PrintBibim Naeng Myun at Flushing’s Chung Moo Rollrice & Dongas
I took a little heat from commenters last week for a piece about Han Song Ting’s Chinese take on the Korean cold noodle soup naeng myun. Their beef: Naeng myun noodles are traditionally made from a mixture of buckwheat and potato that gives them an elastic snap. So after reading on Chowhound that Chung Moo Rollrice & Dongas serves a killer bibim naeng myun I decided to give it a whirl. I was especially jazzed since I’ve passed the tiny spot on Union Street dozens of times without ever venturing inside.
Bibim naeng myun doesn’t contain any broth, just the aforementioned buckwheat-potato noodles topped with a heap of fixings. (Think bibim bap with noodles instead of rice.) Chung Moo’s is festooned with dried seaweed, slivers of cooked egg, cucumber, daikon, pickled cabbage, gochujang, red pepper powder, and toasted sesame seeds.
All those ingredients are pretty to look at, but their aesthetic harmony is short-lived since they must be thoroughly mixed before digging into the bibim naeng myun. The result is a cool bowl of slippery, springy noodles coated with a spicy, slightly sweet sauce and riddled with lots of crunchy goodies. The thin brown noodles are quite elastic and really long, which makes for some fun and tricky eating. Chung Moo’s version isn’t as spicy as the ones I’ve had in Manhattan's K-town, but that’s easily remedied with a dash of hot pepper. The price for the noodles and the complimentary sidecar of miso-like soup: a whopping $7.
Although the English name of this joint is “Chung Moo Rollrice and Dongas,” my crack team of Korean translators says it actually translates to “Chungmu Kimbap and Donkkaseu.” Donkkaseu is the Korean version of Japan’s tonkatsu, or fried pork cutlets. Chungmu Kimbap, something like the world’s most minalimist form of sushi, consists of just rice and seaweed. Given how cheap everything is at Chung Moo I’ll probably be trying it quite soon along with donkkaseu. I might even throw in an order of squid fries.
Chung Moo Rollrice & Dongas
39-04 Union Street, Flushing NY 11354 (map)
718-308-6582
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6 Comments:
Those look like "chik" naengmyeon. I agree naengmyeon noodles are usually a blend, but Pyeongyang-style is usually more buckwheat, Hamhung more sweet potato starch, and "chik," I don't know where it is from, but I'm pretty sure it's arrowroot.
What you had at the previous place reminds me a a little of jjol-myeon, which are also chewy, more made out of wheat, and a little thicker, though traditional jjol-myeon doesn't have cilantro, etc., either, and is usually served without broth. Have you seen this ad for a North Korean brand of naengmyeon? http://bit.ly/QAAQZ They pronounce it "lengmyon," too, so it may be a dialect thing that is shared with the Chinese of Korean descent across the border.
Chungmu kimbap is from the town of Chungmu :) http://bit.ly/N4gzd It's usually served with really spicy squid and cubes of radish kimchi. One of my favorite snacks growing up in Seoul!
Great post!
Grace
AppleSister at 10:29AM on 09/02/09
sounds like a good alternative from bibimbap. Can you have a vegetarian version as well?
gargupie at 10:31AM on 09/02/09
It already is vegetarian. If you'd like it vegan, ask for no egg.
Joe MacBu at 4:53AM on 09/03/09
The kimbap there is not just rice and seaweed.
They have some of the more interesting ones I've seen around here.
The soondae and mandoo also look great.
Joe MacBu at 4:59AM on 09/03/09
Poor kimbab. It will always be compared to sushi.
Tia Kim at 7:13PM on 09/03/09
I also like the place that is a few doors down, called Kimgahnae. Their ddukbokki rocks!!!
Ambitous at 11:19AM on 09/04/09