Woo Lae Oak is one of the few places in Korea that does Pyongyang naengmyeon really well. When I first had their sunmyeon (pure buckwheat noodles) here a few years ago, I was genuinely moved, thinking, so this kind of flavor exists in Korea too. Since then I’ve been often, usually on meetups paired with Bogeonok, but this was my first time at the Gangnam branch. It’s not exactly a cheap place for lunch, yet it was packed. Who knew business would be this good… I guess there really is nowhere else to go in Gangnam. ^_^ That day I also got treated to the bulgogi, which I’d never once ordered before because it’s so pricey. Anyone who’d like to buy me something tasty, feel free to get in touch anytime… When it comes to eating, I’m confident I won’t lose to anyone.
The bulgogi grill pan
It wins you over on looks alone.
Lettuce and ssam fixings
In Japan you’d have to pay extra for every one of these… So I’d better wrap and eat them gratefully.
Side dishes
At a truly great restaurant, not even the smallest side dish is a letdown.
Dongchimi
Pretty good, this..
Putting the meat on the pan.
It wasn’t quite the quality I’d hoped for, though I can’t tell whether that’s because my palate has gotten fussier and mere bulgogi no longer impresses me, or whether it was just that day. Since I’m used to eating things like Kobe beef these days, it really is getting harder and harder to eat well when I come back to Korea. Sigh, I have no idea what I’m going to live on from now on.
Cooked through…
Still, finding a place this good at this price in Gangnam is no easy feat. I’ll have to be a regular.
Bulgogi finished, in go the naengmyeon noodles
I had no idea naengmyeon noodles went this well with bulgogi. The chewy noodles mixed with the sweet broth make a real delicacy. I think ordering just one bulgogi plus a serving of naengmyeon noodles would be plenty for a meal. Add a bottle of Baekseju and it would have been the best of the best, but I still had work to do, so no such luck.
Half a mul-naengmyeon
They told me the Gangnam branch doesn’t do sunmyeon. A bit of a shame… But the regular naengmyeon is great too. This is the time of year when naengmyeon tastes its worst, but neither the broth nor the noodles had anything much to fault.
Chocolate for dessert..
Being the dessert fiend that I am, I couldn’t skip dessert. We moved on to a café called 105. They sell Belgian chocolates, so I bought some to try: smooth yet quietly rich, a perfectly decent level. Better balanced than Godiva, I’d say. Of course, plenty of places do it better than this one. (Personally, of the chocolates I’ve had this year, Gucci’s were the best. A luxurious taste.) Even so, by Korean standards the price is competitive, so I expect this will go down pretty well.