Hwajeong is a little suburban area outside of Seoul city proper. It's a short drive, about 20-30 minutes to the heart of the city, and about forty-five minutes to an hour by train/subway into Insadong and the Jogno area. With it's close proximity to the big city and all its entertainments, I still enjoyed taking some slow days to wander around the neighborhood and try some of the restaurants. It's really no less convenient than being in the inner-city, as Hwajeong had a plethora of shopping options and restaurants all relatively close to the apartment. Yonie's place in particular was SO close to the station that you could literally walk out the entrance and hit 5 convenience stores, 7-8 cosmetic stores, 5 different grocery markets (from sprawling Wal-mart type department stores of food and housewares to a roughly10-foot square farmer's market that spilled onto the sidewalk in front)... Then there were all the restaurants! From fast food favorites like Lotteria and McDonalds, Burger King, Pizza Hut and KFC to specialty restaurants serving specialty wild boar meat barbeque and fish fresh from their tanks. There was even a restaurant serving boshintang, dog meat soup. Yes, that's right, you can still find dog meat throughout Seoul. They've definitely tried to tone it down over the years and protests occur quite regularly in the more densely populated tourist centers, but if you look in some tucked away alleys or narrow hallways of large food centers you might find a restaurant serving it quietly. This post, however, is far more dog-friendly! No dogs were harmed in the making of this post! Huzzah.
What I ate instead was jjajangmyun, a chewy, springy noodle with savory black bean sauce stuffed with meat and vegetables. It's delicious and comforting, not at all spicy, which makes it a kid-friendly nostalgic favorite I'm told. This is a dish that was originally based on a Chinese noodle dish but has been adapted to suit Korean palates and taken on a life of it's own, so it's often found in places that serve similar dishes, like jjampong, a spicy seafood noodle soup or tangsuyuk, sweet and sour pork or beef. While jjajangmyun arrives with the sauce piled on top, you get to stir it all together at the table which can be quite fun. This is not a dish to eat when wearing a light colored shirt, though, so be warned. Slurping the noodles can sometimes cause a bit of sauce shrapnel spillage if you're inexperienced or clumsy, but a lot of places that serve jjajangmyun offer napkins or bibs to protect your dignity. I know that I, for one, have a mild meltdown over stains. The shame, I tell you!
Since the sauce itself is decidedly pretty tame, you'll typically get some sides to perk up your meal. Pickled radish is common, as are chunks of sharp raw onion and a bit of black bean sauce. I like onions and pungent funky things of that nature, so this is all fantastic and perfectly acceptable to me. This dish has, of course, become a nostalgic favorite for me so I'm always happy when I find places that serve it in my area, whether it be in Hwajeong or Vegas. I enjoyed this meal and then went about exploring the area a bit more, for a relaxing day off. Sometimes the slower days were the nicest, just taking in the cool autumn breeze as the weather gears towards winter and the trees start to change their tones.
More photos below!
Until next time!
🍜
XOXO,
NAU
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