Seoul Corea (Cafe Corea): go

I will shortly add Yapchae jun at Seoul Corea in Hyde Park to the Best Thing You've Eaten (Lately) thread. This is a gigantic pan of paper-thin fried vegetables (three colors of bell and hot pepper, onions, scallions, carrots, mild cabbage or kohlrabi) and garlic, to which has been added a sweet-potato flour pancake batter, presumably at the very last minute, so that what is served is a large mat of crisp-edged, perfectly caramelized vegetables, which you are surprised to find held together on the bottom by a sweet, chewy dough.

It's the perfect opening for lunch (my recommended meal) at Seoul Corea. A few older threads have touched on former incarnations of the restaurant in vague terms, but I'm hoping a dedicated respository of comments will lead to many new pilgrimages. Lunch specials, ranging from $5.95 (hand-rolled noodle soups) to $10.95 (an absolutely perfect tonkatsu with a mound of rich sesame goma-ae, with a distinct Korean twist), provide prodigious portions and value. The two versions of deopbap (with and without noodles) offer choice morsels of tender beef in a complex, mild barbecue sauce (but can be ordered hot). Bibimbap is served chilled except for a fresh fried egg, with a spicy relish.

While I have been less impressed with the dinner portions of bulgogi and kalbi compared to other Korean restaurants, especially since they're somewhat expensive, it's hard to beat Corea for lunch in Hyde Park. The affable owner, who is also the sole server and sometime chef, has a perfect touch and a deep love for his regional cuisine. They do make a dinner for two ($25.95) based on beef or pork preferences, which include flavorful casseroles and their thick flour noodles, and small portions of either the bulgogi or kalbi, offering a better value than a la carte. The banchan sides are carefully made in house and while a smaller variety than you see in most places, every one is a winner from the sweet yams to the citrusy bean sprouts. I particularly enjoy their unapologetically bold kimchi. Drinks include a perfect ringer for Taqueria Puebla's horchata, and a buttery cinnamon infusion topped with floating pinenuts.

Their transliterations and translations are imaginative even for a Chicago Asian restaurant - appetizers are served "owered" rice, and my Korean friends raise eyebrows at spellings like Yapchae Jun (normally rendered as Japchae). The place is never packed but has a religiously loyal following of Korean and Southeast Asian students from the University of Chicago. I'd love Erik or Antonius (or someone else bolder than I) to get a secret menu count and translations, because we don't always recognize some of the wonderful things served at other tables, and the owner-chef always seems too busy to ask. At least for lunch, I think Seoul Corea approaches LTH Neighborhood award status.

Seoul Corea (Cafe Corea)
1603 E. 55th St., Chicago

Seoul Corea is our go-to restaurant in Hyde Park (though we'll sometimes take guests to Dixie Kitchen or Calypso Cafe). They make a pretty good seafood pancake. My favorite dish to get there is Ojinguh Bokgum. I particularly like the noodles in the dish, which are toothsome and have a nice sesame flavor. All the times we've been there for dinner, there was a Korean woman (perhaps the proprieter's spouse?) doing the cooking. The place gives off a warm family restaurant feel.

I have not been there for lunch, but would warn that since it is a small restaurant (only 8 tables or so), that it can fill up quickly for dinner. The past few times we've been there, there has been a wait or 20 minutes or so.

Santander, thanks for starting this thread. My wife and I love Korean food, and we live near Hyde Park, so why it took us so long to try Seoul Corea, I don't know. Maybe we were put off by its small size, funky layout and frequent re-inventions. Now, we love it and get their food way too often.

My wife is crazy about the Yukgae Jang, which is a spicy, brothy soup with shredded beef, bean-thread noodles, egg (in rags) and veggies. I agree with her it is quite delicious. It is spicy, but not infernal, the beef is flavorful and tender, and the noodles are a perfect addition to it. On a cold Chicago winter's night, this stuff is an ideal comfort food.

I'm doing Weight Watchers, so I find the Tofu Kimchee a good choice--nothing fancy, but a generous serving of kimchee, tofu with just a little lean stir-fried pork. It's filling enough that I eat little or no rice with it. (This, BTW, is one of the things I like about Korean food -- one can fill up on veggies and avoid the starches).

The kimbap rolls are really Korean futomaki-style sushi with kimchee, and I love'em. I also like the spinach appetizer, which is their version of Japanese gomae--cold, cooked spinach in a sesame dressing.

Hotpot-style soup dishes for two look very good, especially the one with dumplings, but I haven't tried it yet. I can't pry my wife away from the Yukgae Jang.

