Memory In Seoul

[Pan]

mascarpone and I had lunch at this place today. The musical accompaniment was kind of bizarre to us classical musicians -- some pianist with good technical skill, playing shortened pop versions of "greatest hits" of 19th-century piano music, with video of the performance shown on a screen. However, what you want to know about is the food. We got two kinds of naeng myun. One had beef broth in it and the other didn't, but had a nice helping of sesame oil. Both were spicy, with the one with beef broth spicier. Most importantly, both were great -- though I probably liked the one without broth even better than the one with broth -- and much better than any other naeng myun I've had to date (which would mean by comparison with some other Koreatown restaurants, mostly Seoul Garden). I look forward to coming back and trying other things there.

From their business card:

Memory In Seoul

24Hour Open

Tastes of KOREA

5W 36th St. NY NY 10018 T.212.239.5000

I was just reminded that this restaurant is also called You-Chun, though that name does not appear in Roman letters on their card.

Edited September 2, 2006 by Pan (log)

[gingersweetiepie]

spicy as in a blinding red bibim naengmyun or spicy as in the yellow-mustard-in-the-broth kind?

any shards of ice in the dish? nothing better than when it comes with the granita-ish ice in the bowl.

and have you had at it at dae dong, where it's a signature dish?

the only place that serves naengmyun near me right now serves them undercooked and chewy. makes me want to cry.

[mascarpone]

spicy as in a blinding red bibim naengmyun or spicy as in the yellow-mustard-in-the-broth kind?

any shards of ice in the dish?  nothing better than when it comes with the granita-ish ice in the bowl.

and have you had at it at dae dong, where it's a signature dish? 

the only place that serves naengmyun near me right now serves them undercooked and chewy.  makes me want to cry.

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It was red bibim spicy. There were shards of ice in the dish. They also had mustard on the side. It came in liquid form in a little pitcher, and was very potent. There was also a little pitcher of vinegar. I did not use them much, as I liked the flavor without extra seasoning.

[Pan]

I haven't been to Dae Dong. Have you, mascarpone?

[Gina Suk]

being that my mom is originally from north korean (pyongyang), the origin of nengmyun, she is locally famous for her homemade mul nengmyun. i'm still yet to find a restaurant that even comes halfway close to hers. as a self-proclaimed nengmyun expert and lover, i can confidently say that Shilla (on 32nd between 5th and B'way) has a decent mul nengmyun. Too bad the days of warmth are coming to an end in NYC.. mul nengmyun isn't quite the same without the sun beating down on your back.

[Pan]

Thanks, Gina, and by the way, welcome to eGullet. I've really been enjoying your posts.

Have you been to Memory In Seoul?

[mascarpone]

I haven't been to Dae Dong. Have you, mascarpone?

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The name does not ring a bell.

[Gina Suk]

Thanks, Gina, and by the way, welcome to eGullet. I've really been enjoying your posts.

Have you been to Memory In Seoul?

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No problem! Thanks for the warm welcome. Personally, in general, I prefer mul nengmyun (the broth) over the bibim nengmyun (the spicy one). Not to say that I don't like a spicy mul nengmyun like they have at Memroy in Seoul. I have been to Memory in Seoul (aka "YooChun"). I'd say it is good, but there is something about that doesn't feel quite right. It could be that there is a bit too much sesame oil in it and its very spicy, which is something I'm not used to in my nengmyun. Don't get me wrong, I love spicy food and sesame oil, but nengmyun is a dish in which I have a very picky palate. But, anyway, I'd say YooChun on 36th St. is an overall decent nengmyun place. The YooChun in Palisades Park, NJ, on Broad Ave, is much, much, much better. I'd recommend taking the bus or driving out to Broad Ave in Pal Park to try some of the Korean restaurants on that block. Another place, I've never been here, but people claim that Hamu Nengmyun (not sure what the english name is) in Closter, NJ is supposedly the best. I will look into that and repost.

Edited September 2, 2006 by Gina Suk (log)

[mascarpone]

Thanks, Gina, and by the way, welcome to eGullet. I've really been enjoying your posts.

Have you been to Memory In Seoul?

←

No problem! Thanks for the warm welcome. Personally, in general, I prefer mul nengmyun (the broth) over the bibim nengmyun (the spicy one). Not to say that I don't like a spicy mul nengmyun like they have at Memroy in Seoul. I have been to Memory in Seoul (aka "YooChun"). I'd say it is good, but there is something about that doesn't feel quite right. It could be that there is a bit too much sesame oil in it and its very spicy, which is something I'm not used to in my nengmyun. Don't get me wrong, I love spicy food and sesame oil, but nengmyun is a dish in which I have a very picky palate. But, anyway, I'd say YooChun on 36th St. is an overall decent nengmyun place. The YooChun in Palisades Park, NJ, on Broad Ave, is much, much, much better. I'd recommend taking the bus or driving out to Broad Ave in Pal Park to try some of the Korean restaurants on that block. Another place, I've never been here, but people claim that Hamu Nengmyun (not sure what the english name is) in Closter, NJ is supposedly the best. I will look into that and repost.

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Better than in Korea?

[Gina Suk]

Better than in Korea?

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Never!

[larrylee]

BTW, here is the NYT writeup (spelled You-Chun in the piece, go figure)

http://events.nytimes.com/2005/08/24/dinin...be9f967&ei=5070

This space used to be "i36 BBQ" and has changed names a few times, simplifying from restaurant fare towards bar fare. A shame, since i36 had a really nice yook hwe, but I digress. I wonder if the karaoke room is still in the back/upstairs. Given the current musical accompaniment, it seems the owners may still tinkering with the restaurant's formula.

MIS's specialty is supposed to be chik naeng myun, which I can only assume is still the case. Chik, aka arrowroot, produces a more flavorful noodle than buckwheat, though I prefer the latter. And for that, I really like the version at Dae Dong, at 55 W 35th St. There's a high blue awning with the name printed in English.

It's true that the flavor of the broth is important, but for a dish that has only two components (noodles and broth), the noodles are just as important. Specifically, the texture of the noodles. To observe the difference, try the dish at Dae Dong and Kum Gan San. At Kum Gan San you'll be chewing the noodles forever.

Vinegar and mustard (kyuh-ja, which is kind of like wasabi but sweeter) are commonly served with naeng myun.

Gina, I'd be really curious to hear about Hamu Nengmyun.

Edited September 3, 2006 by larrylee (log)

[Gina Suk]

BTW, I'd recommend only going to Memory in Seoul for nengmyun. I had a very bad experience there last year. The dish we ordered (I think it was a bulgogi dish) tasted strange, perhaps the meat was old. So we got a different dish, the tofu/kimchi combo, but the tofu had gone very bad! It was an overall bad experience. Perhaps they were having a bad night. But, I did go there for nengmyun a few months later and it was a much better experience.