The restaurant opens at 11 am. But we found ourselves on the waiting list with 10++ groups ahead when we were there at 11:10 am. The approximate waiting time was an hour – now you know how popular this place is. However, the restaurant is located right at the Gangnam Cafe street, it wasn’t a problem finding a place to kill our time before enjoying the meal.

The interior just feels like any Japanese family restaurant one would see in Japan. White tiles with dark grout, wooden stairs, and vintage furniture. The warm and cosy atmosphere remind me about my recent trip to Japan. Like any family restaurants in Japan, the place serves curry, fritters and beef stews, pairing with a wide variety of Whisky cocktails (Highball), Japanese beer, and other alcoholic drinks.

The Honey Yuza Highball and Cream de Cafeball. Highball is a kind of Japanese Whisky based cocktail with soda. Our Honey Yuza Highball cocktail was a refreshing citrus infused drink perfect for summer. Cream de Cafeball, a combination of whisky and coffee, albeit sounded a little risky, it was surprisingly tasty. I would recommend Honey Yuza if you want something refreshing. If you love coffee, perhaps you should try out the Cafeball!

Cream Curry Udon (크림 카레 우동), the signature dish from Tokkijung. I remember when I told one of my friends about how delicious the dish is, she wasn’t quite convinced. I guess many of you cannot relate whipped cream with curry. It certainly doesn’t look as appetising. However, do not judge the food by its cover.

This is just how it looks like when it was served — Thick and creamy bowl of whipped cream without any trace of udon noodles. The curry udon and vegetables are underneath. Just stir the dish well and eat tuck in. I was taken aback as I didn’t know what to expect before eating the noodles.

I took one bite and … it was good! To my surprise, the cream didn’t taste sweet at all. It was quite bland, indeed, with minimal seasoning. However, the soft and creamy texture of the whipped cream created a harmonious balance with the fragrance of the spices, and the distinctive sweetness of Japanese curry. It was like eating creamy carbonara pasta with Japanese curry sauce – something unfamiliar, yet somewhat familiar. But it tastes great! The udon noodles were in the perfect al-dente texture, which certainly scored some extra points.

The Charcoal Grilled Beef (숯불구이). It was good, but not impressive — the beef was nicely marinated, perhaps a little too sweet for my palette, but not outrageous. Not something to rave about though. You can easily get to eat any BBQ beef of the same standard at any popular BBQ restaurants in Seoul.

The beef comes with a huge bowl of refillable salad. Rice is not included. You can order plain rice from the Ala-carte menu to complete your meal if you like.

Writer’s Note: The food and overall atmosphere feels like dining at a good friend’s place. The food is generally good, but not really impressive. Their Cream Curry Udon is definitely worth trying. However, if you aren’t too adventurous about food, then it is better to share it with someone. Decent food and beer, friendly service perfect for gathering.

Contact Details:

Tokkijung 토끼정
617-3, Yeoksam Dong, Gangnam-Gu, Seoul.
서울 강남구 역삼동 617-3
Operating Hours: Mon-Sat: 11am -2am, Sun: 11am-12am.

Directions:

1. Coming out from Gangnam Station (Line 2) exit 11, go straight until you see movie theatre CGV.
2. Turn into the junction right before CGV, go down about 200M you’ll see the building.

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Yurim-Myeon, a noodle house that is located near City Hall Station, serves one of the best cold buckwheat noodles in Seoul. Serving their noodles from a recipe passed down through 3 generations, this place has gathered “Noodles Know-How” for more than 50 years. I was told they serve 6 menus (menus may differ slightly due to season changes) with pride because they only use ingredients that are grown in Korea.

Here are the dishes they serve during my visit a week ago:

메밀 국수 Memil Guksu (buckwheat noodles) KRW 7,000
비빔 메밀 Bibim Memil (buckwheat noodles with red hot pepper paste) KRW 8,000
비빔 국수 Bibim Guksu (noodles with vegetables and red hot pepper paste) KRW 7,000
냄비 우동 Naembi Udong (udon noodles in a hot pot) KRW7,000

As their Naembi Udong is the most popular dish, we settled down with one of it and a “Memil Guksu” buckwheat noodles.

The tsuyu soup stock and shallots arrived first before the noodles. Judging at the tsuyu itself you know it is going to be very different from ordinary Japanese soba as Japanese soba is usually served with a clearer sauce. Yulim-Myeon’s version of tsuyu, however, is mixed up with chopped radish.

