Shin Jung Restaurant in Mt. Prospect (pics)

Has anyone been to this place? I always drive by on Golf Rd but never went in until a couple days ago(had to go to AutoZone next door)

I always thought it was just a regular Korean restaraunt but it's Korean style BBQ where you grill your own meat. I am a HUGE fan of this kind of kind of cooking. Also, I'm a big fan of BUFFETS! Grilled meat buffet = <3 !!!

The first thing you notice when you walk in is the hallway plastered with customers pictures. Not a sad face in the bunch! To me, that was/is a good sign.

The kalbi is the thing to get here. It had good flavor and they seem to use good marbled meat. Cooking over a fire and being able to control the amount of char was great. Be prepare to be hit with a little specks of grease on your arms and face.



They have other meats also....like bulgogi(beef), a spicy bulgogi(i was told it was pork), and a few others, like bacon (uncured),liver, etc



The seafood actually looked pretty fresh. I can't have seafood because it gives me gout but my friend had the shimp and squid and claimed it to be fresh.



They have about 10-15 trays of side dishes out next to the meat. The ones I tried were pretty good. Being Korean-American, it was pretty standard stuff. For those who aren't familiar with some of the things in the pictures, I would recommend being adventurous. Maybe you'll come across something new that you'll like.




My stomach had a pretty good time there. Service was a little lacking however. Nothing to really complain about but nothing to really write home about either. The owners seem friendly. You can see them walking around talking to customers....just not all customers. If you happen to be around that area, it's in a strip mall next to an AutoZone and I think there's a CVS on the other side of the parking lot.


New Shin Jung Restaurant
1747 Golf Rd., Mt. Prospect, IL 60056
(847) 437-1166[/img]

keevieweevie wrote:I always thought it was just a regular Korean restaraunt but it's Korean style BBQ where you grill your own meat.

That is a regular Korean restaurant, at least in Chicago -- no? Very few other kinds of Korean places in my experience. Indeed, like Mexican and Japanese, Korean restuarants appear to tend toward the ultra-specific. Ginseng restaurants, black pig restaurants, "BBQ." Looks swell. Thanks.

PS, are those opened cherrystone clams to the left of the shrimp? Now we're talking. Did your buddy try them?

so they had daeji bulgogi in the buffet? was the bbq charcoal, gas grill or propane?

uhm, price please? i coulda had this for dinner last nite instead of "sushi station". darnit.

The price was $19.99. I forget what the sign says but I think that is a weekday price. I can't say for sure but I'm guessing the price goes up slightly for the weekend.

Not every Korean restaurant has the grill-it-yourself option. A lot of places grill the meat in the kitchen and bring out it to you. Also, we're talking buffet!!! I disagree that Korean restaurants lean more towards "ultra-specific." Sure, there are places that specialize in a type of ingredient or dish, but most places that I know of offer a wide selection of Korean dishes.

I believe the grill is gas. I asked and the owner said it used to be charcoal but the fans that they have couldn't handle all the smoke so they switched. I LOVE grilled kalbi over a charcoal flame but his explanation made sense.

My favorite place for Kalbi, anywhere, is Soot Bull Jeep in LA. There, however, you literally walk into a place filled top to bottom with smoke because their fans aren't strong enough. It's a little much after a while so Shin Jung's decision is understandable to me. Hey, they're just looking out for the customer, no?

I'm not sure what kind of clams those were. Here's a picture, I don't know the differences between clams.


Oh, just a warning, leave coats/jackets/whatever you dont need to wear in the car and bring Febreeze for your clothes. You will smell like heavenly grilled meat when you leave.

keevie,
seeing you've just joined ... rest assured the majority of this board understands the concept of korean restaurants and certain people may have their own faves beyond Soot Bull Jeep in LA.

the dish-specific nature of korean restaurants have been long established. you have sul long tang houses (none here in Chicago, but... you know.. they exist), you have soon dooboo houses, soon dae shacks, Korean-Chinese joints like Great Sea, yung sul bokum houses, ad nausea. A SDB house may serve kalbi, but you wouldn't want to eat it there just like you wouldn't want to order falafels at South Loop Cliub.

Garden Buffet is charcoal fired but uses a venturi/downdraft ventilation. It seems to work wonders even for a restaurant that size.

I believe the restaurant of this particular thread was mentioned by LAZ as something nearly ... i dunno... inedible?

Keevie:

Again, thanks for the post, especially the clam close-up.

(Yeah, I do think they are cherrystones. Give me some credit; I didn't have much to work with -- how about a "guess the food" game to follow up on guess the restaurant?)

I did not intend to create a dust-up about the specificity of Korean restaurants. I was simply suggesting that Korean do-it-yourself BBQ, including the buffet variety, is among the most popular styles of Korean dining choices here, in Chicago. The stuff on this board would seem to bear that out. (Though I miss the noodle and dumpling-oriented Lincoln Noodle House very much).

