dae-do cham-chi (대도 참치)
서울 종로구 종로5길 58 석탄회관빌딩; also at 서울 종로구 수송동 80-6
tel: 02-732-3322
what was consumed: fish roe soup (알탕)
one of my favorite korean dishes is fish roe soup. it's fishy, it's spicy, it's hot ... YUM. people tell me that it's usually ordered as an appetizer (안주) with soju, but i say nay. nay! it's good all the time! so, mjk and i went in search of a place near the office where we could enjoy.
lucky for us, mr. park (our resident dude-food expert) directed us to dae-do cham-chi for some delish ahl-tang. once at the restaurant, we were seated in a private room (depending on availability. i've also sat at a table and at the sushi bar) where our server took our order. there are larger rooms to hold larger groups as well, in case you're looking for that sort of space.
anyway, to our delight, dae-do cham-chi, specializing in tuna, prepares the ahl-tang as part of a set menu. in addition to our fish roe stew, we were served a few korean side dishes, a "sushi" appetizer (different ones each time), grilled fish, spicy stewed fish, and a small bowl of noodles. we had to be careful not to spoil our appetites as we anticipated our piping hot bowl of roe stew:
ugh. craving it right now. like majorly. SO GOOD. nom nom nom ...
jang teo soon dae guk (장터 순대국)
서울 특별시 종로구 종로 1, 2, 3, 4가동
tel: 735-8055
what was consumed: soondae guk! with all the fixin's
on cold days (and even on the not cold days), there's nothing like a hearty bowl of soup, especially if the soup has a deep deep flavor. and when the dish is filled with loads of goodies, then all the better! that's how we find ourselves ordering soondae guk at jang teo on a regular basis. now, when i tell my local friends that i love soondae, even soondae guk, they are surprised. i'm not sure why. and then i ask them to take me to their favorite places. hehehe. once, i saw a gaggle of them here at jang teo. yet another good sign of good food!
YUM!
so, if we decide to go to jang teo, we make the decision early and race out of the office so that we can secure our seats. jang teo has quite a bit of seating, but even in the summer, you'll miss first seating if you don't race over. you can join all of the slow walkers in the line that goes out the door. hahaha ...
while jang teo offers a few other varieties, i (and most of the rest of the diners) will opt for the soon dae guk. each table is fitted with a variety of additions that will allow you to season your soup to your liking: sliced peppers, red spicy paste, chopped garlic, salt, salted shrimp, sesame powder, chives ... experiment to see what combination suits your fancy!
and, as is the case with many of these places that specialize in bone broths, the kimchee (both cabbage and radish) is fantastic. the fresh cabbage kimchee (my preferred) is seasoned well and crisp. they leave large bowls on the table and ask you to spoon out just what you'd like to eat. i always end up eating a lot. A LOT.
let me know if you go - i want to come with!
gahm-chon (감촌)
gahm-chon specializes in tofu dishes, and getting the 순두부 here is a must. the broth is rich and there is a lot of tofu (and other stuff) for you to enjoy within the stew. yum.
