I'm going to try for a late-ish lunch there tomorrow, Feb 24, 2 or 3pm, if anyone would care to join me for additional ordering power.

Lunch.

Guess which dish was designed by Judy Chicago:

Dare I say the bottom?

No way! It's the middle photo!

Had a great lunch at Jibek Jolu today and strongly support it as a GNR.

David Hammond wrote:Lunch.

It was a damned good one, and given that it was actually our second lunch, I think that says a lot about how good it was. From what I'd read about JJ, I thought I had a fairly good idea of what to expect. Mostly, the menu reminded me of a couple of Uzbeki places (Chaihanna and Diora, both in Buffalo Grove), which did not produce a lot of anticipation for me. But Jibek Jolu was not only different, it was superior in just about every way. The dishes were extremely well-prepared. They delivered more intense flavors and were not greasy and/or soggy, like some of similar dishes served at the places I mentioned above were . . .


Jibek Jolu - 5047 N Lincoln, Chicago



Chebureki
This lamb-filled fried pie was perfectly light and crispy on the outside, and the meat on the inside was moist and really lamby, which was terrific. In spite of the fact that this item was fried, it was not greasy in the least which, I believe, speaks volumes about the skill of the cook who made it.



Jibek Jolu Special Salad - Fried beef with onions, garlic and cucumbers served on soy sauce
Another delicious dish. The components went well together and I especially loved the soft-but-not-mushy cooked cucumber.



Manty - steamed dumplings stuffed with chopped beef, onions and pumpkin
These were sensational...tender noodle wrapped around intensely-flavored filling.



Plov - freshly cut fried beef, served with steamed rice, carrots, onions and chopped garlic
This could not have been any better. Every component was cooked perfectly and each of the well-matched flavors could be distinguished in the finished dish. I realize that they are not prepared in exactly the same manner but honestly, this dish shamed the pilafs I've had at Diora and Chaihanna.



Oromo - traditional steamed pie made with minced potatoes, onions, cabbage and carrots in a long thin wrap
Such great flavors and textures here, it was just a pleasure to eat.

Based on my single visit, Jibek Jolu seems to be a special place that, IMO, blends perfectly the charms of a family-owned restaurant with destination-worthy food. I thought that every dish we tasted was compelling, and these 5 represent only a fraction of the menu. I can't wait to return and try more of the offerings. I'm kind of surprised, as long as this thread is, that there seem to have been so few visits documented here. I really hope more people will check it out because I think they'll really enjoy it.

=R=

ronnie_suburban wrote:
Oromo - traditional steamed pie made with minced potatoes, onions, cabbage and carrots in a long thin wrap
Such great flavors and textures here, it was just a pleasure to eat.

Based on my single visit, Jibek Jolu seems to be a special place that, IMO, blends perfectly the charms of a family-owned restaurant with destination-worthy food. I thought that every dish we tasted was compelling, and these 5 represent only a fraction of the menu. I can't wait to return and try more of the offerings. I'm kind of surprised, as long as this thread is, that there seem to have been so few visits documented here. I really hope more people will check it out because I think they'll really enjoy it.

=R=

The oromo was one of those dishes that contained all kinds of stuff I've eaten together thousands of times before, but differently arranged, and spectacular. So simple and so wonderful.

Jibek Jolu seems a GNR shoo-in based on this dish alone.

David Hammond wrote:The oromo was one of those dishes that contained all kinds of stuff I've eaten together thousands of times before, but differently arranged, and spectacular. So simple and so wonderful.

Very well put.

=R=

I had the pleasure of joining Mr. Hammond in that recent meal, and so all I have to add is that the leftovers were surprisingly good, too. Great place. Most surprising was the noodle work where to echo David, they took very familiar ingredients, ones I thought I knew backward and forward, and made them new again to my surprise. The quality of the preparation, the deft seasoning, the pleasant service for a quirky crew, it all worked very well.

Loved it and hope to make it back soon.

Been wanting to check this out since it opened. Just did and can not in good faith say that anything outside of the hand pulled noodles was near compelling. And truthfully, it only made me wish we'd gone to Katy's. While we tried about 7-8 items, for me, nothing popped. Maybe I don't like this style of food (which is rare).

Decent to good was the range I felt it fell into. Nothing memorable that I'd drag people to as a "must have" which for me is the primary criteria for GNR status. Say what you will about ambiance, mom and pop places doing authentic food and the even more ridiculous "it's not a neighborhood". If it exists, it's in a neighborhood. For me the bottom line is delicious flavors. Not one thing sampled today will have me craving it later. As for GNR status, I'd say no on this one.

