I have been on the hunt for a decent bow of cold noodles for years. I have only come across enough establishments that I can count with only one hand! All the other restaurants that display signs saying they have “naengmyeon available” or “specialize in naengmyeon” are just twisting the truth a bit.

So when a TV commercial came on for Shinpo Naengmyeon, I had to check it out. The restaurant is located in a former establishment that must have had some sort of Caribbean theme. You can see the remnants of on the top of the photo. I have been in this place a couple of years ago, but I don’t recall it being a naengmyeon place. The old place used to be a huge place, however, the new owner has partitioned off the floor space. The restaurant now occupies the right hand side and on the left what appears to be some sort of dance floor.

But I digress. When you enter the place, don’t be surprised since you will not find Korean wait staff. In fact, all the waiters are hispanic guys all wearing gray Shinpo polo shirt with the name of the restaurant emblazed on the back. One guy had a lengthly hair weave that sort of reminded you of that alien character from Arnold Schwarzenegger’s film “the Predator”.

The service was quick and the bowl of naengmyeon arrived within 5 minutes. Now the appearance of the noodles and the color of the broth is a dead giveaway when it comes to authenticity. Did they make the broth out of beef or did they just use instant powder? Is the noodle made of potato starch or buckwheat? The buckwheat is slightly light purplish like soba but a bit thinner. Noodles made with potato are not clear but slightly grey. And when the waiter asks you whether you want the noodles cut, always say “NO”.

Don’t expect banchan at these places. Only thing they have for you are a small plate of white radish kimchi. Instead of tea or water, a small kettle of warm beef broth is offered as drinks. The toppings were the standard fare – half cooked egg, slice of pear, few pieces of white radish kimchi, 2 slices of pyeonyuk (beef cooked in boiling water and presented thinly sliced). However, this one had 2 slivers of hot chili pepper and cucumbers.

The broth itself did not taste like it had any MSG. It was not sweet. It was not bitter. It was just sort of neutral. It could have been the combination of the watered down beef broth and white radish kimchi liquid. Even after putting vinegar and mustard, it lacked some punch. The noodle was okay but I like mine al dante and this was slightly chewy. But at $9.95 it is at the low end of the price range in this part of NJ. This dish in Palisades Park or Fort Lee would normally fetch $12.95. Bibim naengmyeon is $10.95 and whoe (raw fish) naengmyeon is $12.95. Cliffside Park now has about half a dozen Korean restaurants along the Anderson Avenue and is less than 5 minute drive from those towns. So do venture out.

Shinpo Naengmyeon
606 Anderson Avenue
Cliffside Park, NJ 07010
Tel: (201) 840-0001
Hours: Monday – Sunday 11AM-?PM
Free parking by the alley, however it slopes like 45 degrees downhill!

My Finicky Rating (1-5, 5 being the best):
Naengmyeon broth (yook soo) – 3
Naengmyeon noodle (sari) – 4

The exterior of this Japanese Seafood Buffet Restaurant, only a few feet from the notorious Little Ferry Traffic Circle on Route 46, belies what is actually inside. Amongst the large parking lot that often times will have several semi-tractor trailers – the root cause being the restaurant is attached to a motel.

This “Japanese” buffet has been around for almost 10 years and the owner is a Korean. I went there solo on a Friday afternoon, the last Friday of 2007 and it was jammed packed. A lot of college age kids were there seemingly hungry for food before heading back to school after a lengthy winter recess.

When the restaurant first opened up, it was truly an amazing place. The lunch is a bargain at $15 per person during weekdays, however, the dinner is $26-$28 depending on day of the week. The only difference is that at dinner they will server lobster tails (puny little ones) I don’t think they ever weigh more than 1/2 lb. But Alaskan crab legs are available for the unlucky ones that had to endure a line that forms and never seems to get any shorter. People actually stalk the buffet line waiting for the guy to bring out a new tray of lobster.

You must have a strategy to eating at a buffet place. One should NOT try to pile on anything and everything that they have to offer on one plate. Scout the area first and make note of what you want to gorge on. Hot food my friends is pretty mediocre at this place. Skip them, except the tempuras. They have vegetable tempuras consisting of broccoli, carrots and onions. But the trick is the pick out the shrimps that are hiding amongst the veggies. Grab a dozen of them, put garnish of shaved radish and top off with tempura sauce that is right in front of the chafing dish.

Area A – My favorite section! Go for the sashimi salad! Bypass any idiot that is holding up the line by ordering handrolls. They are not too smart and lack taste.

Area B – All sorts of sushi “rolls” here. Tuna roll (tekamaki) you can tell is made from scraps. You could do worse by picking other “esoteric” rolls. Except for tekamaki and occasional salmon rolls, skip them. They don’t waste anything here.

Area C – Fruits and occasional salads. During evening hours, crab legs are here. They are usually pretty salty and don’t contain much solid meat. That happens when frozen crab legs have been overly broiled.

Area D – Other salads like seafood gazpacho, seaweed salad. Slim pickins here.

Area E – Hot food section. This is also where the lobster tails come out on evenings! During lunch, the udon guy is here. All sorts of greasy meats are here. Bypass and go directly to end of row for tempura and pick out just the shrimp.

Skip the so-called sushi rolls. They have stuff that are covered in pinkish mayo and other stuff. Skip them, skip them, if you are true sushi lover. Skip the handrolls. Once you grab the plate, the line around the buffet area sort of goes clockwise. Don’t let anyone jump the line or sneak in for things. If you see that the line is not moving, it invariable means some idiot has ordered and handroll and thus holding up the line. Tell yourself that idiot has no taste. Go directly for the salad that is offered right next to the pickled ginger and wasabi. This will be your goal. This salad – the name that I did not make note of despite of eating here almost two dozen times, consists of large cubes of tuna, slabs of salmon, red and yellow peppers (not the hot kind) topped with what tastes like rice wine. This my friend beats any other dish that they have to offer here. One advance of this is you don’t fill up your tummy by gorging on sushi. Stuffing yourself with rice just reduces amount of fish you can inhale! Next go for the mackrel sushi. Often times they will have run out of tuna and salmon sushi. Go for the red clam. Skip the egg (tamako). Skip the damned daikon. Who the hell eats this shit? Oh forget about ever seeming eel (unagi) or sea urching (uni) at this place. They are too costly for this establishment.