This is a VERY small restaurant, with perhaps the most uncomfortable, difficult-to-handle double door/airlock I have ever tried to walk through, and it sticks into the restaurant eating up valuable space. The husband/dad is the host, the wife/mom does the cooking, and the offspring occasionally help out, sort of. The host couldn't be nicer, and the wife/cook looks dour at first, but her cooking is great and I think she warms up after awhile. The restaurant is small enough that the service is fine, even with the 2.5 staffing complement. Having first been put off by it's size and configuration, however, I have come to adore its small, idiosyncratic space. It feels like eating in a really good home cook's city apartment.

Santander wrote:my Korean friends raise eyebrows at spellings like Yapchae Jun (normally rendered as Japchae).

It should actually be Yachae Jun, not Japchae. Yachae is vegetable, Jun means a pancake-like item. Japchae is cellophane noodles with vegetables and meat.

Sounds really good, though. I haven't had a good yachae jun in ages (although I'm quite fond of the kimchi jun at Hae Woon Dae). I may have to make a special trip to Cafe Corea just for it! Thanks for the tip!

-gtgirl

gtgirl - their menu off menupages lists kalguksu.

Has anyone ever had this? Is it TRULY hand-cut/rolled noodles?

They are truly handmade noodles. The large kitchen can be viewed from a certain angle in the seating area and from the back hallway, and in addition to large piles of fresh root vegetables and kimchi in various stages of preparation, I have seen the noodle tables and even the wife / owner slamming down the dough. The kalguksu is very filling and delicious, even if slightly mild for my tastes (but there are plenty of condiments to add, and they've always made dishes hot for me on request).

Clarification: only the noodles specified on the menu as "handmade" are made in house. The thin cellophane-like noodles, which are not my favorite, seem to be your average imported dried rice stick affair.

Invoking the atmosphere of the old days at the Devon Hema's Kitchen, when there were no servers, and Hema herself would bring out whatever she had lovingly cooked that evening to your table, and maybe even stay and sit for a while if nobody else was around, Seoul Corea humbly and caringly provides remarkable, authentic Korean food to thankful Hyde Parkers throughout the year. From refreshing spinach salad, bibimbap, and tangy house-pickled panchan in the summer to generous steaming bowls of hand-rolled kalguksu noodles and piquant yukgoe with leeks and shredded beef in the winter, Seoul Corea offers a perfect study break for students and gourmands alike.

There is a quiet grace to the owner-chefs and a proud smile on their faces when you enjoy the traditional food of their patrimony. Everything comes to the table piping hot or perfectly chilled as appropriate, quickly and carefully prepared even when this tiny six-table storefront is packed. A few dishes are as beautiful visually as they are to the palate - take the yachae-jun appetizer, a crispy pancake binding together a bouquet of julienned vegetables and served with sweet soy, or the seafood bokgum, presented in a clay pot with tender squid and home-made hot sauce nesting in thick handcut noodles. The portion sizes are prodigal and the prices, especially on the noodles and lunch specials, are exceptional, making this arguably the best value for quality food within the University of Chicago 'oasis'. With an exceptionally loyal Korean and gringo clientele as evidence, it makes a strong run for the best neighborhood restaurant in Hyde Park proper.

Previous discussion:

http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=14349

Note: the restaurant is also still known in the community and on some signs as Cafe Corea from a previous incarnation, but if you haven't tried it in the past two years under the current family, I urge you to revisit.

Seoul Corea (Cafe Corea)
1603 E 55th St
Chicago, IL 60615
773-288-1795

It would be my honor to second the nomination of Seoul Corea as an LTH Great Neighborhood Restaurant.

Hyde Park (undeservedly) gets a bad rap for restaurants. True, there isn't the density or diversity of offerings in the trendiest northside zip codes. However, the South Side and University clientele are a no-nonsense bunch. They want value in a restaurant, good food at a good price. Seoul Corea delivers that.

As noted by others, this feels like a Korean homecooking spot, an extension of the owners' kitchen with just enough seats for a lucky few diners in the know. As a "home kitchen," you won't necessarily find every possible element of Korean cuisine, but you will find the things the owners know how to prepare well. The owners of Seoul Corea seem to take the greatest pride in their endeavor. The wife and cook seems a little severe at first, but now she smiles when I enter the restaurant--she knows I'm a repeat customer who appreciates her hard work.

