My wife and I had a wonderful meal at Da Rae Jung recently.
We were in the mood for low-key Korean. The Korean BBQ experience can be a lot of fun with a group, but sometimes you're just looking for a quieter, smokeless experience. Enter Da Rae Jung, located a couple blocks west of San Soo Gab San. It's in a strip mall with easy parking and next to no signage. If you're not looking for it, you're pretty much guaranteed to miss it. Kind of the opposite of the very conspicuous, smokey and energetic San Soo Gab San.
The place is owned and operated by an elderly Korean couple who are the absolute epitome of old-world charm and hospitality. We went on a Friday night and every table was full, so I guess the locals are in the know. The menu is a short two pages but the offerings are more than enough to keep the adventurous interested.
Our meal started off with an assortment of banchan.
Everything was prepared simply but well. The textures varied nicely from dish to dish with plenty of spice in the kim chi and sourness in the bean sprouts. Banchan at some restaurants can have a stale/canned quality to them, but at Da Rae Jung everything had the clean, crisp flavor indicative of the care you'd expect from a mom and pop restaurant.
Next came the dolsot bibimbap.
Once again a straight down the middle, simple, yet well-executed preparation. The dolsot came out extremely hot so we waited as the rice got nice and crispy at the bottom of the bowl. The meat was well seasoned and didn't overpower the dish and the crisp lettuce and sweet daikon (I think that's what it is) melded textures and flavors beautifully.
Finally came the star of the show, hoe naengmyeon. When we ordered it the owner seemed to hesitate. He was visibly worried that we wouldn't like it because it had raw fish in it but he couldn't seem to articulate his concern. We assured him that we were up to it, and he said it was a great choice and grinned widely when he realized we knew what we were getting into.
The noodles were silky and soft. I peaked into the kitchen and saw a big bowl of the noodles covered in flour. From the texture of the noodles and this quick glance I'm guessing the noodles are made in house, though I'm not 100% sure. Either way, they were an excellent base for the spicy chili paste and delicate raw fish. The raw fish had a smooth texture (though it did have some bones in it) and a mild flavor.
As we were getting ready to pay the bill the owner came over to congratulate me on marrying such a beautiful girl. That was all the dessert she needed.
Da Rae Jung
5220 N Lincoln Ave
Chicago, IL 60625