Jup She fka Li Hua

I first posted about Li Hua over 2 years ago; it’s now known as Jup She.  Though the workers appear to be younger, considering the decor and the way it’s mentioned that it was fka (formerly known as) Li Hua, I’m pretty sure that it’s basically the same owners. 

In any case, a few different people came to me for downtown lunch recommendations recently, so after some thought, skipping over all the very usual places people will suggest, I landed on Li Hua.  I realized it’d been a long time since I went – since before the name change – so I decided to give them a takeout run, hopping on the R train from Whitehall up to Canal, and running back.  I was able to make it both ways in about 35-40 minutes; if I’d called in the order ahead of time, probably even faster, as it took a while for them to make my order.  (Note: they do deliver, but not to the Financial District.)

I was pretty hungry, so I decided to tack on an order of the fried pork dumplings $4 (pork mandu). 

Unfortunately, the little cup of sauce had spilled everywhere inside the container, making them a little soggy – but that could also be due to the 15 minutes it took to get back to the office to eat this.  They were flavorful and tasty, but honestly, being at the edge of Chinatown, I’m not going to pay $4 for 4 flat pork mandu when I can walk a few blocks and get 12 delicious dumplings for about $3.  I’d pass on these next time. 

What really attracted me to Jup She in the first place is their lunch specials or their lunch boxes.  Except for the galbi (beef short ribs), they are each $8, and include the above: a container of rice, some banchan, a bit of japchae, a special side dish which, in my experience, is usually an egg pancake of some sort, and then your choice of main course. 

On this visit, my three banchan were a bit of spicy kimchee…

pickled and lightly spicy zucchini…

and some bean sprouts that had been tossed with a light coat of gochujang, giving it a very light kick. 

As for the main ‘box’ portion…

The japchae or glass noodles tossed with sesame oil and veggies was very standard, though I liked the abundance of veggies – which might be a turnoff to some. 

The egg pancake was also fairly standard, not horrible but not outrageously wonderful either. 

As for the bulgogi, which was my choice on this visit, it was flavorful, seasoned well and tender; mixed with the rice, it was perfect.  I was more than satisfied at the end of my meal, in fact quite stuffed (I’ll do without the pork mandu next time).  I definitely recommend this for people who work in the area and are tired of eating Chinese/Vietnamese/Malaysian, as Korean food seems harder to find in the downtown area.  It isn’t the best Korean food you’ll ever eat – I wouldn’t be able to tell you that (because I don’t know, not because I’m mean and selfish!) – but it definitely satisfies the craving and is relatively inexpensive.  I mean, look at how much food you get! 

 
notice the receipt still says Li Hua

Something that really amused me – see towards the bottom… the 3rd to last line? 

Apparently, I “GOT SERVED” – hahahaha am I the only one who read that and thought “YOU GOT SERVED!”  🙂  Probably… I have such a quirky sense of humor, eh. 

Yvo says: Totally recommended for lunch – there are 5 different kinds of lunch sets for under $10 and the galbi one for $10; freshly made, pretty darn tasty – not much of a downside here.  There aren’t many Korean options in the area, which, in my eyes, adds to the value received for what you pay.  The bulgogi was very tasty, and it’s nice that they don’t skimp and cheap out on banchans just because I ordered it to go.  I definitely plan on going back soon to try the spicy pork (and hope that it isn’t burn-my-face-off-spicy!) and spicy chicken (the teriyaki options don’t appeal to me because that’s getting into Japanese territory, which seems a bit odd to eat with Korean banchans, no?).  Yummm!
recommended for lunch