Boseung Hall Hongdae • 보승회관 홍대직영점

Boseung Hall Hongdae (보승회관 홍대직영점) is a Korean restaurant that’s specializes in Korean traditional soups and well-known for their delicious Sundae Gukbap (순대국밥). The restaurant is located near Hongik University Station (홍대입구역) Exit 8, a 2-minute walk (172m away) from the subway station making it easy for locals and tourists alike to find the place (and I’m pretty sure if you’re visiting Hongdae, there’s a good chance you’ll pass by this place). The interior of the restaurant is decorated with wooden furnitures and has about 35 seatings on the first floor. It’s one of those no-frills places where the service is quick, the food tastes great and you leave with your stomach full and satisfied. 

I don’t know if I have mentioned this before but I am a sucker for soups. So naturally, when I’m in Korea, I usually try to eat as much soup as possible because they do be tasting better in Korea (imho). And after eating a bunch of different soups, I have a list of my favorites and Gukbap (국밥) is included in that list alongside Gomtang (곰탕) and Galbitang (갈비탕).

What do the three have in common you may ask? Their broth already has that rich, deep, umami flavors when served so I don’t have to self-seasoned my soup before eating (like let’s say Seolleongtang 설렁탕 or Samgyetang 삼계탕 where you usually have to self-seasoned the broth with salt and pepper) and it always make that first sip of soup super satisfying. 

If you don’t know already, Gukbap (국밥) literally means soup (국 ‘guk’) with rice (밥 ‘bap’). It’s a hearty Korean dish consisting of rice and meat (usually pork) already submerged in pipping hot, savory milky broth that is served on a thick, black earthenware pot called a ttukbaegi (뚝배기). Koreans usually associated Gukbap with a fast, comforting, and affordable meal and a lot of places that serve Gukbap are usually specialty restaurants that have served the dish for generations.

Boseung Hall Hongdae is no different. Started with one small shop in 1987, Boseung Hall has been serving gukbap made with high quality ingredients for almost 39 years and has expanded their brand to multiple locations across the country. Their location in Hongdae is actually one of the spots I frequently passed by but never tried until two years ago when my friend who’s also a soup enthusiast agreed to try this place that has been on my ‘To-Try List’ for a while. We got there a little before 10 pm on a Friday night and there was a line in in front of the restaurant. Not too bad though because I’ve seen longer/bigger crowds waiting before, especially on the weekends. We waited for about 15 mins before finally got seated. 

Placed our order using the tablet order system on the table (and they do have the English option so ordering for non-Koreans shouldn’t be a problem) and our food came out 5 minutes later. Super quick service.

For the banchan, they serve kimchi (김치), Korean garlic chives (Buchu 부추), cubed radish kimchi (Kkakdugi 깍두기) and fermented shrimp (Seujot 새우젓). Pretty standard for a gukbap place and they all tasted good.

🍽️ Sundae Platter (접시순대) ₩7,000 | 9/10

If you never had sundae (순대) before, sundae is essentially Korean blood sausage filled with vegetables, glass noodles, and pork intestines. We ordered the sundae platter to try because we’re curious on what the three different sundaes taste like. Honestly, I don’t know what’s the difference between these three, but the flavors definitely reflected in the colors. The darker sundae has bolder flavors while the lighter sundae has lighter flavors. But they all tasted good though. I liked them all. Easily one of the best sundaes I’ve had in recent times.

🍽️ Sundae Gukbap (순대국밥) ₩11,000 | 9.5/10

The Sundae Gukbap includes various pieces of sundae and slices of boiled pork inside the ttukbaegi with seasoned red chili paste (dadegi 다대기) and (what I think is) perilla seed powder (deulkkaegaru 들깨가루) on top. The broth was savory and umami and the red chili paste and perilla seed powder definitely added an extra layer to the overall flavors. No additional seasoning was needed from me because the taste was already spot on. Super flavorful and comforting and oh so gooood. Pro tip: eat every spoonful of the gukbap with different banchan combination and you’ll get different flavors from each bite. Definitely recommending this menu if you want to try this place. They also have the spicy option if you want it spicy (I ordered the regular one and there’s a bit of a kick for me who doesn’t really eat really spicy food) or if you want to get the large portion, it’s available for an additional cost of  ₩2,000. 

Also, if you’re not into sundae, you can always order their Suyuk Gukbap (수육국밥) which only consists of the boiled pork slices and not the sundae.  

