Chingunae Pocha 法拉盛酒吧 | 朋友酒吧

SOUTH KOREA 🇰🇷

It has always been around here and there, but in recent years the pojangmacha-style Korean pub format seems to be taking over New York City's Korean food scene, especially in and around Murray Hill, Queens. Another new establishment, opened up earlier this year, is Chingunae Pocha, a bustling and friendly place that seems to get a good crowd. Sometimes many of these type of pubs do not get truly busy until close to midnight, but Chingunae seems to thread the line between dinner and late night drinking and might be full even if you show up at 8 or 9pm.

Part of this might be because their decent happy hour food specials, large format dishes best enjoyed with a group of at least four. Also make sure your group comes ready to drink soju, as they serve many varieties like any respectable pocha (short for pojangmacha) should.

Korean drinking culture, written about at length here at nearby Old Days Corp., must involve surrounding yourself with good friends and good food. Actually the food needs to be good, but the friends can become good by the end of the night.

As usual, some kind of heat source is at the table for a combination of dishes to arrive and be prepared. Some require stir-frying, mostly for effect at the table right before eating, which is all handled by the staff. On a recent visit the dish below was put down and a couple seconds went by before the server asked "Don't you want to take a picture first?"

Having only a party of two for this meal, the options for a full feast were limited, but the stir-fried pork belly and squid ($35, above and below) was a great choice that provided for quite a bit of leftovers as well. Once the fire was on and our server mixed everything together, each bite was full of many textures and flavors, all brought together by the lovely spicy sauce.

The menu included a few pub food-type favorites that were served in a bed of melted cheese like the marinated spicy baby back ribs with melted cheese ($26, below). It was unfortunately almost obvious that these would not be so delicious upon arrival though, as the sauce appeared to be a sticky sweet glop.

The taste was not much different from that description, although the rib meat was tender and fine. The afterthought of a sauce was just such a disappointment. While certainly not fancy cheese, the stringy hot bed of it was enjoyed at least by half of the table. At some places you will see the server wrap the cheese around each rib and place them on your plate, but here is completely do it yourself, which is probably better for those wanting higher quantities of one part.

Cheese seems to be something you see more and more of over the years in Korean restaurants as spice levels of dishes are tempered with it. The newer generations of Koreans seem to love it far more than their parents and grandparents.

For a true sense of the scope here, a return visit is looked forward to to try more and pair things with soju.

Picked clean.

Go home, you're drunk.

🇰🇷🇰🇷🇰🇷

MURRAY HILL Queens
40-03 149th Place

Map of Eat the World NYC:

bb.q Chicken

SOUTH KOREA 🇰🇷

While only gracing the shores of the United States for the last five years, bb.q Chicken is a company that is almost 25 years old, starting first in Korea but expanding to at least seven countries as the Korean fried chicken craze shows no signs of slowing down. Back home the franchise went crazy even in its first year, with 100 locations opening.

So when it started up in cities here, naturally Koreans were very happy with the additions (in addition to the Koreatown location, there is one in Flushing, another in Brooklyn, and five across the Hudson) but it deserves the attention of everyone.

Sometimes you will see the word "olive" before chicken in the written names online or elsewhere, and this refers to their use of olive oil in the frying of the chicken and cooking of other items. Their signature dish is the golden olive chicken (below), which lets the simple ingredients speak for themselves.

Courtesy of bb.q Chicken DTLA.

The Midtown branch offers a basement level with a bar and becomes a great place to drink and watch sports. The party they threw for one of South Korea's World Cup match last year was fantastic and entry included plates of their fried chicken and beer (below).

With many other options like soy garlic and secret spicy, most fried chicken lovers will be happy here. Most of their locations provide good beer and soju options.

On ground level, they also have grab and go bowls already prepared for quick lunches, and ample room for dining in as well. This space is better for customers on the run during the day.

Grilled chicken bibimbap to go.

One of the best dishes available are the spicy rice cakes known as duk-bokki (below). Cups of these to go or plates to stay can be topped with stringy cheese but regardless they have a really good heat kick, the "soup" full of plenty of gochujang.

