Namul Meogneun Gom • 나물먹는곰

I was introduced to Namul Meogneun Gom (나물먹는곰) by my friends, Soo Zee and Leigh, when I asked them to recommend a good Korean restaurant that serves great bibimbap in Seoul. This place was apparently their favorite, so of course I had to go and try their food.

Namul Meogneun Gom (나물먹는곰), which means bear eating greens, was housed in a traditional hanok in Hongdae area. The entrance of the restaurant led to an open courtyard with outdoor seatings and you enter the hanok through one of the sliding doors for the indoor seatings. The restaurant has that homey vibe that made me feel like I’m visiting someone’s house to have a meal.

After I got seated and ordered, they brought the banchan out. I got to try five different things and they were all excellent. Plus, the serving portion was really generous. I honestly could just eat all these with a bowl of rice and call it a full meal.

I was also craving seafood pancake (해물파전) that day and since they had it on the menu, I ordered one. Their seafood pancake was also great. Plenty of seafood and green onions toppings, not too thick and really crispy.

Then came the main dish, the Namul Gom Bibimbap (나물곰비빔밥). Everything on the stone bowl was really well-seasoned. After I added the gojuchang and mixed it all together, it tasted even better. Their gochujang sauce was also really good. Overall, it was a really great meal and I was stuffed by the time I’m done. Now I know why Soo Zee and Leigh like this place.

Update: This location of Namul Meogneun Gom has now closed. They have moved to another location not too far from this location and renamed their restaurant to Baek Sae Sik Dang (백세식당). They are still keeping the bibimbap menu so if you want to try it, you can go to the new location which comes up as Namul Meogneun Gom Guk Bap Jib (나물먹는곰국밥집) on Naver map. See below for new location’s information.

 

Namul Meogneun Gom Guk Bap Jib • 나물먹는곰국밥집

Address: 서울 마포구 성지3길 67
Telephone: 02-337-0704
Hours: Everyday 11:30~21:00

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Okdongsik Seogyo • 옥동식 서교점

Okdongsik (옥동식) is a small restaurant in Seogyo-dong (서교동) that sells amazing 돼지국밥 (dwaeji gukbap/pork and rice soup). The place only accommodates 10 seatings and the only main menu they have is their 돼지국밥. And when a restaurant only have one main dish on their menu, you know it’s going to be good. I first found out about this place when I was searching online for a place that sells 국밥 (guk-bap/rice soup) during one autumn afternoon. The weather was a bit chilly so I was craving something hearty and warm and gukbap immediately came to mind.

After seeing Okdongsik (옥동식) appeared on one of the search results, I decided to try this place out because apparently the restaurant has been on the Michelin Guide list since 2018. Hours later, I was one of the ten patrons who were sitting inside the small restaurant tasting their delicious dwaeji gukbap. The gukbap has clear broth that tasted light, clean yet flavorful and comforting. The sliced meat was super tender and the portion was pretty generous. While people usually mix the red pepper paste into the broth when eating gukbap, Okdongsik actually recommend against it. Instead of mixing the red pepper into the broth, they encourage people to taste the broth as is and put the red pepper paste on top of the meat without mixing it with the broth. So I took a spoonful of rice and soup, put a piece of meat on top of it, then put the red pepper paste on top of the meat. It was a satisfying spoonful of gukbap. I like it.

Overall, as a fan of gukbap, it was a really good meal for me. Would definitely recommend this place if you’re looking for a good pork gukbap restaurant. Oh, and also, they only serve 100 bowls a day so come early just in case they run out.

“With his take on dwaeji-gukbap, Chef Ok Dong-sik has managed to singlehandedly change any preconceptions the local diners previously had about the hearty pork and rice soup dish Koreans hold near and dear to their hearts. Think bacon-thin slices of silky tender pork meat piled on a bed of rice, all submerged in his trademark consommé-like clear broth. The 'extra large' portion comes with double the amount of meat. The space is limited and only 100 bowls of gukbap are sold daily so get here early.” —Michelin Guide

Note: Photos were taken before the pandemic.

 

Okdongsik Seogyo • 옥동식

Address: 서울 마포구 양화로7길 44-10
Telephone: 010-5571-9915
Hours: Monday-Friday 11:00-22:00, Break Time 15:00-17:00 | Saturday-Sunday 11:00-21:00

Instagram: @okdongsik

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Mapo Mandu Hapjeong • 마포만두 합정점

Mapo Mandu (마포만두) is probably my most favorite bunsik place that I discovered during the time I first moved to Korea. The first time I tried their galbi mandu (갈비만두), I remember thinking that it was the best galbi mandu (갈비만두) I’ve ever had. The meat filling is so juicy and the size is just perfect for one mouthful bite. Another great thing that I discovered from this place is their cheese ramyeon (치즈라면) which is really good. I don’t know what kind of cheese and ingredients they put in the ramyeon broth, but it’s so satisfyingly good (especially if you eat it on a cold day). Apart from the galbi mandu and cheese ramyeon that I always order during my visit, they do have other menu options for you to choose from if you think those two are not fulfilling enough (I usually just opted for 2 portions of mandu and 1 cheese ramyeon if I’m feeling particularly hungry).

Anyway, Mapo Mandu has earned a permanent spot on my must-eat list every time I’m in Seoul. No Seoul trip is complete without at least a visit to Mapo Mandu. And having been recommending and taking a lot of my friends to this place on different occasions, I can say that all of them liked the food too. So if you’re looking for a bunsik place or a late night snack, I’d definitely recommend this place. And oh, they have multiple locations so you can check whichever location is closest to you.

 

Mapo Mandu Hapjeong • 마포만두 합정점

Address: 서울 마포구 양화로7길 12
Telephone: 02-333-9842
Hours: Open 24 Hours

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Egg Dang • 에그당

I visited Egg Dang (에그당) when I was exploring Hapjeong (합정) area. When lunch time came around, I passed by this place and took a look at their menu board to find that they actually serve pasta here. So in I went and I found myself in a small restaurant with an open kitchen next to my left and small tables on my right. There were only three tables and bar seatings on the main area of the restaurant, but I later found out that they have more seats at the back.

I look over their menu and decided to order their signature dish, which is the Poached Egg Pasta (수란 파스타) which costs ₩14,900. It is essentially a spicy linguini pasta with Egg Dang’s special cream sauce topped with chives, garlic, red pepper powder, bits of bacon and poached egg. I was actually craving for a creamy pasta so this was perfect for me. The portion was generous, the pasta was well cooked, and it tasted good. The cream sauce wasn’t too overwhelming. Maybe the spiciness from the sauce cut the creaminess of the overall dish, at least that was my guess. And the egg was perfectly poached as the yellow yolk oozed to the pasta after I cut into it, which I appreciate. The bacon bits might be a little bit on the salty side for some people, but I like food on the saltier side so it wasn’t a problem for me.

Overall, I quite enjoy Egg Dang’s Poached Egg Pasta and I probably come back to this place again the next time I have a creamy pasta craving.

Egg Dang • 에그당

Address: 서울시 마포구 서교동 396-4
Telephone: 02-3144-3170
Hours: 11:30 - 21:30 | Closed on Mondays

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