My blogging hasn’t been what it used to be lately. Being busy making a living is probably the biggest reason. So I’ll at least post the places I’ve been going to while I’m out there making a living.
Dure Guksu, the heavyweight of Apgujeong
There’s always a long line here, so you have to go prepared. This day too I stood in line for a good 30 minutes.
Dure Guksu
These were the first properly al dente noodles I’ve had in Korea, and they were delicious. Honestly, they were good enough to hold their own against Japanese ramen. The broth was clean and refreshing too, just right. The problem is there’s way too much pepper.. they use it pretty heavily, and as a side effect I was completely out of it for several days. I don’t get why you’d ruin such good food by dumping pepper on it, but if that’s the shop’s selling point, I guess I just have to accept it.
Gondre rice at the gondre rice place in front of the office
I didn’t expect much, but it was a decent low-calorie meal. The portion felt a little small, but maybe that’s just right for leaving room for dessert.. or not.. Anyway, it really made me want to visit Gangwon-do sometime. I’m sure the day will come~
The basic table setting at Heukdonga in Gangnam
Jeju pork is delicious, right? I remembered having a great meal at a place called Donsadon near Hapjeong Station, so I made a point of going to Heukdonga at Gangnam Station.
The meat
The portion was just about enough to cleanse your palate. I was a bit put out.. It’s tasty, sure, but is it okay for it to be this expensive?
Naengmyeon to finish
Naengmyeon at a BBQ place is always decent enough.
A large jokbal from Manjok Jokbal
I heard a rumor that the ultimate jokbal was in Jongno -_- so I stopped by on my way to the duty-free shop. And it really was the ultimate. Such an amazing taste!! It has collagen that’s soft and wobbly yet springy and chewy, not a hint of off-flavor, and it shows you what perfect jokbal is supposed to be. I hear there are a few other places in the city that do great jokbal, and I’d like to make the rounds. This time I went a bit late and they were sold out, so I took home the one large left, but it was way too much to eat on my own. It’d be perfect for three or four friends to go, order one jokbal, and have some soju with it. The only pity is they close so early that you’d have to make jokbal your first round.
Agujjim (braised monkfish) in Sinsa-dong
It’s an addictive taste and the price is pretty reasonable. The original shop was too crowded, so we went next door. But as expected it was loaded with MSG, and afterwards I was knocked flat with a cold for almost a month. I’m definitely sensitive to MSG-type stuff. It won’t kill me, but my immunity seems to drop a lot. I’ll have to be careful when eating this kind of food from now on.
Hotsun chicken, shot with Path
Apps like Path and Instagram are popular these days, and they do make taking photos more fun. But my main goal is just getting the information across, so this kind of photo style doesn’t really suit me. Would switching to an iPhone 4S help.. hmm..