Fun times at Chung Sol (CLOSED)

I finally made it onto Roosevelt Ave! I am leaving Queens Blvd behind for now. Chung Sol Korean BBQ Restaurant is a little hard to find. It's sandwiched between a carpet shop and a taxi garage, and the entrance is blocked by parked vans. But once you enter, it's another world. The dark wood and the calm, serene scene beckoned me to sit and enjoy my meal rather than take it to go, as I had originally intended. Dinner must be another story, with BBQ grills at every table, but lunch was quiet and relaxing. I ordered #7 on the lunch menu. DDuck Man Doo Guk, which might be the best named lunch special yet. People came in and out, regulars, it seemed, although since I don't speak Korean (how I wish that I did), I am just assuming. I was so happy with my decision to stay once my tea and banchan appeared, that I stopped paying attention to the other customers.
Banchan!

Salad. Very mustard-y and thick dressing. It was nice to have a green salad with crunch as an option in my array of treats.

Spicy cold tofu. It was spicy, and cold. Not my favorite of the bunch. With so many options, I didn't want to use up precious stomach space if I didn't absolutely love it.

Cucumbers with sesame. Crisp and cold, with sesame oil and sesame seeds for extra flavor and crunch.

Potato Salad. So good! I am not usually an extra mayonnaise kind of person, but this was surprisingly delicious. Potatoes, hard boiled egg, and apples.

Kimchi. Of course. Good, spicy fun.

I had just started really enjoying my salads when my soup came out. I had forgotten that I even ordered it.
Sliced rice cake and meat dumplings in clear beef broth with sliced beef, egg, and vegetable.
That is exactly what it was.
Rice cake - so glutinous and good. I love that chewy texture.
Meat dumplings- had almost all fallen apart in the soup. The dumpling skins were thin and soft, the meat filling had a great ginger flavor.
Broth - both clear and beefy.
Sliced beef - tender.
Egg - there were strands of egg whites floating in the broth.
Vegetable - scallions.
A huge serving, and I was already full half way through. As if it weren't enough of a starch festival, I unearthed a pile of clear noodles at the bottom of the bowl. All of this food for $7.95.

The owners, (again I assume) a couple, were busy answering phones, and taking orders. The woman of the pair then sat at a table and cleaned bean sprouts, occasionally singing along to the pop songs playing on the t.v. above. I could watch Korean variety shows all day. Seriously. I was there for an hour. What if I had just ordered my soup to go, what then? I would have missed out on so much! In contrast to its bleak surroundings, it was a warm and welcoming place, the food was good, and K-pop makes everything better.

Chung Sol
4911 Roosevelt Ave
Woodside