Ju Mak Jib - Korean on Little River Turnpike in Lincolnia

[mbalaver]

Has anyone been to Ju Mak Jib, a Korean restaurant on Little River Turnpike that Tom Sietsema is reviewing Sunday? I didn't see a thread on this.

[Escoffier]

Can't say that I've specifically been here, but Tom Sietsema wouldn't know good Korean food if it smacked him in the head. Every review of a Korean restaurant I've ever read of his is terrible. Perhaps if he spent some time eating with Koreans he might have a better idea of what Korean food is.

(We know where this restaurant is (Lincolnia is a more correct address, it's really not in Alexandria or Annandale) but have never bothered to stop. Maybe Grover can stop by and let you know what a real Korean,thinks... not a mee-guk (like me) ).

[Ericandblueboy]

Tom Sietsema also doesn't know much about Chinese food.

[DonRocks]

Can't say that I've specifically been here, but Tom Sietsema wouldn't know good Korean food if it smacked him in the head. Every review of a Korean restaurant I've ever read of his is terrible. Perhaps if he spent some time eating with Koreans he might have a better idea of what Korean food is.

(We know where this restaurant is (Lincolnia is a more correct address, it's really not in Alexandria or Annandale) but have never bothered to stop. Maybe Grover can stop by and let you know what a real Korean,thinks... not a mee-guk (like me) ).

Ken, Ken, Ken, you *do* overuse the term and underrate the value of "mee-guks," even those of us who are humble enough to sit there and listen to your boasting of having married an attractive Korean wife who is ten times too good for you!

Remember who led you to Gom Ba Woo and who lived in Annandale for three years!

[Escoffier]

Ken, Ken, Ken, you *do* overuse the term and underrate the value of "mee-guks," even those of us who are humble enough to sit there and listen to your boasting of having married an attractive Korean wife who is ten times too good for you!

Remember who led you to Gom Ba Woo and who lived in Annandale for three years!

I'd say 20 times, Don...(I'm modest and do you have any idea how great it is to have a resident Korean food expert?). (Hmmm, who was that gai-jinn at Gom Ba Woo? ) Fortunately, the person who discovered Gom Ba Woo (okay, mee-guk) didn't try to write a review in which he got everything about Korean food just slightly incorrect. I'll give Tom points for trying but he still hasn't learned anything about Korean food except that it comes to the table when it's ready.

[mtureck]

I'd say 20 times, Don...(I'm modest and do you have any idea how great it is to have a resident Korean food expert?). (Hmmm, who was that gai-jinn at Gom Ba Woo? ) Fortunately, the person who discovered Gom Ba Woo (okay, mee-guk) didn't try to write a review in which he got everything about Korean food just slightly incorrect. I'll give Tom points for trying but he still hasn't learned anything about Korean food except that it comes to the table when it's ready.

So enlighten us...what did he get wrong?

[Escoffier]

So enlighten us...what did he get wrong?

Tom or Don?

In the review of Ju Mak Jib, he didn't say much of anything that was specifically Korean except the food arrives when it arrives. You could substitute Chinese (or Burmese or your knees) and the review would be (relatively) accurate. No spice levels, no flavors, no textures, no aromas, no sauces on the table, no idea of what banchan, no anything specifically Korean (except the wife makes all of her own banchan, which happens to be the norm in about 90% of the Korean restaurants in the known world. Known to everyone but Tom S. obviously). It would almost be worth an hour of our time to take Tommy S. out and feed him real Korean food and tell him what he's eating and where it came from and why it's the way it is and how real Koreans (something he obviously has never interacted with) eat. Maybe then he'd know enough to start to criticize Korean food and cooking. Until then, Sietsema on Korean is like me trying to be an expert on sub-atomic particles...ain't gonna happen.

So, let's do a bit of parsing, shall we? Let's take this stirring example:

"I’m a fool for meat grilled tableside, spicy accents and banchan, the array of small dishes of food that grace every Korean repast and distinguish the good kitchens from the great. Stir in some soju, or fire water, and you have a feast."

This follows a bit of blather about hopping a plane to Seoul just to eat. Spicy accents aren't the norm in Seoul, somewhat toned down food is. "soju or fire water"...what the hell is this supposed to mean? Soju is generally made from either rice or potatoes...twenty seconds with Wikipedia and he would know that interesting fact. Fire water...what a great turn of phrase. (From Wikipedia: Most brands of soju are made in South Korea. Though it is traditionally made from rice, most modern producers of soju use supplements or even replace rice with other starches, such as potatoes, wheat, barley, sweet potatoes, or tapioca). Incidentally, the meat isn't grilled tableside (we're not talking guacamole making here), they're either grilled on a table-top portable burner or a gas fired (if you're really lucky, charcoal or coal fired) grill which is in the center of the table. Makes it much easier for everyone to get that "meat grilled tableside".

