Ojang-dong Hamheung Naengmyeon - Best in Seoul!

오장동흥남집  (Ojang-dong, HeungnamJib) 

90-10 Ojang-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul, South Korea +82 2-2267-9500

In my office, you must be well prepared to talk about good Naengmyeon in Seoul. Maybe because it's filled with older generation ahjussi and our proximity to 2 of the reputed 5 best ones in Seoul. Everyone has their favourite that is always better than others (and if you don't agree - you're just too young to taste properly).

There are actually different types Naengmyeon (냉면) usually differentiated by the regions they come from. The more well known ones are 평양냉면 (Pyeongyang Naengmyeon) and 함흥냉면 (Hamheung Naengmyeon). 평양냉면 has more subtle (some may even argue bland – but that’s blasphemous) broth, where as 함흥냉면 (originated from 함흥 province up in N.Korea) is known for its tougher and thinner noodles.

As it is with lots of famous Korean food, there’s a small area in Seoul called 오장동 (near Dongdaemun) where the 3 most famous 함흥냉면 restaurants are located. Now, I am not qualified in both age and knowledge to rank the three, but my favourite (following the advice of my grandpa) is definitely 오장동 함흥집 (which is the FIRST among the 3 to be established!)  

오장동 함흥집 has been operating for over 62 years since the first owner brought the recipe with her when she came down from North Korea! It’s usually super busy during lunch and dinner so it’s best to go either a little earlier!

The menu is rather straight forward with 5 types of Naengmyeon being offered (Sashimi, Beef, Mixed, Warm Soup, Mul Naengmyeon) at 9,000 KRW (you can also order more noodles too). You’d be quite silly to other anything but the house special which is회냉면 (sashimi) which comes with Sole Sashimi.

You also get served with warm broth to drink from a cup! It’s really rich and rather salty but goes perfectly with the slightly spicy naengmyeon. The noodles are also much tougher than your usual ones as it is made from sweet potato instead of potato starch.

I can’t quite describe what the sauce tastes of but it is just a perfect blend of garlic, fish-sauce, chili and sugar that it really just hits the spot! You should mix in 겨자 (korean mustard sauce), vinegar, sesame oil and sugar adjusted to your preference.

If you’ve been in Korea and have only tried the typical 물냉면 from the franchises – you should make your way to try the 회냉면 here. It’s definitely a taste you’ll remember and crave as time goes on!

Pancake Challenge #5) Kaiserchmarrn (Austrian Shredded Pancakes)

Pancake loved by Austrian Royalty! 

After trying our very first (intentionally and not because of cooking mishap) shredded pancakes at Heuriger, we were waiting for the perfect day to replicate the fluffy pancakes heavily dusted with powdered sugar!

Kaiserschmarrn (according to Wikipedia) found its name from the Austrian emperor (Kaiser) Franz Joseph I of Austria, who was apparently a big fan of the pancake.  If I was slightly younger (and a little bit more silly & naïve) I would’ve definitely followed in his steps and aspire to have a pancake named after myself).

After looking at several recipes (and balking at number of eggs – really 5?!?!), we silently agreed to moderate the recipe to yield one massive shredded pancakes to be eaten together with the big platter of fruits my talented bf assembled

Compared to other pancakes, it is a lot more eggy in both texture and flavour but not so in an overpowering way to overthrow the goodness of a pancake.  Next time instead of 3 eggs, I think I’ll scale it down to 2 egg and add a little bit of milk and baking powder to compensate!

It definitely felt amazing to be able to shred (almost) perfectly pancakes to shreds with a spatula! It’s like modern art inspired pancake!

Most importantly, I’ll definitely stock up on rum beforehand so we can pre-soak the raisins before adding them to the pancakes. I’m actually not too sure if this is the “Austrian” tradition but whoever thought of it is definitely a genius!