Now days, all food preparers are Hispanic. I think this is only place that you can see men and women preparers working in same open area. You would be hard pressed to see any Asian faces amongst them. Yes it has become that predictable. All the rice for sushi are pre-made and come uniform in size, so they are using a machine to form them.

Tip #1 – Do not order green tea. They give you one and only one bag at the beginning and they refill the cup with hot water each time you ask for refills!

Tip #2 – Water of course is good ole Little Ferry municipal tap water. Ask for lemon wedges or just go get them yourself. The lemon tray is next to wasabi and pickled ginger area.

Tip #3 – On weekends and especially on evenings, this place will be jam packed. Be prepared to be assaulted by loud noise and unruly kiddies running around. Parents seem to think this place is great for kiddie birthday parties. Hmm.

Website: www.minado.com

Lunch
Monday – Friday $15.00
Saturday – Sunday $17.00
Holidays – $17.00

Dinner
Monday – Thursday $26.00
Friday – Sunday $28.00
Holidays – $28.00

NOTE: I’ve had had this entry sitting in edit mode for best part of past 2 months. I don’t have much time to complete this entry, so this is work in progress…

In Han Ah Reum Shopping Center – Ridgefield, NJ – Part 1, we covered the supermarket. In this edition, we cover the well-hidden, but nonetheless a surprisingly diverse offerings in the food court tucked in the complex. The food court is located at the back of the market amongst the display units containing sausages made with fish (tuna), and the ppong-teugi guy. Ppong-teugi is a large round rice cracker that is puffed/popped on the premises. It used to be across from the sushi/sashimi counter but has be exiled to the section that used to be the snack section.

Another view of the food court.

This is the Sushi/Sashimi counter. Besides sushi, they sell kimbap, literally “seaweed (laver) rice”, Korean version of futomaki. They also have soon dae, sausage made with pig intestine filled with vermicelli noodle, pigs blood, sometimes with sticky rice, sort of like hagis. Not that I had hagis, mind you! From what I have read, the ingredients seem to be pretty similar. Some other dishes offered are ojing uh ppok um, squid/cuttlefish tempura, go goo ma, steamed sweet yam. The counter on the left offer dumplings and sweet rice cakes. Oh before I forget, there is also a counter selling tteuk, cakes and mandoo.

A1. Doenjang Jjigae – Bean Paste Stew Served w/Steam Rice – $7.47x
A2. Kimchi Jjigae – Kimchi Stew Served w/Steam Rice – $7.47x
A3. Jangtuh Guksu – Korean Noodle Soup – $7.47x
A4. Sundubu Jjigae – Spicy Tofu Soup – $7.47x
A5. Seolleong Tang – Beef Soup Served w/Steam Rice – $7.47x
A6. Bibim Bap – Vegetables & Rice w/Steam Rice – $8.25x
A7. Ttaroh Gukbop – Spicy Beef & Vegetables Soup – $7.95x
A8. Saengtae Jjigae – Whiting Stew Served w/Steam Rice – $8.95x
A9. Soondae Guk – Beef Soup w/Korean Sausage – $9.50
A10. Jeonbok Juk – Rice Porridge w/Abalone – $9.95
A12. Kalbi Tang – Spare Rib Soup (Korean Style) – $9.95x
A13/A17. Daegu Maeun Tang – Spicy Codfish Soup Served w/Steam Rice – $9.50x
A14. Mul Naeng Myeon – Cold Noodle Dish – $8.50x
A15. Bibim Naeng Myeon – Spicy Noodle Soup – $8.95x
A16/A18. Modeum Soondae – Combo Sausage – $8.95x
A16. Whe Naeng Myeon – Fish Noodle Dish – $9.50x
A13/A27. Haemul Pajeon – Seafood Pancake – $7.50x
A28. Maeun Kalbi Tang – Spicy Spare Rib Soup – $9.50
A29. Chadol Doenjang Jjigae – Beef Bean Paste Stew w/Steam Rice – $9.50

Wugeoji Jang Guk, Green leafs of Chinese cabbage containing cooked rice in a hot beef broth, often topped with beef chunks and julienned egg garnish (geh shi = now offering) – $9.50
Kimchi something… – $9.50

B1. Jjajiang Myeun – Noodle w/Black Sauce – $6.95
B2. Jjam Ppong – Spicy Seafood Noodle Soup – $7.93
B3. Ul Myeun – Chinese Seafood Noodle Soup – $7.93
B4. Sehwoo Ppokeun Bop – Fried Rice w/Shrimp – $7.25
B5. Jjajiang Ppokeun Bop – Fried Rice w/Black Sauce – $7.25
B6. Japchae Bop – Fried Noodles w/Vegetables – $7.50
B7. Haemul Jaaptang – Seafood Platter w/Steam Rice – $8.50
B8. Tangsoo Yeuk – Fried Beef w/Sweet & Sour Sauce – $13.95
B9. Tangsoo Sehwoo – Fried Shrimp w/Sweet & Sour Sauce – $.–
B10. Kkanpoong Ghi – Fried Chicken w/Chili Sauce – $.–
B11. Kkanpoong Sehwoo – Fried Shrimp w/Chili Sauce – $.–
B12. Ppokeun Bop – Fried Rice – $.–
B13. Jjam Ppong Bop – Spicy Seafood Soup w/Rice – $.–

Han Ah Reum, also known as H-Mart is a chain of Korean supermarket with locations throughout US and Canada mainly in regions with large Korean-American population. There are 4 locations each in New Jersey and New York. Today we pay a visit to the Ridgefield, NJ location at 321 Broad Avenue South, which is actually on US Route 1 & 9. The photo above is looking south bound.