Interested in some fusion? The bulgogi poutine (below) is one of the latest mashup poutines in the world to offer a really delicious way to eat fries. This pairs especially well when you come here to have some drinks, and provides a good contrast to plates of chicken wings.

🇰🇷🇰🇷🇰🇷

KOREATOWN Manhattan
25 West 32nd Street

Map of Eat the World NYC:

Hanyang Bunsik

SOUTH KOREA 🇰🇷

The entrance to look for, just behind the Korean pears.

If you believe everything that is said on Yelp, a website that seems to exist for the sole benefit of grudge holders, you probably would not ever venture out of the house. When it concerns this almost 20-year old business, the grudges seem severe and anger the biggest takeaway. But then again, I saw none of Yelp's usual demographic while eating here on a few occasions, they are obviously not the target of the vibe here. My neighbors at other tables were in their 40's, 50's and up, many times eating solo or sometimes in pairs with beers, soju, and arguments.

Regardless of whether the food is edible, as some folks seem to think not, I like it here. The 24 hour establishment has changed hands in the last couple years, but remains a good place to hide if nothing else, the wooden tables and benches a quiet respite from Northern Blvd and the busy Hanyang Mart to which it is attached. Come in through the building's only entrance off the parking lot and turn left when you see "Snack Corner," or Hanyang Bunsik if you can read Korean.

During the 1960's rice was scarce in the Korean Peninsula, so the government started promoting foods that were made from flour (bunsik). Nowadays the term is more generally used to talk about all manner of inexpensive Korean dishes, and many restaurants take on this name if that is the type of business they are offering.

The menu above the kitchen and on the surrounding walls promises a lot of options, but all in Korean. If like me you are unable to read the language yet, get your hands on one of the laminated menus stuck in a corner somewhere and sit down before choosing. Rushing this decision would be unhealthy, as the kitchen can cater to any mood and you might find something you were not expecting.

In the mood for something warming on my last visit, I chose the odengguksu ($7, below) a clear broth with noodles and soft fish cake. It is plain, but sometimes that is exactly your soup mood. Coming in from the cold, it was heaven.

A couple vibrantly red banchan are served beside it, making for a varied assortment of flavors and textures, but a jar of earthy red pepper paste is on every table and can make even the plainest soup full of fire as well.

A stroll back to the full grocery inside of Hanyang Mart provides a little stretching of the stomach while perusing the aisles. Treasures are always to be found when exploring grocery stores in different parts of town than where you live. If you can get there of course. Stalls with clothing, other snacks, and everything in between are there to slow you down.

Exterior of Hanyang Mart on Northern Blvd.

🇰🇷🇰🇷🇰🇷

MURRAY HILL Queens
150-51 Northern Blvd.

Map of Eat the World NYC:

추억의 뒷골목 Old Days Corp.

SOUTH KOREA 🇰🇷

This article originally appeared in the 15 November 2018 edition of The Queens Tribune:

The Long Island Rail Road’s most northern branch to Port Washington rumbles below street level every few minutes, but not out of sight. The station shares its name with a Manhattan neighborhood, but the two places could hardly be more different. In that borough, the avenues are lined with bars where patrons sporting backwards baseball caps play beer pong and order rounds of anonymous shots at what might appear to be a fraternity party. The Queens version of Murray Hill is much more quiet on its surface, with most businesses using Korean script, revealing the newer demographics of what traditionally was an Irish and Italian neighborhood.

The beer and shots flow freely here as well, but soju is the spirit of choice rather than cheap well whiskey and tequila. Korea, after all, is one of the most pro-drinking cultures on the planet; some studies conclude that it is home to the world’s heaviest drinkers. This of course has negative impacts, with a high rate of addiction and a company-mandated excess that requires many employees to eat and drink after work as part of their job. Like anything else, however, the Korean drinking culture is best when enjoyed in moderation, and Murray Hill provides the opportunity to proceed at a rate that feels comfortable.

