[nyc] cho dang gol

last day in new york, the three of us went to cho dang gol which was recommended by the staff at gahm mi oak the day before. it was lunch time and the place was packed with people. we had to wait for 10 minutes or so to get a seat and another 20 minutes to get our food. the staff were kind but very busy with a large group. the wooden columns and paper lanterns added orientalist touch to the interior which could be typical in korean restaurants that emphasize tradition.

this weird looking goo is actually warm silken tofu. it was lightly seasoned with salt. an excellent amouz-bouche. i love tofu, especially freshly made, and cho dang gol scored bonus points for making their tofu on site.

we ordered dduk kalbi meal ($18.95) and soy sauce cured blue crabs ($19.95). they both came with a soup of choice, which we ordered doenjang jjigae (soy bean paste stew) and kimchi biji jjigae (kimchi and soy bean stew).

the dduk kalbi is mixture of beef and pork grilled (well-done) on charcoal. it was very chunky and juicy. just the right amount of fat from pork to make it super soft and chewy. i could just eat this all day. total sublime! it is savoury for sure and has a bit of sweetness to it. for korean food virgins, if you want to opt out for something safe, this is your bet!

now, for those who are more adventurous, this is the food to try, soy sauce cured blue crabs. the crab was very fresh, you can still see the blue and red colours. the marinade was well absorbed to get rid of the fishiness. it is tricky eating crabs though. so make sure you are not having this on first few dates. it can get messy. i find the trick to getting all the meat out of the legs is to cut off the joints and stick a chopstick in and out to squeeze all the meat out. it is definitely effort required meal. another way to enjoy it is mixing bit of rice and the sauce right onto the crab shell. as i write this review, i can't help myself but to drool... want some more.... right... now!!

as most korean restaurants are, cho dang gol was very generous with banchan. the grilled tofu was delicious (a true tofu haven), kimchi was better at gahm mi oak and other dishes were enjoyable. the two soups we had were also very tasty. though we ordered only two dishes, we were so full and could not even finish the soups. there is a freshly made korean tofu restaurant in etobicoke, chodang soontofu (near dundas w and kipling). i love their soon tofu stew.

the term chodang tofu originated from gangneung city in korea. it uses 35% less salt and uses natural bedrock water specific to the region to make unique tasting soft tofu. of course, outside of the region, making tofu with bedrock water would be difficult, but having the name 'chodang' will mean they really care about making their tofu the traditional way.


초당골
cho dang gol
55 West 35th Street
New York, NY 10001-2219
www.chodanggolny.com

posted by rin