Two J Kitchen opens in Oceanside
Kimbap stuffed with fish cakes at Two J Kitchen in Oceanside. Credit: Newsday/Andi Berlin
Have you ever tried a kimbap roll? This savory seaweed and rice wrap is one of the most popular foods in South Korea, but is just beginning to break through into the mainstream here, thanks in part to the animated movie "KPop Demon Hunters."
Kimbap seems to be one of Rumi's favorite food, and we can see why she's so into it. With egg, meat and vegetables in one bite, the well-rounded roll is totally satisfying — when you can find it fresh. Unfortunately, this snack is hard to get at restaurants on Long Island, and is usually only found in packaged form at supermarkets like H Mart, where it always tastes like it's been sitting in the fridge for too long.
Kalbi over rice with japchae noodle and Buldak carbonara at Two J Kitchen in Oceanside. Credit: Newsday/Andi Berlin
Enter Two J Kitchen in Oceanside, which popped up this July in a former bubble tea spot on Long Beach Road. Korean food is hard to find in this neck of the woods, especially of the takeout variety. But Two J Kitchen serves rice plates, ramen noodle dishes and other snacks like kimchi french fries and Korean corn dogs. The galbi short ribs rice plate ($15) has been on constant rotation at my house.
The shop is owned by married couple Daun Jung and Seung Dae Jun, from Bayside, Queens. Jun previously worked as a sushi chef.
Two J Kitchen in Oceanside co-owners Daun Jung and Seung Dae Jun. Credit: Newsday/Andi Berlin
Most days, the couple works the small open kitchen together, layering the hot rice onto a seaweed wrapper, then adding fresh carrots, pickled daikon radish, egg strips and your choice of meat. With so many colorful ingredients, you'll see the connection to Japanese futomaki sushi, but that's only one of the kimbap origin stories floating around. Others claim that some form of kimbap has been around in Korea since the Joseon era, which dates back to the late 1300s.
Either way, you'll find these rolls to be a cheap, hearty and eclectic meal. With nine varieties ranging from $5 to $7, the rolls can be stuffed with fish cakes, Spam, bulgogi beef, chicken and — my favorite — spicy tuna. This is more a tuna fish variety than the raw spicy tuna rolls you'll find at a sushi joint. On a recent afternoon, the substantially-sized roll was still a little warm, with the fresh rice melding into the tuna along with the sweet and salty pickled flavors from the radish. After a lifetime of eating supermarket kimbap, I have to say this was the tastiest one I've ever had.
Two J Kitchen, 3330 Long Beach Rd., Oceanside, 516-208-6454, instagram.com/twojkitchen.ny. Open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday, closed Monday.
Andi Berlin is from Arizona and does not know where she is going. But when she gets there, she’ll find something beautiful and delicious that the world needs to taste.
