can find anywhere else. This version is not too Chinese; so if you are not a huge fan of distinctive Chinese spice, this is the way to go. It has generous portion of beef as well. 

Lao Bei Fang's noodle is cooked al dente at first, but it continues to cook inside of the soup. So if you prefer firm noodle texture, you better hurry up and finish. 

Dumplings are not to be missed. This steamed veggie one was $3.25 for 8 pieces. What a bargain. Like noodle, dumplings are freshly made too. It's little doughy for me, but it's not so much comparing to regular Chinese dumpling's standard. 

Fried dumplings seems "a must" for every diner at Lao Bei Fang. For $1.25, you can add one to your noodle dish. Sort of side dish, it is. This one was pork and chive, which was juicy and warm.

They sell frozen dumplings, too. For 50 pieces, it's only $11~13 depending on what kinds. 

So, why not make yourself travel to Elmhurst this weekends for comforting hand drawn noodle soup and dumplings? Then reward yourself coming home with frozen dumplings for next week? 

I would .

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Nom Wah Tea Parlor : Oldest Dim Sum Restaurant in New York Chinatown

There's something about "The First."

First love, first job, first school day, first kiss... and first & oldest dim sum place in Chinatown in New York which just reopened 2 days ago. 

Here, Nom Wah Tea Parlor, we were sitting in a retro red sofa booth looking around with awe. "Look at that old standing fan!" "Look at that counter!" Everything about Nom Wah felt like treasures. 

Not only materials. Mood of excitement was among the air. I overheard so many people talking about their dear memories of Nom Wah. 

This place was owned & cooked by Wally Tang, a Chinese immigrant for a long, long, long time. Recently he retired, the his nephew Wilson Tang took it over. This sleek looking, once worked in Financial world, fluent English speaking 2nd generation is a misfit in this nearly century old place? On a day we visited, Wilson was so helpful with every diners. He seemed enthusiastic about being a part of living history of Chinatown's oldest dim sum place.  

Also, the main dim sum chef now, used to work with original owner Wally. So there's another continuity.

Tea Parlor is a namesake. You can choose tea from 10 varieties. One pot is $0.75 except chrysantemum ($1.25). We had Bo-lay. They explained this tea as "most popular tea for dim sum as it is believed to aid in digestion and help lower cholesterol." 

Red check tablecloth, red booth seemed to recall a local diner in New England, at first. Felt like I had to have fat fried clams or lobster rolls. However, as time went by, slowly, red check felt rightly "Chinese." 

You don't have cart ladies from JinFong here. Everything is made to order freshly. No drama between you and cart lady. 

We started with Parsley & Scallion Rice Roll ($2.5). Slimy, wrapped, warm steam rice roll with sweet soy sauce soothed our winter-rain-wet souls. But roll itself could be doughy after 2~3 pieces, and as you can see, they give you lots. 

Chao Zhou Style Dumpling ($2.5) was like a fruit basket; little bit of everything. Pork, roasted pork, carrot, potato (not sure), chive, dried shrimp, and Chinese sausage. It's not hard to identify ingredients mainly because bites are big. This character was consistent with other dim sums. Somehow it reminded me of generous character of grand pop who always wanted to give you more whatever he had in his pocket.  

My favorite one was Shrimp & Snow Pea Leaf Dumpling ($3.5). Fresh smell of snow pea was coming out of that half open mouth of dumpling. Shrimp bites were so full, the proof of fresh shrimp. Pea leaf was crunch too, not so over-cooked. Loved this one. 

We had only one fried dim sum which was Spring Roll ($3.5). We all know what spring roll is, but this one is different from what you had before. Ingredients are chopped (big pieces), not grounded. So you know what you eat. Pork bites were bigger giving texture, thin long bamboo shoots were soft to chew, half dried shrimps, and petite bites of mushroom... It's unusually charming. 

Scallop Dumpling ($3.5) is a misleading name. It was more of shrimp, and tiny bites of scallop. But I didn't complain fresh sweet taste of shrimps. FYI, don't expect full blasted rather chewier scallop taste.

Tapioca Dumpling ($2.5) had lots of taste to prove. Thicker transparent dough revealed what was inside. Innocence. Expect more brittle bites from this one. Peanuts, celery bites, radish (not sure), sesames, chopped pork make every bite more crunchy and raw. 

House Special Roast Pork Bun ($1). On the menu of Nom Wah, there are 4 red circled items including this one. Red means "Nom Wah exclusive; you should try these." Gigantic handsome pork bun was served. 

Inside was red-ish sweet roasted pork bites. Some of them were jerky like texture, but over all sweet and delightful. 

We spent nearly 2 hours sitting, mainly chatting with sips of tea. Quick bites were not happening to us. 

No one hinted us "Get out of here already!". All were helpful to explain dim sum and its history of the place. Serving ladies were lovely; not so much English, but attentive to check if your tea pot was full enough. Watching them drying tea cups with towels, we kept sipping. Then, nasty drenching weather outside was slipping away...

I will have to go back there, soon. I already miss the vibe and foods. Plus, on my first visit, I mis-calculated tips. I gotta go back and show my love in proper dollars. 

*Till February 15, they will give you 20% discount of entire bill. So hurry up! 

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