JANG MO NIM, 6320 N. Lincoln, 773-509-0211: Korean dining doesn’t get much better than Jang Mo Nim. Mother and daughter Sun Pak and Rachel Hyun have been graciously serving their creative cuisine for 14 years, Hyun running the dining room with her excellent translation skills and Pak cooking with a passion. The menu describes their work accurately: “To the uninitiated palate, we offer exotic yet familiar flavors. For the connoisseur of hanshik (Korean food), we will astound and surprise.” Gol jun is something to try–plump fresh oysters lightly battered, then panfried and served with a red-pepper and soy dipping sauce. Another worthy starter is yook hwe, shredded raw beef marinated in sesame oil and topped with an egg yolk. Fabulous cook-it-yourself renditions of bulgogi and kalbi are offered, alongside the more unusual seng nak ji bo kum (octopus) and yum so bo kum (goat). The cold noodle dish hae mul jub shi guk soo–jellyfish, squid, cucumber, and fresh sesame leaf over thin rice noodles in a spicy chili sauce–packs a punch. Everything is homemade, from the Korean soy sauce to the various kimchi. Great for first-timers and aficionados alike.
