My family and I had heard good things about Zen Zen, a Korean barbeque restaurant in Fairview, so it was with high hopes that we drove down to the place for dinner one night. I can firmly say that none of left disappointed, and on a later date we returned to the restaurant, this time with my father’s parents, who were both born and raised in Korea. Zen Zen is in many ways similar to most of the Korean barbeques that can be found in New Jersey, but the place is not without its unique touches. Also, it simply does many of the things that all such Korean restaurants do better than any other one I’ve ever been to.
The service is perhaps the most remarkable thing about Zen Zen. We had not been seated for more than a minute before the waitress began to quickly place numerous small side dishes—kimchi, various kinds of vegetables, and generally what one would expect to get at this sort of establishment—down on the table. Naturally, several of us enjoyed some of the small dishes more than others, and when had eaten a few of them, our waitress promptly arrived to replenish them. In my experience, most such restaurants will not refill these dishes unless you specifically ask for more of them.
Our waitress continued to show us the same level of attention throughout the meal. I must confess that I found it slightly unnerving to have her hovering there the whole time, waiting for any request or need. However, this state of affairs was obviously much more preferable to never being able to get the wait staff’s attention.
Generally speaking, the food was also of exceptional quality. My family has always loved bulgogi—the popular Korean barbequed beef dish—and we ordered enough for all of us. The waitress cooked it at the grill in our table, never pausing from the task of tending to the strips of meat for even a moment. I found the meat to be perfectly grilled and very tender. It was easily some of the best bulgogi I’d ever had at a restaurant, and I rarely if ever pass up the chance to order bulgogi at a place that serves it.
My sister, who does not eat red meat, ordered grilled mackerel. This resulted in two whole fish being brought to the table. I tasted them myself and found that they were excellently done and loaded with flavor.
Strangely, the appetizer which we ordered—fried dumplings—failed to arrive until after the main course had. Perhaps Zen Zen was merely a victim of its own efficiency in this instance, since there wasn’t a lot of time between our placing an order and the arrival of our bulgogi. However, once the dumplings had arrived, we weren’t particularly interested in them any longer. Also, while the dumplings themselves were good, they were nothing to write home about.
After we had all had our fill, the plates were promptly cleared away and were each brought a small cup of tea. However, of the typical green tea which I was expecting, this was instead a refreshing cinnamon flavored brew that was served cold. A quick inquiry with the waitress revealed that the restaurant has several other kinds of tea available.
After the meal, my grandmother criticized the seaweed soup, claiming she could make a far better rendition of it. However, in my probably biased opinion, my grandmother makes better Korean food than anyone, so if you ask me, this was pretty faint criticism.
The price of the meal was reasonable, especially considering the sheer amount of food, and we had no trouble taking the leftovers we wanted home with us, not even the soup.
Going to Zen Zen was one of the most pleasant dining experiences I’ve had when it comes to going out for Korean food, and I look forward to indulging in it again in the future. If you like this type of food, I think you’ll enjoy Zen Zen as well.
201-840-1820
356 Bergen Blvd.
Fairview, NJ 07022-1250
