Joong Koog Jip — Restaurant in New York

Joong Koog Jip translates to "Chinese House" in Korean, offering a unique style of Chinese Korean food. Considered a staple for everyday people, and especially on moving days, this cuisine holds a special place in Koreans' hearts. Having been to this specific restaurant many times, it was time for a review.

We came for lunch on a Saturday, and it was crowded. I believe it was my first time having to wait. The host ladies were nice and offered to take our orders while we waited, aiming to get our food quickly after we were seated. As a Korean, I appreciated this quick pace and pre-ordered. I can see this being a foreign idea to people who do not understand the quick pace of Korea and its people.

After a few minutes, we were seated. I will say it was loud and busy, but my friend and I could hear each other and carry on a conversation. The atmosphere is very authentic; it is not trying hard to be something it is not, and it perfectly captures the image of what I had experienced as a child in Korea. The mirror on the right side of the restaurant made the place seem bigger, which I thought was a smart design choice.

Tables were sticky, and it was rainy and humid that day, but it also seemed like the tables were not being cleaned off super cleanly. This might be a bit unsanitary, but it also adds to the authenticity of a no frills Chinese Korean restaurant.

They provide the typical side dishes, like 단무지 (danmuji, pickled radish), onion, 춘장 (chunjang, black bean paste), and 깍두기 (kkakdugi, diced radish kimchi). I was not a fan of the 깍두기 since it was soggy, but overall I was satisfied.

We had ordered three dishes: 간짜장 (Gan jja jang), 해물짬뽕 (Seafood jjam ppong), and 깐풍육 (Ggan poong pork). The noodles we ordered were sized at medium, but it was a lot; I assume it is more than one serving. The 간짜장 was delicious, savory and not overly sweet. The 해산짬뽕 was good, with a good kick and plentiful amounts of seafood. However, the broccoli was questionable and threw me off, as I have never seen that elsewhere. The 깐풍육 was also great, savory and sweet, with the portion being so large we had leftover food good for another meal. I am not complaining about that!

When you get the check, you also receive this fried corn dough glazed with sugar, kind of reminiscent of tanghulu, which is always a treat. I have noticed inconsistencies; sometimes it is hard, sometimes it is not, but I am also not complaining since it is complimentary.

The service fell a bit shorter than I had anticipated. The host ladies were great, but the server ladies were super busy. I asked for a refill on the side dishes, and she did not answer but did bring it. A quick "sure" is not hard and is also expected in Korean culture, so that left a bad taste in my mouth. Also, water refills had to be asked for more than three times. But I understand, since it was so busy, and they have been better the prior times I was here.

The bathroom was okay; it was not so clean today, but it has been cleaner other times I was here.

Overall, I would come back for their other menu items, such as 해물철판짜장 (Haemul Cheolpan Jjajang), which was great from a prior visit. Do not expect top tier service or ambiance; come for the authentic vibe of the restaurant...

To be clear this is a delivery rating for the food, not in house eating. The seafood jjajangmeun was mediocre in taste, and way too many potatoes in the sauce, never seen that before, not enough onions and seafood was ok... Portions are good.

The need to learn how to deliver shrimp tangsooyuk (sweet and sour)... Ordered with sauce on side so we can control the amount and leaving the shrimp for crispy. But because they shut the container for the fried shrimp, when we got it they were a soggy mess, almost inedible... The breading was useless and the shrimp quality wasn't great so would never order that again for delivery. Next time simply poke some holes at the top of the container so the steam exits, even many low level Chinese place knows this.

The gimchi, a staple side dish, was one of the worst... Over ripe, tart and sour, with literally no ingredients but the absolute basics, pauper village mindless style, not restaurant quality. Took the joy of eating gimchi right out.

And hard to screw up the yellow radish and onions, those were fine except don't chop up the onions so fine, they are supposed to be cut larger so you can actually grab one, dip and eat it, not needing a spoon to scoop a few pieces up... That's just weird.

The dessert fried balls were actually the best part of the meal, tasty and fun to eat.

Good news is the mistakes are correctable... Just a matter of if...

With the plethora of styles of Chinese food we've got outside the regional cuisines of China - in JUST Queens (like Cuban Chinese, Peruvian Chinese, and Indo-Chinese) - it'd only make sense that this part of Flushing serves Korean Style Chinese Food. And it's so savory.

Everyone knows black bean noodles (jajangmyeon) is an organic synthesis but there are other dishes born from the two cultures. Kkanpung Tofu is a sweet, spicy, and savory dish where the silk of the tofu is retained yet the skin outside is crispy. I was surprised how well it went with jalapeno green peppers - sounds weird but it absolutely works. If you want a takeout joint dish to compare it to, it's probably Kung Pao but it honestly was half as heavy and twice as flavorful. Lots of diced flavors and veggies in it as well. The Omurice was smooth - even though we know fried rice uses day old rice, it felt like they didn't use it here. Sweet ketchup sauce too. Dessert were mini donuts like Greek loukoumades - but with caramel instead of honey. Banchan has a sweetness after the first vinegar bite.

I came here with the post church crowd. Seems very popular with the locals. Our waitress took care of us like only our kind Korean auntie could. It's some good comfort food - I...