One weekday evening I had to go to the Lotte Department Store in Myeongdong, and while I was wondering where nearby to have dinner, a place called Jinju Hoegwan caught my eye, so I gave it a try. The weather had turned hot and I was craving kongguksu, and this looked like it was connected to Jinju Jip in Yeouido.

Side dishes

Nothing out of the ordinary. There is a Samsung building nearby, so I figured they mostly do lunch business. When I asked what their relationship with Jinju Jip in Yeouido was, they said they are relatives.

Kongguksu

It looks similar to the Yeouido one, but the taste is a bit different. The intensely rich soybean flavour is the same, but where Yeouido is slightly on the sweet side, this one is clean and plain, closer to the original form of kongguksu. To my palate this place’s kongguksu was actually tastier, but the next time I feel like kongguksu I will probably end up going to Yeouido. The sweet kind is a safe bet no matter who you bring along, whereas with an orthodox kongguksu like this, I have no idea who besides me would like it.

Seokkeo-jjigae (mixed stew)

They said this was their signature dish, so I ordered it. It tastes like something halfway between budae-jjigae and maeuntang, but I just prefer plain budae-jjigae. It would have been nice to have a side dish like mandu, as they do in Yeouido, and I really missed that. Then again, you can’t exactly come for kongguksu and end up grilling sirloin. All in all, it left a little to be desired as a place to just grab a quick bowl of kongguksu, but it was worth it simply to confirm that this is a place serving top-class kongguksu. I will be in that area often enough.

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