My wife would be ill-pleased if I neglected to mention her favorite, the Yukgae Jang. This is a one-dish meal, with a hearty broth infused with red spicy goodness and served with bean-thread noodles, shredded beef, egg-rags and vegetables. Like so many Korean dishes, this seems too simple to rave about, an Asian version of meat and potatoes. Yet, with each ingredient seasoned and prepared perfectly, the combination is more than the sum of its parts.

I hope Seoul Corea meets with your approbation and that you pay it a visit. Like me, you may have to turn sideways to fit through the skinny door, but this is a small obstacle to overcome for such fine cooking.

My issue with this nomination is that there just hasn't been much written about it here or even on pre-LTH chowhound.

Hopefully this nomination will spur others to try it, post about it, and make it a better candidate for a gnr.

It might be a longshot, but this may just get people to whet their appetites and revisit Hyde Park (and if it's going to be one spot in the 'hood, and not something just outside like Uncle John's or That's-A-Burger, I'd be thrilled that this be it). It wasn't under current ownership / menu in original Chowhound days, but there are good reviews in the Reader, Urban Spoon, and in this one place on more recent Chowhound:

http://www.chowhound.com/topics/119212

I won't be heartbroken if it doesn't make the cut, but having visited most of the other awardees, it has that atmosphere, that storefront, and that wonderful, caringly made food, and hopefully a few more converts will come about because of the mention.

Santander wrote:
I won't be heartbroken if it doesn't make the cut, but having visited most of the other awardees, it has that atmosphere, that storefront, and that wonderful, caringly made food, and hopefully a few more converts will come about because of the mention.

Gleam is right. One of the most important criteria for getting GNR recognition is that a place has a track record of being discussed and generally loved on LTH. Even if this restaurant does not make the grade this time around, posts such as this will get people to visit and post about the restaurant (I know I'm going to go check it out). That's the only way to build up enough of a track record for another nomination next time (assuming it doesn't get the GNR this time). Kuma's is an example where this has happened. It got nominated once before, but few people had been there and posted about it at that time. The rest is history.

I think this would be a good choice to plan a dinner at, which could be informal but would allow a number of people the chance to try the notable dishes.

I would be happy to coordinate. I work at the University of Chicago and can stay late any weeknight until October. I'll pick something after the late August / early September Otom / Titi / Picnic events and post over on the Events board (and crosslink here).

For anyone rushing out to taste beforehand, three top dishes (not just in my book, but from the neighborhood K-crew and posters in the above linked threads) are the Yukgae Jang (spicy soup with shredded beef), Kalguksu (hand-rolled noodles, not spicy but add your condiments to taste), and the Yapchae / Yachae Jun (appetizer pancake with sweet soy).

The Ojinguh Bokgum, Galbi, various beef dishes, and bibimbap are also solid but might not knock you over. Keep in mind that this is a TINY restaurant (six tables, one of which is usually occupied by the staff), and the upstairs restroom setup (trekking through crates of radishes and rice bales) is hysterical to me but perhaps not amusing to others. Enjoy!

Santander wrote:I would be happy to coordinate. I work at the University of Chicago and can stay late any weeknight until October. I'll pick something after the late August / early September Otom / Titi / Picnic events and post over on the Events board (and crosslink here).

Santander,

I've not been and would be very interested in attending an LTHForum dinner at Cafe Corea.

You still game for setting something up?

Enjoy,
Gary

Sure thing - I'll knock some dates around at the pic-a-nic tomorrow.

Edit: two possible dates added in the events thread (the 13th and 18th).

That's about half the restaurant and kitchen right there.

Well, I'm one of those who tends to give Hyde Park a bad rap-- I think, much like Lincoln Park, it has a lot of ethnic diversity of old places which have been around forever because they've been around forever, not because they're particularly good. As much as I've eaten around there when I've been there anyway, I don't think I've ever gone to Hyde Park to eat at a specific restaurant before tonight.

Seoul Corea is a tiny place-- it struck me as more like the kind of place you find shoehorned into available space in New York, than what you typically find in Chicago-- and it's in a row of restaurants, including no less than three Thai places. I imagine it gets overlooked between them, but big LTH thanks to Santander--



--for spotting it as the quintessential hidden-in-plain-sight gem and calling attention to it on LTHForum.