The huge complex has one of the largest Korean supermarket in northeast. There are also bakeries, bookstore, gift shops, bank, liquor store, clothing store, beauty shop, and few others. I have been to their Englewood and Little Ferry locations however this is the largest and the cleanest location.

If you are squeamish about seeing lots of meat or a vegetarian, next few photos have pictures of naked meat but will be followed by a dazzling shot of jars and jars of kimchi!!!

This is what unfrozen ox tails look like. No part of the cow is wasted here. The tail part may be the best part?

Soyang beef tripe on the left @$2.69 a pound and LA kalbi beef sliced short rib on the right @$5.99 a pound.

So kko ri ox tails @$6.99 a pound. The popularity of the ox tails has driven the price up sky high.

Frozen bulgogi, thinly sliced beef at only @$2.69 a pound.

What a beautiful sight, display shelves teeming with all kinds of kimchi.

All Han Ah Reum’s kimchi are from TOBAGI brand. I can just make out the following dizzying array of kimchis:

* ghat kimchi – mustard green kimchi

* gul seok kimchi – chunk radish kimchi

* neng meun kimchi – sliced radish kimchi

* dong chim mie kimchi – radish kimchi with soup base

* mmat kimchi – sliced cabbage kimchi

* mujung kimchi – radish leaf kimchi

* paek poh gie kimchi – white cabbabe kimchi

* bu chu kimchi – chives kimchi

* yeul moo kimchi – baby radish kimchi

* yeul moo mul kimchi – baby radish kimchi with soup base

* oyie so bak yee kimchi – stuffed cucumber kimchi

* chong gak kimchi – young radish kimchi

* teuk sun gook kimchi – preserved cabbage kimchi with oyster

* teuk po gie kimchi – preserved white cabbage kimchi

* pah kimchi – green onion kimchi

* po gie kimchi – whole cabbage kimchi

* peut bae chu kimchi – young cabbage kimchi

Whew! I am sure I missed few more.
Few links showing photos of kimchi. Best of Korea – Kimchi and Korean Restaurant Guide.

The banchan appetizer corner.

A wall of dan mu jie yellow picked radish or dakuan (all the packages have them labelled as takuan) in Japanese. I shouldn’t say this but the Korean brands are cheaper but the Japanese brands are actually much better tasting.

Yang yeum dwae jie go gie seasoned pork @$3.99 a pound. Yang yeum shey go gie/bulgogi seasoned beef @$4.99 a pound. Yang yeum ddak go gie seasoned chicken @$2.99 a pound. Pyieuh Up Neun Kalbi boneless short rib @$7.99 a pound. Go gie can mean either meat or fish but to distinguish, seng sun is reserved for fish. I am very leery of this sort of out in the open presentation since you never know whether there is a base of ice on the bottom to keep these things cooled. With all the heavy traffic next to the trays… This day, there were no plastic wraps covering to prevent foreign stuff from getting in the mix.

New Jersey
Ridgefield
321 Broad Ave. S
Ridgefield, NJ 07657
Tel : 201-943-9600
Store Hours : 8:00 AM ~ 11:00 PMCherry Hill
1720 Marlton Pike.
Cherry Hill, NJ 08003
Tel : 856-489-4611
Store Hours : 8:30 AM ~ 9:30 PM

Englewood
25 Lafayette Ave.
Englewood, NJ 07631
Tel : 201-871-8822
Store Hours : 9:30 AM ~ 9:30 PM

Little Ferry
260 Bergen Tpke.
Little Ferry, NJ 07643
Tel : 201-814-0400
Store Hours : 9:00 AM ~ 10:00 PM

Edison
518-14 Old Post Rd.
Edison, NJ 08817
Tel : 732-248-8586
Store Hours : 9:00 AM ~ 9:00 PM

New York

Northern 141
141-40 Northern Blvd.
Flushing, NY 11354
Tel : 718-358-0700
Store Hours : 24 Hours Open

Northern 156
156-40 Northern Blvd.
Flushing, NY 11354
Tel : 718-888-0005
Store Hours : 8:00 AM ~ 11:00 PM

Union
29-02 Union St.
Flushing, NY 11354
Tel : 718-445-5656
Store Hours : 8:00 AM ~ 12:00 AM (Midnight)

Williston Park
400 Hillside Ave.
Williston Park, NY 11596
Tel : 516-699-0270
Store Hours : 8:30 AM ~ 10:00 PM

Woodside
59-18 Woodside Ave.
Woodside, NY 11377
Tel : 718-446-0759
Store Hours :
Mon-Sat : 8:00 AM ~ 10:00 PM
Sun : 9:00 AM ~ 9:00 PM

On this sunny Saturday, we ventured to see relatives in Douglanston and stopped by Matparam for lunch. The sign above says Matparam, or “taste wind”. I would have anglicized it as Matbaram but hey I am not the owner. Their speciality is kal guksoo, knife cut noodle, noodle made with flour along with soo jebi, soup with dough flakes.

I had the myulchi kal jebi, combination of kal guksoo and soo jebi. The soup base is made with myulchi, dried anchovy. Wife had the dak kal guksoo, with chicken and mother-in-law, haemool kal guksoo, mixed seafood. I prefer soup base that is basic to say the least with no fancy schmancy things thrown in, but the soup was a bit weak than I would have liked. You should taste slight tanginess/saltiness with the soup because of the anchovy. Mind you these are not the can or jar that you are thinking of. These are air-dried anchovies that are usually sold in packages like shown here. Apparently they come in few varieties – for soup base and for frying. The soup also featured thinly sliced potatoes at first glanced looked like radish. It also featured hobock, squash/zucchini julienned and pyogo buhseuk, shiitake mushroom.

Their menu on the wall look like Moses’s Ten Commandments.

And on the other side of the 10 Commandment – they are main dishes or for appetizers for drinkers. All of them are spicy!