Other menus that they are well-known for is their Ppyeo Haejangguk (뼈해장국) which is a spicy Korean pork bone soup that’s usually the cure for hangover for Koreans (ramyeon option—Haejang Ramyeon 해장라면—is available for this one too) and that’s also why this place is a popular spot for people to go after drinking. 

Anyways, at the end of the meal, we were fully stuffed and super happy with the food (we were so happy that we actually went back again 4 days later for the second time during that trip). If you’re in Hongdae area and want to get a great soup, Boseung Hall Hongdae (보승회관 홍대직영점) is definitely a place that I’d recommend for you to try. Plus the place is open 24 hours so it’s also a perfect spot for a late-night dinner or a post-drinks meal.

 

Boseung Hall Hongdae • 보승회관 홍대직영점

Address: 서울 마포구 어울마당로 131
Telephone: 02-322-8111
Hours: Open 24 Hours

Instagram: @boseunghall
Boseung Hall Website

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Matsunohana The Hyundai Seoul • 마츠노하나 더현대서울점

Matsunohana (마츠노하나) is an authentic Japanese restaurant specializing in Tendon (tempura donburi). Located in the basement of The Hyundai Seoul (더현대서울), Matsunohana serves a variety of Japanese meals centered on crispy Tendon and delicious Donburi with some additional seasonal menus. The restaurant itself is pretty spacious with clean modern design and plenty of two-person tables available making this a perfect place for solo diners and office workers around Yeouido who’s looking to grab a quick lunch. 

I’ve passed by this restaurant a couple of times before during lunch/dinner rush hours and they always seem to have a long line of people waiting for tables in front of the store. And every time I saw this, it always made me wonder on how good their tempura is. So one day when I was craving for some tempura, I decided to give this place a try. I went for a super late lunch on a Tuesday during odd hours (2:45 pm to be precise) to avoid the line. And my plan seemed to have worked because the restaurant was empty when I arrived. Although minutes later, there were a couple of different groups of people who walked in and dined in at the restaurant. So I guess I’m not the only one who’s having a super late lunch at this hour.

But anyways, after I was promptly seated, I placed my order and the food came out 5 minutes after. So service is definitely really quick at this place.

Shoyu Salmon Ebi Tendon (쇼유사케에비텐동) ₩18,800 | 9.5/10

Opted for the Shoyu Salmon Ebi Tendon which includes crispy fried shrimp, soy sauce salmon, onsen tamago and white rice. The salmon sashimi was fresh, nicely cut and seasoned. The soy sauce coating the salmon has the right amount of saltiness. The Ebi tempura was also really good, fresh shrimp that’s cooked just right with their special soy sauce lightly brushed on the outside of the tempura so you don’t have to dip the tempura into a dipping sauce. I also love the crispy breading that they use (the type that doesn’t scar the the roof my mouth if you know what I mean).

Hanwoo Daechang (한우 대창) ₩8,000 | 8.5/10

Out of all the sides listed on the menu, their Hanwoo Daechang was the one that intrigued me the most. Usually having to eat daechang with a friend since the minimum ordering portion is usually 2 servings, I jumped at a chance to eat daechang as a side. The daechang was fresh, pretty big, nicely cut and covered in a red sauce that I thought was going to be too spicy for me who doesn’t eat spicy food well. But turned out, it actually wasn’t too spicy (at least it was manageable for me and for you who eat spicy food, this is probably not spicy at all). The texture of the daechang was also really good, chewy on the outside but soft on the inside. 

All and all, really liked the food that I ordered and will definitely come back again when I’m craving some tempura. If you’re ever in The Hyundai Seoul and have no idea what to eat, Matsunohana is definitely one place to try. 

 

Matsunohana • 마츠노하나

Address: 서울 영등포구 여의대로 108 더현대서울 지하1층
Telephone: 02-3277-0760
Hours: Monday-Thursday 10:30-20:00 | Friday-Sunday 10:30-20:30

Instagram: @matsu_no_1
Naver: 마츠노하나 더현대서울점

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Pungryugak • 풍류각

Pungryugak (풍류각) is a Korean BBQ restaurant located near Hapjeong Station (합정역) that specializes in dry-aged 1++ Hanwoo meat. The restaurant has a clean, modern interior with plenty of seatings around the space. Each table is equipped with its own modern BBQ exhaust pipe that prevents smokes from filling up the room which is always a nice touch to a Korean BBQ restaurant. On the further end of the dining area, there are 2 private rooms that can accommodate 8 people in each room if you wish to have a more private dining experience. The restaurant also seems to have been visited by a number of celebrities and public figures, evident by the number of framed signatures they hung up on the wall of the restaurants. 

