12.12.2006

Red, Hot Bubbling Cauldron of Mandu Jungol - Gonjiam

mandujungol

Spicy, red and hot? I am so there. And that is exactly what I'll get when I order mandu jungol at a hole in the wall called Gonjiam. The waitress brings out a vessel filled to the brim with generous dumplings, zucchini, mushroom, scallion, and udon noodle. Then it is placed atop one of those mini gas range thing and kept bubbling and hot. It is so damn good. It makes my mouth water just to look at that picture.

First two times I had mandu jungol there it was pretty spicy. I rememebr Boy and I finishing a whole pitcher of water while trying to finish our own little pot. But the third time I only drank a glass of water. Hmmm, I hope it's spicier next time I go back. It is quite refreshing in a sweating, runny nose sort of way, sending hot spicy broth down one's throat.

modeumjun

Before we started on that cauldron of red, we appetized ourselves with the modeum-jun, meaning literally everything pancake. Those cute little juns are a lot fluffier than ones you get at most Korean restaurants. More eggy than battery, imo. We saw other tables that had a huge plate of noodles and such but I find it hard to sway from my spicy mandu jungol.

pa_kimchi

One spectacular thing about Gonjiam is their pa (scallion) kimchi. Definitely one of the top two pa kimchi I have ever tasted. I don't make kimchi but I tell ya I definitely know a quality kimchi from a supermarket overseasoned crap kimchi. This was fresh, pungent, oniony. I was in kimchi heaven.

Ohh, wish I was there right now! Me getting hungry. :/

Gonjiam
Beverly & Western

16 comments:

Unknown said...

I LOVE SPICY FOOD!

For some reason, I thought it was really spicy that day. I think the jun was made more something that was made from home than the kind you find at a restaurant.

I, too, had only one cup of water but it was due to the waitress never coming around with the h2o...

susan said...

let's go back and try the jengbahn gooksoo. and of course mandu jungol. extra spicy please!

Anonymous said...

I wanna go too! I love spicy food, although it makes me sweat like a Korean dad! Those noodles look homemade...?

susan said...

dood i thought you can't eat really spicy food! (ie: gai sapp nok@yai). ok we're on then yellen!

Anonymous said...

yoony- yes! we must go again! my brother said that they are really known more for their noodles.

yoonyang- if we go, can you do the same trick you did last time where you get food on the back on your shirt?

susan said...

hahaha, i forgot about that trick! you gotta teach us master. let's make our next trip to somuri more fun by getting loaded at pipers beforehand. then we can walk over there and fill ourselves w/spices.

Anonymous said...

The sad thing is that I honestly don't know how I got those food stains on the back of my shirt. And the sad thing is that's not the first time either. hmph! : (

Anonymous said...

yoony- we should make a date. it will be a day full of good food and trickery.

yoonyang-that is why yoony calls you master...yet i have a theory of how it happens...

susan said...

"yoony" and "yoonyang"... hannah you should definitely change your name to yoon-something. :) i believe an expert slurping of noodle projectile thrust drops of yoonyang's reddish hued jungol broth onto the back of the shirt. what you think?

we can even goto bobby london! hahahhaa. funny.

Chubbypanda said...

I wish I was there right now too! You do bad thing to trapped office worker!

- Chubbypanda

susan said...

my fucking beta blog is blocked at work by websense. arghh. right now i'm using the "community computer" which are also the only pcs to have web-based email.

dealinhoz said...

Yoony, I think I've gotten a first hand look at the inside of a volcano. I thought sichuan hot pot was hot, but this looks evil.

Anne said...

Yo Yoony,

Happy Holidays. I've always loved reading your blog and can't wait to see what you have in store for next year. Ready for the Lucques Cookbook Winter menu???

Anonymous said...

I LOVE spicy Korean food on a cold winternight.

sym said...

I love pa kimchi. My mom makes that, among other kimchis, well. I was wondering if you could answer a few questions for me: Is catering your main profession? How did you get started on catering/cooking for a living? And if you don't mind, what is your age range? I ask because I'm rethinking my path and want to know more about the food world and how one can actually make a living doing it without becoming a chef. Thanks for your lovely blogs. Thanks even more if you have time to answer.

susan said...

hi sym,

in trying to answer your questions i ended writing a whole post instead! hopefully it helps with some of your questions. but i haven't quite figured out how to make a living off it. even chef's salaries aren't that attractive, plus very high stress. :/ i guess that's why i'm still at my job.