Sicily in Yeonnam-dong seems to have been famous among the serious drinkers for a long time, but I only got around to visiting now. They recently opened a branch on Garosu-gil in Sinsa-dong too, so really I could go any time I wanted; the problem is that none of my drinking buddies live near me.

Sanjeok skewers

The concept here seems to be good-quality ingredients served at reasonable prices. The skewers are not exactly cheap, so I was curious what would come out, and they turned out even tastier than I expected. Perfect with somaek (soju dropped into beer).

Seop-tang (wild mussel soup)

Who knew there was a place with seop, the wild mussels made famous by the comic Sikgaek, on the regular menu. The broth was wonderfully clean and refreshing. It costs a bit more than your average pocha, but it is worth every bit of it.

Maybe because it is such a well-known place around here, a search turns up a whole string of backstories: it started as a seafood pocha, then they opened a Hanwoo beef pocha called Arirang right next door, and the two share their menus. The owner is said to have a knack for sourcing good ingredients, and after tasting the food I could see that for myself. For people who love to drink, there is hardly a better place. As an aside, they open at 5, but as an extension of an impromptu afternoon drinking session we got there thirty minutes early, waited, and kept drinking until it got dark.

Soup

I cannot remember what kind of soup it was, but it had a sharp, spicy kick. Looking back, what I remember about that day is not so much the food as how much we drank. Whether picking Sicily as our third stop was a good idea, I honestly cannot say.

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