The best part about drinking in Korea or with Koreans is that food is always an essential, and central, part of the night. As with most Asian cultures, people do not go out just to get wasted. Even the most casual night out with friends will take place at a pojangmacha or pocha, a tented food stand sometimes outdoors that is a place to go and eat and drink late into the night. This concept seems to be the visual style here at Old Days Corp., which also goes by the English name “Back Lane” on its takeout menu. A friend’s translation of the Korean name is “Alley of Memories,” and maybe somewhere among all three is the true spirit of this intimate space. To evoke these tented carts in the second-floor space, fishnet covers the ceiling and has been accessorized over time with the caps of used soju bottles. The walls are covered with the colorful graffiti of guests, with love notes written in both English and Korean next to games of hangman.

In addition to expansive lists of beer and soju (always a bit more expensive on Friday and Saturday nights), there is an even longer list of dishes offered by an unseen kitchen. Everything is served family style on massive platters, many of which come to the table sizzling and still heated from fire underneath. The aluminum pots speak of a long history in a busy kitchen, full of dents and charred edges.

Anytime you order food, a tabletop stove immediately arrives with an egg, kimchi, and a package of Korean ramen to cook yourself free of charge (below). Since the array of small dishes known as banchan is not served here, this seems to take the place of offering something right away for hungry guests. This also helps you not get too far into rounds of soju before getting some food in your stomach. The distinct green bottles never seem to pack a hard punch—with alcohol levels just under 20 percent—but it goes down easily and always has a way of catching up if you are not careful.

When orders do start arriving, they will seem like perfect matches for drinking, and this is by design. The house special spicy black angus beef ribs ($19.99, below rear) come on a hot stone plate and seem to be the most popular item on every table. The spice level is high but subtle as it mingles with the sweetness of the sauce and tender meat falls off the bone before you can get it to your plate. Korean rice cake dishes known as tteokbokki might be the ultimate drinking food: chewy pieces in spicy gochujang chili paste and combined with your choice of fish cakes, seafood, cheese or a combination of everything.

A range of warming hearty soups gets chosen more as temperatures drop, of which the most popular for drinking is budae jjigae, usually called “army stew” in English because of its use of the awful ingredients brought by U.S. soldiers during the war. With packaged ramen noodles, find generous chunks of Spam and hot dogs, beans and kimchi, and of course gochujang again to make it spicy. Our favorite might be the kimchi soup with pork belly ($17.99, above front), another spicy red mixture that works well to help you forget it might start snowing soon.

Omelettes over rice, various versions of fried chicken, and an array of dishes under each category of meat are also available. It would take quite some time to sample everything on the menu, the oddest of which start seeming more tempting after a certain number of empty bottles populate the table. Interestingly, regardless of how late you try to start here, the place will be more crowded when you leave than when you arrive. Koreans always go out later than you, no matter how hard you try. Come before 7 p.m. or so and you may be the first group to arrive, but take comfort in the fact that they will not be closing before 3 a.m. on any given night.

Tteokbokki with cheese and seafood.

The world might be swirling on your way out, so hold the railing as you descend the stairs back out onto the streets of Murray Hill. A karaoke joint is still open underneath the restaurant if you have not had enough, but otherwise another level down is that trusty train rumbling through.

🇰🇷🇰🇷🇰🇷

MURRAY HILL Queens

41-13 150th Street, 2nd Floor

Map of Eat the World NYC:

Bunsik Nara

SOUTH KOREA 🇰🇷

During the 1960's rice was scarce in the Korean Peninsula, so the government started promoting foods that were made from flour (bunsik). Nowadays the term is more generally used to talk about all manner of inexpensive Korean dishes, and many restaurants take on this name if that is the type of business they are offering.

While Palisades Park is lined with all types of Korean restaurants up and down Broad Avenue, Bunsik Nara has certain charms, mainly for its ease of getting in and out and vast variety on the menu.

Since the logo is a hot dog on a fork, I felt certain that some type of hot dog needed to make it into my meal.

An order of cheese boodae jjigae ($11.99, above) satisfied all needs and was surprisingly available in an individual portion. Sometimes translated to "Army Stew" in English, this hodgepodge of terrible things US soldiers brought with them during the Korean War is something I can rarely resist. The cheese version even throws on a Kraft single for good measure.

Underneath the Spam, hot dogs, cheese and ham is packaged ramen noodles. The stew is spicy and just as delicious as it sounds. The banchan here is probably the only complaint.

