A food blog
Soondubu jigae!
Lunch with my parents and sister at So Gong Dong in McCully Shopping Center, one of my favorites for soondubu.
Clam Soondubu ($8.25).
Beef Bone Soup ($9.95)
MENU: View the menu on their website.
So Gong Dong Restaurant
2nd Floor, McCully Shopping Center
1960 Kapiolani Blvd.
Honolulu, HI 96826
808.946.8206
Daily 10:00a-11:30p
I knew I couldn’t stay away from $4.99 soondubu for long. Not even a week went by before I found myself right back at Chodang Restaurant this time with my sister. We got in after leaving the mall at around 8:30pm on a weeknight and grabbed the last open table.
Today’s banchan: we loved the seaweed salad and eggplant.
My $4.99 Seafood Soondubu with egg (about 50 cents extra? It seems to vary). This time I ordered it regular spiciness. Just right.
Chodang - Soondubu Jigae ($4.99)
View the menu and restaurant info on my previous post.
OK so I’m addicted to soondubu these days.
My favorite soondubu so far is this one from the food court at Palama Market Kaheka. Not only is it cheap, the seafood soondubu has a nice assortment of seafood including squid legs, bay scallops and clams and the broth has such a rich aroma of oysters. Plus, the price includes a raw egg. There’s an area where you can eat in, but we got take-out instead.
Here’s the Seafood Soondubu Plate ($6.00) plus an add-on of mac salad ($0.50).
Palama Market - Seafood Soondubu + mac salad ($6.00+$0.50)
Here’s Hubby’s Chicken Katsu Plate ($6.00).
Palama Market - Chicken Katsu ($6.00)
Other awesome deals include BBQ Chicken Plate ($5.50!), Meat Jun ($6.00) and Naengmyun (cold noodles; $5.50).
MENU: Click here to view the menu.
Palama Market Food Court
1670 Makaloa Street
Honolulu, HI 96814
808.447-7705
Mon-Sat 9:30a-8:00p
Sun 10:00a-8:00p
Got my soondubu fix today…
I met up with a friend for lunch and she introduced me to this Korean restaurant where one can get a satisfying soondubu meal for just $4.99 all day every day! They’re located in Ala Moana Shopping Plaza - the same strip mall as Payless Shoes, Taiyo Ramen, and I Love Country Cafe. Open until 1:00am and serving up hearty Korean home cooking at bargain prices, it’s no wonder this place is so popular. Come early to ensure a table or call ahead for take-out.
Here’s their banchan:
And here is my anemic looking Soondubu. I made the mistake of asking for it mild, which by Korean standards is usually bright red and still spicy for me. But the lady must have thought me a wimp and gave me a really mild one with barely any chili pepper. It was really underwhelming so next time I’ll be sure to get the regular. I always order mine with a raw egg (around 40 cents or so).
Chodang - Soondubu Chi-ke ($4.99)
MENU: Click here to view their menu. Take a look at their all-day specials which include favorites like Meat Jun and Yukkejang for $4.99-5.99!
Chodang Restaurant
Ala Moana Shopping Plaza
451 Piikoi Street #110
Honolulu, HI 96814
808.591.0500
Mon-Sat 7:00a-1:00a
Sun 7:00a-11:00p
Looking for real food after hours? Sorabol is open 24 hours a day. You can’t miss the bright green building diagonally across from Walmart on Keeaumoku Street. We headed there for a family lunch since Brother-in-law 4 (BIL4) was home visiting from Korea, and Mother-in-law (MIL) was visiting from Maui.
I LOVE Korean food. Soon DuBu Chi-Ke (soft tofu stew) is hands down my favorite dish. So far my favorite Soon DuBus are at So Gong Dong (in McCully Shopping Center) and a surprise winner, the food court at Palama Market Kaheka (can’t beat the deal at $6.00)! If you love Korean food, you’ll love exploring the multitude of Korean eateries the Keeaumoku/Kaheka area has to offer.
Here’s the banchan at Sorabol, assorted kimchi and side dishes.
We shared HaeMool PaJun (seafood pancakes, $13.99) which comes with a dipping sauce.
Sorabol - Seafood Pancake ($13.99)
My Soon DuBu Chi-Ke ($9.99) with clams and enoki mushrooms. Don’t worry, it’s not as spicy as it looks!
Sorabol - Soon DuBu Chi-Ke ($9.99)
SIL1′s KongBiji Chi-Ke ($12.99), a smooth and hearty stew of mashed white beans.
