Restaurant: Kimchi & Sushi
Kimchi & Sushi
650E Newman Springs Rd
Lincroft, NJ 07738
732-933-1964
Mon-Sat: 11:30am-3:00pm, 5:00pm-10:00pm
Sun: 3:00pm-9:00pm
* * * * *
JB and I went to the Kimchi & Sushi restaurant I mentioned in a previous post. I was pleased to see that they are open on Mondays. The restaurant that had that space before Saigon II was closed on Mondays, which made it hard for me to go (though they are supposedly openning in a new location... and I really enjoyed their food).
Kimchi & Sushi serves Japanese and Korean dishes, but given how many Japanese restaurants are in the area, my true reason for going was to try the Korean food. I was concerned that my tummy wouldn't let me, but oddly enough, my belly said, "YES!" and I ended up over-eating a little. My body wasn't too pleased with the mackerel banchan that came with our meal, but I'm not surprised about that. The rest sat very well... if a little heavy given the volume I ate. :-)
The prices are pretty reasonable and very comparable to other specialty restaurants (including other Japanese restaurants). The waiters were very helpful to make sure that my husband would not be contaminated; keeping the red chili paste separate, letting us know what dishes had soy sauce, and checking the fish sauce used in the kimchee for wheat. My husband took the educated risk on the kimchee (because sometimes the ingredients on dishes containing fish sauce doesn't list the actual ingredients in the fish sauce, especially if it's imported). Service was FAST! The location is in a strip mall, but once you enter, it's actually rather nice... better than some stand-alone restaurants I've seen.
JB ordered the Bibimbap, sans red chili paste, and I ordered the Ojingeo Bokkeum. Just to clarify what these dishes are, I will quote the menu.
Bibimbap: rice topped with various cooked vegetables such as zucchini, mushrooms, and bean sprouts, plus beef and a fried egg served with red chili paste and sesame oil. (JB's did not contain beef or the red chili paste.)
Ojingeo Bokkeum: stir-fried squid with vegetable in red chili paste. (I had to add more red chili paste to mine. The vegetables included onion and green onion.)
JB seriously enjoyed his dish. It came out in a big stone bowl and was sizzling and crackling. The waiter showed him what to do, which is basically just break the cooked egg so the runny yolk goes through. (I think the egg was raw when it was added, but was cooked when it reached our table. heh heh!) I smiled because that's exactly what JB does with most of his food that comes in bowls (which sometimes drives me a little nutzoids). Mine looked pretty with a carrot flower and shredded veggies (which I don't think got packed in my take home container... *pout*) and is best described as a large mound of spicy red strips of deliciousness. The Ojingo Bokkeum was very tasty, but I will say... The version I cook at home is better. But it was still nummy and the best part is I didn't have to prep, cook or clean up! ;-)
Several types of banchan was brought out as well; baechu kimchee, seasoned spinach (sigeumchi namul, but didn't taste like it as soy sauce), seasoned daikon(musaengchae or muchae), seasoned bellflower root (doraji namul), seasoned seaweed (miyeok muchim), and a mackerel (grilled or fried, not sure). The nice thing is, as we finished our banchan, our waitstaff would ask if we wanted a refill. Now, I remember hearing that this is common, but considering I haven't eaten at a real korean restaurant in over a decade, and rarely before that, I had completely forgot. (I did eat at the fast food version at H-Mart and such years ago... though very tasty, it's just not the same.)
A few notes though... I will likely not order bulgogi from here... not only because I very rarely even think of partaking of beef lately, but also because I have yet to find a place that makes any that is comparable to my mother's bulgogi. I also did not try any of the japanese dishes (save the free miso soup they brought out).
On the whole, I recommend this place. It's on JB's and my list of favorites now. We plan to take our son one day soon, and hopefully also get my mother and her boyfriend to join us as well. :-)
650E Newman Springs Rd
Lincroft, NJ 07738
732-933-1964
Mon-Sat: 11:30am-3:00pm, 5:00pm-10:00pm
Sun: 3:00pm-9:00pm
* * * * *
JB and I went to the Kimchi & Sushi restaurant I mentioned in a previous post. I was pleased to see that they are open on Mondays. The restaurant that had that space before Saigon II was closed on Mondays, which made it hard for me to go (though they are supposedly openning in a new location... and I really enjoyed their food).
Kimchi & Sushi serves Japanese and Korean dishes, but given how many Japanese restaurants are in the area, my true reason for going was to try the Korean food. I was concerned that my tummy wouldn't let me, but oddly enough, my belly said, "YES!" and I ended up over-eating a little. My body wasn't too pleased with the mackerel banchan that came with our meal, but I'm not surprised about that. The rest sat very well... if a little heavy given the volume I ate. :-)
The prices are pretty reasonable and very comparable to other specialty restaurants (including other Japanese restaurants). The waiters were very helpful to make sure that my husband would not be contaminated; keeping the red chili paste separate, letting us know what dishes had soy sauce, and checking the fish sauce used in the kimchee for wheat. My husband took the educated risk on the kimchee (because sometimes the ingredients on dishes containing fish sauce doesn't list the actual ingredients in the fish sauce, especially if it's imported). Service was FAST! The location is in a strip mall, but once you enter, it's actually rather nice... better than some stand-alone restaurants I've seen.
JB ordered the Bibimbap, sans red chili paste, and I ordered the Ojingeo Bokkeum. Just to clarify what these dishes are, I will quote the menu.
Bibimbap: rice topped with various cooked vegetables such as zucchini, mushrooms, and bean sprouts, plus beef and a fried egg served with red chili paste and sesame oil. (JB's did not contain beef or the red chili paste.)
Ojingeo Bokkeum: stir-fried squid with vegetable in red chili paste. (I had to add more red chili paste to mine. The vegetables included onion and green onion.)
JB seriously enjoyed his dish. It came out in a big stone bowl and was sizzling and crackling. The waiter showed him what to do, which is basically just break the cooked egg so the runny yolk goes through. (I think the egg was raw when it was added, but was cooked when it reached our table. heh heh!) I smiled because that's exactly what JB does with most of his food that comes in bowls (which sometimes drives me a little nutzoids). Mine looked pretty with a carrot flower and shredded veggies (which I don't think got packed in my take home container... *pout*) and is best described as a large mound of spicy red strips of deliciousness. The Ojingo Bokkeum was very tasty, but I will say... The version I cook at home is better. But it was still nummy and the best part is I didn't have to prep, cook or clean up! ;-)
Several types of banchan was brought out as well; baechu kimchee, seasoned spinach (sigeumchi namul, but didn't taste like it as soy sauce), seasoned daikon(musaengchae or muchae), seasoned bellflower root (doraji namul), seasoned seaweed (miyeok muchim), and a mackerel (grilled or fried, not sure). The nice thing is, as we finished our banchan, our waitstaff would ask if we wanted a refill. Now, I remember hearing that this is common, but considering I haven't eaten at a real korean restaurant in over a decade, and rarely before that, I had completely forgot. (I did eat at the fast food version at H-Mart and such years ago... though very tasty, it's just not the same.)
A few notes though... I will likely not order bulgogi from here... not only because I very rarely even think of partaking of beef lately, but also because I have yet to find a place that makes any that is comparable to my mother's bulgogi. I also did not try any of the japanese dishes (save the free miso soup they brought out).
On the whole, I recommend this place. It's on JB's and my list of favorites now. We plan to take our son one day soon, and hopefully also get my mother and her boyfriend to join us as well. :-)