Gomjang

«Oh my God. It’s alive. I’m switching seats.» S was freaking out from the delicacies the staff was grilling.
S and A covered their faces with their napkins.
Eel. It was skinned and «dancing» on the grill. I don’t know if there were 8 short ones or 3 long ones that were coiled (see photos). This was not the same cooked unagi you see in a Japanese restaurant. My aunts and my wife made unappealing faces as it cooked. My uncle and I laughed.
Rewind. My family and I tried to eat at the original Hahm Ji Bach, but the place was full. Time to go next door.
In Murray Hill (Queens) the storefront awning reads «Moo Ya Chon». The only English is «Gomjang Inc.» As we sat down, my uncle did all of the ordering. I don’t know why I even looked at the menu.
He ordered «Gom Jang Uh,» translated as eel. It’s expensive considering it’s on a similar/​higher scale than kalbi. In addition, we got «Mo Doom Gui»: an assorted variety of meat consisting of small pieces of beef slices, pork, kalbi, steak, etc. Not all the meat was seasoned.
While we waited the banchan was flowing. We got three «gaeran jims» (steamed egg) and a strange twist of pajun… it had cabbage only…
Back to the eel. After it was grilled, the waitress cut it up into little pieces, dropped it in a marinade (probably gochu jang ~ «hot pepper»), then put it on the grill again. M and I offered a few pieces away and ate the rest of it. My initial reaction was «it’s like grilled squid.» After a few more bites with the sesame dip the eel grew on me. For once I am going to say that the eel was better than most of the meat on that «Mo Doom Gui» plate.
After we ate the eel and meat assortments, we got a kimchi jigae. Those who didn’t eat it got complimentary little daeng jang jigae’s.
This place could be a strong 4 star restaurant, but feeling like you’re in a sauna detracts from the experience. It can be too hot and steamy at times. It is a small restaurant (10+ tables with a capacity of 4) and had two waitresses and a bus boy (with limited staff, the service was nominal). I felt relieved as patrons left the restaurant, opening the door and letting cool air in.
One strange thing I noticed: there is a gigantic fish tank (with a goldfish) in the restroom. Why? It would be funny if Gomjang put lobster on their menu…
There is valet parking available because street parking is not easy to find.
IFHTP 1