Hwe Dup Bap

They sell this at the little meal counter inside the Chicago Korean Food Corp on 3333 N. Kimball. The fish is fresh, the portion size is big, and it's only $6.50.

If you don't know, hwe dup bap is sashimi over rice with lettuce and korean hot sauce.

Han wrote:They sell this at the little meal counter inside the Chicago Korean Food Corp on 3333 N. Kimball. The fish is fresh, the portion size is big, and it's only $6.50.

If you don't know, hwe dup bap is sashimi over rice with lettuce and korean hot sauce.

Digging up an old post. Where else can one find hwae dup bap? JinJu in Andersonville has this dish on weekends only. Are there any other authentic Korean restaurants that serve hwae dup bap as well?

Most Korean owned sushi restaurants will serve hwe dup bap.

iDoc wrote:Are there any other authentic Korean restaurants that serve hwae dup bap as well?

Tampopo, a Korean owned Japanese restaurant on Lincoln, has a very nice version of hwae dup bap. Tampopo, as the name implies, has a tasty selection of ramen as well as good quality sushi, a deft hand with cooked dishes and, in my opinion, the best agedashi dofu in Chicago.

Tampopo Agedashi Dofu


Enjoy,
Gary

Tampopo
5665 N Lincoln Ave.
Chicago, IL
773-561-2277

was advised by a respectable source:

Nagano Japanese Restaurant
1005 E Saint Charles Rd
Lombard, IL
(630) 629-2469

has an excellent version. basically taka over bibimbap.

have to bump this thread.

Nagano has a sick version of hwe dup bap. It is in the biggest friggin bowl i've ever seen, enough fish for 2 with all the ojijiang you want.

And to complete the Korean-Japanese restaurant experience, Nagano's proprietor makes the best kimchi in greater Chicagoland. it is just perfect. not served to regular customers, on request only.

what is ojijiang?

I had hwe dup bap at Super H-Mart awhile ago.

What started as a lunchtime yearning for soba noodles or a tasty donburi ended in a delicious meal of hwe dup bap at Tampopo this afternoon.

I had never eaten at a Korean-run Japanese restaurant, although I've frequented plenty of similar "fusion cuisine" places, mostly in San Francisco, like the venerable San Tung, or countless Cantonese-run restaurants with Vietnamese menu items.

Aside from a bilingual English-Korean menu, a selection of sojus, and some Korean-language signage, Tampopo certainly doesn't advertise its Korean identity to westerners. And not many mainstream reviewers (including, surprisingly, the Reader's resident Korean expert Mike Sula) pick up on it, either. Only by employing my rudimentary Hangul skills did I realize what I had dismissed as chirashi at first glance was, in fact, hwe dup bap. I ordered it by name, and my dining experience was transformed instantly into a Korean one, complete with a restrained selection of panchan, chili paste, and a long metal spoon. I almost feel like had I just ordered "number twenty four," I would have gotten chirashi.

Although I like to think that I'm pretty well-versed in Korean cuisine for a non-native, this experience left me a bit baffled and very much intrigued. My question is this: what other fabulously interesting Korean-styled, Japanese-inspired dishes are out there and, more generally, what are the defining characteristics of such a cuisine?

jonathanlehman wrote:what are the defining characteristics of such a cuisine?

simple: whatever Japanese food Koreans don't want to overly pay.

"kim bap" immediately comes to mind. Chicago Food Corp's $20 pre-packed sushi platter follows right behind. This isn't a result of some high-falutin' culinary venture, it's just cheapness/frugality/insert euphemism. Koreans would rather eat at Korean operated sushi joints because they think it's a better value. Or so insists the SO's mom.

jonathanlehman wrote:My question is this: what other fabulously interesting Korean-styled, Japanese-inspired dishes are out there and, more generally, what are the defining characteristics of such a cuisine?

There has been some activity in Korea with regards to synthesizing Korean and Japanese cuisines, but I'm not sure I can identify a defining characteristic. Of course, there's always been some cross-pollenization between the cultures, which has resulted in dishes like tonkatsu becoming a Korean staple. As for TonyC's putative insights into Korean cuisine and the Korean mind ... they do not comport with my understanding or experiences. To the extent that *some* Koreans may prefer Korean operated sushi restaurants, that preference is more likely a function of familiarity.

Also, I'm not sure that hwe dup bap is "Japanese-inspired." I spent a couple of months in Pusan (Korea's second largest city) and made a habit of visiting the "fish houses" that dotted the coast. During one of my first visits, I remarked that the raw fish and hwe dup bap did not resemble the Japanese versions I had grown accustomed to in the US. The elderly restaurant proprietor/fisherman then proceeded to lecture me on Korea's long history of eating raw fish. In fact, the fisherman insisted, the Japanese may have adopted the practice from Koreans.

TonyC wrote:Nagano has a sick version of hwe dup bap. It is in the biggest friggin bowl i've ever seen, enough fish for 2 with all the ojijiang you want.

I tried looking this up on Whitepages, apparently there's a Nagano International Corp in Wheeling? Is that it?