The cold buckwheat noodles arrived a few minutes later. It was rather plain in appearance with dried seaweed on top of the noodles through the translucent gloss shining from the noodles itself is clearly a good sign of a well-prepared dish.

From what I understand, good soba is rinsed rather vigorously in cold running water. The most common misconception about making soba is the idea that you plunged the noodles in the cold water to cool them off, which is, in fact, wrong. Good soba is rinsed (or washed to be exact) under cold running water repeatedly. This procedure is said to effectively get rid of excess starch which will adversely affect the flavour of the noodles.

It was a total surprise that a serving of buckwheat noodles actually comes in two separated bamboo mat boxes that come in a stack. I didn’t know about it until I tried to remove the noodle boxes. ^^;;

This is basically how you eat their noodles: pour the shallots in the soup stock, add some mustard and mix them well. To eat it, simply take a portion of the noodle, one mouthful each time, dip it briefly in the sauce, and there you go SLURPing~

The tsuyu soup stock was well-done, I must say. Sweet and saltish, the fragrance of the soup stock imbues the radish with well-rounded flavours. Noodles come in smooth, chewy al-dente texture on the tongue. Together with the crisp of the shallots and radish, it is a refreshing pleasure to slurp it down your throat.

If you paid close attention to Korean pop culture recently, I am sure you’ll find this picture above very familiar — it was the filming location of the popular drama <My love from the Star> starred by Kim Suhyun and Jeon Jihyun. In fact, the place where I took the picture was exactly where Do Minjoon (Kim Suhyun) was seated in the drama.

Remember the scene Cheon Songyi said that she hated eating alone? Do Minjoon was actually having udon with Lawyer Jang while receiving Songyi’s call that she was hungry. When he decided to get her a meal, he remembered Songyi’s preference for having someone dining together with her, so he actually got home with two udons just to eat dinner again with her!

So how does this Naembi Udon actually taste like?

It is a rather simple dish with mushrooms, fish cakes and an egg. The soy sauce-based broth is light and clean, with light saltiness, leaving a bit of sweetness on your tastebuds. A comforting dish I would say, but nothing more than that. To be honest, the texture of the noodle does not leave me much impression. It pales in comparison with Tamoya Udon we have in Liang Court back in Singapore. If you really crave good udon in Seoul, I would recommend the Udon chain from Shinjuku —Marukame that landed in Gangnam last winter.

My Verdict: Their cold buckwheat noodle (maemil guksu) is currently top of my list. I am certainly going back for it. I heard their Bibim maemil is great too. If you like spicy cold noodles, you should go for it. However, I don’t think I am going for their Naembi Udon. It is nice, but a tad too simple. Not unless I am not feeling well during colder days and needed something comforting and not too heavy. This place certainly gains a little more publication after the <My love from the star> drama craze. That said, serving up noodles for more than 50 years, they certainly know their ground and was already well-loved by the people, even before the drama. The Ideal place to visit this summer if you need to cool down the heat a bit.

Contact Details:
Yurim Myeon 유림면
139-1, Seosomun-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul
서울 중구 서소문로 139-1 (서소문동)
Tel: +82-2-755-0659 (Reservation available during lunch time only)
Operation hours: 11am- 830pm.

How to get there: As there are no big carparks nearby, it is recommended to take public transport to the restaurant.

1. Get off at City Hall Station (Seoul Subway Line 1 or 2), Exit 12, or 11. I recommend taking Exit 11. 2. Upon exiting the station, walk towards the direction to Deoksugung Doldam-gil. 3. Pass one building, and immediately turn left into an alley. You’ll be able to see their front gate, which look like this:

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You can see low-rise shophouses, traditional markets that ooze historic charm in the alley that you least expected, and the little carts selling delicious street food around the area. It just looks straight out of a Korean drama from a foreigner’s lens. Famous for its majestic autumn scenery at the nearby Gwanak Mountain and also the fact that it houses the prestigious Seoul National University, the area consist of some really quiet cafes, popular brands and some quality eateries.

Update 2020:

This quaint neighbourhood has developed into a hip and trendy 샤로수길  (Sya-rosugil) as of the year 2020. The surrounding described in the blog and this particular store may not be available. However, you’ll still find a lot of cute cafes, mat-jibs or pubs around the area as it is where students from the Seoul National University hang out after class.

I came to notice that despite staying for a considerably long time here, I didn’t write any review/ blog post about my area yet. So I decided to come up with a series of “SNU Station Gourmet” introducing good eateries around the school area. The first post for this series will be a cosy little Japanese Izakaya nearby the Seoul Nat’l University Station. To be precise, it is just 6 minute walk away from the station.

