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