Over the Seollal (Lunar New Year) holiday it’s hard to find anywhere to meet people or anywhere to go. That’s when it pays to know a place like Gaehwaok, open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. It’s very easy to find, but I rarely get the chance to come to this neighborhood, so this was my first visit.
Appetizer
The corn had already been sampled by the person who got there before me… It had gone cold and lost a bit of flavor, but it’s not bad as an appetizer. As for the garlic, if I hadn’t eaten some amazing garlic in Tokyo just recently, I might have called it delicious.
Bulgogi
We ordered the bulgogi set and the bossam set. Maybe because I’ve been eating bulgogi every time I’ve come here since last year, I’m getting a little tired of it. Hmm… the trouble with eating out a lot is that your palate only ever goes up a level… The people who eat with me must not have much fun, since I’m always nitpicking and grumbling about food I’m actually enjoying -_-
Dongchimi
Maybe because it’s a place with real experience behind it, the side dishes were clean-tasting and delicious. The modern interior and tableware may have made me feel that way even more.
Cooked bulgogi
Digging in happily. It’s a little behind a bulgogi specialist-_- like Byeokje Galbi, but considering the price and location it makes sense.
Makgeolli
It’s a makgeolli from the Busan area, but I forgot to take a picture of the bottle. Daytime drinking really is the best feeling..
Bossam
To my taste the bossam was far more impressive than the bulgogi. Look at that thick, tender meat. Dip it in salted shrimp and wrap it in aged kimchi (mugeunji), and it’s the perfect snack with makgeolli.
Kimchi mari
This was clean-tasting and nice too.
Coffee served like sungnyung (scorched-rice tea)
With the holiday there weren’t many people around, jazz was playing as BGM and the atmosphere was nice, so we ordered coffee and hung out chatting. Finding an open café during the holiday isn’t easy anyway.
Cider
I thought about ordering Perrier but went with cider (Korean lemon-lime soda).. Cider is the best for digestion.
I was happy to find another Korean restaurant I like. These days my taste is exactly that of a Japanese visitor to Seoul. I feel a bit sorry that Korean readers probably won’t find much useful info on my blog.. please use it as a reference for future visits~