Jazzfood wrote:Been wanting to check this out since it opened. Just did and can not in good faith say that anything outside of the hand pulled noodles was near compelling. And truthfully, it only made me wish we'd gone to Katy's. While we tried about 7-8 items, for me, nothing popped. Maybe I don't like this style of food (which is rare).

Decent to good was the range I felt it fell into. Nothing memorable that I'd drag people to as a "must have" which for me is the primary criteria for GNR status. Say what you will about ambiance, mom and pop places doing authentic food and the even more ridiculous "it's not a neighborhood". If it exists, it's in a neighborhood. For me the bottom line is delicious flavors. Not one thing sampled today will have me craving it later. As for GNR status, I'd say no on this one.

It's funny because your experience mirrors exactly what my expectations were going into my meal there. Too bad it didn't do it for you like it did it for me.

=R=

Going in, I figured it would @ least be very good. Can't say I felt that way coming out. Underwhelmed is more like it.

Was eating lunch at Jibek Jolu this afternoon, and met GWiv (hope I spelled that right), who urged me to post, since I like the place. So here I am.

I went with two friends, but we all ordered virtually the same thing, so I only got to sample the samsy, the Jibek Jolu Special Salad, the meatball soup and the Borscht, but all were delicious. It's possibly a low-key cuisine, and I usually like food that is spicier - but the freshness and quality of the ingredients seems to be top-notch. I loved the samsy, and when I asked if there was a sauce that came with it (thinking of the delicious salsa I once had with some empanadas in Georgetown many years ago, and samsy are sort of empanada-like), the young woman who was our waitress said it's not traditionally served with anything, but she brought me a small dish of a wonderful chili-garlic salsa-like stuff with a fresh, bright flavor that really perked things up. It was also good on their delicious bread (which I believe they bake in-house). The Special Salad was also a winner. Soups were fresh tasting, and though my borscht was very plain, I would up eating the whole bowl (it was a 1/2 soup - but a generous portion).

The whole package - the clean and sprightly room, the friendly people, and the plain but tasty food - makes me think this place rates a GNR label for sure.

I'm on the fence about this one. Highlights at lunch for me were the bread (someone at the table called it--elephant ears with salt!) spread with some of the chili paste; the noodles, the carrot salad, the oromo and the pelmeni (kyrgy style tortellini--toothsome wrap, flavorful filling, nice dill and sour cream garnish). The manty was a miss--didn't care for the texture of the wrap and the filling didn't inspire. I enjoyed the food but kept thinking of other, similar spots (although none combining so many ethnic influences) whose food I enjoy more. This could be more about my response to the cuisine that the preparation but I didn't walk out thinking, "loved it."

Yesterday, I had a kabob sandwich, something I've never liked, at a dive spot in an area where I never travel--and can't wait to find a reason to go back. I pass Jibek Jolu regularly and while I wouldn't say I'd never return, I haven't had another thought today about something I can't wait to have there again. That says it all for me. Of course there were 6"+ long, perfectly cooked french fries involved in spot #1 so I can't really be held accountable for clear judgment here

Akatonbo wrote:Was eating lunch at Jibek Jolu this afternoon, and met GWiv (hope I spelled that right), who urged me to post, since I like the place. So here I am.

Nice to meet you, though I should point out I urge pretty much every lurker I meet to post, not only if they like a place or not. Glad to see you did post, its been a while since 2008.

I enjoyed lunch, with four we tried quite a but, my favorite might have been Oromo which, oddly, reminded me of of my grandmothers noodle kugel. We started with fry bread, though I am sure it has a different name, crisp perfectly fried disks of dough which we accented with Lazy, JJ's terrific house made hot sauce.

Fry bread



Oromo



I'm a fan of the Korean carrot salad, Pov and house made dumplings in all forms. I liked Jibek Jolu Special Salad more than my table mates, though more for the marinated cucumbers than thin slices of over marinated beef.

Korean Carrot Salad



While Jibek Jolu might not scream GNR, a mild somewhat understated cuisine most of us are not familiar with, I support this friendly family owned restaurant where most everything is made in-house for GNR status.

Jibek Jolu, count me a fan.

Enjoy,
Gary

If the g stood for "good" neighborhood restaurants, I'd give you that. "Great" is a stretch.

Count me un-awed.

