Lunch with Lincoln: Zombie Chicken & Nolbu Jjampong
A Satisfying Lunch from an Affordable Koreatown Restaurant
Lunch Details
Name of Restaurant: Zombie Chicken & Nolbu Jjampong
Items ordered: Jjampong (Korean spicy seafood noodle soup) and fried chicken wings (no added flavoring)
Neighborhood: Koreatown
Price: $
Address of Restaurant: 4050 W 3rd St, Los Angeles, CA 90020
Lunch Review
I wanted Korean spicy seafood noodle soup (jjampong or 짬뽕) after I got a haircut, but I wasn’t sure where to go. I asked my Korean barber if he could recommend a place for jjampong, and he told me I should try the place on 3rd and Ardmore. When somebody describes a restaurant this way, I know it’s going to be good—e.g., when they say it’s the place on “5th and Essex” or a similar phrase. People familiar with a neighborhood often refer to restaurants in this manner, and I trust people familiar with a neighborhood more than any other source when it comes to food recommendations.
After arriving at 3rd and Ardmore, I saw the sign for Zombie Chicken & Nolbu Jjampong (hereafter, Zombie Chicken). One downside of many Koreatown restaurants is that you have to pay for valet parking right outside the restaurant or try to find parking on the street—good luck with that. Zombie Chicken has the luxury of a small, free parking lot right outside its doors. I was happy to find a spot open and walked into the cozy restaurant.
The restaurant has an open kitchen and just four tables. The menu is a tight, five-to-ten item selection of dishes perfect for lunchtime. However, the real highlights are the Korean fried chicken, black bean noodles (jjajangmyeon or 짜장면), and jjampong. This restaurant must have inflation invincibility because its prices are excellent. The jjajangmyeon is $4.99. Not $14.99. $4.99! And I saw other people order it, and the portion was big. It was not a $4.99 side portion.
Ordinarily, I would have ordered the jjajangmyeon, but today, I wanted jjampong, so that is what I ordered. I also had a side of Korean fried chicken wings to help me write a more holistic review of the restaurant’s food—it seemed only fair to order the chicken and the jjampong from a place with both in its name.
The restaurant’s ambiance was what it should be for a hole-in-the-wall: cozy, busy, and without frills. This place served hot water to customers, which is one sign that it’s a proper Korean place—the only thing that would have been better is if they served Korean barley tea (보리차). I also saw scissors brought out to cut some of the noodles for another customer—another sign this is a proper Korean place.
Jjampong
This jjampong was very satisfying. The seafood was a nice variety of mussels, shrimp, and a little bit of crab. The vegetables included bok choy, mushrooms, and water chestnuts. The water chestnuts were a nice addition to the dish and added a bit of crispiness, giving the dish more texture. The noodles themselves were of appropriate thickness and had a good consistency—although I would have preferred that the noodles be a bit chewier.
The best aspect of this noodle soup was the broth. The broth had just the right amount of saltiness and other seasoning in it. The broth was not as spicy as I thought it would be. I appreciated this because spicy soups served very hot are often a mistake. Whatever spice level the soup is at is doubled or tripled by the fact that soup is often served at a very hot temperature. I don’t know whether the restaurant knew that when deciding how spicy to make their jjampong. Either way, Zombie Chicken made the right choice, and they get the credit for getting it right.
Korean Fried Chicken (regular)
I got the regular Korean fried chicken wings, which came with fries and a salad with dressing. The salad dressing was a sweet, creamy corn sauce that I had never tasted before. I do not think the dressing was outstanding in a vacuum, but it worked well with the meal as a whole. The meal was served with a ranch dressing that was creamier and less vinegary, and I prefer my ranch creamier. The fries and ranch worked well together because the fries were not seasoned. I’m okay with that because of how good the ranch was.
The chicken itself was very good. I got the regular, so I don’t know how good Zombie Chicken’s sauces are. However, I thought the consistency of the fried chicken was crispy like it should be and that it was an enjoyable order.
Conclusion
I recommend Zombie Chicken & Nolbu Jjampong, especially for lunch. This place has a small menu, the proper trappings of a good Korean restaurant, and a good jjampong. I plan to return here with some frequency because of its good value, delicious jjampong, and free parking.
Rating (out of 5 stars):
★★★★
I received no payment, endorsement, solicitation, or any other consideration in exchange for this review.