"The restaurant hides out in Alexandria rather than Annandale" No, it's in Lincolnia, not Alexandria, not Annandale. Check maps.google.com. And as for hiding, it's right across the street from the Salvation Army on Little River Turnpike. As a matter of fact, you can see it coming from either direction. It's between the bodega and the rug store.

"What looks like a giant mint sprig is in fact wild sesame leaf, similar in texture and tang to a grape leaf. Garlic stems lapped with a sweet-spicy paste snap with crunch; fluffy egg custard dusted with minced scallions is soft comfort. Even the steamed rice, flecked with sweet rice and barley, stands out."

Actually, it looks more like an arrow head but we'll give him that...as to texture, it ain't no grape leaf. If you're going to compare it to a grape leaf, you'll be sorely disappointed. You use the sesame leaves in place of the leaf lettuce to wrap your meat and you eat the entire thing in one mouth-filling bite...(a Korean burrito someone once called it). The "fluffy egg custard" is steamed eggs. Eggs are whipped, put in a ceramic pot which is placed in a pot partially filled with water. The eggs are then steamed and served. It's not custard. This time of the year, it's normal to have rice with barley, and other grains. No surprise there. You might even get brown rice. I wonder if that would "stand out"?

Go to dinner with someone who knows Korean food. Ask questions, try lots of banchan, accompany Grover on a Saturday trip to Super H. Then he might have an idea (and only a miniscule one at that) about Korean food.

[mtureck]

Tom or Don?

Tom.

[Fishinnards]

This jumped out at me:

But among my tipster’s reasons for sending me to Ju Mak Jib are several dishes that aren’t common on area lists... Another is aged kimchi, cabbage and other vegetables that have been fermented for a long time and develop agreeable pungency in the process.

Aged kimchi is a not common dish? Would not most Korean restaurants (and homes) have kimchi in various stages of fermentation, with the most sour being used for kimchichigae among other things?

[Escoffier]

Tom.

I could have sworn you meant Don...mea culpa!

[Escoffier]

This jumped out at me:

Aged kimchi is a not common dish? Would not most Korean restaurants (and homes) have kimchi in various stages of fermentation, with the most sour being used for kimchichigae among other things?

Believe me, you'll find kimchi in all stages of fermentation from just made to...well, you don't want to think about it. I could use our refrigerator as an example (but won't). Kimchi never lasts that long in this house.

[Ericandblueboy]

the fried dumplings at Ju Mak Jib make a stellar impression. Crisp half-moons, the packets are so thin you can see the chopped green scallions inside; each bite is also meaty with juicy ground pork. I’ve not had better dumplings in the region.

He didn't really say what kind of dumplings these are, other than they're fried. Are they more like jiaozi or gyoza? With thin wrappers, I would guess gyoza. The difference between gyoza and jiaozi is the wrapper. Jiaozi has thicker wrappers - the good wrappers are like al dente pasta. The best jiaozi comes from northern China and Korea, and they're usually make with green chives as opposed to scallions.

[Escoffier]

Okay, here's another chance to spend some time with Grover in a Korean restaurant. We're headed to Ju Mak Jip this afternoon around 5:00pm (yeah, I know we eat early, but we get up early too). We're leaving Alexandria at 5:00 so we should be there around 5:30. We'd be happy to have you join us and you might find out a little something about Korean food in the bargain. Maybe we'll even have some firewater, some of that aged kimchi, potato salad (made only for mee-guks...sorry, Don but that's who it's for), egg custard and a fried dumpling or two (too bad he couldn't ask to find out that Korean's tend to call them "mandoo", it might have taken all of 10 seconds).

[DonRocks]

Okay, here's another chance to spend some time with Grover in a Korean restaurant. We're headed to Ju Mak Jip this afternoon around 5:00pm (yeah, I know we eat early, but we get up early too). We're leaving Alexandria at 5:00 so we should be there around 5:30. We'd be happy to have you join us and you might find out a little something about Korean food in the bargain. Maybe we'll even have some firewater, some of that aged kimchi, potato salad (made only for mee-guks...sorry, Don but that's who it's for), egg custard and a fried dumpling or two (too bad he couldn't ask to find out that Korean's tend to call them "mandoo", it might have taken all of 10 seconds).

I assure you Tom Sietsema knows that mandu are dumplings. Proof can be found in the 5th paragraph.

