Korean-Chinese restaurants???

Anyone have experience with Korean-Chinese restaurants? By this I mean Korean owned Chinese-style restuarants. I know of only two "Great Beijing" near Lincoln Square and "Great Seas" on Lawrence (I think?). These restaurants have Korean style chicken wings and noodle dishes that they don't have at BBQ places like Kang Nam and San Soo Gap San. Usually there are lots of Korean folks in there and the employees speak Korean. I wish I knew the names of the dishes but I all I know is that one consists of noodles with a black bean paste/sauce and the other is more of a noodle soup, orange in color with various veggies and meat products. My boyfriend, who's Korean, tells me that these are very popular Korean dishes. There are more, but these are my favorites. Both Great Beijing and Great Seas offer little dishes of onion that you dip in black bean paste on the tables and both offer pretty much all of the usual suspects when it comes to Chinese food. Great Seas even sells its chicken wing sauce which is delicious!

I have a feeling that there are a lot of these Korean-Chinese restaurants in the city, I just don't know where they are or which ones are the best. Any ideas? Thanks.

Hikari

Here's some stuff on Great Seas:

http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=2723

I'm a firm believer that the best Asian food comes out of dark, non-English speaking, mostly Asian clientele having, dingy (but not scary dingy) locales.

There is a place in Morton Grove called Nan Garden, which I believe actually just changed management. What used to be a dark, hole in the wall Korean-owned Chinese restaurant (Korean owners/servers serving all or at least most of the stuff you mentioned in your post) is now a bright area, but I'm not quite sure if the food has lost a little bit of its edge.

What used to be our staple there was the Szechwan Chicken and the Peking Noodles. The Szechwan Chicken was a wonderfully spicy yet also sweet-ish boneless, deep fried chicken dish (absolutely NOT to be confused with the pedestrian General Tso's or Empress Chicken one can find)... this was a dish that I could find no place else. The spice was one that kind of crept up on you... it would emerge in the back of your mouth, tingling at first, but before you knew it, your entire palate would be searing but you couldn't stop eating it! The sweet and sticky sauce coated the chicken in a beautiful red glaze, with a handful of peas thrown in for contrast's sake. They also served this with a small panjan of pickled radish cubes.

The Peking Noodles (which was introduced to us many many years ago by one of the waitstaff there who was patient enough with the non-Koreans!) is a noodle dish (spaghetti-like) with a black pasty seafood sauce. We never asked what exactly the sauce was made of (and it's probably better that way!), and were advised that it was probably a bad idea to wrap up leftover to bring home, but it was always a good option.

Occasionally we'd get the hot and sour soup, when we were extra hungry and cold.

Once I learned that Nan Garden was under new management, I decided to order my beloved Szechwan Chicken to see how it held up. The menu seems to be exactly the same (except now covered in nice plastic with floral artwork on the cover).

Unfortunately, either there was a mistake in the ordering process or in the kitchen, but what I opened when I got home was certainly NOT my Szechwan Chicken of days past. What I got was more of the typical sweet and sour variety of chicken, with no spice at all, definitely not red, and with more vegetables than should be present in the dish I am familiar with. Broccoli! That was the last food item I expected when I opened that container!

I'm hoping that it was just an off mistake due to phoning in my order and the language barrier. That said, I should probably just go and dine in to ensure that I'm getting what I order. I'll report back once I get in there.

Nan Garden
5844 Dempster St.
Morton Grove, IL
(847)967-0066

Within the past six weeks or so, I dined at VIP Chinese with C2 and CrazyC. On balance, I found the food to be deeply average, and by that I mean that I found it to be right on par with Great Seas.


"Mongolian Beef"


Spicy Chicken Wings and the Special Spicy Mussels


Ja Jang Myun

Lord knows if the fried chicken wings at some Korean restaurants are actually a Chinese-inspired dish, but if I want chicken wings prepared in that manner, I head to the Hourglass Bar, or I head to Japonais, where they are listed on the menu as "Tokyo Drums." IMO, both renditions far outstrip the same at Great Seas and VIP.*

I have sought--and will continue to seek out--American-style Chinese food. But, I cannot imagine seeking out Korean-style Chinese food any longer. It does absolutely nothing for me. YMMV.

