Introducing… the Beef Bowl. $4.99. Happiness in a bowl. Perfectly steamed white Korean rice, loads of tender bulgogi in its own flavorful sauce. You can’t get happier than this. My happy food.

Book Chang Dong Tofu House
2550 Pleasant Hill Rd
Duluth, GA 30096
(770) 814-2299

Technorati Tags: Korean, Duluth

I took the pork fat drippings and drizzled it over my rice. OMG.

I eat Korean all the time. There was one week in May last year that I ate it 7 times in a week. Crazy. I’ve been here many times. But the other night was the best Korean dinner I’ve had this year. We demolished everything in front of us. The boneless galbi and pork belly rule here. And the delicate chawanmushi is to-die-for. (What happened to the pictures, FB?)

Oh and I almost forgot… I became a Korean last year. Thanks, Gene.

More here and here.

Open later for dinner on weekdays than weekends. (Does that make sense to you?)

Cafe Todahmgol
2442 Pleasant Hill Rd, Suite 3B,
Duluth, GA 30096
770-813-8202
Mon-Sat: 5PM-2AM
Sunday: 5PM-12Midnight

Thanks to one of my readers, Bill Petrosky, who sent me an email the other day tipping me of this new seafood/po’boy place in Duluth. It is located a few doors down from What The Pho and Cafe Tohdamgol. Opened just two weeks ago by a Vietnamese family, it is really more of a seafood place than an eating place.

As a seafood store, they only have a few basics as of yet: shrimp, fish fillets (tuna, salmon, catfish, tilapia,) scallops, crab legs, mussels, and craw fish. I did not see any fresh oysters in the cases but there are fried ones on the menu.

As a take-out joint, they have lunch specials with fried catfish or tilapia, shrimp, and oysters with two sides that start at $5.99. Po’boys start at $3.99 with a choice of shrimp, catfish, tilapia, oysters, sausage, or calamari. They are sandwiched between a fresh loaf of Vietnamese baguette then dressed with mustard, mayo, and butter, then topped with lettuce and tomatoes.  I love the butter part!

The Fish-N-Shrimp lunch special comes with 2 fish fillets and 7 jumbo shrimp. The fried catfish is delicious — clean taste (not muddy). Shrimp are peeled and de-veined. Both are perfectly dusted with Cajun seasonings, very lightly battered,  then fried golden.

There are two tiny tables and a total of 4 chairs if you care to eat-in. I only came in for a quick stop but I will be back tomorrow to learn more about this place and try the po’boys. I will let you know how that goes.

Insider tip:
Everything is cooked to order so be ready to wait a good 10 minutes for your food.

The scoop:
New Orleans Seafood
2442 Pleasant Hill Rd., Suite 8
Duluth, GA 30096
(678) 474-0064

Technorati Tags: Duluth, seafood, grocery, po’boy, cajun

I’ve been hitting the new Assi Plaza Duluth food court for lunch for the last couple of weeks. My newest obsession: hand-pulled noodles. From the Chinese stall. You’d get a kick out of watching Mr. Noodles pull and whack his pasta on a table.

The noodles are just perfect. Noodles are made when you place your order. The black bean paste sauce is savory with a slight hint of sweet. The pork cubes are tender. I just love their Jajang Noodles.

Note: Jajang noodles were created in Korea by Chinese settlers back in the 1800s. This Korean version has a faint hint of sweetness whereas the original mainland Chinese version does not.

China House
1630 Pleasant Hill Rd.
#A8
Duluth, GA 30096
678-638-0822
Inside Assi Plaza Duluth

Technorati Tags: Chinese, hand-pulled noodles, noodles, Duluth

]]> http://www.chowdownatlanta.com/china-house-hand-pulled-noodles/feed/ 0 http://www.chowdownatlanta.com/assi-plaza-duluth/ http://www.chowdownatlanta.com/assi-plaza-duluth/#comments Wed, 28 Oct 2009 07:00:22 +0000 Chloe http://www.chowdownatlanta.com/assi-plaza-duluth/ Contrary to what most of you think, I do cook. As much as 2-3 times a week. But sometimes, not at all. I eat all my lunches and some dinners out and I don’t eat leftovers so I have to supplement that with home-cooked meals (mine or my mom’s). I go to either Super H, BHFM, or Assi (Suwanee) every single week (in addition to Whole Foods/Trader Joe’s/Alon’s and almost daily trips to bakeries and bagel shops). Assi Duluth opened about a month ago. It was so chaotic the first week of opening that it wasn’t really worth the hassle to add it to my rotation. But I’ve been back a few more times after that and the frenzy has died down a bit. Yesterday, it was literally empty. Of course, it’s also been raining cats and dogs all day.

To say this place is huge is an understatement. The produce section is expansive. But the meat and seafood section are small, and the aisles are tight. BHFM has 99% of what I need, Super H Mart has 85%, and I would say this place has about 70% of what I need — in terms of produce and dry goods (dry/liquid spices, noodles, snacks, etc). Prices average 20 cents less than the others but the selection here is not as good. Plus, stuff are not as organized as BHFM so you’ll see specific Asian goods scattered all over even though they have a particular aisle for each group. You’ll need to look at all the aisles to find what you’re looking for rather than going to one specific section.

Here is yesterday’s loot. I found some ridiculously fresh snow pea tips, persimmons, inexpensive lemons (remember last year when they were a dollar apiece, well, they’re 5 for 99cents now), great stewing tomatoes, baby bokchoy, okra, watercress, asparagus, some yummy potato bread, black bean soy milk (you’re missing out if you haven’t had this), fat ginger, and a gigantic cabbage.

Verdict: Worth checking out. I’d go for the food court alone. There’s a good selection of cheap eats at the food court with a Mozart bakery that has a private dining area.