I certainly do not consider it a criticism of Korean cooking and restaurants that they specialize. Quite the opposite. Many, probably most, of the great cuisines do that. On the other hand, I wouldn't mind going to a Korean version of the Omega, Vesailles, or Cheesecake Factory, a place with a phonebook-sized menu covering all of the bases, so I can see it all in one place at one time. Maybe that's the H-Mart food court. Haven't been yet.

What other Korean places do you like?

I am new and haven't taken the time to read other posts relating to Korean Food. I'll be reading more posts from now on.
(who knows, maybe South Loop Club can turn out a mean Falafel if they tried....)

I can only speak about my experience at Shin Jung(obviously) and I had a pretty good time and a pretty good meal. Nothing I tried tasted remotely inedible. I'm not a fan of organ meats myself and Shin Jung had a cart with about 4 or 5 different kinds. Maybe that's what turned off that person in that other post. It's not for everyone but my the adults in my family, and other adults I know, love that kind of stuff.

I don't go out to Korean places much these days and I don't really have a favorite in Chicago but the last couple places I've eaten at are....

Cho Dang Tofu in Mt. Prospect(or is it rolling meadows?) which was pretty good. Lots of Japanese customers.

Chicago Food - I get the Dae-gu Tang (Cod Stew). You get a lot for the price. I can't remember how much it is but I'm gonna guess around $7

Cho Jung in Glenview - I was told that they don't use any MSG. While I appreciate that, the food was a little bland. Good, but bland. And it's a tad pricey.

Cho Dang Tofu
1719 W. Algonquin Rd,
Mount Prospect
847-956-8638

Chicago Food Corporation
3333 North Kimball Ave.
(773)478-5566

Cho Jung
952 Harlem Ave
Glenview, IL 60025
(847) 724-1111

TonyC wrote:soon dae shacks

Hey Tony,
Where? Which?
Mike

TonyC wrote:

the dish-specific nature of korean restaurants have been long established. you have sul long tang houses (none here in Chicago, but... you know.. they exist)

Tony, that was a very well done post, so I feel guilty even responding (in any way), but sul long tang (or however it's transliterated), is that not the beef marrow soup? If so, there's the place in the same mall as the Penguin Ice Cream parlor, on Lawrence.

There was a Chowhound excursion to this place several years ago, I tried to find the post, but I could not. I cannot say it was something that made me want to return. So, maybe (maybe) there's no good sul long tang places...

m'th'su: how about the joint west of the rub-n-tug on dempster? they have soon dae as well as the sliced pork hock in lettuce wrap. i did not ask if the soon dae is house stuffed, but it was steamed well IMO.

VI: you're absolutely right. that joint also serves soon dae as well as the sliced pork hock just like Willow Tree House above, an underappreciated soju bang.

TonyC wrote:m'th'su: how about the joint west of the rub-n-tug on dempster? they have soon dae as well as the sliced pork hock in lettuce wrap. i did not ask if the soon dae is house stuffed, but it was steamed well IMO.

You mean Chun Ju, that you linked to above? I see on their house specials list Bu Dae Ji Gae, "ham and sausage spicy soup" Is that what you mean?

Chun Ju Restaurant
5707 W. Dempster, Morton Grove
847-470-0066

TonyC wrote:VI: you're absolutely right. that joint also serves soon dae as well as the sliced pork hock just like Willow Tree House above, an underappreciated soju bang.

That would be
Han Bat Restaurant
2723 W Lawrence Ave

As it happens both are located within spitting distance of rub-n-tugs, if that's your poison.

BWAHAHAHAHAHA.

i was actually thinking about:
Willow Tree House
6032 Dempster St
Morton Grove, IL

their soon dae looked like:

http://picasaweb.google.com/tonyhchen/W ... 9396065298

Chun Ju WAS the rug-n-tug in disguise!!!

Vital Information wrote:There was a Chowhound excursion to this place several years ago, I tried to find the post, but I could not.

Han Bat pictures

Han Bat Restaurant
2723 W Lawrence Ave
Chicago, IL 60625
773-271-8640

TonyC wrote:I believe the restaurant of this particular thread was mentioned by LAZ as something nearly ... i dunno... inedible?

Since the documentation which existed at the time is no longer available, the rules of this forum do not permit me to comment in any detail on the lengthy wretchedness of my experience at the hands of this restaurant. However, it was some years ago. Not long enough to convince me to go back there, though.

i did finally make it to Shin Jung restaurant. pleasant. completely empty on a Tuesday even with the addition of my 8-top. splendid service for a Korean joint.

the 2 Korean Americans were, as always, all about the kalbi. Not a bad version. the daeji bulgogi, as always, is my fave and was marinaded to near perfection for me: not too spicy, not too sweet, not too salty.

as far as the buffet aspect guys, Garden still takes the cake. their down draft vent + charcoal combination + huge panchan bar is really unbeatable in the city.

Hi there - has anyone been to Shin Jung Restaurant lately? Is it still any good?

I have some family visiting me this weekend and they are HUGE fans of any kind of Asian-themed buffet. They loved Garden Buffet the last time, but sadly it is now closed.

Thanks in advance for any updates.