Gyeongju Sikdang • 경주식당

During one hot summer day in June, I was craving Korean bbq meat and rice. It was lunch time, which means all my friends were either at work or at school, which also means that it’s another one of my solo meat eating session. And so, I decided to visit one of the places from my to-try-restaurants list, Gyeongju Sikdang (경주식당), that serves individual bapsang menu (because this time, I just want to eat one portion of meat and not two like I did at Oneunjeong).

Gyeongju Sikdang (경주식당) is a Korean restaurant that is housed in a hanok located in one of the alleyways of Sangsudong (상수동). Stepping into the spacious courtyard of the hanok feels really refreshing, especially after walking up the narrow street leading up it.

The restaurant is divided into three seating areas (actually four, if you count the table outside in the courtyard) and decorated with vintage tables, chairs, lamps and decorations that match the warm wooden interior of the hanok. The place definitely gave me a nostalgic feeling, like visiting your grandmother’s house kind of feeling. 

I ordered their 목살정식 (Pork Neck Meal) which comes with a side of grilled veggies, rice, doenjang jjigae, and 4 kinds of banchan (kimchi, Korean pickled onion, anchovies and one other thing that I don’t know the name of). The meat kind of hit that middle ground texture that still has a bite to it without being too tough, which was pretty nice. Everything was actually cooked and seasoned well and felt home-cooked. It was a great solid meal for me and my craving was definitely satisfied.

Fun fact:

Gyeongju Sikdang actually appeared on Blackpink’s documentary ‘Light Up The Sky’. This is the restaurant where Blackpink had their meal during the ending scene where Jisoo, Rosé, Jennie, and Lisa talk about where they want to live in the future and what they would be doing twenty years from now. Jisoo & Lisa also actually mentioned that they have been coming to this restaurant since they were still trainees and the server remembers them.

Watch the clip below:

 

Gyeongju Sikdang • 경주식당

Address: 서울 마포구 와우산로13길 49-7
Telephone: 02-322-1674
Hours: Everyday 11:30 - 23:-00 (Break Time: 15:30 - 17:30)

Instagram: @gyeongju_bistro

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Lunch at Hongdae

Last friday, I met up with Ken for an overdue catch up session in Hongdae (홍대). This was my first time back in this neighborhood again and it certainly felt good to back in a familiar place. If you visit Hongdae frequent enough, you'll eventually noticed that there are certain spots that are very popular for meeting point. Exit 8 and 9 are those spots for Hongdae subway station. Whether you come in the morning or in the afternoon, there will always be people standing or sitting around those exits, looking at their cell phones waiting for the people who they're gonna meet to come up from the steps.

So, following the popular choice, Ken and I decided to meet up at exit 8. It's just easier that way to find each other. We haven't seen each other for almost half a year and it was nice to feel that almost nothing has changed since our last meet when he showed up and greeted me like we just hung out yesterday. We made our way to the lunch place, Gaemi (개미), around Sangsu (상수) area and the food there was delicious and cheap. We had the Steak Rice Bowl (스테이크 덮밥), the Cube Steak Rice Bowl (큐브스테이크 덮밥), and the Salmon Rice Bowl (연어 덮밥) to share. And each menu was under ₩10,000. A pretty good place for a solid lunch I would say. We walked around the area for a bit to shoot some stuff before moving on to the next place. It was a successful lunch outing overall. 

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Taverna de Portugal

The only Portuguese restaurant I've been to in Seoul, Taverna de Portugal (터버나드포르투갈), has became one of my favorite places to go to, especially when I'm craving Nando's Chicken (which I haven't eaten in ages btw). Granted, the taste is not is exactly the same (according to a friend of mine who knows for sure what it tastes like), but their Grilled Piri Piri Chicken (피리피리치킨) is super delicious and full of flavors and it's good enough to fulfill my cravings :p

Located in a small alley in Sangsu (상수), the restaurant is owned by a friendly husband and wife duo. The place is not too big and it gets pretty busy during dinner time, especially on weekends. I usually ordered the Piri Piri Chicken Combo Menu 1 (피리피리 치킨 콤보메뉴 1), which consists of one whole grilled chicken, rice, sausage, bacon, salad, potatoes and home-made chips. It's good for 2 people and if you think that you need more food, they also have other selections on the menu.

They are currently having a summer special menu: Piri Piri Grill Fish Combo—oven grilled whole fish with piri piri sauce (minimum 1 day pre-order is required). Check out their facebook page for more info. 

Tips: Come during lunch time if you want to avoid the crowd. 

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