Not long ago I spent a stretch working near Sinsa Station. The neighbourhood is of course best known for its monkfish restaurants, but it also has loads of famous 24-hour haejangguk places. When I first started the job I was far too busy to drop by any of them, but once things calmed down a little I made the rounds.
The first place I went was Halmae Bokjip. I’ve always preferred a clean, clear broth, so out of all the places on my list, this was the one I tried first.
Side dishes
The side dishes are all above average. You even get a seasoned pufferfish-skin salad.
Pufferfish soup
I ordered the most basic pufferfish soup. It’s really clean and refreshing, and there are a few pieces of pufferfish in it too. With broth like this at this price, I have no complaints whatsoever.
The second place was Yumyeongguk Yangpyeong Haejangguk.
Side dishes
Simple. I went around 3 a.m., and there were still quite a few people there even at that hour.
Haejangguk
They have haejangguk and naejangtang (offal soup), and I went with the standard one first. The broth is the rugged kind. It’s filling, but it struck me as more of a proper meal than a hangover cure. It’s also a bit off from my taste, so I’ll have to think about whether I go back.
A shot of the fillings
It’s seriously loaded. No wonder it’s so popular with so many people.
Garosu-gil is close by, so I sometimes go out for a walk there, and there was a Guinness event where they give you a glass of Guinness if you answer a few quiz questions. I was short on time that day, but since it meant a properly poured Guinness, I got in line.
The quiz event
The questions were a bit hard and I couldn’t get them right. They seemed to be handing out some kind of souvenir, but oh well…
A glass of Guinness
A rich, deep stout topped with a creamy head, bittersweet like roasted coffee. I’d heard Baby Guinness in Itaewon pours a good one, and if I’d had time to go there I wouldn’t have had to queue like this (sob). Anyway, it was a tasty beer experience.
The third place was Gangnam Ttaro Gukbap.
The table setting
A very simple setup: the gukbap with kimchi and a bowl of rice. Unlike other places, this one has just a single item on the menu: gukbap. And they’ve been running in the same spot for over 30 years on that one dish, so you can imagine how good it must be.
Ttaro gukbap
The selling point of the gukbap here is the super clean, refreshing broth that’s great for a hangover, but it’s also generous with the fillings.
The one and only menu
But the price has gone up (sob). A whopping 14% increase. Damn these soaring prices… how is anyone supposed to afford a meal…
The front entrance.
It’s on the second floor.
The next place I went was Woosin Seolleongtang. Together with Yeongdong Seolleongtang, it splits the neighbourhood’s seolleongtang scene in two.
The table setting
Simple. It’s unusual that they give you green chillies for dipping. About the only downside of this place is that, for Sinsa-dong, it isn’t open 24 hours…
Seolleongtang
This one’s pretty good. It’s the clean style of seolleongtang I like. The side dishes look like nothing special but were tasty too.
Having been to Woosin, I could hardly skip Yeongdong…
The table setting
It’s self-service. The typical seolleongtang-house style.
Seolleongtang
The broth here is the rugged type with a lot of fat floating on top. Adding some kkakdugi juice makes it even better. It’s tasty too, and since it’s open 24 hours it’s probably the more convenient of the two. That said, my own taste leans toward Woosin, so if I’m going at mealtime I’ll head to Woosin.
Sinsa-dong doesn’t only have haejangguk places. There’s also a famous Pyeongyang naengmyeon restaurant called Bonga Pyeongyang Myeonok.
Mandu
Hearty. Not too strongly seasoned, and packed with filling. Just the way I like them.
Galbitang
This looks like a dish they added to target the office workers around here. It’s a bit pricey, but it’s generous and tastes good to match. At least it doesn’t feel like a waste of money.
Side dishes
Pretty ordinary.
Mul-naengmyeon
Some people say the noodles aren’t anything to get excited about, but for Gangnam this is decent, I’d say.
I heard there was a place doing gogi guksu, so I tried Jeju-do Samdae Guksu near Yeongdong Market.
Gogi guksu
The boiled pork is really delicious, but the noodles and broth were on the bland side for my tongue, trained as it is on Japanese tonkotsu ramen.
Side dishes
Nothing special.
The mandu that took forever to come out
And they tasted just so-so…
Gui Daehak
A grilled-fish joint in a back alley, with just the right vibe for a baekban set meal at lunch or a glass of soju in the evening. The prices are reasonable and the food is decent, so I’d call it a solid neighbourhood spot.
There are quite a few other places I went to as well, and I’ll post them later.