Wow! I waited waaay to long to check this place out. Finally tried it.
The cuisine at this restaurant is influenced by Russian, Korean, Indian, and other east and central Asian foods.
The food is delicious. I had the Korean Carrot salad, the lagman (beef with vegetables over homemade noodles). Very fresh, and it engages all of your senses.
The restaurant is small, probably about 8 or 9 tables.
BYOB!
The food at Jibek Jolu reflects a unique and exceptionally delicious blend of flavors unlike any other cuisine. People liken it to Indian, Korean, Russian, Vietnamese -- and it's true that Central Asian cuisine has been influenced by the food of these countries -- however, it's truly a unique flavor and experience.
Most impressive is that the noodles -- called "lagman" -- are hand made right there in the restaurant. They are simple but a must-have, because they are unlike any noodle you've ever had. The dessert menu is small (only two items), but they did have a cake that was not listed on the menu which we tried and absolutely LOVED called "medoveek." It consisted of several layers of cake and honey infused frosting topped with a thick layer of icing and a bit of chocolate. Also, be sure to try the manty, which are similar to pot stickers. I am sure Jibek jolu is GNR

HI,

I went once about 15 months ago. I haven't gone again, because I wasn't especially impressed.

While my friends really, really liked Jibek Jolu. I had had better a long time ago in another life. When you have nothing to compare and it feels right, it's fine.

Regards,

Ronna and I just had dinner at Jibek Jolu. This was our second time there. Our first meal there was a little over a year ago and was pretty much a total disaster. We waited well over an hour for a plate of lagman. Yep, over an hour. We'd finished all of our other food and waited, and waited, and waited. Eventually, it was explained to us that they had run out of lagman and were making more. From scratch. Yikes.

We left with the impression that Jibek Jolu was run by a decent home cook that was in way over their head trying to run a restaurant.

Fast forward a year plus, and after all of the gushing that has taken place in this thread, we decided to give Jibek Jolu another shot. I'm glad that we did. While we weren't blown away, we had a satisfying meal.

The Pirojki was very good. Freshly fried pies filled with creamy mashed potato and green onion. These are like savory, potato-filled doughnuts.

Korean Carrot Salad was full of garlicky zing. Nice.

Jibek Jolu Special was a mix of flavors unlike anything I've eaten before. Tender strips of beef with marinated cucumbers, green onions, garlic, and dill in a soy-based sauce. I really enjoyed this warm salad.

The Manty were also pretty good. Very large, rustic dumplings filled with chunks of beef and onion served with a dilled sour cream.

The curveball of the night was the Beshbarmak, which was on the specials menu. This was a finely minced lamb, in a lamb broth, with boiled carrot and potato, and what I swear were ramen noodles. This dish was... odd. Not bad, just odd. The lamb and lamb broth were intensely flavored and quite gamey.

Jibek Jolu has come a long way since our first visit. It is a cute, little, family run joint serving homestyle Kyrgyz food. I'm glad to have it in my neighborhood and I plan to return sometime. I consider it a pretty good neighborhood restaurant.

--Rich

LTH,

We're way behind the LTH curve as far as trying newer places and I was determined yesterday to try this place out. Working long shifts as well a mainly six day weeks, along with the cold has had me pretty beaten down as far as getting out on my one day off. Now that the weather's starting to change, I hope to do some make up work and hopefully hit Kabul House soon.

We went last night and I liked it more than Donna. We both enjoyed the lamb pie, special salad and the Oromo, which we both thought was the best dish of the night. (It was similar in taste to a steamed Korean Mandu that I remember from Lexington (East) Market back in the '70's.) The lagman was tasty...very similar in flavor to the guisos to that the Mexican cooks at work prepare, only with noodles. She didn't love it.

REB - last night, the Beshbarmak was served over what appeared to be fettucini type noodles. IWe didn't try it, but saw it at the next table.

Evil

Had my inaugural visit here last night with my wife and a friend. We arrived at 5:15. There was a 20 person group that occupied 1/2 of the restaurant. The host/waiter politely asked if we had a reservation. Nope, nada, zilch. Didn't think we needed one. He informed us that he had three reservations for the remaining tables at 6:00. I promised we'd order quickly and if our food was prepared quickly, we'd get out by 6. Deal.

Between the three of us we ate/shared somsy, carrot salad, lagman, manty, and a plov. All were quite good. My only minor complaint was that the somsy was a tad cool. Considering the time-frame we had, not a big deal in the scheme of things. We got out in time, without being rushed.

Jibek Jolu - a definite spot added to our dining rotation. Too bad Penguin Ice Cream is no longer. That would have made for a great one-two punch.

Eva Luna wrote:...Sometimes nothing but plov will do, in which case I am glad to wait as long as it takes (or spend half a day cooking it myself). ....

