We all know Seoulites love to ride the latest trends. About a year ago, Chicago deep-dish pizza blew up out of nowhere. Korea remolded it into their own style by filling the crusts to the brimful with cheese, lacing the tomato sauce with loads of garlic and serving the pizza in such fancy contraptions Mr. Gadget would be jealous.
One place that keeps the traditions of the Chicago deep-dish pizza intact, with only some slight modifications to make it unique, is Country Man’s in Jongro. Situated on the 2nd floor in a corner overlooking the Cheonggyecheon Stream next to the so called Avenue of Youth, this quaint place not only serves pizzas, but pilafs, pastas and ades as well.
The latter was by far my favorite. We tried the Red Mango and Orange ade, and the tangy orange flavor was a perfect combination with the rich cheese of the pizza. The ades come in generous servings and can easily be shared by two people.
The restaurant itself is the third location after two restaurants in Busan. The Seoul restaurant opened only a few months ago but is already bustling with people filling their pizza cravings. Customers can choose from two different sizes of the pizza and several toppings can be added. The crust is filled with cheese and a sweet/salty mix of powdered sugar and cheese powder is sprinkled on top, which gives it a unique flair.
The pasta we tried was served in a pesto-based sauce that went perfectly with the al dente pasta. Although I thought the orange-ade was the star of the show, my colleagues crowned the pilaff the king of the evening. With lots of succulent pieces of beef on top, whole cloves of grilled garlic, topped with a white, cream-based sauce, I can understand where they are coming from. You even have to customize the pilaf yourself since the menu asks you to choose two ingredients out of chicken breast/pineapple/garlic/beef/pork/kimchi/shrimp/bacon and then the chef will make a special pilaf based on the chosen ingredients.
So, whenever you feel hungry after sightseeing near Gyeongbokgung, Bosingak, Insadong or Jogyesa, I recommend you to recharge your batteries at Country Man’s.
Info
Business hours: 11AM – 11PM (Break 4-5PM)
Address: 서울특별시 종로구 청계천로 73
(You have to take the elevator to the 2nd floor, so it can be a bit tricky to find)
Price: Approx. 15,000W/person
