New York City has no shortage of options if one is craving a steaming bowl of ramen noodles but Jeju Noodle Bar in the West Village is only one of a few that has specializes in Korean style ramen known as ramyun. In addition to different kinds of ramen, the menu also features a selection of inventive small plates. They also serve up a unique take on weekend brunch with a nine course prix-fixe family-style meal for $45 per person. We actually dined there twice trying both the brunch and the ramyun.
Jeju Noodle Bar takes it's name from the largest island off the southern coast of the Korean peninsula known for it's naturally farmed pork and abundance of fresh seafood. Occupying a corner space on Greenwich off Christoper Street, Jeju Noodle Bar is a bright, airy and contemporary space featuring tiled floors, light wood furniture and bold light fixtures. There is counter setting at the bar which overlooks the food prep. The waitstaff is actually made up of the chefs who can expertly explain the dishes as well as make recommendations to diners.
A far cry from the Jin ramyun which we favor at home, the backbone of the ramyun at Jeju Noodle Bar are broths that have been long simmered and skimmed of excess fat, thus infused with lavish layers of flavor. They offer four ramyun options. For a contrast, we chose the so-ramyun with veal broth, "soo-yuk" brisket, scallion, pickled garlic and garlic oil and the vegetarian miyuk ramyun with vegetable broth, braised seaweed, whole onion, confit mushroom "nah-mul" style and garlic plankton oil. Served in a tiny pot, the so-ramyun packs a punch in terms of depth and flavor. The cloudy and milky broth is reminiscent of seolleongtang (Korean ox bone soup) in both appearance and taste. The veal component adds a dimension of slight gaminess. The wavy thick noodles are chewy and toothsome and mingled with the tender meat and other components made for a very well rounded and satisfying bowl. Featuring a clear and well seasoned broth, the vegetarian miyuk ramyun which had thinner chewy noodles was no less substantial, incredibly flavorful and full of texture. Honestly I'm glad we tried both because I couldn't pick one which I liked better. The ramyun includes optional add-ins like a soy marinated soft boiled egg or poached egg.
One must bring their appetite and an empty stomach to Jeju Noodle Bar's brunch featuring nine courses of the restaurant's signature dishes that includes both lighter fare like a wintergreen salad, broccoli coleslaw and grill mackerel as well as heartier dishes like a whole fried chicken, Jeju bibimmyun and tuna kimbap. The highlights for us were the toro ssam bap (fatty tuna, scrambled egg, tobiko rice, and toasted seaweed), pork bossam (pork belly, white kimchi, and Jeju’s romesco sauce) and roe chawanmushi (egg custard). The toro ssam bap (3rd photo above) which is an umami bomb of flavor is probably our favorite dish at Jeju Noodle Bar. We also got it as a starter when we went to try the ramyun. In fact my mouth is watering even as I'm thinking about it right now. The brunch is fairly well paced so that you're not overwhelmed with too many dishes at the same time. We were already pretty much full by the time they brought out the fried chicken. If you’re sensitive to spice, be mindful of the bibimmyun which has some heat.
I found the food at Jeju Noodle Bar to be thoughtfully conceived, executed and balanced and we look forward to trying more of the menu. Having the cooking staff also serve as the wait staff is a unique concept but it also can make for slower service which is generally fine as long as people aren't pressed for time. The staff is very friendly and accommodating. We had an issue where our server forgot about our drink order and it was quickly rectified with apologies when we brought it up. The restaurant also apologized again and kindly comped our strawberry pistachio cheesecake to make up for it. It was lightly sweet in texture and flavor and quite nice in case you're wondering but people are probably not coming here for the dessert. Jeju Noodle Bar is a credit card only establishment and they are closed on Mondays.
Jeju Noodle Bar
679 Greenwich Street
New York City
646. 666.0947
$$ - $$$
20 comments
The stone pot soupy dish looks so yummy, dear! xoxo
The menu choice look highly pleasing, I will want to try them all.
It’s quite interesting and different that the waitstaff are chefs, I like that! Glad that they apologised for the mishap. The vegetarian miyuk ramyun sounds nice, as does the restaurant overall. I pretty much love adding a poached egg to anything! Have a great weekend Rowena!
I need to stop reading your posts in my lunch break, it makes me unappreciative of whatever I packed to eat the day!
Anne|Linda, Libra, Loca
Goodness! Chingu, my mouth was seriously watering reading your description and seeing all the pics! Everything sounds delicious:) I've never had veal broth before...ehrmahgerd! And I'm the type to add soft boiled egg to any ramen soup:D
Have an awesome weekend!
Lots of yummy dishes...:-) I think it is odd for the cooking staff to be the waiting staff too like it is at Jeju Noodles Bar like you mentioned but I’m glad you enjoyed their service. Happy Friday.
This looks like the place to dine and everything looks delicious! I am attempting to make Shoyu Ramen from scratch today; broiling the bone broth and making my own dash with kombu so pease pray for me and my kitchen. LOL!
Shireen⎜Reflection of Sanity
I'm not surprised that there are so many great dinning options when it comes to New York, I'm always hearing great things about the restaurant scene there. Having a wide selection of noodles soups does sound heavenly. The toro samm bob seems like an amazing dish! I love tuna, I would surely like it. Jeju noodle bar sounds wonderful and I would love to try their noodles. I think I would try both kinds as well, they both sound delicious. Interesting that the cooking staff is also the serving staff, I guess it might make things more slow, but since the staff is also very friendly I don't think anyone would mind.
Yes I agree good food is worth the wait. This place sounds excellent. I am headed to Oficina Latina tonight on Prince.
Allie of ALLIENYC
www.allienyc.com
Lovely dishes, it looks very nice, I feel hungry now ;-)
Have a wonderful weekend, hugs!
Dusana
www.letnedni.com
It looks delicious! I was disappointed with my last noodle bowl so need something like this to bring me back around to the idea of them!
Corinne x
www.skinnedcartree.com
The food looks delicios and the place is very cozy!
Kisses, Paola.
Expressyourself
The food looks really good, and how interesting that the cooking staff, also, serves the food :)
Oh yum, the food looks great! So tasty! There's a noodle bar near work and I've never been, I really should try it one day!
Hope that you are having a great weekend! It's a busy but fun one here.
Away From The Blue Blog
Yum!! I've never had this before, but it looks sooo good!
-Kate // http://www.classyandkate.com/how-i-keep-my-skin-healthy-in-the-summer/
Looks great :)
Can you believe I've never been to a Noodle Bar before?! Although, that does make this review aaaall the more interesting because of it :) It's a pity the dessert wasn't hugely impressive, although everything else looks tasty!
Gabrielle | A Glass Of Ice x
I've never been to a noodle bar before, but the menu items look and sound interesting! Have a great week Rowena!
You're right about the food in NYC. There are so many good places, I can't wait to go back!
xo Jo
http://www.whiterosesandcoffee.com/
I love this!
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