The kimchis were fantastic. The top one is made from radish stems and on the right is radish. The bottom one is from Chinese cabbage. Overall, it was a satisfying meal and I would definitely revisit and try the other dishes.

Matparam Restaurant
150-40 Northern Blvd., Flushing, NY
(718) 460-2535
Hours: Monday – Sunday 11AM-4AM, Closed 2nd and 4th Wednesdays

Yes that is not a mistake. They ARE open until 4AM.

May be it was the return of the hot weather or perhaps it was because it was Father’s Day, but the place was packed when we returned for another bowl of the arrowroot neng meun. Unlike the previous visits, the piped in music was much too loud and the patrons too were loud but busily enjoying the cold noodles.

When we were shown our table, we noticed everyone seemed to have ordered besides the cold noodles, haemul pajun the seafood pancake. In hindsight we should but instead ordered the LA kalbi, short ribs. However, the chil neng meun did not disappoint. Besides the soup, there were chilled icy chunks of soup floating sort of slushy. When the waiter/waitress asks you whether you want the noodles cut (using scissor) or not, tell him you don’t. Often times you lose the real flavor and texture of the noodle when the noodles are cut and cut too short. The noodles were al dente as as they should.

In a basin of cold soup, noodles, sliced cucumbers, and seasoned radish strips these items were placed on top: white sesame seeds whole and powered, cooked egg half, and kkochu jang, spicy red pepper paste which had hints of garlic. I wish I had taken a photo of this magnificent presentation butI was hesitant to do so and make a scene. As the sign on the wall suggests, unlike traditional neng meun, you do not use shik cho vinegar, but gyeja mustard is acceptable and you will understand once you slurp the cold soup before sinking your teeth into the arrowroot noodles. Although neng meun, literally “cold noodle,” is thought to be more suitable during summer and deemed to be a summer dish, it tastes much better in winter. Traditionally this is often the prefererred winter fare in northern Korea.

Mool neng meun “water cold noodle” costs $9.95 and so is the bibim neng meun “mixed cold noodle” same as mool except no soup. The whe neng meun noodle with sashimi, with piece of skate on top costs $11.95. They also have a “petitie noodle” a smaller versions of above for $6.95. The previously mentioned LA kalbi comes with roasted garlic which actually loses its bitterness once they come out of the oven. The kalbi is $13.95. All the menu items seemed to have gone up by a buck or so since our last visit which was only a few months ago, in the dead of winter of course! Oh and the humongous haemul pajun which was literally bigger than the plate that it came in is only $9.95 which is cheap. Other restaurants in the town normally charge $12.95 and up for this dish.

Looking at the back of the business card, I noticed it lists their Texas branch in Dallas. The NJ location is the 1st branch outside of Korea and there is another one at 156-03 Northern Boulevard, Flushing, NY. The telephone number is (718) 461-6511.

According to the 2000 census, 36.38% of Palisades Park residents identified as being of Korean heritage. And all this happened around early 80′s. It is no wonder that this town has more concentration of Korean restaurants in one mile radius than anywhere in the states.

On this inaugural posting, the emphasis is on Broad Avenue, although there are few others on Grand Avenue (I can only think of one – Wol Mi Do, a sushi/sashimi), and another one near the railroad tracks by Shop Rite. There are also several places on Bergen Boulevard such as Shabrang and seemingly newly opened Mandoo Bar. I will get to those in future postings along with coverage of Fort Lee, Leonia, Ridgefield, and Cliffside Park. A visit to northern Bergen Country towns Tenafly and Closter may be possible. Hey, have I left out your town?

I have been meaning to do a foodie blog for quite sometime but what really prompted was a posting on Off the Broiler. So this site is a direct response to the calling.

I don’t have any food porn, so bear with me. Hopefully future postings will have them along with separate review for each establishments. I can’t take photos and enjoy the food at the same time. I am always in a rush to eat the food first and by then, it is too late for decent shots! Nobody wants to see naked photos of half-eaten dishes!

I don’t claim to know anything about food let alone Korean cuisine. By birth doesn’t necessary give me the power to make any judgment. I only know what I like and I don’t. Your mileage may vary, so please try out these places on your own and then make your own conclusions.

Our starting point is at the corner of Edsall Boulevard and Broad Avenue and travel south all the way down to Columbia Avenue, where US 1&9 meets Route 46. It is interesting to note that there is also Edsall Avenue which is just two blocks north of Columbia Avenue. Just so that you boys and girls don’t get lost, the street numbers decrease going south on Broad Avenue and even numbered addresses are to the east side of Broad. This is usually the same pattern for most streets. Did you know that?

Sushi To Go
456 Broad Avenue
Tel: (201) 242-1000
Hours: Monday – Saturday 10AM-10PM, Sunday 11AM-9PM
(Comments to follow…)

Myung Dong Noodle Restaurant (Myung Dong Kal Guk Soo)
452 Broad Avenue
Tel: (201) 947-1199
Hours:
(Comments to follow…)

Heidelburg
448 Broad Avenue
Tel: (201) 407-6001
Hours: Monday – Saturday 4:30PM-2AM

This Hof – Shortened from German word Hofbrau was mentioned in one of foodie blog regarding latest Korean fried chicken fad. The sign underneath the green awning says “whole chicken, to-go welcome!”

Nak Ji Dae Hak, Dduk Bok I Gwa
442 Broad Avenue
Tel: (201) 592-1011
Hours: Monday – Saturday 11AM-10:30PM, Closed Sundays

An amusing name for a restaurant serving baby octopus. The sign says “The school bell is ringing… Baby Octopus College, Majoring in Spicy Rice Cake”.

