The Heat Is On

It's really strange to think about it now, but before moving to New York, I was pretty clueless about Korean food. There just weren't that many in Manila back when I was still living there, and the only dish I knew was bulgogi. Well, on my first year in New York, I lived at the dorm in FIT, which is not only inundated with Korean fashion students but also just a short walk away from Ktown. So I learned more and more about Korean food and immediately fell in love. I cannot imagine what life would be like without my favorite Korean dishes.

Thanks to Jenny's visit and her insufferable craving for a super spicy seafood and noodle soup called jjambong, I discovered a heretofore unknown to me part of Korean foodie culture: Korean-style Chinese food. Aided by another Korean friend Avery's massive food knowledge, we sought out Hyo Dong Gak on the fringe of Ktown.

This is what their jjambong looks like.

The soup is so thick with red chili that it is opaque. It is also quite glossy, which is a result of the perfect melding of the chili and oil. According to Jenny, this is key to making a good jjambong. One serving is MASSIVE. I would definitely recommend sharing one bowl between two people. At $7.95 for one bowl, that's definitely value for money, don't you think? They didn't skimp on the ingredients. The soup was laden with noodles, squid, shrimp, mussels and fish, plus some veggies. It was incredibly spicy—the type that almost hurts, but in a good way. The pickled radish served on the side was a welcome respite from the incessant heat that soup provides. Jenny was in heaven as she dug into her bowl. The jjambong received five stars from the Korean foodie. I quite liked it but my stomach can only probably stand the abuse every so often, so I wouldn't eat this on a regular basis.

The kkangpoongi, however, is another story. These are battered pieces of chicken fried to a crisp and then coated in a sweet and spicy sauce. It's like General Tso's chicken with a massive kick. I could totally hunker down with a plate of this and some steaming white rice. MMMMM.

Where: 51 West 35th Street between 5th & 6th Avenues, New York, NY