1375 Sycamore Avenue, Hercules | (510) 417-2603 | Found on Facebook and Yelp Side • Fish Cakes
• Roasted Seaweed
• Black Beans (made with honey
and brown sugar)
Each of the side dishes was offered
with unlimited refills (upon request.)
We did not need to request refills
on any of the items, as were will still
sampling them by the time our very
large, steaming entrees were delivered to
our table! Favorite side dishes included
the Jap Chae, broccoli, macaroni and
potato salads, fish cakes, and the black
beans. Neither of us liked the Kimchi
(Eric told us that most customers either
love it or hate it!) I preferred not to try
the fish because it was cooked with the
head on; however, my guest tried it and
said it had a good flavor, although she
didn’t like picking out the fishbones. The
pickled radish Kimchi was good and had
a different taste than the regular Kimchi.
Neither of us tried the seaweed because
we’d both had it before and didn’t like
it. The black beans were good, but
interesting, as they were somewhat
hard and chewy. But the taste was very
appealing. We were also served a small
metal bowl of white rice to accompany
our meals. The metal bowls were
covered to keep the rice hot inside, and
the outside of the bowls was surprisingly
cool to the touch.
Eric ordered four entrees for our
enjoyment, and each could have easily
been shared between 3 to 4 people!
The first entrée served was Jap Chae,
a larger portion of the side dish, but
served hot. The thin translucent yam
noodles were plentiful, and were tossed
with large slices of thinly sliced beef and
vegetables, including carrots, onions, bell
peppers, and mushrooms, topped with
sesame seeds. We noticed on the menu
that there is an option for customers to
request varying spice levels when placing
their food orders (mild, spicy, or very
spicy.) I think the Jap Chae may have
been a good dish to have added mild
spice; however, even though it was not
spicy, this hearty noodle dish was flavorfilled
and very appealing.
The second entrée we were served
was the Haemul Pajeon, a Seafood
32 MARKETPLACECONTRACOSTA.COM NOVEMBER 2018
Pancake, one of the most popular items
ordered at Jumping Spoon. The entrée
covered the entire surface of a full-sized
dinner plate, resembling a large pizza
(but without marinara sauce.) But unlike
pizza where the toppings are visible on
the surface, all of the ingredients were
cooked inside the pancake, similar to a
frittata. Eric cut the pancake into slices
like a pizza, and encouraged us to eat
it while it was hot, saying that once
it cooled, it would have an entirely
different taste. The pancake was served
with a small portion of house made
Korean sauce for dipping. The sauce
was very delicious, and was a good
accompaniment to the pancake. The
pancake did not have a fishy or seafood
taste, however, as we indulged, we bit
into something a couple of times that was
somewhat hard and grisly, which looked
like it may have been from an octopus
or squid. We later asked Eric what type
of seafood was in the Haemul Pajeon,
and he mentioned squid, shrimp, mussels,
and clams. Since I don’t typically eat
any of these types of seafood (except the
Dishes
Moonchee, Liane, Ricardo, Eric (Owner)