Felix S.
Yelp
OMGGGG HOW DID I NOT KNOW ABOUT THIS HIDDEN GEM TILL NOW???
I literally drove by this place like a million times and have yet to set foot into this till now. I gotta be honest, when my friend told me about this place, I laughed and said there's no good restaurant in this neighborhood and boy am I an idiot.
Jang Dok Dae is a Korean restaurant located in Flushing but outside the main street area (which is a saving grace, no one wants to venture into Main St nowadays with those high parking fees and traffic). It is in a very unassuming spot with decent street parking in the area.
We came as a group of 7 on a Thursday night and the place already had a couple of tables seated. Upon entering we were immediately greeted by the host/server (which I believe is the owner) whom was super warm and welcoming and took us to our seats. The restaurant was clean and organized with lots of natural lighting. It's got a very nature and homey vibe to it, with lots of green plants and butterfly décor everywhere along with some nature theme paintings hanging on the wall.
Btw before even talking about the food, can I just say I love the restaurant menu and how there's a photo next to each item along with the English translation (even if you don't know much about Korean cuisine, you won't feel lost here).
In terms of food, I don't know where to even start cause everything was so good and delicious! And I do mean EVERYTHING no joke. From the refreshing tomato salad starter to the banchan (omg that fried crispy seaweed & peanut w/anchovies) to the appetizers and main courses, everything was delicious! But if I had to pick a few highlights for the night, it would have to be the Seafood Scallion Pancake, the Aged Beef Short Rib, and the Aged Pork Shoulder Butt.
The seafood scallion pancake (comes with shrimps, clams, mussels, calamari) was pretty amazing to start us off the night. I mean I had seafood scallion pancakes before but never like this good in both flavor and texture. Usually when I get it in other places, it's soft and soggy on the outside and doughy on the inside but here it's totally different, first of all they don't skim on the ingredients and actually gives you a lots of seafood and second, the pancake is actually super crispy on the outside yet soft and chewy on the inside which means they took their time to make it right. Wonderfully Delicious!
The Aged Beef Short Rib is definitely the highlight of the night especially for me who is a big meat eater. According to the menu this is meat that has been aged for 4 weeks in Korean fermented sauces, sparkling rice wine & natural yeast and the flavor and texture definitely shows. The meat was perfectly cooked to medium and the short rib was so soft and tender that it almost melts in your mouth. The meat was super flavorful with a hint of sweetness and the meat juice and aroma that fills your mouth as you chew was just simply amazing. My only regret was not ordering more since I only got two pieces and I needed to save some for others.
Another highlight of the night was the Aged Pork Shoulder Butt, I was a bit concern that the dish would be too greasy or fatty but nope, it was everything but that. The shoulder butt had the perfect balance of meat and fat so it wasn't overly greasy. It also got this awesome sear on the outside so the texture was right on point with the crispiness on the outside and tender, chewy and juicy on the inside. The flavor really came through and again this is from weeks of aging process, with a little bit of the Gochujang sauce and a mouthful of rice, this is what I would consider close to a perfect bite (someone bring me some steamed eggs).
Service wise- everything just feels so homey and comfortable here, and the hostess/server played such a huge part to it. She was so gracious, warm and cheerful and it just feels like she's the mother whom would come check up on you once in a while to make sure you had enough food to eat. One thing to note is that the food does take some time to prepare, so if you are in much of a hurry, this might not be for you but if you are willing to wait, you can be sure you'd be treated to great food.
Cost is very reasonable especially for the quality of food and service in the restaurant. Most of the dishes ranges from around $30, given this is food to share not individual serving and you do get a pretty hefty portion for each dish.
Overall Jang Dok Dae is a restaurant in Flushing I won't tell my friends about because I need to keep it a hidden gem for selfish reasons (just kidding!). Everything about the place screams nature and home, it's just the perfect place to come with friends, chat and enjoy a few Korean dishes together. The food is amazing and the service is warm and delightful. You can count on me to come back and try out the other dishes and hopefully I won't need to make a reservation for this place in the next go around.