Oh Oh Wha Restaurant (Tto Tto Wha Boon Shik)
421 Broad Avenue
Tel: (201) 592-7020
Hours:

The Korean name of this establishment is Tto Tto Wha with Boon Shik meaning snack. Tto Tto Wah literally means come, come again. Don’t ask me why they call it Oh Oh Wha. They probably figured it would be easier for non-Korean speaking customers. Their pork donkatsu is humongous and literally as big as the plate it comes in. Most of the dishes are under $10. Jjah Jang Meun, noodle with black bean sauce Korean style, is pretty decent along with Jham Phong, spicy noodle soup. Indeed it is posted as being their specialties. Jeh Yuk Bbok Geum, sizzling hot and spicy pork slices are good too but a bit greasy. After the meal for desert unlike other places where you get fruits, you get a cup of strawberry ice cream in a small styrofoam cup.

Han’s Food Takeout
413 Broad Avenue
Tel: (201) 944-4828
Hours:

The awning in Korean says New Jersery Food Department Store above Han’s Food Takeout. A not too modest name for a catering place? Does not seem to draw that many customers as compared to other 2-3 other banchan and catering places in Pal Park.

Paris Baguette
408 Broad Avenue
Tel: (201) 592-0404
Hours:

Ah. Paris Baguette is ubiquitous in Korea with practically stores in all neighborhoods especially in Seoul. This place opened less than a year ago and it is doing a booming business. They do serve crusty baguette, but make sure if you are picky like me, that the crust is hard to touch and not soft. I have gotten few “duds” that felt and tasted as like Italian bread.

Ja Yu In Bar * Restaurant
330 Broad Avenue
Tel: (201) 461-0166
Hours:

Ja Yu In means “independent person”. The place seems a bit seedy. Perhaps best to stay away from these sort of establishments?

Woori House
337 Broad Avenue
Tel: (201) 592-0870
Hours:

A little cultural lesson is necessary here. That little oblong sign underneath “Woori House” says pojang macha, literally “covered horse carriage”. Pojang Machas are all over Korea. They are usually street vendor establishments covered with tarp selling anything edible. The Honolulu Advertiser has an article on it. Unfortunately the literal translation there is incorrect and please don’t snicker at that guy in the photo. There are several definitions of pojang and unless you know the Chinese characters for it, it is easy to mix-up and say it is “wrapped”. But the correct word is for “covered”. According to my dictionary, one is for “a linen awning [screen]; a curtain” and it has Ma Cha in further elaboration “[place selling liquor] a covered cart bar; a small wheeled snack bar with a tent”. The other definition is “pack/wrap”. Wait. These are actually better links. They have photos to boot! Seoul Style and Life In Korea.

So when you say to the waiter/waitress you want your food or left-over to take home (aka, a doggie bag) you would say pojang haejuseyo, please wrap this up. This is where the second definition comes into play. Isn’t cultural/language lesson wonderful?

Oh if you are inclined to visit this place, do while it is still light outside. Do look up and note that this place was built in 1916. It also has 3 theatrical figureheads doubling as rain water spouts! And those Corinthian columns. Damn I still remember them from high school – Doric, iconic, and Corinthian columns. Never thought I would get to use those words but finally! Also look down by the curb. On Sunday mornings, you are guaranteed to see at least 100 cigarette butts strewn about the parking spot right outside the establishment. Yes I did noticed that and have photos to prove it, but no sense ruining your appetite here.

Arirang/Wang Mandu (Arirang Catering & Wang Dumpling House)
318 Broad Avenue
Tel: (201) 585-1944/1945
Hours:

I have to admit I like Arirang/Wang Mandu. This is my favorite go-to place. Packed roll of kimbap for $3.50. A huge dumpling (thus the moniker wang, king in Korean). You can see the large pots they have for steaming them on next photo. They supply some dishes to Poongnyun Korea, which is 2-3 stores down past the newly opened shoe stores.

Shilla Bakery
329 Broad Avenue
Tel: (201) 943-8030
Hours:

There are 2 Shilla Bakery on Broad Avenue. According to the awning, this is the 1st branch.

Woo-Ree Catering
327 Broad Avenue
Tel: (201) 944-9111
Hours:
(Comments to follow…)

Palisade Park Bakery
325 Broad Avenue
Tel: (201) 944-3192
Hours: Monday – Friday 6:30AM-7PM, Saturday – Sunday 6AM-7PM
(Comments to follow…)

Poongyun Korea
306 Broad Avenue
Tel: (201) 944-8915/8916
Hours:

Poong Yun means harvest. Usually you will find this place to be packed during evening commute. The bus stop is right outside and most folks who don’t want to be bothered with tonight’s cooking will make a stop here and pick up few items. They have a wide variety of Korean foods to take home. A much better selection than JinGoGae.

Sok Cho Duri Pohjang Macha
280 Broad Avenue
Tel: (201) 947-7540
Hours:

There is that pojang macha again… I have yet to see anyone go in or come out of this place. Perhaps they catered to late night crowds?

Sok Cho Restaurant
280 Broad Avenue
Tel: (201) 947-7540
Hours:

Sushi & Sashimi. It is located in a building once occupied by a bank and hence you will see high ceiling. The service isn’t that great. I was not moved by this place.

Dae Myung Kwan
270 Broad Avenue
Tel: (201) 947-4775/4785
Hours:

One of the joong wha yoh rie, Chinese cuisine prepared Korean style places in Palisades Park. Refer to discussions on Mandarin. Not as good as Mandarin nor Son Ja Jang.

Pal Gak Jung (formerly known as Du Bu Rang)
268 Broad Avenue
Tel: (201) 592-6400
Hours: Monday – Saturday 10AM – 12AM, Sunday 10AM-11PM

This is a damned good du bu (tofu) soup place. The place has been renamed as Pal Gak Jung, Octagonal Pavilion. The owner has added sam geh tang, chicken stewed with sweet rice, ginger and other Chinese herbal ingredients. Also neng meun, cold vermicelli noodle, one of my favorite Korean dish.

The place is very clean. Do try LA style kalbi, short rib. I was surprised how good it was.