[Escoffier]

I assure you Tom Sietsema knows that mandu are dumplings. Proof can be found in the 5th paragraph.

Apparently he's forgotten in the 6 years since he wrote that review of Mandu.

[Ericandblueboy]

I'd hit it but I'm in Vegas with Steve.

[JimRice]

Sorry we missed this. Please though, yell out next time you're doing this. Barbara and I would be glad to come.

[Escoffier]

Sorry we missed this. Please though, yell out next time you're doing this. Barbara and I would be glad to come.

Just wait for the next Tom S. review of a Korean restaurant . Speaking of which, the results of our foray to Ju Mak Jip shall follow...

[Escoffier]

So in anticipation aroused by the Sietsema review of Ju Mak Jip, Grover and I put on our best undercover review garb and drove to Lincolnia and Ju Mak Jip. Initial reaction...lots of wood...wood divider, wood walls, wood...(not a bad thing, just saying...). Greeted at the door and pointed vaguely in the direction of the right side of the house (facing the back of the restaurant) by oh-paa (Dad to the non-Korean speakers...see, you get a bonus language lesson with every review). Tables on the right side of the house consist of 4 tops on one side (no vent hoods here) and 6 tops on the other (vent hoods and center of the table, gas fired grills). Menus delivered quickly, limited selection. Contrary to a widely read food critic, selections whited out are PERMANENTLY whited out, no lunch/dinner dichotomy there. Open the menu, left side, lunch selections, right side, dinner. Feel free to mix and match. So we ordered the following:

Hae-mul paejon (Seafood pancake): Gom Ba Woo has been our Gold Standard for this. The version we were served had more seafood (a plus), fewer scallions, and a slightly wider selection of seafood. Plus points.

Mandu (or dumplings if you prefer): Fried, very greasy, interesting filling of ... something. No particular flavors stood out. Did have scallions though. Again, Gom Ba Woo is the standard. Ju Mak Jip didn't make the standard.

(A quick word about the kimchi. Sweet, limp, probably best for kimchi newcomers. Okay a lot of words).

Pork belly and kimch casserolei: A dish we usually order at Honey Pig: Lots of spicy kimchi, pork belly as thin as bacon and difficult to discern. Pork belly flavor overwhelmed by gochu. The kimchi is good, a pleasant blend of spicy and sour, so some points for that.

Black goat jigae: Bubblingly hot, very red broth, lots of goat. I have to say that I've never had this dish before so I have nothing to compare it to, however that's never kept anyone from having an opinion, so here goes. Broth...bland, no spice heat. The goat was very tender (fork tender?), and added some flavor. Lots of 'green' veggie. I added a fair amount of the accompanying mixture of mustard, black sesame seed, soy paste, and sesame oil. Minor flavor enhancement, really couldn't tell much difference.

And now, the banchan: Potato salad, for the non-Koreans in the house. Didn't try it (personal preference). Sesame leaves marinated in soy? Super-H, rear right, in the cooler section near kimchi. Peppers marinated in gochu, soy. Kimchi, I spoke about above. Generally Grover and I go through a decent bit of banchan with an emphasis on kimchi. This time, most of the banchan wasn't touched. The kimchi was sweet which was disconcerting (to me, anyway). Nothng stood out, maybe that's why the potato salad was so highly praised. Noncommital regarding the banchan, personally, none of the presented small-dishes was more than pedestrian.

Service: Well, we did get the menus when we seated ourselves. We did get our orders in, the food was served promptly and was suitably heated. We had to ask for the check and then wait for it.

Overall: Salty but not spicy. To qoute Grover; "Looked devilish but wasn't" Nothing stood out, the only bright flavor came from the kimchi and pork belly and that flavor was kimchi. Probably a good place to take your aunt visiting from Peoria. Really not added to our list of places to eat, unless we specifically want goat.

[hoosiereph]

Really not added to our list of places to eat, unless we specifically want goat.

The casserole at Yechon has been my go-to for Hangug Bo Yang (Korean goat, I think, although Mrs. hoosiereph is laughing at me). I think they have a goat soup also, that I haven't tried. Are you able to compare the two?

[darkstar965]

...Hae-mul paejon (Seafood pancake): Gom Ba Woo has been our Gold Standard for this. The version we were served had more seafood (a plus), fewer scallions, and a slightly wider selection of seafood. Plus points.

Mandu (or dumplings if you prefer): Fried, very greasy, interesting filling of ... something. No particular flavors stood out. Did have scallions though. Again, Gom Ba Woo is the standard. Ju Mak Jip didn't make the standard.

