A Mom and Son Carry Koreatown’s Beloved Jun Received Again to Life With Ginseng Hen Soup

Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, the household behind Koreatown’s beloved Jun Received Restaurant, which closed in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, is getting a second likelihood at beginning over. Inside the subsequent two weeks, homeowners Jeff Jun and his mom Jung Ye Jun will debut an extension of their former restaurant, which had been open for 26 years, within the type of a takeout spot with a brand new title that’s primarily centered on hen.

Jun Received Dak (“dak” is Korean for “hen”), an 800-square-foot restaurant at 4254 1/2 West Third Avenue in Koreatown, will largely be a kitchen with three seats for individuals who wish to dine in. This new iteration will begin off serving 4 dishes, with the potential to develop sooner or later. One in all its specialties is the matriarch’s samgye-tang, a Korean consolation soup that makes use of an entire younger hen filled with glutinous rice and boiled alongside a satchel of ginseng, garlic, and jujubes (Chinese language purple dates). The result’s extremely tender hen in a broth that’s savory and warming, and believed to have nourishing well being advantages.

“My mother all the time mentioned, ‘Earlier than I die, I’d like to do a samgye-tang place,” Jeff says. “She’s 75 years outdated, so what’s there to lose, proper? [I told her,] ‘Let’s do what you wish to do and let’s be happy [in life].’”

The unique Jun Received Restaurant had been a haven for homestyle dishes like bossam (sliced pork lettuce wraps) and spicy braised black cod. When it closed, it was partly as a result of the dishes didn’t switch effectively to a takeout format, one thing that has grow to be a necessity within the pandemic period. MAMA, an LA-based group that uplifts underrepresented immigrant-run eating places, made a push to assist the Jun Received household by telling their story on its social media platforms and promoting their samgye-tang at occasions.

“We’re so grateful that they received concerned and reached out to individuals who wished our meals,” Jeff says, including that it was an enormous assist to their enterprise.

The samgye-tang had taken off a lot that the Jun household started promoting giant orders from their house to longtime clients and pals. The suggestions was so optimistic that it satisfied Jeff he ought to reopen Jun Received with samgye-tang as the principle draw.

Given Jun Received Dak’s deal with poultry, the brand new restaurant may even provide objects like dakdoritang, a spicy stew with hen and greens; and a hen model of yukgaejang, a slow-simmered spicy soup with a viscous broth that’s usually made with shredded beef. Jeff additionally desires to incorporate his mom’s galbi-jjim (braised brief ribs) to offer clients one other protein choice.

The truth that Jun Received Dak can be serving dakdoritang hyperlinks it in a approach to the area’s former tenants, Samga Hen, which had been a preferred restaurant identified for its dakdoritang for greater than 30 years. When Samga Hen closed earlier this yr, the proprietor of one other Koreatown restaurant, Yuk Dae Jang, took over the area as a central kitchen earlier than passing the torch to the Jun household.

It’s an indication of latest beginnings: Not proudly owning a brick-and-mortar enterprise for the final two years has been powerful on Jeff, who likened it to “resting on a mattress of thorns.” He says, “I used to be an individual that used to repeatedly run round on a regular basis, and swiftly I used to be simply sitting round and hating it. And now that we’ve got one thing going, I’m so excited and searching ahead to it.” His mom is ecstatic too.

Comply with Jun Received on Instagram for updates on its opening date and hours.