Jokbal (Pigs Feet) and Whisky in Gongdeok Jokbal Street!

 궁중족발  (Gungjung Jokbal)

서울특별시 마포구 만리재로 23

(서울특별시 마포구 공덕동 256-30)

Exit 5 - Gongdeok Station 

(walk straight until you see the street to the right)

02-718-7087

Naver Maps

www.mapo-gungjungjokbal.co.kr/

Ever since coming to Seoul, I repeatedly heard about the 'jokbal street' in Gongdeok. 

How awesome is it that they have a street dedicated to pigs feet. I admit, it doesn't look or sound very appetising, but hey sometimes the grittiest scariest looking food turns out to be the best food!

I've been wanting to go check it out for sometime but had been saving it up for a rainy day when all you could think about is a bottle of soju and 'meat'. So one evening after a long week at work, we decided to meet outside gongdeok station to head down to the street.

I swear my boyfriend and his friend must think I'm one sketchy individual after all the alleyways I've dragged them into in exchange for a good but slightly less hygienic meal. Hey, but I do always deliver excellent meals though!

So tonight I lead them to the narrow alleyway of Jokbal Street.  All the restaurants seen above in the tiny side-alleway sell Jokbal and Sundae. There are couple of more famous ones: 오향족발 (Ohhyangjokbal) being probably the most well known and 궁중족발 (gungjungjokbal) coming close. I don't think there's a big difference in quality and they all have the same price-level too.

궁중족발 actually have 4 restaurants next to each other all served from one massive kitchen half indoor and half outdoor. 

I mean look at that! (At least they wear gloves right?)

Anyways the menu is pretty straight forward. Order either the small ($26) or large ($30) and a bottle of soju and beer. The small one should be enough for 2 adults (or 3 if you're not a big eater) and large for a bigger group.  The menu comes with UNLIMITED sundae and sundae-soup. Now that's what I call a good deal. 

As it is with these soju-fuelled restaurants (look at the pile of them in the photo below), it can get pretty loud so don't expect any high-quality conversations in there. 

When you're done with dinner and stinking of pig's feet and soju, you should shamelessly walk out and head to this gem of a whiskey bar.

It's called Valinch (google/naver) and has excellent choice of single malt whiskeys and cocktails.

The place is pretty small, and run by the owner himself who actually is very helpful in picking out new whiskeys to try depending on your preferences! He certainly helped us pick ours, and we both loved the ones we got to try. The prices vary from 12 - 30+ per glass for the whiskey and 10 -15 for cocktails. Alternatively you can order a bottle and keep it behind the bar too.

He also serves a generous portion of chocolate and biscuits so if you still have any space left after dinner, you can have your whiskey-fuelled snacks here! 

My favourite whiskey of the night was Glendronach 12 years! I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for a bottle at airports! 

Buckwheat Noodles & Strolling around Samcheong-dong (by main palace)

메밀꽃필무렵

02 - 734 - 0367

서울특별시 종로구 통의동 7-23 

7-23 Tongui-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul

(Naver Maps/Google Maps)

Pancakes - 7,000 WON
Buckwheat Noodles (Hot / Cold) - 7,000 WON

Although not as beloved as its other 'gluten-free' alternatives, Koreans have been quietly eating buckwheat noodles for centuries.  Often known as 'soba-noodles', it began its Korean history in the 16th - 17th century (Japanese have eaten it in their soba form much earlier).

As buckwheat grows easier than rice/wheat in cold and dry weathers, it was often eaten in times of famine or droughts. The seed of the buckwheat flower is then crushed to produce buckwheat flour.  Usually as it breaks off easily when heated, it is usually mixed in with flour when made into its noodle form.  It’s actually highly nutritious and has 12-14% more protein than other grains!  Also it has high lysine and rutin content, which is said to prevent aneurism from strokes and blood vessel damage.

Apart from the health benefits, I love it because it packs a lot more flavour and texture than normal noodles. ALSO it’s calorific content is 1/3 of normal wheat flours – which means more guilt-free eating ;)

Anyhow, there’s couple of places scattered around Seoul that’s famous for their buckwheat foods in various forms.  Some of my favourite include Buckwheat pancakes, Soba (Hot/Cold), Kalguksoo (칼국수 -  more brothy version),  naengmyeon and even in chicken stews and such.

The one I went to is right next to the main palace (kyeongbokgung). Easiest way to get there is to get out of exit 4 of gyeongbokgung station turn around and then turn left at the road until you see the restaurant!

The place translates to “Around when the buckwheat flower blooms” or 메밀꽃 필 무렵.

It’s a tiny place with probably less than 30 seating and each time I went there seems to be a queue, so if you go during the lunch time then expect a little queue.  Also they sell out around 4-5PM and close shop when all the home-made noodles for the day are gone- so make sure you show up on time!

Waiting patiently for our lunch :)

The menu is straight forward and limited as shown above my friend and his goofy grin.

We opted out to share a buckwheat pancake (메밀전) and bibim-myeon(메밀비빔면), which is the soupless and slightly spicy! I’ve tried all the menu, and I highly recommend sharing the pancake and choosing between the 메밀칼국수 (with warm soup) or 메밀비빔면 depending on your preference or the weather!

The pancakes are much chewier and crisper than traditional flour-based ones (and a bitch to cook/flip).  The best way to eat it in my opinion is dipped in the slightly sour soy-sauce and topped with the pickled onions!

The noodles were also cooked to perfection. Buckwheat noodles can easily loose its texture if overcooked – but out of the 4/5 times I’ve been here, they’ve always been spot on with getting the noodles out at the right time.

I admit, it’s not a complex dish containing multitude of flavours but there’s something about the right balance of texture and simple flavours that keep me coming back for more each time.

I’ll make a fan out of you, I know it!

Plus once you’ve finished eating – you can take a lovely walk around the Samcheong-dong area right opposite the palace and continue to fill up the ‘saved’ calories! AT least that’s how I justified my afternoon snacking.