With Japanese, Korean and much more, H Mart's food court is a thing of beauty
Please note: This article is published as an archive copy from Philadelphia City Paper. My City Paper is not affiliated with Philadelphia City Paper. Philadelphia City Paper was an alternative weekly newspaper in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The last edition was published on October 8, 2015.
Stocking up on a gallon-sized jar of kimchi, green grape juice sodas and some of the most beautifully marbled meat in town is worth a trip to the H Mart in Upper Darby. This mini-mall also features a kimchi refrigerator store (yes, there are entire refrigerators dedicated to cabbage fermentation), a sea of housewares (including turbo-charged rice cookers) and microwavable mugwort hot packs for your aching shoulders.
But a short escalator ride up to the second level reveals a whole other reason to visit Terminal Square: a food court that is a thing of beauty. Bakery Madeline sells elegantly decorated cakes, sponge cakes baked into the shape of bananas and delicate chestnut bread. There’s Tomo Sushi & Sashimi for rolled-to-order maki, bentos and party trays. Mong Shil Tong Ting has the food-court market cornered on drinking-friendly food such as chile-sauced rice cakes, fried-katsu cutlets topped with kimchi and cinnamony curry sauce, omurice (fried rice-filled omelets) and fiery popcorn chicken, all of which makes one wonder what the food court’s BYO policy is. And then there’s Chew Young Roo, a counter that fuses Chinese and Korean cuisines. Chew Young Roo offers lacy shrimp dumplings and quarter-pounder-sized “King” dumplings, steamed and filled with pork, scallions and glass noodles for a cool $1.80.
Korean takes on General Tso’s and shrimp egg foo yong are on CYR’s menu, but your best bet is a best-of-both-worlds jam-pong combo, a split bowl of seafood and noodles in a bubbling chile broth, and jajangmyeon, noodles sauced with a thick-and-sticky, super-savory sauce of fermented black beans with bits of pork.
H Mart Food Court | 7050 Terminal Square, hmart.com. Hours: 9:30 a.m. - 9 p.m., daily. Recommended dishes: Jajangmyeon, king dumplings, popcorn chicken, katsu.
