※ I got a bit mixed up. The place is actually called Bomsaem. No wonder a restaurant this good wasn’t turning up in searches -_-;;
On the recommendation of someone I know, I went to Bomsaem, a Namdo (Jeolla-style) restaurant in Gwanghwamun. As usual I dug around online for other people’s reviews, but nothing came up, even though they’ve apparently been in business in Gwanghwamun for quite a while. For detailed reviews, check other people’s blogs.. a Naver search does turn them up..
Side dishes
The kimchi is especially good. That said, although it’s a Namdo restaurant, the seasoning is really tuned to Seoul tastes, since the place targets office workers from the companies around it. If you’re expecting authentic Namdo cooking, you might be a little disappointed.
Side dishes 2
It’s not the full Namdo set-meal spread that covers the whole table, but real care goes into each side dish. The perilla leaves dressed in doenjang brought up from the countryside were special in particular, with their herby aroma fully alive. No comparison with the made-in-China stuff.
Menu
The menu is varied and the prices aren’t all that high, again probably because they cater to office workers. Keeping regulars matters more than raising prices, after all. This time we ordered the grilled fish and the saengtae-tang.
Saengtae-tang (fresh pollock stew)
The pollock is good quality. On top of that, we ordered two portions and got what looked like three ^_^ Generous and tasty, so I was very happy. If I worked nearby, I’d have become a regular in no time.
Grilled fish
This is said to be the house’s best dish: a whole, meaty mackerel lands on the table. The owner even gave us a little lecture on making good grilled fish, and his advice was that it’s hard to grill it just right at home, so go eat it at a specialist ^_^ I agreed. The fat burns off in an instant, so a beginner is bound to fail. They brush on a separate sauce for color and do a special treatment to get rid of the fishy smell, and maybe that’s why it was so delicious. The world of the pros runs deep.
Salted clam jeotgal
This jeotgal was brought straight from Yeonggwang. The salty taste of the sea was fantastic. To keep it tasting like this, the owner apparently has to do the legwork himself. He never buys on credit and sources the ingredients himself, which lets him keep the quality up while bringing costs down a lot, and that’s how he’s earned the trust of the local office workers. When a place does well and expands recklessly, or leaves sourcing to someone else, the regulars tend to drift away, but this place is still running on its original spirit, which was nice to see. Korean food culture only moves forward when places like this multiply.
Nurungji
We finished with nurungji (scorched rice).. Everything up to then had been pretty filling, so even the nurungji was a bit much. It’s a lot for two; three or four people seems about right.
Gwanghwamun Square
On the way back after the meal, we stopped by Gwanghwamun Square. So this is the square I’d seen in the drama IRIS ^_^ When did this even appear..
Gwanghwamun Square 2
It was pretty chilly, but there were still some people around.
King Sejong
Is it because it’s in front of the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts? ^_^ Having Admiral Yi Sun-sin and King Sejong there at the same time is, how to put it.. I kind of wonder if that was really necessary..
Gwanghwamun Square 3
There was an ice rink too. Kids would love it.. My camera is an old model, so its white balance isn’t great. The background came out oddly.. Who knows when I’ll finally be able to buy a new model…
Yongsan Station
I took this while waiting on a cold platform at Yongsan Station, changing to the direct train. Yongsan has really developed a lot. It’s not the place it used to be. Something about it felt lonely, so I took a shot, though I’m not sure it came across..