...Probably a good place to take your aunt visiting from Peoria. Really not added to our list of places to eat, unless we specifically want goat.

I lived in Korea some years ago and grew to love the cuisine that way. That said, I'd claim nowhere near the knowledge that you and Grover share via this website. Thanks for the above, for the education more broadly, and for turning me on to Gom Ba Woo. Haven't been there but now top of the list.

And count me in if you ever organize a group outing to a preferred Korean place for great food and instruction. Kamsahamnida.

[Escoffier]

The casserole at Yechon has been my go-to for Hangug Bo Yang (Korean goat, I think, although Mrs. hoosiereph is laughing at me). I think they have a goat soup also, that I haven't tried. Are you able to compare the two?

Yechon is my go to place for Duk Mandu Guk...probably the best of all the Korean restaurants in Annandale. Now I'll have to try the goat soup.

[Escoffier]

And count me in if you ever organize a group outing to a preferred Korean place for great food and instruction. Kamsahamnida.

We haven't organized a Korean food tasting for some time...perhaps the time has come once again...perhaps To Sok Jip but not for the olfactory sensitive.

[TheMatt]

We haven't organized a Korean food tasting for some time...perhaps the time has come once again...perhaps To Sok Jip but not for the olfactory sensitive.

Ooh...To Sok Jip? I'm in.

Of course, knowing To Sok Jip, I think you, me, and Grover...we just about fill the place.

[Escoffier]

Ooh...To Sok Jip? I'm in.

Of course, knowing To Sok Jip, I think you, me, and Grover...we just about fill the place.

True enough, but wonderful food we'll have...

[jasonc]

Escoffier: I'm sorry to say that I read your criticism of Tom's review and I find it logically incoherent. I get the sense that you had your mind made up prior to reading it, and were thus attuned to any small mistake that, frankly, is immaterial to anyone without your level of knowledge of Korean culture. And several which really weren't mistakes unless some unreasonable meaning is read in - as you were quite willing to do.

Spicy accents aren't the norm in Seoul, somewhat toned down food is.

You don't think it's possible he simply mentioned Seoul because it's South Korea's largest city and the most likely place to fly in?

"soju or fire water"...what the hell is this supposed to mean? Soju is generally made from either rice or potatoes...twenty seconds with Wikipedia and he would know that interesting fact. Fire water...what a great turn of phrase. (From Wikipedia: Most brands of soju are made in South Korea. Though it is traditionally made from rice, most modern producers of soju use supplements or even replace rice with other starches, such as potatoes, wheat, barley, sweet potatoes, or tapioca).

I think he is simply is informing the lay reader that soju is an alcoholic beverage.

Incidentally, the meat isn't grilled tableside (we're not talking guacamole making here), they're either grilled on a table-top portable burner or a gas fired (if you're really lucky, charcoal or coal fired) grill which is in the center of the table. Makes it much easier for everyone to get that "meat grilled tableside".

Once again, an innocuous turn of phrase not meant to be taken literally.

"The restaurant hides out in Alexandria rather than Annandale" No, it's in Lincolnia, not Alexandria, not Annandale. Check maps.google.com. And as for hiding, it's right across the street from the Salvation Army on Little River Turnpike. As a matter of fact, you can see it coming from either direction. It's between the bodega and the rug store.

A valid complaint, but hardly relevant to the assessment of the food.

Actually, it looks more like an arrow head but we'll give him that...as to texture, it ain't no grape leaf. If you're going to compare it to a grape leaf, you'll be sorely disappointed. You use the sesame leaves in place of the leaf lettuce to wrap your meat and you eat the entire thing in one mouth-filling bite...(a Korean burrito someone once called it).

A fair criticism, but it just as well speak to his familiarity with grape leaves.

The "fluffy egg custard" is steamed eggs. Eggs are whipped, put in a ceramic pot which is placed in a pot partially filled with water. The eggs are then steamed and served. It's not custard.

That sounds an awful lot like custard.

This time of the year, it's normal to have rice with barley, and other grains. No surprise there. You might even get brown rice. I wonder if that would "stand out"?

I think he means it stands out with respect to the other restaurants in Virginia that perhaps do not evince the same level of detail. I come to this conclusion because it would be highly unusual (and not very useful) for a local restaurant writer to use restaurants in Korea as his basis for comparison.

Go to dinner with someone who knows Korean food. Ask questions, try lots of banchan, accompany Grover on a Saturday trip to Super H. Then he might have an idea (and only a miniscule one at that) about Korean food.

If only we were all so lucky.

