Myoung Dong Khal Kook Soo 명동 갈국수

A trip through North Road is not complete without some Korean food. I have widely pronounced my love for the little gem of a restaurant, Kimbap Cheonguk. There are many other nooks and crannies of North Road (aka Koreatown) that I have yet to venture into, so I convinced the family to try something new today. There aren't that many reviews for Myoung Dong Khal Kook Soo, but all the ones out there seem to be good. I know some of my Korean schoolmates have eaten there as well.

Find Myoung Dong Khal Kook Soo in here!

I though Kimbap Cheonguk was a hole-in-the-wall, and then I came here. It wasn't terribly difficult to locate, as I saw some photos on other blogs. Here are some tips to help you find this little eatery:

• Park in the plaza lot where Hannam Supermarket is
• Look for the stairs that lead to the upper plaza
• Underneath the staircase, look for the automatic sliding doors
• The yellow speech bubble I added onto the photo points to the sign which says 'Myoung Dong Khal Kook Soo' in Korean and the English simply says 'Korean Restaurant'.

Myoung Dong Khal Kook Soo

Once inside, the restaurant (or more like a single-stalled food court) will be to the right. You can't miss it with its bright yellow walls. There is also a travel agency, coffee shop, and a few other small businesses sharing the same indoor plaza (all of which were closed Sunday). 

Menu

As my parents noted, their menu is not friendly to non-Koreans, or those unfamiliar with Korean food. The menu is divided up into four columns: dumplings, noodles, rice, and snacks. I'll describe each item:

- Giant dumplings - Giant dumplings with spicy sauce - Rice cake & regular dumplings - Regular dumplings in soup

- Knife cut noodles - Knife cut noodles with regular dumplings - Noodles with spicy sauce - Chewy Noodles (see Jjol Myeon here)

- Rice, beef, and vegetables in a hot stone pot - Rice, beef, and vegetables in a regular bowl - Spicy squid and rice - Marinated beef and rice - Spicy beef soup

- Rice cake in soup - Korean sushi roll - Spicy rice cakes - 1kg of kimchi

Place your order at the cashier. Seating and drinks are self-serve; there's a hot and cold water dispenser off in the corner. Trays and dirty dishes are returned on top of the newspapers by the water machines.

Myoung Dong (sorry, I must shorten the name) is a couple-run business, the wife rings up orders on the cashier, organizes orders, and cleans up the tables. The husband is in the kitchen doing the cooking. Despite only having two staff, the food came out very efficiently. There were not that many customers when we went on a Sunday at lunchtime, so service was quick. Keep an eye out for your own order, you'll have to retrieve your tray(s) from the front. 

Karl Gook Su ($7.95)

Karl Gook Su (or Khal Kook Su or Kal Guk Su...), is Korean comfort food. Nothing extravagant here, but since the restaurant is named after this dish, gotta try it right? Don't be fooled, because this bowl contains a lot of noodles. At least enough for two people. Paired with the noodles is some minced beef, carrots, zucchini, and quite a bit of onion. My mom didn't think the onions matched the noodles, but I thought it tasted fine. The broth isn't super strong, but it's flavourful enough to slurp up. However, I found the noodles to be overcooked, past al dente, so it was too soft for my liking. This Karl Gook Su isn't something I would specifically recommend, but it isn't bad. Remember, it's comfort food. Very filling comfort food.

Dol Sot Bi Bim Bap ($10.38)

I admit, the Dol Sot Bi Bim Bap was the main reason I wanted to come. While Kimbap Cheonguk across the street serves an amazing 'modern' rendition, I was in the mood for the traditional kind, with lots of colourful vegetables. Although it's a bit pricier here, this dish was spot. on. Made perfectly. Complete with an egg on top. It's a large bowl, served sizzling hot! I know it's difficult to be patient when your stomach is calling, but let it sit for a minute or two to let the crispy layer of rice develop before mixing it all together. Add a generous squeeze of the hot sauce that accompanies the rice and oh my, oh my, you've got a perfect meal right there. The stone pot rice here is perfect!

Oh and that bowl of soup is a broth made of daikon radish and some green onion. Plain and even blander than the noodle soup. We got two, so two of the dishes we ordered came with a soup. Don't know which ones though..

Wang Man Doo ($8.95) and Kim Bob ($4.19)

This was my first time eating Wang Man Doo. Five of these massive, fist-sized, steamed dumplings stuffed with a juicy pork and vegetable mixture would make for a hefty meal. Two ladies sitting at the table behind us shared one bowl of Karl Gook Su and one order of these 'king-sized man doo' as their meal. Like xiao long bao, the wrapping is thin and a bit of soup came spilling out when I cut my dumpling into half. While my dad though these dumplings were nothing special, my mom and I think they are yummy. With a splash of the accompanying sauce and a bit of the spicy pepper sauce I will mention below, these are simply delicious. 

The Kim Bob here is not bad here, but it isn't especially good either. The filling is lacking and the price is expensive compared to other places, such as Kimbap Cheonguk. Even Hannam Supermarket next door sells two rolls for only five dollars. I wouldn't bother getting kimbap here again.

Spicy Pepper Sauce

A little pot of this spicy pepper sauce sits at each table. The peppers look really fresh so I suspect it is made in house. The flavour of this hot sauce is different than others, can't exactly explain how but I guess fresh is always special! My mom kept praising this condiment throughout the meal. Be warned that the peppers are really spicy!

The kimchi here is really good, and they give a lot of it as well! One plate was mainly the stalk of the cabbage and the other plate was mainly the leaves. They also make the kimchi in house, and it can be purchased for ten dollars per kilogram.

The total for our lunch for four came to about $33, which is very economical for the amount of food we received. The owners are very kind and soft-spoken. Although I utilizied my limited Korean vocabulary when ordering, it was evident that it was my first time here. The owner treated us just as warmly as all the other Korean customers. Yes, yes, my mother still argues that Kimbap Cheonguk is cheaper, but eating the same dishes every time is boring. Nevertheless, we all enjoyed our meal and I'm sure we'll come back for more giant dumplings and stone pot rice.




Love from Coconut Crumpet's Corner ♡