If you’re not familiar with Hanwoo, it is a breed of Korean cattle known for its high-quality, marbled beef. For that reason alone, it is usually compared to Japanese Wagyu (if Japan has Wagyu, Korea has Hanwoo). Hanwoo has their own grading system for their quality of the meat and the highest grade is called the 1++ or 투플러스 (투뿔) in Korean. 1++ grade Hanwoo usually has the highest marbling and tenderness and a higher price point compared to the lower tiers.

Just like a lot of newer restaurants in Seoul that just opened these past couple of years, Pungryugak uses the tabletop tablet ordering system. So all you have to do is browse the menu on the tablet, add the menu you want to order to the cart and press order. For this restaurant though, I don’t remember if they have language options. I came with my Korean friend and since we both can read Korean, I didn’t pay attention if they have option to change the language (you can always use Google Translate camera to read the menu if they don’t). Anyways, not long after we got seated, we placed our orders and the food came out soon after. 

Gochujang Beef Tartare (고추장육회) ₩15,000 | 8.5/10

The yukhoe (beef tartare) was nice and fresh. The temperature was also just right, not too cold or too warm. The gochujang (red pepper paste) sauce was a tad spicy for me but it’s a solid yukhoe.

Dry-Aged Hanwoo Beef Tounge (한우 우설) ₩29,000 | 9/10

20-Day Dry-Aged Beef Tounge
한우우설을 20일간 드라이에이징하여 쫀득하면서 아삭한 식감의 스페셜메뉴

The texture of the beef tongue was soft but still has that chewiness in the bite and it was juicy. Also there’s no meaty smell at all (sometimes there’s a certain smell in beef tongue if they don’t prepare or cook it properly).

Assorted 1++ Hanwoo Platter (투뿔한우모듬) ₩69,000 | 9/10

The Assorted 1++ Hanwoo Platter consists of the 1++ Hanwoo Kkotsal (top) and Dry-Aged 1++ Hanwoo Galbi (bottom).

Dry-Aged 1++ Hanwoo Galbi (Short Ribs) | 8.5/10

드라이에이징 투뿔한우갈비살 

The galbi was juicy, chewy but not tough at all. Galbi is usually a safe choice if you want a good, delicious meat for Korean BBQ and this one was no different. 

1++ Hanwoo Kkotsal (Chuck Flap Tail) | 9/10

투뿔 꽃살

The kkotsal has a very nice marbling. It was also the softest and juiciest out of all the cuts we ordered. Definitely my favorite cut of this meal.

After my first visit with my friend, I actually came back again a few days later with another friend. This time we ordered the Hanwoo Dry-Aged Beef Tounge (한우 우설) and 1++ Hanwoo Anchangsal (Outside Skirt) (투뿔 안창살). Didn’t take proper picture of the anchangsal but it was actually pretty good too. A 8.5/10 from me. This restaurant has officially made it to my ‘K-BBQ Restaurants in Hapjeong Area’ list. Definitely worth visiting if you want to get some high-quality Hanwoo.

 

Pungryugak • 풍류각

Address: 서울 마포구 월드컵로 33 1층
Telephone: 0507-1425-9279
Hours: Mon-Fri 11:00 - 02:00 (Break Time: 15:00 - 17:00) | Sat-Sun 11:00 - 02:00

Instagram: @pungryugak

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Solsot Cheongdam • 솔솥 청담점

Solsot Cheongdam (솔솥 청담점) is a chain restaurant that is specialized in “Sotbap” (솥밥) (or“pot rice” in Korean), a Korean traditional dish where short-grain rice is cooked with various ingredients in a heavy pot placed directly on a stove or over an open flame. The dish has been gaining popularity (or at least I’ve seen more and more clips online of restaurants serving Sotbap) in the past couple of years and in my opinion is one of the food trends that’s pretty popular in Korea in recent times (not recent recent, but pretty recent). I still remember a couple of years ago when it started with one or two restaurants that went viral because of their Sotbap menu. But these days, you can find multiple restaurants that have similar concepts in different places in the country. Solsot is one of the bigger franchise in this category with 77 locations all over South Korea. 

