A little before coming back to Korea, I’d talked with a certain someone about throwing an anti-Valentine’s meetup just for us singles, and somehow it turned into a giant-yellowtail meetup instead. Not that I have anything against yellowtail. It was my first time at Noryangjin, so if anything I was pretty excited.
In-season oysters
We sorted it out with the restaurant and brought in only fresh ingredients. Eat these with the single malt whisky someone chipped in, and the sea spreads out right in front of you. Anyway, the lighting was good that day, yet oddly all the photos I uploaded came out shaky. Probably the price of drinking too hard several nights in a row..
Scallops too..
They’d have been great as shabu-shabu, but that day we had them raw.
Cockles
If I had to make them myself, washing them is such a hassle that I’d never eat them -_- but that day I had loads.
Yellowtail, sea bream and abalone, cut by part
It’s a bit different from Japan’s aged sashimi, but Korean hoe, where you get that firm, fresh texture, is delicious too. Actually I rarely got the chance to have Korean-style raw fish in Japan, so this was a good opportunity. My one regret is that I didn’t bring any sake or sweet potato shochu to go with the fish. Well.. I’ll bring some next time. Sake seems to be getting popular in Korea lately too.. though I’m not sure where you could take it and drink it.
The standard spread at a Korean raw-fish restaurant..
Nothing special.
Sea cucumber innards, konowata
Brought in with the restaurant’s okay. It’s rich and savory, but a lot of people seem unable to eat it.
Jukryeokgo, the day’s sponsored drink
It was stronger stuff than I expected.
Probably a sea bream head
They say the head is the best part of the fish. Nicely grilled and pleasantly salty. The bones are big, but there was plenty to gnaw on.
Sea bream sashimi dropped into the konowata
Surprisingly, the flavors go really well together. I was told this is the proper way to eat it.
Abalone porridge
Made with the abalone guts scooped out. The rich abalone guts did leave an impression, but it wasn’t quite as amazing as the ajumma said it was.
Kimchi, the Korean staple
Tasty.
Dessert port wine, also sponsored
Look closely and you can see me taking the photo.. maybe I should blur it out..
Fried chili peppers
Chili peppers stuffed with glass noodles and various other fillings, then fried. Maybe because it was my first Korean-style tempura in ages, it felt quite nostalgic. Tasty, but so oily I couldn’t eat many. At my age, I tend to steer clear of high-calorie food.
And this is shrimp tempura
Once again, tempura that’s incredibly satisfying for the price. Everyone seemed full and barely touched it, so I polished off most of it.
Cod maeuntang (spicy fish stew), I think..
Had a moderate amount.
Konowata bibimbap
The grand finale: bibimbap~
Mix in the leftover sashimi and it gets even better..
Eating this much, I really got my fill. I don’t think I’ll be craving Korean-style raw fish for a while.
A LeTAO dessert I brought along.
Surprisingly high-level. I should pick up a few more before the season ends, to get ready for my next trip to Korea.