Sorabol - Kongbiji Chi-Ke ($12.99)
BIL4′s Kalbi Chim ($21.99), steamed kalbi.
Sorabol - Kalbi Chim ($21.99)
Compared to some smaller neighborhood eateries, I’ve noticed the prices are slightly higher at Sorabol. I think the secret to Sorabol’s popularity is that it is always open, fast, and easily accessible. With its numerous private rooms, it’s great for families and large parties too.
MENU: View the menu here.
Sorabol Korean Restaurant
805 Keeaumoku Street
Honolulu, HI 96814
808.947.3113
Open 24 hours daily
When Sister-in-law 4 (SIL4) and her husband are back in town, it means one happy thing (among others): I’d be eating LOTS of Korean food. Sure enough, we met at Ducky’s Korean BBQ, their absolute favorite, twice in the past two weeks for some quality grillin’ time. Here’s a previous post on the restaurant.
We always get the same menu Ducky’s Special #1, which comes with beef and pork belly, assorted leaves for wrapping, kimchi jigae, and a multitude of vegetable side dishes.
I’ve identified my favorite leaf in this wonderful basket: sesame leaf, which looks like the identical twin of the Japanese shiso leaf but tastes like a cousin with a slightly different flavor. It has a nice peppery-citrus flavor, a perfect balance to the richness of the meat.
These are the all important condiments: ssamjang and sesame oil/salt. I love them both I can’t choose between the two, so I just alternate back and forth. Once the meat runs out I just dip veggies in the sesame oil.
Here’s Brother-in-law 4 busy grillin’ for the entire group. Somehow he always gets stuck with grillin’ duty but he sure does a great job at it!
OVERALL: GOOD
PRICE RANGE: Click here to view their lunch menu and here for their dinner menu
MY BILL: Around $20.00 per person
RETURNING?: Yes
Ducky’s Korean BBQ
B.Y.O.B
(Past Manoa Marketplace, in the same strip mall as Bangkok Chef)
2955 E. Manoa Road
Honolulu, HI 96822
808.988.9809
Mon-Sat 10:00a-10:00p
Sun 3:00p-10:00p
In our family, we have our very own Miss Aloha Korea: my sister in law (#4). A second generation Korean American girl from Los Angeles, this ambassador loves to share her passion for Korean food and culture, and has taught me pretty much everything I know about it. Ducky’s is the restaurant of choice for her and her husband (aka my husband’s brother) and we’ve shared many meals, shots of soju, and funny childhood stories of “the boyz” there. The owners have even taken her in as their adopted daughter of sorts.
Located in beautiful Manoa Valley, Ducky’s has an unassuming exterior (there are no visible signs from the street) and an open air interior that reminds you of dining in a garage at someone’s home. The simple menu consists of various yakiniku meats, and like any Korean eatery, everything is served with an assortment of side dishes. Also, don’t forget to bring your own soju – the restaurant is B.Y.O.B.
We had the Ducky’s Special ($85.99 feeds 4-6 people) that includes:
Ducky's - Kimchi Jigae
We also enjoyed Kimchi Jun, a spicy pancake.
Ducky's - Kimchi Jun
My favorite thing about Ducky’s is the huge assortment of fresh lettuces and various leafy vegetables they bring you to wrap your meat. Their basket of veggies includes not only lettuce but wonderful aromatic herbs and leaves I’ve never even seen or tasted before. They are so fresh I swear they were picked from a garden just before arriving at the table.
Ducky's - "Leaves"
Korean yakiniku is all about wrapping whatever you like (meat, rice, kimchi, grilled garlic, etc.) in lettuce and seasoning it with your choice of ssamjang (soybean paste) or sesame oil and salt. I think this is the secret to keeping a meal of fat-dripping BBQ meat healthy: to take a small piece of meat and wrap it with lots of vegetables so you’re eating more vegetables than meat.
Here’s some pork belly wrapped in a mystery leaf with ssamjang…
And wash that down with some drinks… (Tonight we had Korean soju and an assortment of exotic beers).
Jal meogeotseumnida-!
OVERALL: GOOD
PRICE RANGE:Family style, $17.99-$37.99 for yakiniku meats, $9.99-$29.99 for soups and stews (serves 2-3)
MY BILL: $20.00
RETURNING?: Yes
Ducky’s Korean BBQ
B.Y.O.B
(Past Manoa Marketplace, in the same strip mall as Bangkok Chef)
2955 E. Manoa Road
Honolulu, HI 96822
808.988.9809
Mon-Sat 10:00a-10:00p
Sun 3:00p-10:00p
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