We wanted to find authentic, homestyle Korean food in Portland, OR, and scoured the internet for recommendations. Despite the “fusion” name, Chungdam was just that: real, legit Korean cooking. In the sikdang (diner) style, Chungdam offers a nice variety of Korean staples. The server was knowledgeable, prompt, and accommodating. The restaurant itself was large, with spacious tables, and bright. Chungdam has a lively atmosphere, as there were a number of families, Korean or otherwise, enjoying the sikdang come 6p on a Friday.
Communal dining is usually where it’s at. Chungdam features hot pots of budae jigae (army base stew), bulgogi and tteokbokki (rice cakes), yukgaejang (shredded beef) and ramen, and kimchi jiage with ramen. As lovers of the borderline junk food that budae jigae is, we opted to try their rendition. The broth was not quite as spicy as we’d like, but we we enjoyed the thinly-sliced pork belly in addition to the spam and hot dogs. I don’t think there were baked beans, but the kimchi/napa cabbage and onions rounded out the tofu, ramen, and American cheese quite nicely.
Chungdam’s banchan set was on point. The kimchi was fresh, spicy, and delicious. It’s nice to see seasonal zucchini given the kimchi treatment. The cucumber kimchi was crisp and just salty-spicy enough. A tiny bit of carrot added a nice contrast to the bean sprouts. Macaroni salad banchan is usually disappointing, at least to my American palate, and this was no different.
The tteokbokki was…the usual gochujang saucy rice cakes with some onions, carrots, cabbage, fish cakes, and an egg. It was well-executed. As one of my favorite dishes, I can’t get enough of the spicy-and-sweet, gooey dish.
We opted for a side of their steamed mandu (dumplings). They were tasty, but nothing to write home about. The rest of the appetizers menu included japchae, kimchi and seafood pancakes, calamari, and shrimp tempura.
Besides the communal hot pots, Chungdam offers the usual offerings of soups: kimchi jigae, soondubu (tofu) jigae, doenjang (soybean paste) jigae, yukgaejang (shredded beef), mandu (dumpling) guk, tteok (rice cake) guk, and galbi (short rib) tang. Bibimbap is basically a must-have offering, either plain or sizzling in the stone pot (dolsot). Chungdam grills up mackeral, bulgogi, pork bulgogi, chicken bulgogi, LA galbi, and that wonderfully-gooy and spicy, chicken cheese buldak.
Chungdam has a liquor license, so the offerings are broader. In addition to makgeoili (Korean rice wine) and sake (Japanese), they offer Terra, a Korean beer. Or opt for juice, or barley tea.
In all, Chungdam is a good bet in Portland OR for authentic, homestyle Korean food. While not a must-visit, it’s worth the trip to that part of town.