Kaiserschmarrn  

adopted from LynzzPaige’s Kaiserschmarrn (Allrecipes.com)

 Recipe yields one big pan (enough for 1-2 persons)

• 2 – 3 eggs (2 large eggs / 3 small eggs)
• 1/2 cup of milk
• 2 – 3 tbsp of sugar
• 1/8 tsp of salt
• 1/4 tsp of vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup of whole wheat flour (can be easily substituted to all-purpose)
• 1/4 cup of raisins (if you can  pre-soak them in rum/cognac before adding for the extra kick!)
• 1 tbsp of butter or 1 tbsp. vegetable oil
• Topping: Powdered Sugar/ Coconut Flakes / Honey / Syrup / Fresh Fruits!

1. In a medium bowl, mix the eggs with milk, sugar, salt and vanilla extract
2. Sift flour into the bowl and mix until there are no lumps (alternatively use a hand held blender to fasten the process)
3. Stir in half of the raisins
4. Heat the frying pan in medium heat and add the butter or oil
5. Pour the batter in and spread it evenly around the pan
6. Sprinkle the rest of the raisins on top
7. Cook until the batter begins to set (4– 5 min) and then flip!
8. Cook for additional 1 -2 min on the other side
9. If you have somehow managed to flip the pancake without it breaking, then take a spatula and begin to shred the pancake into bite size bits!
10. Transfer the shredded pancakes onto a plate and garnish with powdered sugar and fruits/chocolate etc. of your choice! 

Hiking at Mt. Cheonggye (청계산)

Easy hiking near Seoul  (Cheonggyesan/청계산) 

After a rather embarrassing mishap of missing our bus for a hiking weekend, I found myself stranded outside Jamsil Sports Complex Station with a bag full of packed lunch & snacks (and an extremely disappointed looking boyfriend). So sitting outside the station at 7:36 AM on a Saturday morning, I knew I had to think of a quick alternative before it began to bring down our “FUN WEEKEND” mood.

Despite there being many many options for a hike around Seoul, we had already done the ‘famous ones’ or the ones that warranted a full day of rigorous hiking (and PACKED LUNCHES).  Thankfully after looking at Naver Maps for nearby hikes + blogs for trails, I found a nice alternative nearby Gwacheon (below Yangjae/Gangnam)

Mt. Cheonggye’s peak called Maebong (매봉) and it is a relatively moderate and short hike to the top. There’s couple of different routes you can take to get to the peak – and they have you getting off at different stations, but we took the most straightforward option of taking the 신분당선 (Shinbundang) line after changing from Gangnam Station to 청계산입구 (Cheonggyesan). This starts you from 원터골 입구and takes around 1hour 20 min to the top (total of 3,000m) 

When you exit the station, it’s only a 5 min walk (just follow the trail of Korean hikers) until you reach the entrance, where you can spot a big map showing all the possible routes.  Although there are little mini-maps throughout the hike, it’s really useful if you have stop to take a photo and just have a reference of where you’d like to go/follow!

We started from the 원터골 입구 (Wontagol Entrance) and made our way up to the peak . The day was painfully hot so despite the hike not being that rigorous we found the first part of the hike a little tough to bear. Despite that being said, this hike doesn’t have any sudden inclines or declines so it was relatively easy to pace ourselves up to the top.

 We made it to the top in 1-2 hours with mini breaks in between and grabbed lunch near the top in the shades. Cheonggyesan actually had a lot of little side areas with enough shades and space for a cozy lunch, which was a great change from other popular mountains.  They even sold ice-cold makgeolli on the top but tragically  neither of us had any cash and had to resort to watching other hikers gulping down it down with the biggest smiles on their faces.  The view from the peak is spectacular as you can really see the whole of Seoul as well as the surrounding 경기도. 

Posing at the Top of the Mountain! :D 

There’s a lot more options available for the descent – you can either choose to go down via Jindale Ridge and arrive at the same spot – or take a  slight detour and finish up in Chonggyegol Entrance, or do what we did and take a really long detour (for another 2-3 hours) going pass Oknyeobong (375m) down near 양재 station (Yangjae).

  

We somehow finished up near by what looked like an industrial site – so next time maybe we’ll take the more scenic *but shorter* route down the Jindale ridge instead!!