Eva Luna, do you have a plov recipe that you'd be willing to share? A friend just came back from Kazakhstan and was raving about this dish.
Thanks, Jen

Pie-love wrote:

Eva Luna wrote:...Sometimes nothing but plov will do, in which case I am glad to wait as long as it takes (or spend half a day cooking it myself). ....

Eva Luna, do you have a plov recipe that you'd be willing to share? A friend just came back from Kazakhstan and was raving about this dish.
Thanks, Jen

I tend to use the one from Anya von Bremzen's Please to the Table, with added barberries (which you should be able to find at a Persian grocery). I can't find that one online, but this one is pretty close:

http://fxcuisine.com/default.asp?langua ... ution=high

Except I think the von Bremzen one has turmeric and paprika instead of peppercorns. But there are probably as many plov recipes as there are Central Asian cooks. I think the basics are lamb, rice, cumin, garlic, and lots of onions and carrots (and some former Soviet friends swear that the barberries are essential). You could just have a plov-a-thon and try them all!

Thanks for the prompt reply, I'll pass it along to my friend-- she's a great cook, so I look forward to her testing!

Cheers, Jen

I went with a big group last night and I'm pleased to say that they seem to be doing quite well. The dining room was full when my party arrived, and over the course of dinner all the tables turned over.

It makes sense that this place would succeed. The food is very accessible featuring a variety of noodles and dumplings served with meaty sauces flavored mostly with onions, garlic, and black pepper. Also it's a fantastic value as we were able to eat a huge variety of dishes for $20 a head including tax and a generous tip. It's BYOB and though the service was a little slow (probably because business was booming) they were still kind enough to refrigerate our bottles for us and bring them out without being prompted.

I've always enjoyed the food at Jibek Jolu and I think they've even improved since my first couple trips. All the dumplings and noodles are always made from scratch (they are constantly rolling out dough in the kitchen). I particularly like the cabbage stuffed oromos that are layers of dough surrounding slices of cabbage and the crispy chebureki. Last night they had a shashlyk special which is marinated beef shish kabobs. Wow! The kabobs were perfectly medium rare, juicy, and very beefy.

The weather is perfect for this stick-to-your-ribs cuisine. I've been meaning to try out the other Central Asian joints that have been popping up around town, but to date I haven't been able to get away from Jibek Jolu!

A Kyrgyz taxi driver I had recently told me this is the best of the Central Asian restaurants in Chicago.

Had a dinner with 18 attendees last night (Friday).

There have been some slow service comments, after last night I have to believe that this is due to cooking from scratch. Wait staff was VERY friendly and made very good suggestions as to how much to order for our group.

We did a lot of splitting of items so that we could try more, sort of Kyrgyz tapas approach.

For the record, here is what we dined on:
Chebureki - Fried pie filled with lamb
Samsy - Oven baked pie stuffed with chopped beef and onions
Korean Carrot - Spicy carrot with garlic mixed in extra virgin olive oil
Oromo - Traditional steamed pie made with minced potatoes, onions, cabbage and carrots in a long thin wrap
Manty - Steamed dumplings stuffed with freshly chopped beef, onions and pumpkin

While I thought all the dishes were delicious, I very much liked the Korean Carrot, Chebureki, Manty, these items really stood out.

I was surprised at how light the dishes were, I expected to be bogged down.

I am looking forward to going again and having some of the hits from last night as well as trying some new dishes such as the Jibek Jolu Special (salad) and Lagman (gafan).

Our group as well as other tables were BYOB.

Excellent homemade pelmeni soup with fresh dill and bread hit the spot today, as did the special grilled beef salad (extremely simple, extremely garlicky like much there) and kompot. I was heartened to see a steady stream of lunch business in the cute place, while wishing the lines at Big & Little's knew that this was a worthy alternative so nearby.

Has anyone tried either the Falafel and Shawarma Corner (apparently was formerly Pitalicious, west side of Orleans between B&L and JJ) or the Lebanese place (east side of Orleans, actual operating name hard to determine)? They both looked bright and open and smelled great.

Santander wrote:I was heartened to see a steady stream of lunch business in the cute place, while wishing the lines at Big & Little's knew that this was a worthy alternative so nearby.

I take it Jibek Jolu opened up another location.
---->Google.........Yep, good to know.

Jibek Jolu Restaurant
351 W Oak St.,
Chicago, IL 60610
312-988-0662

Santander wrote:Excellent homemade pelmeni soup with fresh dill and bread hit the spot today

Thanks for putting Jibek Jolu back on my radar. Late lunch of, as you say, excellent pelmeni soup and bread hit the spot on a November day starting to hint of winter.


Service was seamless, space clean and comfy with plenty of street parking mid-afternoon.

Jibek Jolu, count me a Fan!