Woo Jung Restaurant
254 Broad Avenue
Tel: (201) 592-7006
Hours:

Woo Jung means friendship. Only been here once not by choice, but because we were tired of other places and hugry and this was the closest place! Don’t to as good a business as So Mun Nan Jip.

Gateaux Bakery
252 Broad Avenue
Tel: (201) 242-4255
Hours:

Gateaux is French for cake, so this place must mean “Cake Bakery”? If you look at it that way, the name of the place sort of becomes nonsensical and/or not too creative. The poster by the entrance is ad for Bing Su literally cold water, but is more descriptive of shaved/shave ice. The standard toppings are sweetened red bean (dan phat in Korean, azuki in Japanese) with strawberry syrup. In Korea it is not unusual to have it with powered brown rice cake and small pieces of sweet rice cake. This one seems to have a cherry on top with sliced bananas adorning the sides. No wonder they charge around $7 for this damned thing. Can you say over-priced, my friends? It’s just ice cubes folks.

Jingogae Catering
248 Broad Avenue
Tel: (201) 944-8445
Hours:

THE catering place in Palisades Park. Ask any Korean where they order foods for special occasions, and this is the place. Unfortunately the stuff they have for sale are not that exciting. I found them selling bastardized version of Vietnamese summer roll. When my relatives have big events and dread cooking for dozen plus folks, we just order from here.

New Sushi
245 Broad Avenue
Tel: (201) 585-0228
Hours:

This place is actually on Brinkerhoff Avenue directly across from entrance to Eagle Diner parking lot.

So Mun Nan Jip Korean B.B.Q. Restaurant
238 Broad Avenue
Tel: (201) 944-3998
Hours:

So Mun Nan Jip means a well-known place and indeed it is. Rumor has it if you ask a Korean-Amercian limo driver in Bergen County where the best Korean restaurant is, most likely he will take you to here. They use real wood briquette charcoal and not gas like other places. This seems to enhance the flavor of any cooked meat.

If you go there on a weekend evening, you should either make reservations way in advance or arrive early. Oh, also one more thing. Don’t wear your best clothes. When you are done with dinner and come out, yours wardrobe will smell like you’ve been flipping burgers all day long. Great banchan, appetizer selection. Don’t be shy folks. You can fill up your stomach with just a bowl of two of rice and the unlimited supply of banchan.

Shilla Bakery
236 Broad Avenue
Tel: (201) 302-9651
Hours:

Store number 2 in Palisades Park.

Son Ja Jang
234 Broad Avenue
Tel: (201) 944-7777
Hours:

This is the store #2. The original one is in Closter. And yes I have been to that place too, a couple of times when I lived in Tenafly. Go through the glass door past the mailboxes and turn left down a long corridor. They make noodles by hand. Decent jja jang meun, noodles with black bean sauce. Being on ground level and somewhat windowless, the ambiance is just not there when you have to sit and wait patiently for your food to arrive.

Good Morning (Jo Eun Ah Chim)
232 Broad Avenue
Tel: (201) 947-7007
Hours:

All sorts of juk, rice porridge. They come in different sizes. The last time I ordered one of the quart sized jhunbok juk, abalone it cost around $10. Not cheap but abalone is what makes it expensive. The photo on the bottom is of the refrigerator magnet listing their juk selection. There is teuk jhunbok juk special abalone, jhunbok juk regular abalone, hehmul juk seafood, gul buhsut juk oyster mushroom, sehwoo juk shrimp, bahjirak meyeuk juk short necked clam and seaweed, chamchee yachae juk tuna and vegetable, yachae juk vegetable, sogoghee yachae juk beef and vegetable, samgeh juk ginseng chicken, heuk yimja juk black sesame, jaht juk pine nut, pignoli to you gourmets, hobahk juk pumpkin, and last but not least, phat juk red bean. The last 4 are all vegetarian and probably bit sweeter than the other ones. A person who is very plain looking is called hobahk in Korean.

Rodeo Plaza
225 Broad Avenue

This 2 story complex with underground garage houses duPan Bakery, Pho32, Nam San, Nam San Yup Whal A Jip. There is also a branch of Woori Bank, a beauty shop, cell phone vendor, florist, sauna, traditional Korean dresses, kids wear, pharmacy, and optician. Geez, I am sure I left our something? Yes a doctor’s office! But we are not concerned about our health at the moment, but in pursuit of filling our bellies!

Nam San Yup Whal A Jip
225 Broad Avenue – 1st fl.
Tel: (201) 585-0202
Hours:

Basically a restaurant specializing in raw seafood. Not sushi/sashimi mind you. You get that at Nam San which is on the left. They serve freshly flown in Korean seafood delicacies such as sea squirt (meung gae), baby octopus (san nakji), and of course my favorite, sea cucumber (hae sam). Unfortunately I avoided this place for some time because a lot of patrons were doing heavy smoking but now there is a total smoking ban the state of NJ, I may give it a try. Forewarned, you need to have a thick wallet. These seafood platters are not cheap!

Nam San Restaurant is to the left. It is a pretty spacious establishment specializing in Korean BBQ but they use gas grill. Like many places, they also do decent job on sushi/sashimi. It should, right? Where do you think all that sea food for Nam San Yup comes from?

Pho32 Shabu Shabu
225 Broad Avenue – 2nd fl.
Tel: (201) 585-0045
Hours:

This is the northern NJ location. Apparently there have several restaurants in Tri-State area.

duPan Bakery & Cafe
225 Broad Avenue – street level
Tel: (201) 585-0212
Hours:

The Japanese borrowed the Portuguese word for bread pão, pronounced pan. And this word filtered into Korean vocabulary as Ppang with heavy emphasis on the first syllable.

