Archive for '32nd btw. B’way+5th'

Red Mango Moving to New Ktown Food Court

Walking down 32nd street the other day, I caught this moving sign in front of the old Red Mango space. Typically, I wouldn’t have thought anything of it – I never got on board with the frogurt craze – but the new address was familiar. 11 West 32nd street is the site of the Koreatown Food Court we reported on back in the spring. The initial word was that they hoped to be open by September or October. That could be any day now, although word on the street is that they’ll probably open early next month.

With FoodParc and Eataly open within 10 blocks, the whole food court scene has changed dramatically from the spring. Still, I’m pretty excited about the potential for some underrepresented Asian food to finally come to the area. Back in the spring speculation was that we might get some “Korean Pizza”, and I’m still holding out hope for some Vietnamese sandwiches.  Plus NYC Cravings’ brick and mortar will be in there.  But with the Korilla truck and Baorrito seemingly covering our Korean Taco needs, what else are you all hoping to see in the new food court?

I Wonder if I'll Still Like Pho 32 When I Get Back From Vietnam

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The beginning of my search for Vietnamese food ahead of my upcoming trip to Asia coincided with the rainy days we had over the last few weeks. With the early onset of soup weather, I’ve found myself at Pho 32 a lot lately. The Koreatown soup station has been mentioned many times here and I’ve written about it, but it’s never gotten the proper Midtown Lunch treatment.

With fall here, it’s just about the right time to start looking at the area soup options, so check out Pho 32’s offerings after the jump.

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Mad For Chicken’s Mono + Mono Has Begun

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It looks like the days of Mad For Chicken being a “hidden bar for those in the know” are all but gone.  Yesterday they put this big honkin’ sign up announcing the news that was reported last month… Mad For Chicken is now Mono + Mono. Based on what we heard from the staff when the name change was announced (and this report from the new downtown branch) things aren’t expected to change considerably. They updated the menu a few months ago to include maki and some bar foods, but it sounds like there isn’t going to be anything new or exciting beyond what we’ve already seen. That doesn’t mean that a return visit isn’t warranted, just to be sure… y’know, for science.

Related:
Mad For Chicken to Become Mono + Mono
Korean-Fried-Chicken-Palooza: Kyochon vs. Bon Chon vs. Mad For Chicken

Boki Korean Cart Updates Menu, Still a Work in Progress

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A few weeks ago when we reviewed Boki, the new Korean food cart on 5th Ave. near the 32nd Street strip of Koreatown, we found that the dumplings weren’t so great and the fried chicken, though tasty, didn’t live up to the name “Korean Fried Chicken.” Well, last week Luncher ‘Pink’ chimed in to let us know that the fried chicken and dumplings were gone, and the folks at Boki confirmed that “after a couple of weeks of trial and error, we took the chicken and dumplings off our menu.” They went on to say that they are continuing to update the menu over time and that they love the feedback.

In the name of research, I decided to stop in again to see what options have replaced the outgoing ones.

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Paris Baguette Opening This Morning in K-Town

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Good news for Korean pastry fans… the location of Paris Baguette on 32nd btw. 5+B’way that we told you about last month is opening today. This will be the first Manhattan location for this huge Korean chain of French-style bakeries (not to be confused with Paris Sandwich, the banh mi shop in Chinatown.)  Anyone else excited about this place? Comments on our last post go back and forth between those who think the place serves up delicious pastries to complaints that it’s over-priced.  Who’s rushing in for some fresh-baked goodness? Let us know how it is in the comments.

Boki Cart Brings Korean Fried Chicken to the Street

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When I saw Luncher Dan L.’s report in the forums that a new cart had opened up on Fifth Avenue serving Korean Fried Chicken, dumplings and other Korean food, I knew I had to check it out.

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Mad For Chicken to Become Mono + Mono

Eater reported this morning that Mono + Mono, a new music-centered Korean Fried Chicken spot is opening in the East Village this fall with another branch to open in Koreatown. Now, before you get too excited for even *more* Korean fried chicken on 5th Ave., it turns out that Mono + Mono’s K-Town branch is none other than Mad For Chicken (on 32nd and 5th, 2nd Floor). I stopped in during lunch and found out that the new location will be tied to a re-branding of MFC, which was (clearly) lacking a decent name since leaving the Bon Chon franchise last year. There’s no eta on the renaming, but according to the staff, there isn’t much that’s expected to change immediately. (Photo courtesy of Eater)

Related:
Korean-Fried-Chicken-Palooza: Kyochon vs. Bon Chon vs. Mad For Chicken

Kirakuya brings Japanese Japanese to Koreatown

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I’ve been meaning to stop in for after work drinks at Sake Bar Kirakuya ever since I saw the shimmering curtain sign in the window months ago. By the end of the workday, though, my instinct is usually to get as far from the office as possible and I just keep forgetting to try it.

So, I was excited to find a good excuse to check it out during the day now that they are open for lunch. The other day a friend and I stopped in to see what these new Japanese options are all about.

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Shanghai Mong’s Bubble Tea is Like a Taro Frappuccino

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Couple of weeks ago there was a question in the forum about good bubble tea in Midtown. The other day I was walking by Shanghai Mong, a K-Town Korean/Chinese spot known for their jjajangmyeon (on 32nd btw. B’way+5th), and saw that they have bubble tea! They’re known as one of the go-to Korean-Chinese restaurants around k-town. Many are fans of their jjajangmyeon. What I never noticed was that they had bubble tea. So I investigated for the sake of possibly finding some good bubble tea. After inquiring about it, I almost choked at the price, $4.90. Seriously that’s gotta be one of the most expensive bubble tea prices that’s out there. They got the usual flavors like coconut and taro and some not-so-usual ones like blueberry and thai.

As a test for what they have to offer, I picked taro because it’s easy to measure this one against the one inside of the souvenir store. What came out was not what one usually consider bubble tea but it was more like bubble slush (a taro frappuchino with tapioca balls, if you will.) The taro flavor was strong. This option is enjoyable and refreshing for the hotter days of the summer The price is the main drawback but on the whole, it was still pretty good. (And not a bad choice in this weather…)

Shanghai Mong, 30 W 32nd St (btw. B’way+5th), 212-629-6450

Arang Makes The Best Katsu in Koreatown

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Well before Haru Hana, Izakaya Moku and now Sake Bar Kirakuya started ‘Japanifying’ Koreatown, Arang was offering up a hybrid Japanese/Korean menu. It’s changed a lot since Zach first wrote about its buffet way back in 2006. For a while they closed up the buffet and went lunch-less, but as Zach reported after I wrote about it on my blog, they reopened with full table service and an interesting mix of Korean and Japanese dishes.

Some of my favorite dishes require a slight splurge out of the ML Price range, but there are plenty of great options under $10. Check them out after the jump.

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