This post was written in 2008. Shop details and prices may have changed since then.
Yongsan has really developed lately. Besides electronics and computer parts, there’s now a bookstore, a department store and even an E-Mart. With a food court and a CGV cinema too, you could spend the whole day there without getting bored. For someone short on time like me, it’s a super convenient place with good transport links and one-stop shopping, so I deliberately set up my meeting with a friend in Yongsan.
Yeokjeon Hoegwan is a famous Yongsan restaurant. When I first heard the name, I figured it was a canteen for soldiers, but that turned out to be a misunderstanding. It’s just an ordinary Korean restaurant. Sadly it isn’t cheap, but the food is really good.
The sign
It’s very easy to find. Come out of Yongsan Station on the side away from the electronics market, cross just one crosswalk, and you’ll see it right there.
The basic side dishes
Neat, clean flavors.
Especially the pickled napa cabbage
It was right up my alley.
This is the house specialty, bassak bulgogi.
It’s pricey, but it tastes good. Hmm… unless you go with a group and share, it’s a tough one to order.
Seonji-guk set meal
Ahh… it’s killer. I’ve never had a hangover soup broth this clear and refreshing. The radish was cooked just right and the seonji (congealed ox blood) was good too… perfect for recovering after days of drinking in a row. Highly recommended. But then I heard that if you order bibimbap, the seonji-guk comes with it on the house. Argh, I could have tried one more dish… this is why information matters.
I snapped this on the way back after a good meal. There’s a cluster of gamjatang places in front of Yongsan Station that are cheap and not bad at all. The thing about the gamjatang joints here is that they give you unlimited sundae (blood sausage) ^_^
I’ve been there before too. That very place…
Tasty food for regular folks… it feels really homey, but since I only come to Seoul now and then, it’s hard to make time to go on purpose. There are just too many places to go, so it keeps getting pushed down the priority list… that’s the sad part of living abroad…