Arirang Rice Cake
212 Broad Avenue
Tel: (201) 461-8882
Hours:
(Comments to follow…)

Cap Noodle
198 Broad Avenue
Tel: (201) 461-9977
Hours:
(Comments to follow…)

You Chun Chil Neng Meun
135 Broad Avenue
Tel: (201) 363-1950

Their specialty is chil neng meun, made with arrowroot. I like it a lot. It gives intense flavor. Their neng meun comes in beef stock with a couple of spoonful of red bean paste on top. With your regular neng meun, you would add vinegar and mustard (shik cho and gye ja), but they recommend you do not use vinegar but mustard is acceptable. Hey look around and you will see little signs showing what is acceptable on their dish. They also have hei jang gook, a hearty and spice stew made with various vegetables and meat. Supposedly a cure for hangovers! When you sit down, they give you a carafe not containing hot tea but the soup stock that neng menu comes with. Also look around the walls and you will see that their restaurant in Korea has had extensive coverage by Korean TV. This is one of the trademarks or rather badge of honor for a restaurant.

Kyedong Chicken
133 Broad Avenue
Tel: (201) 346-0700
Hours:

Their TV commercial says call ahead and it will be “ready in 29 minutes”. That’s a guy on the right. One of the very few Korean establishments that escaped the dual language sign ordinance. Kyedong Chicken on the right and New York Meat Market on right. Do we still have butcher shops?

So Gong Dong
118 Broad Avenue – 2nd fl.
Tel: (201) 313-5550
Hours:

This is the Palisades Park location. There is another So Gong Dong in Fort Lee near the GW Bridge. A very popular restaurant. Soft tofu comes in various degree of spiciness. I dare you to try the spiciest one! They also have galbi, short rib for $10.95. Not too bad, but a bit greasy. I once made mistake of ordering ojinguh, grilled squid. Bad choice. It was very dry and took 30 minutes by which time I was half done with my tofu soup. Oh before I forget. If you order tofu soup, they will give you a raw egg. You have the option of putting it in the soup, minus the shell of course! It enhances the soup.

X-Mas in June
118-126 Broad Avenue

A view of the Twin Building. North is on the left with Gobawoo and Soon Du Bu located on 2nd floor. South is on the right with Mandarin and Tuh Jut Gol on 2nd floor. There is free parking for patrons behind the building but the lot is always full and the street is very narrow. I prefer to park on the metered space. Remember you must feed the meters Monday through Saturday 9AM to 8:30PM. I know because I got a ticket once for showing up just 10 minutes after the meter ran out. The parking meter enforcement force in Palisades Park give no slack. These white 2 door subcompacts cruise the town always looking for expired meters and they are happy to give you a ticket.

Gobawoo
118 Broad Avenue – 2nd fl.
Tel: (201) 313-8900
Hours:

Gobawoo is a newspaper comic character. He is the one in yellow circle background. He has a single strand of hair that sort of reminds me of a coat hanger or Homer Simpson if you prefer. I must admit I have yet to check out this place. Their specialty according to the sign is kalbi. Most likely done with gas grill.

Mandarin
110 Broad Avenue – 2nd fl.
Tel: (201) 313-0121
Hours:

They make their own noodles by hand here. In fact, they show it on their CCTV inside the restaurant. Every few seconds you will hear this twap sound emanating from the kitchen. Don’t be alarmed. It is just the noodle man making and stretching out the noodle. This is why their noodle dishes taste way way better than any other. So their noodles are flat. If you get a round noodle then you know for sure the place does not make it’s own noodle or they are machine made.

Oh I can sense another cultural lesson coming here… You will note that the sign says “Chinese Restaurant”. Actually that is sort of misleading. It is actually Chinese dishes done with Korean tastes in mind. More like Koreanized version of Mandarin cuisine. Korea has a lot of Chinese of Korean descent from northern China. This sort of cuisine is actually spelt out on the sign above. The lower bottom says soon hanguk shik joong wha yeoh rie, Pure/Authentic Korean Style Chinese Cuisine. And the giant red characters spell Mandarin in Korean and underneath in smaller characters it says su ta gook su, hand made noodles.

If you are a first timer, you need to try jja jang meun. The Korean version of “Black Bean Noodle”. A base of fermented black bean paste with chopped potato and onion on top of noodle. Or gan jja jang, black bean paste that has been fried and has much denser texture. If you feel adventurous, move on to sam seun jjam ppong a spicy soup noodle which is made from base of kimchi and hot pepper that often include shrimp, sea cucumber, bamboo shoots, carrots, onions, and sometimes mussel or small clam.

Tuh Jut Gol
110 Broad Avenue – 2nd fl.
Tel: (201) 313-3737
Hours:

According to the sign, their specialty is buk uh gook, dried pollack soup and buk uh gui, grilled dried pollack. They’ve been at this locale for few months, but the grand opening sign is still there. Usually not too packed with customers.

Gamnamu Gol
108 Broad Avenue
Tel: (201) 945-9114
Hours:

I forget what this place used to be called. They went through a major renovation for much of 2005 and reopened with emphasis on gam ja tang, potato stew with pork meat, among others. They are open early and close early, or they could be open 24-hours. Need to check on this next time. They have soon dae gook, Korean sausage soup, similar to haggis, not that I know anything about what haggis tastes like. With summer here, they have added neng meun. They do decent version of Viet name pho, rice noodle soup. Oh one more thing. They got on the chil neng meun bandwagon.

Myung Wha Dang
119 Broad Avenue
Tel: (201) 947-4775/4785
Hours: Monday – Sunday 11AM-10:30PM (Closed 1st, 3rd & 5th Tuesdays)
www.myungwhadang.com

The photo on the bottom is from Myung Wha Dang in Myong Dong, a trendy neighborhood in downtown Seoul, Korea. It is always jam packed with people especially at night and weekends. So this Palisades Park establishment must be an overseas branch? Their signages are same. Obviously the prices in US is a lot higher, especially donkatsu which runs around $10. The sign from Seoul lists it as being 4,000 won, about $4.50. It is the second menu 4,000 won item listed below.

The service is attentive and some of the combination dishes are decent bargain. Do try donkatsu, fried pork cutlet combo. It comes with small bowl of udon and kimbap.

