Sherman's Food Adventures: Jang Mo Jib (Richmond)

Jang Mo Jib (Richmond)

We had a double-header tonight at the same field where the "soccer ball" incident happened last Monday. Guess what? The same people were there again! Suffice to say, we were ready to freak again if necessary. But that really didn't bother me. What really irked me was that we would be eating later due to the double-header! Any delay in eating time is not cool. Miss Y further cemented her nickname of "screamer" by doing a lot of it during the game. She claimed that the ball almost hit her a few times (she actually got hit once at 3rd); but all we did was heckle her. Yes, we are great teammates. Since it was another cold day in July, there were suggestions of hot pot once again. Ultimately we decided on Jang Mo Jib, which does have hot pot, just not the same type of hot pot as last week. We ended up going to the Richmond location since we were close by. It really seems I go to Richmond at least once a week. Maybe secretly my inner-Richmond is coming out. Soon you'll find me wearing a full-faced visor and driving 30km/h down No. 3 Road.

I've been to Jang Mo Jib lots before, especially at it's original location on Kingsway. It moved briefly to the Biltmore Hotel (now Howard Johnson) and now where it currently resides in the old Knight & Day in Burnaby. There are 2 additional locations in downtown. I have to give credit to Bear for suggesting places to eat every Monday, he is really knowledgeable when it comes to eating out. After we got seated, we were a bit confused why the hostess never gave us menus. We looked around for the "service button", but couldn't find one. We would later realize it was on the wall behind us (not an intuitive location). Most Korean restaurants are not known for their exemplary service and this time, it was no different. Not only did we have to ask for menus, it didn't seem like anyone really wanted to take our order either. At the very least, the food came quick. The complimentary Banchan didn't look particularly appetizing due to it's sloppy presentation; but it was actually not bad. We ended up getting 2 Hot Stone Bowl Bibimbaps to share and boy were the bowls ever hot! Good thing though, it led to a really nice crust at the bottom. I didn't even get a chance to mix the ingredients together when Boss Woman took the egg! Luckily I like her because that's almost sacrilegious to have Bibimbap without the egg. Despite missing the egg, the Bibimbap was quite good. It had plenty of ingredients and the rice was a good texture. But for some reason, I prefer the one from Hanwoori more.

Collectively, we weren't going to a Korean restaurant and not have Japchae, so it was a unanimous decision to order it. It was really large with lots of peppers, onions, beef, mushrooms, zucchini and carrot. The noodles were a little on the softer side; but the dish was still very good. It wasn't too oily and had just enough seasoning. The only reason we ordered the next dish was due to its name - Jzin Mahn Doo. Milhouse spotted the dish on the menu and couldn't stop laughing. They were actually steamed pork and green onion dumplings served with a soy dipping sauce. They were alright; but did not elicit much response from anyone. Where there are Beef Short Ribs (Kalbee) to be found, Bear will eat them, so we ordered it. Arriving on a sizzling hot plate, they were tender and marinated with plenty of flavour. The only negative of this dish was the price - $17.00. It wasn't a lot of short ribs for the money. Finally, the centerpiece dish was the Pork Bone Hot Pot. The large hot pot was served on top of a portable gas burner. The fall-off-the-bone meat was full of flavour and really a crowd pleaser. The broth was rich with flavour from the pork bones and the copious amount of onions.

As a group, we really enjoy Korean food and the meal at Jang Mo Jib hit the spot. By no means was it great; but it was more than acceptable. However, it would've helped if the staff had any interest in providing some service. It was painful just trying to get ice water. They eventually gave us a Rubbermaid container of water; but didn't provide us with cups. We just ended up using our teacups. Korean food in general can be a bit pricey and it was no different this time. We ended up paying roughly $20.00 per person. However, for those who love Korean food, this is not an issue. With that being said, if I were to pay $20.00 for Korean food, I'd go to Hanwoori instead.

The Good:
- Generally solid food
- It's open late
- Spacious dining room

The Bad:
- Non-attentive service
- Same with other Korean restaurants, it ain't cheap

Jang Mo Jib (Richmond) on Urbanspoon

6 comments:

holly said...

If I'm going to pay those kinds of prices, I would prefer to go to a korean restaurant that appreciates my business.

My couple of experiences at this restaurant has never made me feel like a valued customer, on the contrary. Their promotional image is that of a warm, caring mother, but it always seemed cold and unfriendly.

Sherman Chan said...

Wholeheartedly agreed. Maybe I shouldn't go back. Strange how the service is that bad. Don't they know?

KimHo said...

Oddly, when it comes to Korean restaurants, my experience has been similar yet opposite at the same time. Sure, you might need to ring them more than once but, once you have their attention, service is quite good. Could it be they have started to drop their standards? Hmmmmm....

Re: Dolsot Bibimbap, this would be the first time I have seen it with the fried egg - it is the other version, the one that is not served in the hot stone bowl that I have seen it like that. Could it be they messed up and were too lazy to fix it?

Agreed, if it would end up at $20/head, I would definitely go to Hanwoori or Insandong (not been there, assuming the price range is the same). However, since you were in Richmond, you should have gone for Chinese instead! :P

Sherman Chan said...

Hi Kim, yes it depends on each restaurant I suppose. I liked the service at Hanwoori, they were friendly. It's efficient at Insadong, but for some reason, as a whole, it appears that many of the Korean restaurants I go to lack the necessary staff to serve everyone. I suppose non-fine-dining Chinese restaurants in general suffer the same problem too. I guess the only reason I complain about it is that Korean food costs more than typical Chinese food. Maybe I'm expecting better service? Or maybe it's unrealistic? Not sure. Yah, I noticed the fried egg too. Didn't know what to think. Yes, Chinese food probably would have been a better option, but I went with the majority on this one.

Danny said...

Surprisingly, I have not tried a Korean restaurant in Metro Vancouver. We usually buy marinated Korea short ribs from a Korean meat shop and BBQ them in the summer time. I'm going to try Hanwoori.

Sherman Chan said...

Hi Danny, that sounds like a good idea. A friend of mine brought over marinated Korean meat once and we BBQ'd it. Very good and cheap.

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