Suzy Creamcheese wrote:

TonyC wrote:Nagano has a sick version of hwe dup bap. It is in the biggest friggin bowl i've ever seen, enough fish for 2 with all the ojijiang you want.

I tried looking this up on Whitepages, apparently there's a Nagano International Corp in Wheeling? Is that it?

No, it's the Nagano mentioned earlier in this thread:

Nagano Japanese Restaurant
1005 E Saint Charles Rd
Lombard, IL
(630) 629-2469

It's on the corner of Westmore/Meyers Road and St. Charles Road right where Villa Park becomes Lombard. It's barely walkable from the Lombard train station.

While I really enjoy the food here, the room is small and three tables are designated "smoking." I only wish the smoke itself would respect the invisible boundry and not drift throughout the entire place. I won't stay if a smoker is present as the fumes are inescapable. Perhaps that's one reason the room is never full....

LTH,

I have a hwe dup bap dinner date for four this evening and we were planning on going to Tampopo but I just learned that Tampopo is Tanpopo and it has gone totally downhill. We need a place to go instead, stat.

Anyone have any favorite places serving a good hwe dup bap in a Tampopo-less world? Preferably in the city limits.

Thanks,
jsl42

jonathanlehman wrote:Anyone have any favorite places serving a good hwe dup bap in a Tampopo-less world? Preferably in the city limits.

Favorite is too strong of a word, but Midori is Korean owned and serves a version of hwe dup bap, though they call it chirash

Midori
3310 W Bryn Mawr Ave
773-267-9733

I was surprised that Midori didn't have hwe dup bap on the menu, so thanks for confirming that they do indeed serve it. Since their version didn't exactly get a ringing endorsement from you, we're gonna try Gosu, which is a little closer to home. I'll report back.

Wasn't there a sushi place on the south side of Lincoln at Richmond? I think I've eaten hwe dup bap there in the past but couldn't find the restaurant's name anywhere.

jonathanlehman wrote:I was surprised that Midori didn't have hwe dup bap on the menu, so thanks for confirming that they do indeed serve it.

Though its named chirash, the menu description is obviously the Korean variation. I cut and pasted, spelling is Midori's.
Chirash (mixed Dish) korean style chopped assorlted fish over rice with shredded lettuce hot sweet & sour souce, kaiwari (dykon spranae) spicy and fabulous japanese style sliced assorted fish over rice not spicy.

I'm sure any number of Korean restaurants serve hwe dup bab, though the last few years the only place I ordered it was Tampopo. Japanese version wise, I like Renga Tei in Lincolnwood regular menu chirashi, but they often have a daily special chirashi that shines.

Lincoln at Richmond, I think you mean Solga, haven't been there in quite a while. Interested to hear how Gosu was.

Ah, I missed it. I must have seen "fabulous japanese style" and kept scanning down the menu.

Anyhoo, Gosu did the trick. Most of us stuck to the Korean side of the menu. Started with a serviceable haemul pajun and some tasty fried chicken wings. We all had hwe dup bap. It wasn't as massive or perhaps as artfully prepared as Tampopo's version, but it has some unfamiliar goodies like krab, shrimp, and calamari (having just listened to This American Life on 'imitation calamari' I took a pass on the last one). Extra gochujang was made available without having to ask. Since we were in Logan Square, I was able to order mine with brown rice, which made it a little more Berkeley than Seoul. The fish itself was standard and served in typically generous portions.

I wouldn't seek this place out for the Japanese dishes (although our roll-eating tablemate did appear to enjoy his selections), but if you're looking for Korean-style stuff and you're in the area, go for it. They seemed to be doing a brisk take out and delivery business, and the service occasionally seemed to favor those who were not dining in. The decor is very strange.

For what it's worth, the place I was remembering on Lincoln was Matsu Shita (http://www.yelp.com/biz/matsu-shita-chicago). Google Maps confirms Hangul on the awning, so I must have remembered right. It seems like a lot of the Korean sushi places in the city are disappearing or changing ownership, and the ones that remain are either gimmicky (Tanoshii, Hiro's) or closeted about their Korean-ness. Off to Niles, I guess!

Gosu
2515 N California Ave
Chicago, IL 60647
773-276-7330
http://www.gosuchicago.net
http://www.grubhub.com/chicago/gosu

Sushi Gallery in Northbrook has awesome Hwe dup bap! They call it Spicy Chirashi. The owners are Korean and very nice.

Listen up. I'm a huge fan of Hwe dup bap. I travel a lot and order this whenever and wherever I can find it. Sushi Gallery's version of this dish isn't just boring iceberg lettuce with fish on top. Oh no! We're talking a delightful, thoughtful array of fresh greens, mostly peppery greens, then we're talking cucumber, carrot, radish, nori strips, masago, sesame oil, seaweed salad, a great variety of fish, etc.! I can't stop eating this!

I'm addicted! Gochujang sauce rocks! Can you tell that I love this dish? This weekend, I'm going to try some of the other restaurants listed on this blog that offer this dish... And if one can top Sushi Gallery, I'll be sure to let you all know. But if you like sushi and Korean Gochujang... Do yourself a favor and drive as fast as you can to the corner of Dundee and Milwaukee in Wheeling. You'll love it too! I promise!