I had some business near Chungjeongno — behind Seoul Station, basically — and since I’d rushed out without eating, I ended up sorting out a meal in the area. I asked a friend where to go and he recommended Jungnimjang. I thought it might be a Chinese place, but a quick search showed it was a seolleongtang specialist. Jongno Hagwon, the big cram school, is right across the street and the Korea Economic Daily building is next door, so apparently the cram-school students and the office workers around here use it a lot. Location really does matter for a good restaurant..
The entrance
It’s down an alley, but it was easier to find than I expected. I was surprised at how packed it was. The price list said 6,000 won for a bowl of seolleongtang — there aren’t many places left where you can get good seolleongtang at that price these days.
Banchan
At a seolleongtang place, one kimchi is all the banchan you need.
The standard seolleongtang setup
Dadaegi on the table.. pretty much the usual lineup.
Seolleongtang
As you’d expect from a well-known place, the seolleongtang comes out with a clean, tidy flavour. The suyuk — boiled beef — was especially good. The broth is the light, refreshing kind. Anyone who likes ordering the “teuk” (the large) might find it a bit short, but for me it was just the right amount. If I hadn’t had somewhere to be afterwards I’d have wanted a glass of soju, but that wasn’t possible today.
It made me think that next time I move, I’d like to head to Gangbuk, north of the river. I’d like to enjoy good restaurants at a leisurely pace. Not long before Jungnimjang I’d stopped by Yeongdong Seolleongtang, where a bowl was 9,000 won — it tastes good, sure, but at that price seolleongtang is practically fine dining, and you can’t enjoy it with a light heart. Gangbuk, on the other hand, still has plenty of places like this one. Prices really ought to come down, but that’s never going to happen, so moving to Gangbuk is probably the faster route..