Appetizers (veggie pancake, bulgogi rolls) were perfectly all right but nothing to blow away similar things from other places:



The meal took a big step up with entrees, however. Someone else can fill in names, but we had a spicy soup with an impressively complex and multilayered flavor:



The seafood broth with homemade noodles was simpler, but the noodles were excellent and the seafood fresh and tasty:



Fried seafood with noodles and shredded vegetables left heat that lingered long after eating:



We also had a very well-prepared tonkatsu with a dipping sauce whose slightly bitter taste the table speculated upon-- tamarind? Worcestershire sauce? My guess is a bottle of A-1 sauce from the nearest Jewel, but that's okay.

I went into Seoul Corea expecting to find it too ordinary to qualify but I have to say the excellent soups and the fried seafood dish, and the vibe of so tiny a place (kitchen included) keeping steady crowds happy with a steady stream of homemade food, charmed me more than I would have expected. I say, why not Seoul Corea as Hyde Park's first GNR. Hard to think what else it would be...

Mike G wrote:...the vibe of so tiny a place (kitchen included) keeping steady crowds happy with a steady stream of homemade food, charmed me more than I would have expected.

Given my style over substance meal at Su-ra earlier in the week Seoul Corea was a breath of fresh air.

Starters were fine, with Gomaae taking the lead, though I've been in the mood for Kimbap lately and it really hit the spot.

Gomaae/Bulgogi Kimbap


Yachae Jun


Panchan


Things started to heat up, literally and figuratively, with our entrees, Yukgae Jang being complex and spicy hot.

Yukgae Jang


Haemool Kalguksu (Hand-rolled noodle soup with vegetables, meat and egg) was my favorite dish of the evening, rich broth given a silky smooth mouth feel from house-made noodles.

Haemool Kalguksu


If Yukgae Jang was a roundhouse, Noodle-Ojinguh Bokgun (Noodles with fried squid and assortment of vegetables and hot sauce) was a jab, light heat, noodles and tender squid married nicely.

Noodle-Ojinguh Bokgun


Crisp greaseless Tonkatsu, one of the better versions I've had. In thinking about the dish today, I'm wondering if there wasn't a hint of curry powder lurking somewhere in the preparation.

Tonkatsu


Though there is not a lot of LTHForum conversation on Seoul Corea it certainly seems to have attributes that qualify it for a GNR, a solid champion in the form of Santander and that certain I know it when I see it vibe that simply resonates with patrons, even first timers like myself.

It was a big evening for GNR nominations as Nelson, Colleen, Chris, Santander and myself headed over to Uncle John's for a followup meal. To both our loss, ours for his company and his, for missing terrific tips and links, Mike G headed home after Seoul Corea.

We also made a quick stop at Rajun Cajun simply to marvel at the menu, Indian, Vegetarian and Soul Food.

Rajun Cajun


A few additional pictures may be found here

Enjoy,
Gary

I wasn't able to join the outing last night, but last ate at Seoul Corea on Monday night. I had never ordered the galbi before and found it very tender, though I think that my favorite dish there is Haemool Kalguksu.

And the photo of Rajun Cajun caused a welling of nostalgia. Years ago, when I used to go to the nearby laundromat, I always treated myself to takeout sag paneer. I remember the fried chicken as being tasty as well, but RC wasn't open late enough to compete in reputation with Harold's.

rdb66 wrote:My wife is crazy about the Yukgae Jang, which is a spicy, brothy soup with shredded beef, bean-thread noodles, egg (in rags) and veggies. I agree with her it is quite delicious. It is spicy, but not infernal, the beef is flavorful and tender, and the noodles are a perfect addition to it. On a cold Chicago winter's night, this stuff is an ideal comfort food.

Today's windy weather called for a delicious soup. The soup described above, with the substitution of mandu (dumplings) for noodles made me glad that I have to travel to Hyde Park to see my dentist. A stop at Bonjour Bakery didn't hurt either.

Hooray, Josephine! Thank you for giving them a try. I stupidly went to "Chant" tonight (a new "restaurant" on 53rd street serving "pan" - "Asian" "food") instead of my tried and true.

Thrilled to find this thread. We will be moving from the northside to very close by sometime in the next 6 months (or possibly 12 years, depending on whether our contractor gets moving), and I was really despairing about the food situation.
In visiting our little rehab project I have had a least 4 or 5 completely mediocre meals up and down 53rd, and not one good or even promising one. Have seen this place and put it on the list, but haven't yet been able to talk Mrs. B. in because she finds Korean a bit meat-heavy for her not vegetarian, but veggie-centric preferences.
Suffice to say, that given the paucity of decent food, and the current weather, this will be our next HP meal.

