Chung Kiwa Restaurant : 40-06 74th St. Elmhurst, NY
phones 718 478 0925 , 718 478-0366 - major cards accepted
ating Korean food
can be a challenge, especially in Queens. Many restaurants have a
Korean-character menu or the name in our alphabet, but without any further
explanations on what the food is about.
That is not the case of the Chung Kiwa Restaurant (which means
something like "Traditional House Ceiling", according to a Korean ESL
student I know) , a charming place right off the subway entrance to the E,
F, R, G and 7 trains on 74th street and Broadway in Elmhurst, Queens.
On my first visit, I was delighted by the treatment I received (and no,
they didn't know I would write a review of their place)- I just happen to
be a regular patron there). The waitress was extremely helpful and patient
with me as I went over my choices on the menu and inquired about dishes I
didn't quite understand.
As in any Korean restaurant, they serve you side dishes which are part
of the meal, according to their tradition. Of course, kim-chee, the
extra-spicy pickled Asian cabbage treat, is included - and all side dishes
incur in no extra charge, in case you were asking yourself about that.
"People ask me if I eat kim-chee every day", told me one of my Korean
ESL student as we recently enjoyed a meal there. "I said, of course, I'm
Korean, and that's just what we routinely eat - with mostly every meal."
According to the same student, there is a restaurant in Flushing( a hugely
Asian pocket in Queens already mentioned in this column) that serves
kim-chee pizza!
Soup is a Korean tradition at the table as rice and beans are to
Brazilians,so most of the lunch specials are soups, including the pork and
kim-chee casserole, which I did sample even though I avoid deliberately
eating red meat. The only exception would be the so-common fried rice,
which is served with beef, shrimp or chicken - although a small bowl of
misu soup- a Japanese tradition - comes along with it.
On a recent visit, I ordered the shrimp fried rice, which is a generous
serving - and you can actually see and taste the shrimp - something rare
when ordering a more affordable dish like this one.
One of my favorite lunch
meals (all lunch specials are priced at $ 6.50) is a rice cake, dumpling
and vegetable soup, one of the few non-spicy meals on their menu. Other
options are the bean curd and tofu soup, which is rather spicy but very
tasty, and the extremely hot seafood soup (served, as other soups, with
white rice on the side).
Another option for those who prefer not to eat spicy dishes is , in
addition to the already mentioned dumpling soup, the spinach and clam
soup, which is rich in energy, low in calories and a delight to one's
taste buds.
On two occasions, I was served a Korean dessert (on other
opportunities, I was served fruit), which they call chi-kee ( I am not
quite sure of the spelling here), which is a rice-based drinkable treat.
The staff is very courteous, fast and efficient - something I noticed
not only with myself (as one of the few non-Korean patrons there, which
seems to be a rare thing there . Water glasses are constantly refilled
(something necessary when enjoying spicy foods), and the check is only
brought to the table when requested - also part of the Korean culture, but
so different than many other New York restaurants, which have the bad
habit of laying the check on the table even before you're done with the
meal.
The Chung Kiwa Restaurant is a clean, cheerful and enjoyable place to
be. The food is tasty, the staff is polite, and of course - it is
affordable.
Ernest Barteldes is an ESL, GED and Portuguese teacher. In addition to
that, he is a freelance writer whose work has been published by The
Greenwich Village Gazette, The Staten Island Advance, The Staten Island
Register, The SI Muse,The Downtown Express, Brazzil magazine,The Villager
, GLSSite, Entertainment Today and other publications. He lives in Staten
Island, NY. He can be reached at
ebarteldes@nycny.net
