Jang Mo Jib (Burnaby)
5075 Kingsway
Burnaby, BC V5H
For some reason, in my mind, Jang Mo Jib is one of the most sucessful Korean restaurants. After all, why would they open several locations in Metro Vancouver? Having been there previously… OK, not really, it was in a food court but you know what I mean. That one experience was a positive one and, since it was in a food court, that gave me reason enough to visit one of their full fledged restaurant. In this case, their most recent location, in Burnaby, near Metrotown.
The easiest way to describe were it is would be Day and Knight. “Huh?” you might say. It just happens this location is where a Day and Knight used to be previously. In fact, the interior would best describe that fact:
I was seated quickly after I arrived. Rather than giving me a cup of tea, I was given this:
Odd? Interesting? Useful?
I ordered Doen Jang Soon Doo Boo, described as “soy bean paste, radish, onion, green onion, egg, and beef soft tofu in clay hot pot” ($10). After a wait that seemed to be an eternity, I received the food:
Sidedishes: Kimchi, seaweed, radish, bean sprout and potatoes.
However, I have the odd impression I was given Hae Mool Soon Doo Boo described as “seafood, radish, onion, green onion, egg and beef soft tofu in clay hot pot”, instead. Why I have this feeling? Well, when I “stirred” the hot pot…
Yup, that’s a small shrimp.
I must admit this was ordered out of whim. I was a bit hungry but did not want to eat something heavy and a tofu-based hot pot sounded ideal. Since I do not have something to compare it against, the only thing I can say is that it was a bit bland. OK, a lot of people might argue “hey, that’s tofu, what do you expect?”. True; however, it is not just straight tofu, it also has a broth/soup. In that case, it was hot (as in spicy) but did not have anything that made it stand out.
Would I come back? Despite this dish did not “wow”-ed me, there were other dishes in the menu that sounded interesting enough. And, just to try them, I will certainly come back.
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
Hey Kim, there are quite a few Jang Mo Jibs around these days, aren’t there? I remember going to the Robson location in the days when there was only one. The prices, up till ~2 years ago, used to be REALLY good – the “hot pot” for 2 was only ~$20, an astoundingly good value. Prices have shot up since then, with the same dish now closer to $30.
But still, worth going to if you’re in the mood for Korean. Faves for us include the the seafood pancake, the potato noodles, the fried chicken wings (in the spicy/sweet red sauce), the BBQ beef short ribs, the… ok, I’ll stop now.
Hey ET,
I am aware of at least 4 locations: Robson (as you mentioned; near where I work), Burnaby, Aberdeen and Richmond. I heard there is another one in Kingsway (in the Vancouver side), however, I haven’t passed by that one so I can’t say for certain.
I am sure the price hike is not unique to Jang Mo Jib, pretty much every restaurant is going through that. Heck, in the mail yesterday, I got a flyer from KFC and they increased their prices as well! However, there are other small eateries where you can get a decent meal for less than $10. It is a matter of finding them, hehehe.
Please, don’t stop. Since I mentioned I will be back to try other dishes, I need to know what I should try! The only catch, though, is that, since it is likely it will be solo-dining, how much I will be ordering might be limited… More than one visit, I guess! ^_^
hi there! although i don’t live in vancouver, it reminds me of the korean restaurants in san diego. forgive me, since i’m not korean, but are the soups and clay pot hot rice the korean form of comfort food?
i sometimes wish that the soup was more savory and contained more umami.. but then it usually has too much MSG.
EHLO Pearl,
Well, I am not Korean either so I can’t say for certain they would be comfort food or not… Sorry!
Agreed about umami. I have mixed feelings about MSG, though. Despite what people say about it, other than a bit thirsty, I don’t think I have ever felt those effects people say they feel afterwards (specially the headache part). Oh, well, I guess that’s me…
How’s the music level here? I used to go to the one downtown and I remember the music always being too loud. The food here is not bad though.
Hi “I Love Food”,
Music level was low. You could hear it, yet, at the same time, you could have a conversation without having to scream.
This chain sure has expanded, a sign of their business success. But for me, probably too much so as their Robson location used to be so much better many years ago, and I feel its fallen into the trap of spreading itself too thin. There are much better Korean options in Vancouver these days…
I actually ate at that location just a while ago when it was knight and day, and it was the only place open that late…my biggest dine out mistake ever….good thing they’ve been replaced.
But I’ll be sure to visit this location soon, as their Aberdeen location was really satisfying :p
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