I went to the Cheongdam location (솔솥 청담점) on a Friday for lunch with a friend of mine. We arrived at 11:30 am, right before the lunch rush started and managed to get a table right away. The restaurant is not too big with about 24 seatings available around the room. The tables are for mostly for 4 people, but there are about four tables that accommodate party of two. And good thing we came a little early because minutes later, the restaurant was full with people and there’s even a line forming outside. So yes, the place is definitely pretty popular and you might have to wait for a table if you come during lunch or dinner rush. 

The menu here is pretty straight forward with accompanying pictures so you don’t have to guess what you’re getting. Each Sotbap set comes with sides of salad, soup, banchan, dipping sauce and a Yakult drink. 

How To Eat

First, mixed everything inside the pot. Add the sauce too according to your preference and liking. After everything is mixed together, scoop the rice out and place them on the empty plate they gave with your set. If you want to enjoy the Nurungji (or scorched rice), leave the crispy rice that’s sticking to the pot and then pour the hot tea/broth that they gave you inside the white sake bottle shaped container into the pot and put the lid back on top. You can eat this at the end of your meal after you finish your Sotbap.

Overall Comment

One thing I have to say about the flavors, if you’re imagining Sotbap to have a bold flavors (as in South East Asian standard for bold flavors and strong seasonings for example), you might be disappointed when eating it. In general, I think when talking about what considered comfort food in Korea, most of the dishes are very mildly seasoned, especially if you’re comparing it to the flavors one usually finds in South East Asian cooking. Even my Korean friends have told me that SEA foods are generally stronger in seasonings and saltier compared to Korean food (not all, but majority of it). So for the locals, the flavors and seasonings might already hit their level of comfort, but if you are from South East Asia or prefer a strongly seasoned dishes like those found in the SEA countries, Sotbap could taste a tad under seasoned for your taste buds. Just a heads up.

Abalone Sotbap (전복솥밥) ₩18,000 | 8/10

The abalone is fresh and chewy, not tough at all. This Sotbap tastes very earthy especially with the addition of the sesame seeds. For the Abalone Sotbap, it does come with a pack of seaweed sheet on the side. And they recommend you to wrap the rice with the seaweed, dip it into the sauce and eat it in one bite. Eating it this way does add a layer of complexity to the Sotbap and enhance that sea flavor in your bite.

Steak Sotbap (스테이크솥밥) ₩18,000 | 8/10

The steak is nice and tender with pretty generous portion. The egg yolk added an extra creaminess to the Sotbap which I enjoyed. The sauce for the Steak Sotbap is a bit saltier than the Abalone Sotbap’s sauce so I would recommend you to pour it little by little first and taste it in case pouring everything in all together is too salty for you. 

All and all, my friend and I enjoyed our meal. We were pretty stuffed by the end of our lunch (we didn’t even finish all of our rice, just the proteins cause the portion is actually bigger than we thought) and the Sotbap felt like a very healthy meal. If you’re looking for something warm, comforting and nutritious for your body, I think Sotbap is the way to go.

 

Solsot Cheongdam • 솔솥 청담점

Address: 서울 강남구 도산대로53길 16
Telephone: 0507-1334-6806
Hours: Everyday 11:30-21:00 (Last Order 20:30)

Instagram: @solsot_official

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Pro Soy Crab Sinsa • 프로간장게장 신사본점

Pro Soy Crab Sinsa (프로간장게장 신사본점) is one of the most famous crab and seafood restaurants in Seoul that’s well-known for their Ganjang-Gejang 간장게장 (soy sauce marinated crabs). They use premium grade blue crabs that are caught fresh from the west sea of Korea and marinated them with their own special sauce made from fresh ingredients. Since the opening of this first flagship location in 1980, Pro Soy Crab is considered one of the pioneer of marinated crabs restaurants in Seoul.

If you have watched your fair share of Korean variety shows and K-dramas, you probably have seen a Ganjang-Gejang eating scenes on your screen before. And I bet most of you are probably curious if those soy sauce marinated crabs are really as good as how these Korean idols, actors and actresses who are eating them made them look like to be. At least in my case, me and my friends were definitely really curious, especially since every single one of them always boast on how good, expensive and special Ganjang-Gejang is. And that is how me and my friend found ourselves going to one of the most famous Ganjang-Gejang restaurants in Seoul to try these crabs for ourselves.

