Jang Dok Dae Corp

Jang Dok Dae is the Latest Knife-Cut Noodles Spot in Murray Hills, Queens | Eater NY

"Located at 149-22 41st Avenue between 41st and Barclay avenues, Jang Dok Dae is a newcomer that prides itself on fastidiously prepared Korean comfort food where kalguksu is king. Owners Karen Yang and Kay Ko, who learned noodle-making at Kun Sohn, offer a small menu dominated by 23 versions of the noodle soup, with nearly all elements made in-house: Ko grates nagaimo (Japanese mountain yam) into the dough for extra stickiness, adds lotus root powder and mulberry leaf extract to boost nutrition and digestion, and grinds dried shiitake, pollack and anchovy into a radish-and-cabbage stock that serves as the base for most soups. They serve fresh, unfermented cabbage kimchi called gutjuri made in-house, and toppings are abundant — the mixed seafood kalguksu is loaded with blue crab, shrimp, mussels and clams, while the popular bajirak noodles include at least 20 clams in the shell. The homestyle, meticulous approach extends to samgyetang (chicken stuffed with mungbean, sweet rice, jujube, ginseng, gingko and walnut and cooked on medicinal herbs, with broth kept separate until serving), as well as daegutang (a spicy codfish stew featuring a firm swirl of codfish intestine), yookgaejang brightened with homemade chile oil, and a floral kotssambab wrap platter starring pansies, cornabria blossoms, mulberry leaf and black kale alongside bulgogi or spicy pork. Even the rich, earthy burdock tea is prepared in-house rather than the typical barley tea. I appreciated that they try to recreate a traditional home-cooked Korean meal using all-natural ingredients; Jang Dok Dae is open Monday through Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m." - Caroline Shin