After overdoing it the night before, the morning calls for haejangguk, Korean hangover soup. Korea’s hangover soups are as varied and tasty as its drinking culture is intense. This day I came all the way to Myeongdong for the gomtang at Hadongkwan, something I’d been dying to eat. In Japan, where people have only been eating beef for about 200 years, there just aren’t many good places serving a broth simmered from beef bones. Even in Japan it pops into my head now and then after a heavy night of drinking, but getting to Myeongdong isn’t easy, so this was my first visit in almost two years.
The front entrance
It’s next to ABC-Mart now, so it’s easier to get to than before. The place has been cleaned up a lot too. It doesn’t have the old atmosphere, but I’ve got no real complaints.
Gomtang, 10,000 won
I had to eat lunch just two hours later (ugh), so I ordered the regular gomtang, and there isn’t much meat in it. Still, the taste is almost the same as before. The taste of coming home, you might say..
Green onions
You’ve got to throw in loads of it to make the broth really clean and refreshing ^_^
Kimchi
The kimchi and kkakdugi (radish kimchi) here are nicely sour, and maybe that’s why they’re so good. They’re not just a side dish; they make the gomtang taste even richer. Hadongkwan is a place I’d happily come back to anytime. Next time I’ll come a bit earlier and order the teuk (special)..
The H&M store in Myeongdong
They said no photos, so just this one.. I’d heard it had just opened so I went in, and there were loads of cheap clothes with modern designs. The finishing and fabric are faultless too. It struck me as pretty much the IKEA of fashion. If you need clothes you can wear without a second thought, H&M looks like a good option. Even right now I’m writing this post in a tracksuit I bought at H&M for the gym.