Sik Gaek 10.01.2011

A long overdue update that spans the summer, Eatclub has been too busy to blog.  Much like starving during a car ride en route to the eating destination only to get there and overeat; chew on the next few paragraphs mindfully. New World Mall can be called the new and improved Flushing mall; clean and modern, NWM is all asian business upstairs and far east party downstairs. The beats pump out from Lan Zhou every minute; literally the pounding of the hand made noodle dough resonates throughout the food court, magnetically funneling noodle lovers from Jersey and beyond.

Hand pulled noodles pulling in customers

Vegetable noodle soup with added pickled cabbage, hot sauce, and vinegar.

A good Korean seafood pancake for $5.

Sik Gaek
40-01 149th Pl.
Flushing, NY 11354

Don’t let the name fool you, Sik Gaek (sounds like Shik-Gehk) is a seafood restaurant named after a Korean manga and movie of the same name.  History lesson aside, Sik Gaek is a much like a boisterous restaurant typical of what you would find in Seoul.  Any food shyness must be left behind as you dive into a giant pot of various creatures from the sea swimming in a spicy broth all the while toasting korean beer and fermented rice brew.

Gather 4 seafood lovers and order the haemool jung gol (seafood hot pot) filled with:  lobster, clams, crab, sea snail, abalone, mussels, octopus, squid, razor clams, udon noodles, rice cakes, and sprouts.  Phew, not for the faint of stomach.  All the ingredients were super fresh and some were still alive.

A spicy steaming bowl of unkosherness.
How to order the way a Korean would:
1.   Order both OB beer and makkoli by the bottle (impress others with your Korean drinking ettiqutte).
2.   Drink and repeat step 1.  Also, order food if you wish.
3.   Get the seafood hot pot, and request the squid be served live.
4.  Ask for a hot pot stir fry with the leftovers and rice.
5.  Repeat step 1.

Can you spot the 4 Koreans in this pic?

Spondivits — 8.24.11

If you’re looking for a place to eat around the Atlanta airport, specifically a really dive seafood place, then Spondivits is a good bet.  I’ll cut to the chase and say that Spondivits is a big tourist trap in a dodgy, unremarkable area.  My boyfriend was raised in Atlanta and never even heard of it.

But since my friend already went there before on a prior business trip, we decided to go again.  We opted for coconut shrimp for an appetizer and shared a bucket of lobster and crab legs. The coconut shrimp was just okay, although my friend really seemed to have enjoyed it.  The lobster tails were small but that was almost expected. If you like butter with your steamed seafood, then you would like the crab legs since they already came out buttered and oily.

Each bucket pretty much costs $30 on average, whether you just get the crab bucket, crab and lobster bucket, shrimp bucket or a combo of it all. The bucket and appetizer were enough for the both of us as we weren’t that hungry.  Add a bottle of Corona to that and I was completely full.

I don’t really see myself coming back here unless I had to eat by the airport and had plenty of time to kill. (During dinner time, you will have to wait 30 min. on average) You can find fresher crabs at Joe’s Crab Shack and luckily there are a few here.

But I’m looking forward to having some good, fresh seafood here in landlocked ATL and will definitely update you when I find it.

The good: We didn’t over order.

The bad: There is good dodgy, like Pocha 32, where you drink and eat out of tin bowls and cups…and then there is bad dodgy.  This is the bad, dirty kind of dodgy place.

The ugly:  Valet is the only way to park here. It’s lame, especially for a dodgy place.

Spondivits                                                                                                                                        1219 Virginia Ave                                                                                                                     Atlanta, GA 30344-5211

-xteethx

Seoul Food Meets Soul Food

I just moved to Atlanta from New York a couple weeks ago.  Call it fate, love, God, or the alignment of the stars but I’m here…and I’m still trying to figure out where to eat.

Luckily I found my favorite barbecue place today. Forget Fat Matt’s. Just the fact that I’m updating this blog should tell you that the restaurant I’m about to write about is good; like I-can-stay-here-in-Atlanta-just-for-this-restaurant good.

It’s called Heirloom Market and it looks like it’s a hole-in-the-wall in the most random place with nothing else around. But it was already hoppin’ and busy by the time we got there at 12:10, ten minutes after it opened.

I honestly didn’t know what to expect, being that one of the chefs is a former Korean pop star, Lee Jiyeon. (Sadly that is the reason why I went.)  But the fact that it was already that busy on an early afternoon was a good sign.

I opted for the two meat combo deal that comes with a side.  I chose the brisket and ribs and the fried okra.  It was $13.50 but it ended up being two meals since finishing it in one sitting would’ve made me feel dirty.

Brisket, ribs and fried okra. amen.

The brisket and ribs were so moist, juicy, and tender. In my opinion, it’s probably best eaten by itself without any sauce. But if you find the ends kind of dry, there are a few sauces to choose from.  I thought I would like the Korean barbecue sauce the best being that I have a Korean palate but the table sauce was tastier; it’s like A-1 but even better.  I didn’t like the Settler sauce as much but if you like vinegar with your meat, then that would be your sauce.

And seriously, the fried okra was off the hook; don’t ask me why.  Just get it.

For you yankees, that is what fried okra looks like.

In the middle of my meal, the line was already out the door and people were parking on the grass because there were no spots  left.  It’s a small place so it’s probably best to do take-out.

I realize there is nothing really Korean about the barbecue, unless you chose to smother your meat in the Korean sauce and unless you chose some Korean sides.  It really is just Texas-style BBQ; in my opinion anyway.

Looking at the Yelp reviews, you’ll see everyone, save for two ignorant people, gave it four or five stars.  I will definitely be back to try the chicken.

The good: I can only vouch for the brisket, ribs and fried okra for now.

The Bad: the limited parking spots and seating

The ugly: Animal fat solidifying in my arteries and adding to my cellulite

- xteethx