Regards,
Erik M.

* Several of the wings pictured above were so thoroughly fried as to be inedible. And, as for Great Seas, I have always found their wings to be exceedingly sweet for my tastes.

Erik:

The noodle dish in the last picture looks like the Peking Noodles that I've touted in my post. What exactly IS in this goodness?

If I had to guess I would say it has the dark bean paste (like Go Chu Chan without the red pepper) in it. This paste is readily available in Korean stores like the one on Kimball. A huge jar will run you about 3 bucks. I have one at home but I have yet to figure out what else goes in the delicious mix. I could ask my boyfriend's mom, I'm sure she knows...if I find out I will be sure to report back.

hikari

gmonkey wrote:What exactly IS in this goodness?

I cannot comment on the ingredients.

I can comment on my reaction to eating that noodle dish: mud. It was heavy with fermented black bean paste. It is known to be a very, very popular dish in Korea, which I guess if you grew eating it, then you get 'it.' Unfortunately the charm of this dish is completely lost on me.

Ultimately, my bowl was left half eaten, which is unusual as I am a faithful member of the clean plate club.

As Erik mentioned, the chicken pieces varied to ok to overcooked to almost mummified.

The favorite of Charlotte and I was the "Mongolian Beef," which was rather sweet, however it was missing a classic ingrediant: (fried) bean noodle puffs. I might give them a wider berth on this except we specifically discussed with the waitress what was included in the Mongolian Beef and the bean thread puffs were mentioned. So not to see them was surprising.

In the end, I thought it was an average neighborhood Chinese, though not destination dining.

Regards,

gmonkey wrote:Erik:

The noodle dish in the last picture looks like the Peking Noodles that I've touted in my post. What exactly IS in this goodness?

If I understand the origins of this dish correctly, Ja Jang Myuan is a derivate of the older Chinese dish, Zha Jiang Mian. In the Chinese form, a sheaf of boiled Shanghai, or preferably hand-thrown Peking noodles, is served with a sauce comprised of ground brown beans, stock, hoisin, and ground pork. For table, the diner is often served shredded cucumber, scallion, and beansprouts alongside, so that they may mix them in at their own discretion.*

In the versions of the Korean form that I have tried, I have never discerned any pork whatsover. And, very much unlike all of the versions of the Chinese form that I have tried, the sweetness of the hoisin etc., has always predominated. It is largely for this reason that I have found it disappointing. Frankly, I find it gross, and not merely disappointing.

So, while I consider myself finished with sampling versions of the Korean form, I am always on the lookout for Chinese Zha Jiang Mian. And, Zha Jiang Mian is something that I actually make with great frequency at home.

Erik M.

* For whatever it might be worth, I have often heard Zha Jiang Mian referred to as, "Chinese Bolognese noodles," by Western food writers.

FatMan Seoul's blog has an entry on jajang myeon

Jajang Myeon

The first time I had it was in the instant noodle form.

there's quite a few "korean chinese" spots around. A few are covered in this old CH thread. I can't say that the ja jiang mein does much for me either, though the kampoongi are something I occasionally crave.

aside from those mentioned in the thread I also recall one on sheridan in Rogers park, whose name I can't recall off hand.

zim wrote:though the kampoongi are something I occasionally crave.

Zim,

I agree, every once in a while nothing but Great Seas wings are going to do it for me.

Plump, crispy wing drumetts, oily scallion chili sauce, just a hint of sweet, to quote Homer Simpson, "Mummmmmm, chicken wings." \

Enjoy,
Gary

One place that I've heard very little mention of is

Chang's Chinese
3718 N Elston
(corner of Elston and Kimball, couple blocks north of Addison)

Supposedly they make their own noodles which I haven't really bothered to ask them about. But their food is pretty good. And the people who work there can speak English very well.

Personally, I get the jjamppong instead of the jjajangmyeon.

I believe they're closed on Mondays.