Hong Ga Meun Ok
4 E Columbia Avenue
Tel: (201) 313-0025
Hours:

Hamheung neng meun. Hangheung is a province in northeastern part of North Korea. The cold noodle from that region are mainly made with sweet potato as versus Pyongyang neng meun which is made with buckwheat. Pyongyang is capital of North Korea. It is interesting that my mother is from Hamheung and my father is from Pyongyang!

There are variations in neng meun. Mool neng meun is with clear and beef stock. Whe Neng Meun is dry with hot chili pepper paste (kko chu jang) topped with a piece of raw fish usually a skate. Bibim Neng Meun is same as previous except no raw fish. Chil neng meun (as we saw in You Chun Restaurant – 135 Broad Avenue) is made with arrowroot and the color of the noodle is intensely dark and deep purplish. OK. This site has done much better description and complete (with photos) then I can blabber about different types of neung meun. Life In Korea.

I was drawn to this place because of the sign for neng meun, but tell you the truth, I was disappointed. I think I know a good neng meun. The soup should be cold and when first slurped without anything being added (like vinegar and/or mustard) should have somewhat sweet aftertaste. The noodle must be al dente. I have been to too many places where the soup tasted like it came out of store bought package and the noodle too mushy. Yecch!

So Muh Rie Gook Bop
6 E Columbia Avenue
Tel: (201)
Hours:

So Muh Rie, literally cow head. They don’t even have signs in English. The name of the restaurant is written in white characters. Also, the picture by the window, the large middle one is the so muh rie gook bop.

Deh Gee Koom (Pig Dream)
14 E Columbia Avenue
Tel: (201) 943-6080
Hours:

What a great name for a restaurant!

Pho Hana Restaurant
18-2o E Columbia Avenue
Tel: (201) 313-9040
Hours: Monday – Saturday 11:30AM-10:30PM, Sunday 12:00PM-10:30PM

The awning says “Pho – Vietnamese Rice Noodle” and also on the lower left hand side says “8th branch”. A quick Google search reveals there are others in California and perhaps this is one of their Tri-State region establishment?

Joong Wha Won
18 Broad Avenue
Tel: (201) 943-8030
Hours:

This used to be fried chicken, burger joint but now switched over to joong what yorie, Chinese cuisine Korean style. It suffers the stigma of being located south of Columbia and Broad Avenue.

Shin Sun Seul Lung Tang
314 Commercial Avenue
Tel: (201) 461-5042
Hours:

Yup, the address says it all. Located in a commercial/industrial zone near railroad tracks. The location is really terrible. There food may be great but you can hardly find any parking here. I love these displays but give me a break. It looks so tacky sitting outside on top of bed of chipped marble supported by 4 bricks. Seul Lung Tang is made from beef bones that have been simmered in water for long time and hence the soup is milky white. It also contains few thin slices of beef and rice noodle. The soup is pretty bland so you have to add sea salt and scallion which are on the table. I normally throw in several heaping spoonful of chopped scallion. I also throw in few kimchi, usually fermented bokchoy or ggakdugie, radish to add a bit of color and spice.

Koreans are serious about kimchi. It is the absolute essential ingredient in everyday Korea. In fact there even is a kimchi museum in Seoul. It is said that every housewife in Korea has her own version of kimchi, however, the new generation does not have time to make them by hand. And why not? They are available in supermarkets. People are so serious that there are even refrigerators just for keeping kimchi fresh which can run thousands of dollars or won, Korean currency (latest exchange rate of approximately 930 won to 1 US Dollar as of this writing). Unless you have an army to feed or have a restaurant why would you need to have one of these things? Enough head scratching here…

Gom tang soup is made with ox tails and usually called kkori gom tang. Guess what “tails” in Korean is… I went to here with my family but upon seeing the place did not want to go in. I have to venture there myself soon and check it out.

It is hard to make out but the plastic display case features kkori gom tang on the bottom row, first on the left but no display of seul lung tang. And if you are very observant, you can make out reflections of a car and someone taking a photo….

Wol Mi Do Sushi & Sashimi
445 Grand Avenue
Tel: (201) 947-5004
Hours:

Wolmido is named after an island off of Incheon, a major seaport on west of Korea near Seoul.

Casa Mia
446 Broad Avenue
Tel: (201) 947-7447
Hours:

A rare sight in Palisades Park amongst the Korean establishments. A Guatemalan restaurant. I need to check out this place! I think there is another Central American place on Palisades Park – an Ecudorian Bakery on East Colombia Avenue.

Eagle Diner
239 Broad Avenue
Tel: (201) 947-3705
Hours:

Why eat here when you can eat at one of many late opened Korean restaurants in town unless you want burger or pancakes at 3 in the morning. Oh they have them in Korean restaurants – they are called Bulgogi and Pa Jun!

Donna’s Pizza
404 Broad Avenue
Tel: (201) 944-2158
Hours: Monday – Thursday 11AM-11PM, Friday – Saturday 11AM-12AM, Sunday 11AM-11PM

I don’t care what others say. This place is over-rated and over-priced.

The Brick Oven Pizza & Restaurant
425 Grand Avenue
Tel: (201) 461-6100
Hours:

The thin crust slice that I ate here one time was not too crispy. I never went back to this place.

Bartolomeo Italian Delicatessen
425 Grand Avenue
Tel: (201) 346-0008
Hours:

One day, one day my empty belly will beckon me into this place. Gotta be one of the last remaining Italian establishments in Palisades Park. This town was once heavily Italian and German but you wouldn’t know it by looking around now.

A sewer cover seen on 3rd Street. Palisades Park was founded in 1899. The Palisades Amusement Park was never located in Palisades Park. It straddled two towns – Fort Lee and Clifside Park atop the New Jersey Palisades hence the moniker. There now stands a luxury condominium called Winston Towers.

A surprise feature below. Someone requested that it would be nice to have a map with dots pinpointing location of each restaurant along Broad Avenue. Click on the image which will take you to flickr and then move your mouse pointer.