Assi Plaza (Duluth)
1630 Pleasant Hill Rd
Duluth, GA 30096
(770) 813-1500
A mile east of 85. Just past Bahama Breeze.

Technorati Tags: Asian market, Ethnic grocery, Korean, Duluth, Pleasant Hill Rd

Yup, you heard it right. Korean burgers. BULGOGI burgers! KIMCHI burgers!

Korean tacos aren’t the new thing anymore. Korean burgers are. Today, I had a succulent burger marinated in bulgogi sauce. It was juicy and tasty. But you know what happens when you marinate ground beef — the consistency of the meat becomes mushy (kinda like a country fried steak but without the batter). Which is what these burgers really are. Don’t get me wrong, though, they’re okay, but not as good as the ‘ol American burger. For $4.99 you get a regular sized burger (about 1/3 pound) in a soft, grocery-type, sesame seed bun with lettuce, tomato, and some Korean sauce. Add $2 more and you get fries and a drink.

But the best part: the TWISTED POTATO. They take a big, whole potato, skin it, then slice it like a slinky so you still have a whole potato. Then they put the entire thing on a stick (like a kebab), douse it with spices, and deep fry it until golden. This is ridiculously GOOD!!! They have three flavors: barbecue, cheese, and spicy chili. Get the spicy chili. It is soooooooo awesome.

The scoop:
Fusion YoriJori Burger
1630 Pleasant Hill Rd.
Duluth, GA 30096
678-638-0822
Inside Assi Plaza Duluth

Technorati Tags: Korean burgers, Korean, Duluth

The menu boasts of the usual fare including a combination lunch where you get to choose two items and the blink-and-they’re-gone daily specials which sell out within the hour. But the one thing they really are well known for is the ramen. A ginormous bowl of hot broth is mixed with perfectly cooked egg noodles and slices of delicious, housemade roasted pork. There are four flavors of broth to choose from, plus an assortment toppings that you can pick.

The Shio flavor, my absolute favorite, is seasoned with natural sea salt. Although it uses chicken broth, it doesn’t really taste like chicken soup. The pork slices play a major part in the overall flavor and the result is a savory, tasty soup. Believe me when I say this is comfort food at its best.

My other favorite is the Tonkotsu broth which should not be confused with tonkatsu (which is fried pork cutlet). Tonkotsu is a pork-based broth made by boiling pigs’ bones for several hours. The result is a creamy broth that is so fantastic.

The Soy flavor is chicken broth seasoned with soy sauce. Be warned, this broth is on the salty side. I stopped getting this because I got tired of diluting it with my hot tea just so it can be eatable. However, if you like your food salty, then this is perfect for you. The Miso flavor is a salt-based broth infused with soy bean paste. This isn’t your regular miso soup, instead, the broth is sweetish with a nutty undertone.

Haru Ichiban has the best Shio Ramen in town hands down. I recommend you stick with the roast pork topping for your first visit as this is how it is normally served in Japan. It will also allow you to taste the basic flavors the way they’re intended to be.

Note: I am compiling a side-by-side comparison of Japanese ramen from the three best places in town so stay tuned for that.

Insider tip:
Lunch menu also available on Saturdays.

The scoop:
Haru Ichiban
3646 Satellite Blvd
Duluth, GA 30096
(770) 622-4060

Technorati Tags: sushi, Japanese, Duluth, Pleasant Hill, Gwinnett

Since the chef hasn’t changed, no visit to this place is complete without their old specialty: man doo. These huge Korean dumplings are filled with lots of ground pork, minced tofu and green Asian cabbage. The wonton wrappers are soft and moist and the fillings are perfectly seasoned. The sweetish-salty dipping sauce adds depth of flavor. Yummy. (Side note: did you know that BHFM was among the first in Atlanta to mass produce man doo? About 10 years ago, they had a Korean food section where cooked food, pre-marinated meets, assorted banchan, and man doo were made. Two Korean ladies and one man made man doo all day long, every single day. They had two kinds, steamed to order, and the best man doo in town. My mom used to bring home three dozen or so pieces every week she went there. I miss those!)

The hot pot takes center stage here now. For $29.99, two people can share a shabu meal that is simply quite the best in town. A pot of fresh vegetables and mushrooms in kimchi broth is simmered on the table top stove. With it comes a plate of beautiful ribbons of paper-thin meat and a bowl of thick noodles. The kimchi broth is spot on.  It is spicy good.  The veggies are so fresh, and the noodles are chewy.  Truly delicious.

There is a proper way to eat Korean hot pot:

•  let the pot boil
• add small amounts of meat
• serve meat, veggies, and broth onto your own bowl
• dip meat into dipping sauce with wasabi mixed in to it before eating
• repeat until all meat is gone
• lastly, add the noodles, let boil
• when most of your hot pot is gone, leftovers will be transferred to a serving bowl

Now comes the best part — a bowl of rice, minced beef, and chopped greens, topped with a raw egg will be cooked in the same pot. Let me tell you that this is the best bibimbap (minus the chili paste) I have ever tasted. The egg and the kimchi-laced pot adds so much flavor. It is the best “fried rice” ever!

Aside from two kinds of hot pots (regular and ribeye), they also still have their famous Korean fried chicken which sets you back $16 and although they are small pieces, they give you quite a lot. It is the best Korean fried chicken in town, by the way. The spicy garlic fried chicken is a little less expensive and as good but I prefer the plain fried chicken.

Insider tip:
Sodas are $1 with one free refill — beware, they come from 2-liter bottles which tasted like they were opened one too may days ago.

The scoop:
Shabu King
2550 Pleasant Hill Rd.
Duluth, GA 30096
(770) 476-8599

Technorati Tags: man doo, Korean, shabu, hot pot, Duluth, GA, Gwinnett, Korean fried chicken