Han wrote:One place that I've heard very little mention of is

Chang's Chinese
3718 N Elston
(corner of Elston and Kimball, couple blocks north of Addison)

Supposedly they make their own noodles

Making the noodles in-house, often in a glassed in display area, is a hallmark of Korean-Chinese places here in Atlanta. Those hand thrown noodles, and the likewise completely house-made steamed dumplings and the squid with nida (smoky asian scallions) and the very spicy (hard to get that request across!) seafood noodle soup are hands down the big winners. BTW, the best place in town here for years until it changed hands a while back had a principally Mexican kitchen staff.

The Ja Jang Myun in Erik M.'s post above looks a bit haphazard to me. Chunks of onions in varying sizes seem to dominate the "sauce." A good version of the dish (IMHO) should have more "saucy" and the vegetables should be uniformly cut - into brunoise-like size. Also it seems like it's mostly onions. It should also have zucchini, cucumber, shrimp, and bits of pork or beef.
Ja Jang Myun has always been a comfort food for me. So it's a favorite of mine. Like Cathy said, maybe it's one of those dishes that you grow up with & therefore will always have a place.
FWIW, the version at VIP looks a bit lacking.

FWIW, yesterday, there was some (further) discussion at Chowhound about the possible origins of Ja Jang Myun.

E.M.

Those drinking glasses in Erik M's pics brought back childhood memories... It's been years since I'd seen those same glasses...

Enough! Enough with the bashing of my beloved, horribly mis-understood, step-child of a dish, ja jang mien. From its "no country will claim this version" status to the unfortunate color and texture of this saucy wonder, it's the under-dog of all dishes. (Not to be confused with er, dog dishes.)

Sweating with nervous trepidation, we try to invoke notions of "home-made noodles" (love the irregular texture) "balance of the sauce," (maybe it was too sweet?) or "seafood" ingredients that some places will leave out as a cost-cutting measure, as if to say, the version that so repulsed you could not *possibly* have been the ja jang mien I know and love. I will apologize no more for this street food of my past, present, and future. (And I agree that Jaam-bongh translates much better for most people, even if my spelling doesn't translate at all.)

viaChgo wrote:The Ja Jang Myun in Erik M.'s post above looks a bit haphazard to me. Chunks of onions in varying sizes seem to dominate the "sauce." (snip) Also it seems like it's mostly onions. It should also have zucchini, cucumber, shrimp, and bits of pork or beef. (snip) the version at VIP looks a bit lacking.

jja jang myun should NOT contain shrimp. often it won't even have pork or much less beef bits. sample recipe here (will extract ingredients from Vignettes of Korean Cooking later). beef has always been a relative luxury in Korean cuisine and doesn't belong in this extremely cheap, rudimentary dish. along this rudimentary, home-style, delivered-by-scooters nature, one shouldn't expects jja jang myun to be premeditated. look at it! it's bowl of mixed black goo. many restaurants yield onions and jja jang-only versions, with additional cubed slices of raw onions on the side and unsauted jja jang for dipping.

an outtake on the romanization of jja jang myun:
http://www.shinwonagency.com/eng/writer/fahndohyun.asp

I will never write down 'Jja Jang Myun' as 'Ja Jang Myun'

TonyC wrote:jja jang myun should NOT contain shrimp.

Most of the time when I've had it in Chicago, I recall that there was shrimp. Thanks for that recipe link.

btw, has anyone had the instant-ramen-like-version of Ja Jang Myun? If you don't like the real thing, you'll think this is totally wrong! However, though I haven't had it in years, I have fond memories from my childhood/college days. Like junk food!!

if you want seafood in your jja jang myun, just ask for "sahm-sung" jja jang myun. also the instant versions are a guilty pleasure of mine.

I love good plump shrimp in my sauce -- not really going to get into authenticity discussions about this (I'm more of a social constructionist) although I agree it's an indulgence. I've always loved the instant packages too - I prefer the packets of pre-mixed paste rather than the powder packets but I have friends that strongly disagree.

viaChgo wrote:btw, has anyone had the instant-ramen-like-version of Ja Jang Myun?

Oh, yeah, constantly. It's usually labeled as Cha-Jang Myun where I've seen it (such as Asia Supermarket on Milwaukee in Niles and Mitsuwa).
The one time I had it in a Chinese-Korean place, I was disappointed because it didn't have that deep toasted bean flavor reminiscent of chocolate or coffee.

