Yeongchunok in Jongno has a reputation as the place you go for tagwi — bone-in simmered beef — on a second round of drinks, so unless I happen to have a first round somewhere nearby it isn’t easy to get there. Heading over right after a huge meal at Grill Demiglace felt like a bit much, but still, you can’t pass up a chance like this.
The front entrance
The exterior is tidy, they run both the first and second floors, and they’re open 24 hours, so it’s an extremely convenient place. If I lived in this neighborhood I think I’d end up dropping by now and then.
Kimchi
You dip the tagwi in the sauce sitting in front of you.
The tagwi, served by the plateful
It turned out to be quite a delicacy. Picking the meat off the bones looks like it would be a hassle, but it really wasn’t, and dipping that chewy meat in the slightly sweet sauce was so good. The bowl is so full of bones that it looks like there can’t be much to it, but there’s far more than it appears. One order alone is plenty of drinking food for four or five people. Tagwi itself isn’t exactly cheap, but for a simple second round with soju I doubt there’s anything better. Normally I’d never leave food this good on the table, but the first round had been a bit much this time and we left quite a lot at the end. It loses a lot of its flavor once it cools down, which was a shame.
Haejangguk
This soup was clean and refreshing too, and it called for soju. I’m just glad I finally got around to such a quality Korean restaurant. This is exactly why these foodie meetups are fun.