Several days ago a request was made by one of our readers to do a review of  Jiggle Jiggle. She said the food was good; inexpensive; and the “mom/pop” running the restaurant are from Korea. It should be noted that this is not a Korean BBQ. There are no hot pots or woks on the table for you to do your own cooking. Rather, it is all done for you in a most delicious way.

I have a Korean student living with me to learn English – Monica – and some of you have already read about her problem with Wells-Fargo. Monica has been with me for almost 9 months. I also have a Japanese student – Yuko – who has only been in the United States 2 weeks, and when my two students get together they spend a great deal of time in a “giggle” mode. It truly is a kick to be around them, and you find yourself smiling with them most of the evening.  Tonight was no exception.

Yuko & Monica

Yuko asked Monica what “Jiggle Jiggle” means. We were hysterical by the time we understood Monica.  You know the sound that food makes when it is “sizzling” in the pan?  That is what “jiggle jiggle” means in Korean! In Japanese, the same word is “juju”.  So…we had two giggling girls explain jiggle jiggle and juju while I was telling them about sizzle.  Fun!

The Menu Board

The restaurant is located in the same parking area as Taco Bell – just down from Target where the Do-nut place used to be. It is small; but there are several tables that are designed for eating in. There is also take-out service. When you walk in the door there is a huge billboard with the menu posted in large letters, as well as a printed menu on the counter-top by the cashier. Let me give you an idea of what is offered:  One section is Korean BBQ Taco, listing 5 kinds of Tacos, from Kalbi – bbq short ribs, to “the trio” – kalbi, chicken bulgogi and spicy pork bulgogi.  They start at $2.80 and the trio is $8.  Next is Korean BBQ Burrito, and there are 4 varieties offered.

Chicken Bulgogi

Yuko had the chicken bulgogi and it was huge.  (See picture.) Listed next is the Korean BBQ, and there are different prices for lunch and/or dinner.  There is the Kalbi Combo; Soon Dubu; and 5 different Entrée’s.

Yook Gae Jaang

Monica had the “yook gae jaang”- spicy beef soup with glass noodle, vegetable and steamed rice. Her entrée, of all the entrees,  was the most expensive at $8.  I was fascinated with the next listing –

Bibimbop

“Bibimbop” and I had the original one with bbq beef, seasoned vegetables, fried egg and gochoojaang aioli. (What a mouthful! – to eat it; to say it; to order it!) It was served with salad, seaweed soup, Korean side dishes and steamed or brown rice. The cost? $8!!!! It was absolutely delicious and Monica and I brought back over half of our meals.  Also offered is a kids menu; 6 side dishes; and standard beverages – out of a vending machine.  I tried to get the owner’s picture, but he said he didn’t like to have his picture taken so I took pictures of the girls instead.

In all seriousness, I would like to thank (reader) Barbara for suggesting the restaurant. Although the names of items are puzzling to those of us not familiar with the Korean language, the owner has a good handle on the English language and can explain things well. He was helpful and quite knowledgeable.

Side Dishes

An interesting feature of the restaurant is that there were two televisions playing the Dallas/Oakland football game with the sound turned off, and with sound turned on was a mixture of a variety of Korean music that I had to ask Monica about, because the first sounds I heard were “Korean rap.” She explained that it was really Americans that brought rap to Korea and it was then adapted to the Korean people. And something else I learned today in both Japan and Korea – the meal is finished when the rice is gone.  When there is no more rice to eat, even though there is other food not finished, it is considered rude to eat that food without rice.  Did you know that?

I will be back to “Jiggle Jiggle”. It was a fun experience and the food was wonderful.  (Monica says she is “rentable” if you want to take her with you!)