Cheongeoram has been doing business in Mangwon-dong for ages (apparently it did pretty well for itself, too), and lately it has become a talking point among bloggers and foodies. As the Hongdae commercial district has spread, Mangwon-dong has come to count as part of greater Hongdae, so you can stop at a gopchang place for round one and then take your pick of countless bars for round two — that has to be why. Kadoya is literally right around the corner, in fact.
The spread
The side dishes are clean and well made. The better the restaurant, the better even the little side dishes taste.
Marinated garlic chives
Delicious eaten together with the gopchang.
Sauces
I mostly went with the salt.
Gopchang
They were packed full of gop. Very good for the price, though it lacks the rough edge that is so particular to gopchang. Well-being gopchang, you might call it.
Cut up
Two portions is about right. We had the jeongol coming up, after all.
Gopchang jeongol
The vegetable broth is clean-tasting. The gopchang jeongol I have in my head is the style where you taste the rich fat, and this was nothing like that — bright and light — but it was tasty all the same.
Eat like this, then go to 2chef for round two and your Hongdae restaurant pilgrimage is complete. Or just drop into Factory for a glass of whisky. As Hongdae keeps growing, the pleasures on offer keep multiplying. It is a bit far from home, but I will have to make the trip regularly.