Izakaya Cho (아자카야 초) is located down in the alley between Angel-in-Us Coffee and Olive Young at SNU Station Exit No.2. People have been raving about this whole stretch of shophouses because of its unique charm. Stepping into the alley, you will find all kinds of different little bars/ restaurants along the way, just like a mini Itaewon. Although less polished than Itaewon ones could be, this stretch of mini shophouses (each could only accommodate 4 to 5 four-seater tables) is more localized with an exotic touch.

Interior of Izakaya Cho. As a mini izakaya, it sits very limited guests. A little squeezy as it can be, especially when it is a full house. However, if you come slightly earlier (about 6 pm in my case), you can pretty much enjoy a cosy pocket of personal space with your friends together. ^^ They bring in various kinds of sake in a different range of price. Look at the gorgeous display of the colourful boxes of sake at the izakaya!

For those who know the least about sake, fret not. The menu comes with a comprehensive introduction about the taste of the sake they carry for the season. More of a fan of dry and rich texture? Check the index box printed below each item. Prefer it sweet and light? No problem. Check the index and I am sure you’ll get something you like even if you are a total sake dummy! Do check their promotional sake as well!

View from the inside. Now you can imagine how tiny the izakaya is? Anyway, I also noticed the nice little makgeolli (Korean Rice Wine) place right opposite Izakaya Cho. I am definitely going to try it out very soon!

The atmosphere out there on the street feels a little like a movie scene. Relax, laid-back with the young and hip characteristics, this neighbourhood is definitely a place worth exploring if you happen to be somewhere nearby.

Before we start the night, the boss came with this big tray of a variety of porcelain sake cups. It was for the customers to choose a cup that he/she would like to use for the night. Quite gimmicky but I like the idea. ; )

My pretty little porcelain sake cup for the night. Pardon my chipping nail colour ><

Our iced Junmai sake for the night, as the boss recommended it to be served cool.

The sake tasted smooth and light, with a faint sweet scent. It leaves a light vanilla and rice fragrance after you swallow the cup down. A very pleasant drink with the sashimi and seafood udon hotpot I would suggest.

Chicken Karaage. It was very crispy on the outside, with the juicy-tender meat on the inside. The chicken was well marinated in some sauce which taste similar to ngoh-hiang (Malaysian/ Singaporean 5 spices). Somehow it tastes like home so it is good?

The 2nd dish of the night was Tuna Tadaki (たたき). Tuna fish is briefly marinated in vinegar and seared lightly on the outside. The generous peanut sauce was a nice match with the tuna. As it was minimally cooked, the fish still retains its melt-in-your-mouth texture.

I was pretty delighted to see the freshly grated wasabi served together with the dish. As more and more Japanese restaurants are serving their sashimi with processed, bulk-produced wasabi paste, you will definitely appreciate the effort put in there by the chef upon seeing the freshly grated wasabi here.

Beef salad. Tender grilled beef cubes with fresh vegetables in vinegar sauce. A simple and pleasant dish to savour with this huge packet of sake.

Writer’s Note:

If you feel like having a night out with a small group of friends, this little Izakaya is probably a good choice. The dishes go pretty well with the sake. I really like this stretch of shophouses with a variety of themed minibars and cafes nearby the SNU subway station. For some reason, the minibars along this street have cosy outdoor seats that are really photogenic too!

Pricing is on the higher side considering it is around the campus area. The 4 of us spent KRW 20,000 each for the night (The total bill was KRW 80,000). The sake itself was KRW 40,000.  

Contact Details:
Izakaya Cho.아자카야 초
1604-8, Naksongdae-dong, Gwanak-gu, Seoul.
Tel. 02-882-1239
6pm-3am daily.

Korean version of the address:
서울시 관악구 낙성대동 1604-8

How to Get There: (click map to enlarge)
1. Coming out from Seoul National University Station 서울대입구역 (Line No.2) Exit 2, walk straight.
2. You should pass by a few big brands at your left hand side like: ABC Mart, Paris Baguette, Subway, Nong Hyup Bank (NH Bank) and finally, Angel-in-Us coffee.
3. Turn left into the junction. Take note that this junction should be in between Angel in Us Coffee and Olive Young drug store.

4. The below picture is what you will see once turning into the junction. Go straight down for approx.157 metres and you will reach Izakaya Cho.