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You won’t find many, if any, Korean cold noodle restaurants in metro Detroit, but in Troy finally changes all that. Naengmyeon (the formal name for the cold noodle dish) is a Korean delicacy that goes back centuries, and it’s something the owners of Sambong are hopeful will catch on in Michigan.

“We really wanted to bring this to Michiganders,” says Ethan Park, who co-runs the restaurant on Crooks just north of Long Lake, with his girlfriend, Grace Kim. Sambong has been open for only a few months, and the response has been overwhelming.

That’s because most of Sambong’s clientele is Korean. The restaurant featured very little advertising, but Ethan says that the Korean community in Troy has long been enthusiastic about having a traditional naengmyeon restaurant. In the time leading up to the ribbon cutting, word traveled fast, and anticipation crescendoed into a bustling summer opening.

Sambong is in a business partnership with Sambong Naengmyeon in New Jersey, another naengmyeon restaurant that makes their own potato starch noodles in house. Those homemade noodles are the key to producing a quality naengmyeon, and rarely do you see a restaurant making their own. Kim, who is the chef at Sambong, and Park traveled to New Jersey to get trained on the equipment, practices, and recipes.

Sambong in Troy features a giant hydraulic press machine that is both elegant and massive. The dough, also made in-house, gets pressed through a metal extruder where the noodles spit out directly into boiling water, where they swim for about 20 seconds. From there, the noodles are rinsed, stretched, rubbed, and shocked in ice water before being dressed in a bowl with the proper accoutrement.

For the uninitiated, naengmyeon originated centuries ago in what is now North Korea. The two most well-known versions of the dish hail from the North Korean cities of Pyongyang and Ham Hung. Both cities produce different styles of cold noodles.

Pyongyang style cold noodles, or mul-naengmyeon, are fresh buckwheat noodles served in an icy broth made from beef brisket and dongchimi, the latter of which is a mild kimchi broth made from radishes. Toppings for mul-naengmyeon vary, but they usually include cucumber, boiled egg, Korean pears, and an assortment of pickled or fermented vegetables. Hot mustard and vinegar are also popular condiments. Apply both, and it adds a wonderful tandem of heat and tang. Sambong uses their homemade potato starch noodles in place of buckwheat, the latter of which Ethan says usually comes store bought.

Hamhung, the second most populated city located on the east side of the country, has a continental climate. Bibim-naengmyeon, the name for Hamhung’s style of cold noodle, doesn’t utilize an icy beef broth, but instead a spicy, tangy red chili paste to dress the uber elastic potato starch noodles. Both styles of noodles are consumed regularly in South Korea.

In Detroit, however, naengmyeon isn’t very common. It’s usually an accessory at Korean BBQ joints, but Sambong puts it front and center. Usually, the noodles are consumed in the summer months, when the chilly broth feels both rejuvenating and refreshing. At the self-service station, there’s a beef broth dispenser where customers can fill mugs of hot, savory broth to enjoy with their meal. I have yet to see a restaurant in Detroit feature the beef broth dispenser, which is a common thread at quality naengmyeon restaurants elsewhere.

I visited Sambong in the late afternoon this past Saturday, Sept. 21. It was 85 degrees, perhaps the last truly hot day of the year. The bibim-naengmyeon hit the spot; the constant heating and cooling of the hot broth and cold noodle created an exciting circulation of temperature. The potato starch noodles proved chewy and toothsome, and the entire dish felt refreshing and clean.

Though the temperature will begin to drop this week, Ethan is quick to point out that centuries ago, before refrigeration, naengmyeon was primarily served in the winter. Korean radishes are in season during the cooler months, when they taste sweeter. Ethan is hopeful that his Korean clientele will continue to enjoy the dish, and perhaps even people of other cultures will appreciate its practical majesty.

In addition to the naengmyeon, customers can also enjoy delicious mung bean pancakes, bulgogi, bibimbap, donkatsu, and jjajangmyeon, a noodle dish topped with thick black bean sauce.

Sambong marks an exciting time for naengmyeon enthusiasts. But for anybody who hasn’t tried the dish, Ethan implores people to come and try it. He’s hopeful, as I am, that naengmyeon will etch a place in the American culinary lexicon.

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