Pro Soy Crab Sinsa (프로간장게장 신사본점) is located 153 meters from Sinsa Station (신사역), a short 2-minute walk from Exit 4 and close to the famous Garosugil (가로수길). The restaurant occupies 5 floors of a tall building and accommodates about 320 seats for visiting patrons. My friend and I went for a visit on a Wednesday for lunch. As soon as we stepped into the restaurant, we were quickly seated at one of the empty booths and were given the menu book to look through while one of the staff placed six different banchans and two bowls of seaweed soup on the table. After we placed our order, all the food came up pretty quick so the service was really swift at this restaurant.

Sliced Live Octopus 산낙지 ₩30,000 | 8.5/10

Sliced Live Octopus with Sesame Oil and Salt

The octopus was fresh and seasoned nicely. It wasn’t fishy and the texture was soft and chewy. I also really like the fragrant sesame dipping oil that was served with it. If you haven’t had this before, the moving octopus pieces might look scary. But honestly, after you put it in your mouth and start chewing, you’ll get over the sensation of the pieces sucking and sticking to your tongue pretty fast. Just make sure you dip the octopus in the sesame oil and chew thoroughly. If you haven’t had this before and want to try a good one, I’d recommend this place to try since this is one of the better sliced live octopus that I’ve had in Seoul. 

Soy Sauce Marinated Blue Crabs 간장게장 ₩78,000 | 8/10

2 Female Crabs (Medium Size)

Their famous Ganjang-Gejang (Soy Sauce Marinated Blue Crabs) was actually pretty good. The crabs were definitely fresh with a good amount of meat and roe in them. They were also marinated and seasoned well with the salty soy sauce flavor being up front and prominent in every single bite. You’ll definitely have to eat the crab meat with rice and/or banchans to balanced out the flavor if you don’t want it to taste too salty. Also worth noting, if you are not a big fan of seafood or sensitive to the fishy or briny taste of seafood, this might not be your cup of tea. There was a good amount of fishiness and brininess that I tasted when eating the crabs so if you’re really sensitive, you might not like this dish. 

Sweet and Spicy Marinated Blue Crabs 양념게장 ₩82,000 | 9/10

2 Female Crabs (Medium Size)

For their Yangnyeom-Gejang (Sweet and Spicy Marinated Blue Crabs), I actually like this more than I like the Ganjang-Gejang. The yangnyeom sauce was seasoned really well. It’s a bit spicy for me who has a low tolerance of spicy food, but the spice level was still manageable when I ate it with rice. I also think since the flavor of the yangnyeom sauce is a bit punchier than the ganjang sauce, it did a better job at masking that fishy taste from the crab meat. I actually didn’t really taste the fishiness at all on this one. So my recommendation is for you who’s more sensitive to that fishy seafood taste, definitely try the Yangnyeom-Gejang instead. I think you’ll enjoy it more than the Ganjang-Gejang.

Crab Roe Bibimbap 게알비빔밥 ₩25,000 | 8.5/10

Bibimbap made with steamed rice, fresh crab meat, crab roe, egg yolk, seaweed seasoning, sesame, sesame oil

We also ordered the Crab Roe Bibimbap to eat with the crabs and this was also pretty good. The bibimbap itself isn’t strongly seasoned. You mix the crab roe, egg yolk, seaweed and the rice together and you’ll get a creamy bowl of rice that’s actually a perfect pair for the stronger flavored marinated crab meat. Eating them together in a bite certainly cut the saltiness and spiciness from the marination sauce and gave a more balanced flavors. Wrap it in the seaweed sheet if you want to add a little crunch to your bite.

Overall, would I recommend this place? If you’re looking for a good place to try a good Ganjang-Gejang, Yangnyeom-Gejang or Live Octopus, then yes. I think this place is worth trying, especially if you’re visiting Seoul and you want to try Korean food that is not Korean BBQ or meat. Pro Soy Crab Sinsa (프로간장게장 신사본점) does serve fresh blue crabs that taste good. And judging by the number of photos and signatures of Korean public figures that are hanged on the wall around the restaurants, I believe the locals also love this place. Whether the crabs are really as good as how these Korean idols, actors and actresses who are eating them on screen made them look like to be or not, I’ll let you be the judge of that.

 

Pro Soy Crab Sinsa • 프로간장게장 신사본점

Address: 서울 서초구 강남대로97길 7 지하1.2층, 지상1층(잠원동)
Telephone: 02-543-4126
Hours: Everyday 10:00-23:00

Instagram: @prosoycrab
Menu

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