🇰🇷🇰🇷🇰🇷

PALISADES PARK New Jersey

254 Broad Avenue

Map of Eat the World NYC:

Itaewon Pocha

SOUTH KOREA 🇰🇷

Quick Instagram Dispatch from Koreatown, Manhattan:
For one city block, almost every address has a busy Korean restaurant on the ground floor, all of which are worthy of exploration. But look up, and the second and third and fourth and fifth floors of 32nd Street in Koreatown come into view. Of the many bars serving food, this mainstay which used to be known as WABar is worth checking out. Along with plenty of drinks, a full menu of bar snacks and entrees are available everyday.

[UPDATE NOVEMBER 2018: The exterior signage and menus have all changed and modernized. The word "gastropub" seems to have been replaced with the word "pocha" everywhere.]

🇰🇷🇰🇷🇰🇷

KOREATOWN Manhattan

28 West 32nd Street

Map of Eat the World NYC:

Han Joo Chik Naeng Myun & BBQ

KOREA 🇰🇷

An English speaker not prone to ask many questions might walk into Han Joo and think no more about ordering anything besides the BBQ. In winter at least, it is what every table is doing, so why not follow suit? The only hint of other specialties is that cartoon bowl of noodles on the awning, actually there to represent the Korean name of the restaurant: Han Joo Chik Naeng Myun & BBQ.

In that version, the BBQ almost seems to be an afterthought, but the big bright pictures of duck in the window speak otherwise. The curiosity here is actually their method of grilling, which takes place on a radiating hot slab of what they call "crystal" (below).

When table turnover is high, these blocks stay hot all night. One group finishes, the block is washed and brought back out carefully for a new table, with warnings to everyone to watch their fingers. The gas blaze underneath is lit, and meats can be immediately added with no wait time.

Those photos of different duck preparations in the window are a good hint, it is their finest cut of meat, available in thin (ori dae pae, $21.95) and thick (ori los, $21.95) slices. The servers will prepare everything for you, so sit back and watch out for the spattering in these close confines.

The slight angle of the crystal slab is perfect for catching all the fatty juices from the cooking meats, which is accomplished by the sour kimchi they bring out for any BBQ order. The thin slices are placed first, and these give up their treasures to the kimchi quickest. Wait for the server's ok before grabbing any meat, they will let you know when it is ready to eat. Go too fast, and you might get a scolding.

An array of average banchan is placed on the table as well, providing great opportunities for different temperatures and textures in each bite, as well as thin slices of sweet pickled daikon which pair with the duck almost other-worldly. Good dipping sauce, oils, and pepper is also provided for each customer, causing the table to be almost comically cluttered.

They'll make any size group work, but best to limit yourselves to six. The crystal slab is not large enough to accommodate larger tables than that, and the intimacy of this setting would be lost.

Pork belly (saeng sam gyup sal, $20.95, below) is always tempting, and here it is obviously not bad, but we've had it better in other locations.

That being said, a group of six does have a little room to wiggle in an order, and one plate of those silky slabs won't hurt. I mean, just look at them. As they cook up and shrink a bit, the server will cut everything up into bite size morsels.

Not pictured is the good galbi ($27.95), a prime cut of short rib that is already marinated with the "chef special sauce" and almost begs to remain untouched by those common table sauces and accoutrement. Knowing the group could probably force down one more dish, the server suggested their very good hae mul pa jeon ($12.95), a seafood pancake with an assortment of different creatures and scallions within.

Go ki goon man doo ($9.95, below) is another good order for rounding out a BBQ meal. These are the fried meat version, but you can also have steamed and kimchi renditions, and an order "unlocks" the man doo sauce, which can be enjoyed with other meats as well.

Both of the visits here so far have taken place during frigid nights, so appetites veered away from an order of the naeng myun, the North Korean cold noodle dish in the restaurant's name. A summer update will be forthcoming, stay tuned.

UPDATE: It happened! And it's delicious!

Chik naeng myun

🇰🇷 🇰🇷 🇰🇷

MURRAY HILL Queens

41-06 149th Place

Map of Eat the World NYC: