Jap Che + DookBaeKi Bulgogi in K TOWN
Today’s lunch in Korea Town was inspired by the MetroMix Story on Asian Noodles in NYC I found a couple of days ago.
I had to run a few errands in Midtown and immediately wondered where I could eat in the hood…. Bingo. Story came to mind and I invited Miss Liana along for the ride.
After checking out a few of the suggestions from MetroMix we decided on
Kunjip 9 W 32nd St (Btwn 5th Ave & Bway).
Kunjip was listed for its rendition of Jap Che and so we decided to head on in.
It was also bustling with people during lunch, so we figured it must be good!
We ordered the Jap Che and a both ordered the lunch special Bulgogi. Out came the food!
Every Korean meal includes anywhere from 2 to 12 side dishes (banchan). The most important and well-known is kimchi, of which there are 100+ varieties, but there are also hundreds of other types of side dishes from stewed crab to egg custard.
Today we had an assortment of kimchi, anchovies, potato salad, seaweed, bokchoy and tofu. They also brought us bowls of steamed purple rice. Ogokbap (Five-Grain Rice)
Jap Che w. Seafood- pan-fried noodles with vegetables and seafood - can be a part of the selection of banchan or a meal in itself. We shared this version, which was full of mushrooms, vegetables, baby oysters and octopus as an appetizer.
The ‘glass noodles’ are actually made from sweet potato starch and turn translucent when cooked. I love the springy texture of these noodles and the sweet sesame soy sauce that they are stir-fried in is wonderful.
This was delicious! I want to make this at home sometime soon…. stay tuned ;)
Next up was our Dook Bae Ki Bulgogi - marinated sliced beef, rice cake and noodles in a stone pot.
Liana saw this on the menu and had one of those ” You had me at Bulgogi ” moments hahah.
The same ‘glass noodles’ swam in rich beef broth that was steaming hot in the stone bowl. The Bulgogi literally means “fire meat” in Korean and is usually cooked on the grill or BBQ. The very thinly sliced meat is marinated in a mixture of soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, garlic and other ingredients.
The rice cakes were chewy and had great texture. The broth/sauce had seeped into them and added some extra flavor.
A lot of food and it was all fresh and so so delicious!!!
We loved our meal at Kunjip. I definitely recommend coming here for a delicious lunch or a night of BBQ with a group of friends.
