Kong Gook Soo At Koreatown's Kunjip Restaurant
Soy milk gets soupy
Do not order the bibimbob, and skip the fiery, grilled brisket.
When the heat shimmers on the pavement, go directly for the kong gook soo at Koreatown's Kunjip.
At the K-Town favorite, the kong gook soo ($11) is a summertime-only specialty advertised on laminated posters on the restaurant's windows and walls. This cold, creamy soup of thin wheat-flour noodles and cucumber slivers drenched in freshly ground soy milk is like air-conditioning for your insides.
The soy milk is no sugared, boxed drink from the supermarket. Rather, it is deeply savory, with body and grit that thickly coats the back of the accompanying metal spoon and reminds you that soy milk does indeed come from a bean.
Take the advice of your waiter and season the contents of your bowl with salt. Then, halfway through your slurping, add a squirt of gochujang (red chile paste) from the red squeeze bottle on the table.
Thankfully, during crowded times, Kunjip lines its patrons up and takes their orders while they queue, ensuring that the food hits the table seconds after your bottom hits its seat.
And because Kunjip is open 24 hours a day, you can order this belly quencher any (and every) time you see fit.
Kunjip, 9 W. 32nd St. (between Fifth Ave. and Broadway); 212-216-9487 or kunjip.net