By Suzanne Parker
The area surrounding the Murray Hill Long Island Railroad Station at 41st Avenue and 150th Street is one of Queens' most fascinating ethnic enclaves, dominated by Korean eateries. Seoul Soondae is one of three branches (the other two being in Maryland and Virginia) that take their name from Korean blood sausage (soondae). Their logo sports a cheerful and jauntily attired pig proffering a tray of sausage slices. (Why do we portray the animals we slaughter as looking so pleased about their impending demise?) The dining room resembles Korean rural architecture with a high, half-timbered ceiling and other decorative touches. You can choose between Western-style tables and chairs, or low, oriental ones.Soondae is a sausage, filled with pork blood mixed with sweet rice and sweet potato vermicelli noodles. Long a fan of Anglo/Irish black pudding, I had no problem appreciating the Korean version. We ordered a combo called Soondae Jungshik which included steamed Soondae and Soondae Gook (soondae soup). As is the Korean custom, we were served an array of panchan – little dishes of assorted pickles, condiments, relishes and the like, meant to be nibbled and or combined with the other dishes ordered.The first version of the soondae arrived as a dauntingly generous platter of the sausages, accompanied by another steamed, sliced meat that I'm guessing was pork liver. The soondae was rich, subtly flavored and enhanced by combining it with some spicy radish kimchee. The vermicelli in the sausage was initially disconcerting, looking a bit like worms, especially if you're expecting the texture of its western cousins, but pleasing after the initial shock.The soondae gook (soup) was more of an acquired taste than the steamed sausage. The broth was rather tasteless, and needed plenty of fortifying with the flavored salt and other condiments. The contents, apart from the soondae, was a bunch of chewy, cartilaginous meat that I couldn't identify and probably wouldn't want to.Bimibap is a mainstay of the Korean diet, and true comfort food. It is made by combining shredded raw vegetables with a protein source, rice and condiments. The version offered here is made with stir fried (what else?) pork. Finely shredded carrot, lettuce, scallion and other vegetables come topped with stir fried pork and a fried egg. You add the accompanying dish of steamed rice, whichever of the panchan appeal, some hot sauce, and mix it all up. The various flavors and textures intermingle to create something far superior to the sum of the parts.There are probably specific panchan and condiments that are more appropriate than others for combining with the bimibap, but with cheerful ignorance and carefree abandon we played with our food, achieving serendipitously spectacular results.For a change of pace from pork, we ordered Modeum Soo-Yook, described as “thinly sliced beef brisket served with special sauce.” The abundant platter of boiled brisket, tender and of excellent quality, had all the flavor (or lack thereof) of a New England boiled dinner. If we understood the server correctly, the “special sauce” was a dish of something that appeared to be sliced pickled onions. We found that by experimentally combining the beef slices with the various pickles on the table, it compensated for the beef's tastelessness.We washed it all down with Soju, a sort of high octane sake made from, depending on which you one choose, potato, barley, rice and sweet potato. The meal was completed with a complimentary cup of sujunggwa, a traditional cold persimmon punch flavored with cinnamon and garnished with slices of Chinese date.The Bottom LineWhile not yet popular with non-ethnics, Korean cuisine is just waiting to be discovered. Although somewhat limited in English, our servers were gracious about giving us recommendations and explanations. Multicultural opportunities are one of our borough's greatest assets. Sampling an unfamiliar cuisine is a great way to take advantage of the bounty and Seoul Soondae is just the place to do some exploration.Seoul Soondae158-15 Northern Blvd., Flushing718-321-3231Cuisine: Korean Pork specialtiesSetting: Korean country innService: Efficient friendly service, semi-fluent EnglishHours: Lunch and dinner dailyReservations: OptionalAlcohol: Full barParking: StreetDress: CasualChildren: No menuMusic: NoTakeout: Yes, no menuCredit Cards: YesNoise Level: AcceptableHandicap Accessible: YesA Sample from the MenuSoondae…$12.95/$10.95 (lg./sm.)Jaeyook Bimibap…$9.95Modeum Soo-Yook…$24.95