Mr. B - here are some other tips from this thread:

http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.ph ... =hyde+park

1. Yapchae jun vegetable pancake, kalguksu with handmade noodles, bibimbap, and beef with rice or noodles lunch specials at Seoul Corea / Cafe Corea.

2. Georgia peach colada, Johnny cakes, and Carolina pulled pork sandwich with liberal vinegar sauce at Dixie Kitchen.

3. That's-a-Burger with jalapeno peppers, bacon, and grilled onions (71st street near Stony Island).

4. Han's Favorite at the University Market - Westphalian ham, cheddar or swiss cheese, Medici croissant, Honeycup mustard

5. Chicken shawerma sandwich (over a pound of crispy shaved chicken dripping in tahini) at the Nile, with a cup of lentil soup with fresh lemon

6. The beef salad, ordered extra spicy, at Noodles Etc. on 57th (not the one on 53rd which has poor chefs and bad ventilation), and a Thai Iced Tea. Most other things at Noodles Etc. are very bland. Occasionally, the Bamee delivers - roast pork, ground peanuts, ground chicken, lots of cilantro, sweet sauce over noodles.

7. Just about everything on the Indian menu at Rajun Cajun. Try the Spicy Vegetarian dinner box with red lentils or chickpeas, cumin potatoes, parotha, samosa, and mango lassi, or build your own with a leg quarter tandoori chicken. Avoid the butter and curry chicken.

8. Thai smoothie at Bonne Sante (53rd street) from the back counter, with lemongrass, ginger, honey, banana, apple juice.

9. Caprese panino at Istria under the 57th street Metra stop, with lots of fresh mozzarella, red peppers, and pesto, washed down with a San Pellegrino Limonata and the Chocolate-chili gelato. Desperately avoid the prosciutto sub (funky on multiple occasions).

10. Chicken normandy or wild mushroom crepes at La Petit Folie, with off-menu foie gras, smoked trout salad, generous pours of Sauternes.

Let me supplement:

11. the Croque Monsieur at Bonjour Bakery (55th and Lake Park)

12. tips / links combo at Uncle John's (69th and Calumet)
http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=8434

13. brisket sandwich with burnt ends at Honky Tonk (18th and Racine)
http://lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?p=173306

Of course if you're going up to Pilsen or Chinatown, or over to Bridgeport, you have a great number of options, including Healthy Food Lithuanian, Ed's (Potstickers), Taqueria San Jose, Lao Sze Chuan, Spring World, and Birria Reyes de Ocotlan. The South Side GNRs are a treasure trove.

What a gift that last post is. Thanks.
I did indeed have a very unmemorable meal at the wrong Noodles Etc. As well as one at the Pizza Capri that is worse than the ones on the northside, and at Orly's where the manager/owner? was extraordinarily friendly and welcoming, but brunch was just so-so.
Most of the rest I've seen but not tried yet, always hurrrying from 5400 Dorchester back to the #6 bus stop. Looking forward to it all.
Thanks again.

Santander wrote:Let me supplement:
11. the Croque Monsieur at Bonjour Bakery (55th and Lake Park)

I caught a glimpse of the Croque Monsieur yesterday and it looked just like the Parisian version of my memory, cheesily topped and browned, very promising. Maybe another time.

14. Goat cheese and spinach pan pizza at the Medici (not for takeout; eat it there).

I'd like to thank Santander and the other posters above for publicizing the virtues of Seoul Corea. Yesterday I had a job candidate to entertain for lunch and chose to take him to Seoul Corea. Because of this thread I knew even before I opened the menu that I wanted some of their handrolled noodles. My guest followed my lead and we both enjoyed a generous serving of haemool kalguksu (hand-rolled noodle soup with vegetable, seafood, and egg), $7.95 on the lunch special list, for more than either of us could finish.

The noodles were indeed fabulous in the soup; the baby squid, though, had been overcooked to my taste -- a little tough. But I was very happy overall and will certainly try to get back soon to try more dishes.

I was concerned, however, that the two of us were the only customers there for Friday lunch. At the moment scaffolding on the building somewhat obscures the location of Seoul Corea; I hope their business picks up once the construction project is complete.

A common order for the neighborhood regulars, but new to me until tonight: the dduk mandu guk. I even enjoy saying it. Their take on this classic has home-made pork and kimchi dumplings and silky rice cakes in a garlicky-limey broth with slivered sweet onions, seaweed, and their very consistent soup-beef, which is like a tender, stringy pot roast, the flavor coming out even more in this bowl than it does in the spicy yukgae jang. Yum.