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| Map of Insadong with the restaurant marked |
Insadong is one of those areas that no
traveler to Seoul can miss, whether they like it or not. In my experience, I
was somewhat underwhelmed when I first visited Insadong. I had heard so much
about this traditional area and expected traditional houses and people walking
down the street wearing hanbok dresses and living their everyday lives. Well,
such an area is a wee bit north, namely in Samcheong-dong, which I will have to
cover in a whole different blog post. Suffice to say, Insadong specializes more
on souvenir and clothes shopping than traditional housing. My first visit
involved a walk down the main street and I got the feeling that this was one of
the most touristic (in a non-authentic manner) spots in Seoul. What I had
failed to do was to take a stroll in the mazelike alleys just next of the main
street.
For here hidden restaurant gems are
located. In spite of Insadong being a hub for tourists, the restaurants in
these alleys are not particularly more expensive than elsewhere. You can get a
decent meal for 5.000won and upwards. For that measly price you also get a
chance to enjoy some rustic looking buildings and interiors which fling you
back a few decades in time. One of these restaurants is called Insadong Sujebi.
Sujebi is a Korean soup which is made of up hand-torn dough flakes, somewhat
similar to dumplings or manduu but without the filling. The rest of the
ingredients might vary by taste, but the soup usually is made of vegetables,
kelp, dried anchovy and shellfish. The broth is simmered for several hours to
extract all the flavor from the ingredients it is boiled with.
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| Seafood pajeon in the middle, joined by kimchi, radish soup, rice and the sujebi to the right |
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| A very Spartan menu |
The menu is minimalistic with e.g. spicy or
non-spicy sujebi, seafood pajeon (Korean vegetable pancake) and different
alcohols. The crunchy pajeon is also recommended and sharing one serving of
sujebi and pajeon for two people left us wiggling out of the restaurant with
full bellies after the meal. So on your next trip to Insadong, take a small
detour and enjoy a few minutes of tranquility away from the hustle and bustle
of the main shopping street.
(Address: 29-2 Gwanhun-dong Jongro-gu, Seoul. Tel: 02-735-3361)