Where My Love For Sundubu Jjigae Began

After our excursion to Mitsuwa, for dinner, my parents and I ate at one of our favorite Korean restaurants. This is in fact one of the first Korean restaurants we really ever went to in New Jersey, and it is a Fort Lee staple! In fact, So Kong Dong is so famous, that it even made an appearance on Anthony Bourdain's "No Reservation." A Jersey boy himself, and an alumna of my high school, in his New Jersey episode, Bourdain revisits his old neighborhood and sees how things have changed. After visiting Mitsuwa he eats lunch at So Kong Dong, just like us! Click here to watch the NJ episode of
"No Reservations." To watch Bourdain in Mitsuwa scroll to about 29:12. To watch Bourdain at the Korean restaurant scroll to about 32:34.

Whenever we come here, there is always a huge wait. In fact, it's usually so crowded that there is barely anywhere to stand. You can either huddle at the small entrance or awkwardly wait along diners. Neither situation is ideal.

After about 10-15 minutes of chaos, are order are taken, and within 5 minutes, we are taken to a table. Thank goodness for that!

The first to arrive at our table are the "banchan" or small food dishes. These are usually spiced pickled foods that are designed to accompany rice. We also get small bowls of water kimchi. Not too spicy and quite refreshing. Everything goes down very easily. Of the banchan, my favorite are the spiced cucumbers. I could eat a whole tub of these! I am also a bit of a kimchi fiend. Love love love kimchi!

top L-R: kim chee and marinated bean sprouts

bottom L-R: spiced pickled cucumbers and spiced pickled daikon radish

water kimchi

Soon after the banchan, our giant rice bowl arrives. This rice is cooked in the traditional manner in a cast iron bowl. Once the rice is served, hot tea is added to the remaining rice to make a sort of porridge. It's sort of bland, but after eating lots of spicy food, it's just what you need.

And now the deliciousness begins. So Kong Dong specializes in spicy hot pots called "sundubu jjigae", but they also have delicious galbi! This is Korean style spareribs basically. Grilled to perfects, these spareribs are amazing. One of my favorite foods to eat. I especially like the bits of meat around the bone. It's sort of chewy, but this is a girl who likes to eat the cartilage on chicken bones, so I'm not complaining.  

Then, the moment we have been waiting for...SUNDUBU! I ordered kimchi beef sundubu. When eating sundubu, one cracks a raw egg into the hot pot. The dish is so hot, that the egg will be cooked. In addition to the egg, sundubu is delicious when mixed with rice. I like to scoop heapings of rice into my sundubu bowl. The result, a delicious explosion of spices and tofu in my mouth. I am left one very happy camper!