Profile: Wang Simri Noodle House

You are a fool. You are a silly, petulent Koreatown-fascinated fool. It is waaaay too hot outside to be considering the Korean equivalent of chicken noodle soup and yet here you are, pounding the gritty sidewalks of the Western drag yet again, halfway lost, looking for some unknown restaurant simply because Jonathan Gold gave it the nod of approval.

I dined on Gook Soo at the Wang Simri Noodle House yesterday. In a nutshell, Gook Soo is comprised of fettucini noodles, anchovy broth and a handful of steamed clams. All in all a wonderful dish perfect for a cold rainy day in November. I can’t honestly recommend you try it at 2pm in the heat of August, but then again, nothing stopped me from doing just that yesterday. Gook Soo would be a perfect dish for the cold in spirit, cold in bone or blood, or just plain cold at heart.

So when November rolls around and the rains hit, look for this address: 474 N. Western – you’ll find some English writing on the menu, but nothing on the exterior facade. Just key in on 474 and the “A” rating (sometimes a rarity in these parts) and you’ll know you’ve arrived at the right place. The staff is very cordial, to boot.

UPDATE:
Apparently studying the menu a bit longer may have helped immeasurably yesterday. Word has it you can order the gook soo cold, cooked with soymilk and a bit of sesame oil. The thought alone may prompt an early return.

Hot August Photo:
Here’s the facade for those of you who can read Korean