[Escoffier]

Escoffier: I'm sorry to say that I read your criticism of Tom's review and I find it logically incoherent. I get the sense that you had your mind made up prior to reading it, and were thus attuned to any small mistake that, frankly, is immaterial to anyone without your level of knowledge of Korean culture. And several which really weren't mistakes unless some unreasonable meaning is read in - as you were quite willing to do.

In no particular order, some instant repartee.

Thanks for letting me know what I was thinking, Jason, I wasn't really sure. (Incidentally, you'd fly into Incheon to go to Seoul). (Logically incoherent is our trademark ).

Rice mixed with barley is the norm this time of the year in 99% of Korean restaurants (and homes) even in restaurants in the US. To coin a phrase, it's ingrained. It's used to extend available rice because the new crop hasn't been harvested yet. Incidentally, I never said Korean (as in Korea) restaurants do this, I said this is normal..no geography there. Projection?

He may know grape leaves, but he doesn't know sesame leaves. However, I'm glad he likes them, I do too.

I'm not sure what your recipe for custard contains, but Korean steamed egg doesn't include cream or milk, it's also not baked, it's steamed. Steamed because most Korean households, at one time did not have ovens. Korean restaurants prepare it just like it's been prepared for hundreds of years.

As for incorrect placement of the restaurant, it's quite valid if you're going to try to find it in Alexandria....or Annandale, it's not there.

And as for saying soju is firewater to mean being an "alcoholic beverage", a much more valid comparison would have been "VODKA", not firewater which could be perceived to be a slur at native Americans. Even Koreans compare it to vodka, I have yet to hear a Korean call it firewater.

In the last week, I have put up two spur of the moment invites to accompany Grover for Korean food. We're more than happy to have you, and anyone else who'd like to come along, join us....and she'll be more than happy to talk as long as you'd like on the origin, ingredients, what area of Korea, or almost any other question you may have about Korean food.

Tom S. has a history of just slightly "off" reviews of Korean food and restaurants. It's amazing how twenty minutes of research makes you so much more prepared. Maybe one day, he'll try it. Korean food and food history (like every other food history in the world) is quite complex but doesn't require that much work to at least gain a slight understanding of it.

[Escoffier]

The casserole at Yechon has been my go-to for Hangug Bo Yang (Korean goat, I think, although Mrs. hoosiereph is laughing at me). I think they have a goat soup also, that I haven't tried. Are you able to compare the two?

I honestly can't say I've had Yechon's goat soup so I can't really compare. My go-to dish at Yechon is the Duk Mandu Guk. This might be the best rendition in all of Annandale (and no reason to laugh at you even though Grover has been known to do the same at me as well). And to top off the evening, it's next door to Breeze and bing-su with frozen yogurt.

[Kibbee Nayee]

In the last week, I have put up two spur of the moment invites to accompany Grover for Korean food. We're more than happy to have you, and anyone else who'd like to come along, join us....and she'll be more than happy to talk as long as you'd like on the origin, ingredients, what area of Korea, or almost any other question you may have about Korean food.

Count me in! Looking forward to a primer on an ethnic food I know very little about....

[hoosiereph]

Yechon is my go to place for Duk Mandu Guk...probably the best of all the Korean restaurants in Annandale. Now I'll have to try the goat soup.

Is that the New Year's soup, or is New Year's without the mandu?

[Albert Yi]

Is that the New Year's soup, or is New Year's without the mandu?

Duk = rice cakes

Mandu = dumplings

So Duk mandu guk has both. It is indeed the New Year's soup.

[Albert Yi]

While we're speaking of Korean I'm always looking for transcendent jajangymyeon. Moa here in Rockville serves a decent version but the noodles aren't quite chewy enough, the sauce not quite smoky enough for me to call it great.

[hoosiereph]

While we're speaking of Korean I'm always looking for transcendent jajangymyeon. Moa here in Rockville serves a decent version but the noodles aren't quite chewy enough, the sauce not quite smoky enough for me to call it great.

Can't help you there... that's just about the only Korean dish I can't stomach.

[Escoffier]

While we're speaking of Korean I'm always looking for transcendent jajangymyeon. Moa here in Rockville serves a decent version but the noodles aren't quite chewy enough, the sauce not quite smoky enough for me to call it great.

Can't guarantee it's transcendent, but Grover seems to gravitate to the jajangmyeon at a Chinese/Korean restaurant on John Marr Drive (and if I could remember the name, I'd put it in...promise).

[Choong Hwa Won]

Count me in! Looking forward to a primer on an ethnic food I know very little about....

I believe you may be number 8 on our group of 8 for To Sok Jip.

Edited January 22, 2013 by DonRocks