Erik M. wrote:
Spicy Chicken Wings and the Special Spicy Mussels

Is this the item labeled "Mandarin Gang Pong Chicken" on VIP's menu? I didn't see a Spicy Chicken Wing.

Jay K wrote:Is this the item labeled "Mandarin Gang Pong Chicken" on VIP's menu?

Are you talkin' to me?

If I never see that menu again...



E.M.

Had a decent Chinese-Korean meal at Yu's Mandarin in Schaumburg yesterday. We ordered the usual Chinese-Korean fare: ganpoongi, jajang myun, jampong, and tangsooyook.

Yu's ganpoongi is less sweet than most, which worked for me. Could've used a bit more heat, however. And the wings were a little thin on meat.

The jajang myun lacked the earthy tang I expect from good jajang. And although Yu's features a noodle making demonstration, the noodles did not appear hand made.

The jampong was more successful. Plenty of squid and vegetables intermingling in a rich, savory broth. A lighter touch with the msg (and, again, more heat) would have made for a pretty damn good jampong.

As for the tangsooyook, the kitchen doused tender, lightly battered pork in a viscous, sickly sweet sauce. I rejoiced when I found one piece spared by the sauce carpet-bombing.

In short, Yu's satisfied my craving for Chinese-Korean. But I'm still counting the days before my next LA trip for some real Chinese-Korean (and Korean) food.


Yu's Mandarin
200 East Golf Road
Schaumburg, IL 60173

Ressurecting an old thread but this is what came up when I did a search. Just wanted to chime in on Chang's.

Han wrote:One place that I've heard very little mention of is



Chang's Chinese

3718 N Elston

(corner of Elston and Kimball, couple blocks north of Addison)



Supposedly they make their own noodles which I haven't really bothered to ask them about. But their food is pretty good. And the people who work there can speak English very well.



Personally, I get the jjamppong instead of the jjajangmyeon.



I believe they're closed on Mondays.

I actually went here yesterday and I thought it was pretty good. I live just around the corner and my husband was in the neighborhood long before I came along and we had been passing this place by for years without giving it a thought. My stepdaughter and I had discussed going there about a year ago and we finally made our trek. Went at lunchtime yesterday and we were suprised at how good the Ameri-Chinese fare was. My husband enjoyed his chop suey, my stepdaughter finally fed her craving for sweet and sour chicken and I loved the grilled aspargus that came on the side of my terriyaki chicken which was also good. I knew that this restaurant serves Korean food but since we went at lunchtime we got the lunch menu which had no Korean dishes. I am anxious to go back because I really want to sample whatever Korean dishes they do have. They also have a full bar, so I am ready to drink mai tais while I am at it. Very reasonable and the servcie was friendly and more than what I expected.

Hi,

The Chinese food option at H-Mart in Niles leans toward Korean-Chinese tastes.

I may be mistaken, Great Seas (Greater Neighborhood Restaurant almost exclusively for the chicken wings) leans toward Korean-Chinese, too. I recall have Korean-Chinese favorites of jajang myun there.

Regards,

Anyone know where you can get Kung Pung Gi (spicy double fried chicken wings) like they used to serve at Nan Garden? Is the style of wings they are serving at Great Seas? Pardon if this has been asked and answered. Really enjoyed Nan Garden.

I'm korean and live up near VIP, and Great seas... overall i prefer VIP for jajang myun (black bean) and jjampong (spicy seafood), and Great seas for the wings. pretty sufficient when i need to get my fix. But the best place is Chef Ping's but it's out in the burbs. the Chef is Chinese but is from korea, and used to be the chef at Yu's Mandarin before he opened this place up. By far the best korean chinese in and around chicago. My suggestion is to head up there sometime and check it out. They have all the classic Yang Jang Pi (cold spicy mustard salad, Pal Bo Chae (seafood stir fry in a gravy), Jjap Chae, Kam Pong Shrimp (fried shrimp in a spicy sauce)... and more. My suggestion is to head out there sometime but make a trip of it as it is far from the city. Enjoy!!

http://www.chefping.com/
1755 Algonquin Rd
Rolling meadows, Il 60008

Chef Ping has been discussed in detail in this thread.