Hanmiok Cheongdam • 한미옥 청담동
One of the Korean dish that went viral on social media last year was Hanmiok’s Chadol Gujeolpan (차돌구절판) because of its unique presentation that undoubtedly makes a good content for travelers who were visiting Seoul. And so last spring, I went to Hanmiok Cheongdam (한미옥 청담동) with @munchandsnap.jkt to try it out.
We arrived at the restaurant at 4:30 pm to avoid the dinner rush, but apparently there were 7 other groups who have the same idea as us so we still had to wait in line for our table. We put our name and phone number on the machine for the waiting list and waited around for an hour before we finally got seated at our table.
When the server came, we ordered the medium Chadol Gujeolpan (차돌구절판 中) for us to share. Now what exactly is a Chadol Gujeolpan? Gujeolpan (구절판) itself is the traditional Korean Platter of Nine Delicacies that is plated in nine divided sections in an octagon shape or the plate itself. Hanmiok’s version of this is served with Korean beef brisket (the chadolbaegi) on a black pan.
10 minutes after we placed our order, the server came back with our food and started setting up to cook the Chadol Gujeolpan. The first two ingredients were the Korean beef brisket or the chadolbaegi (차돌백이) and water parsley (미나리) that were already placed on the pan. They cooked these first before adding more ingredients to the pan.
The next six ingredients were (see photo below in clockwise direction) kimchi (김치), bean sprouts (콩나물), bracken (고사리), scallops (관자), octopus (문어), and buckwheat pancakes (메밀전병) in the middle.
After the beef brisket and water parsley were cooked, they used the oil from the beef to cook the scallops, octopus and buckwheat pancakes before adding the kimchi, bracken, and bean sprouts in.
And lastly, after all of that were cooked and neatly placed in a circle, the server pour egg (계란) from a golden aluminum teapot into the middle part of the pan to complete the ninth ingredient of the dish. The egg is then cooked with a blowtorch until it’s done with a silky smooth finish.
Chadol Gujeolpan (차돌구절판 中) ₩59,000 | 9/10
Chadolbaegi (차돌백이), Water Parsley (미나리), Kimchi (김치), Bean Sprouts (콩나물), Bracken (고사리), Scallops (관자), Octopus (문어), Buckwheat Pancakes (메밀전병), Egg (계란).
I have to say I love this kind of food. The ingredients themselves are not fancy, but each components are well-seasoned and the flavor of everything works together. For me, the best way to eat this dish is to mix up the ingredients in every bite because each combinations gave me a different flavor profile. So mix two, three, or four things in a bite. Or if your mouth could fit everything, the whole 9 things in a spoon (although that might be a bit too much honestly). But one thing that I would recommend is to at least mix one meat with one veggies and the egg. You’ll get that nice juicy bite where the meat is balanced out by the acid from the veggies and everything kind of just bursts in your mouth. So satisfying.
The portion of the medium Chadol Gujeolpan (차돌구절판 中) is more than enough for two people. Although I did order a bowl of rice just because I wanted to have the dish with rice and me and my friend were fully stuffed at the end of the meal.
Service was okay at this place. The servers weren’t the friendliest, but they weren’t rude either. The food came out pretty quickly though. But overall, the meal was really satisfying and I really like it.
If you want to come to this place, be prepared for the possibility of waiting for your table. It helps if you have a Korean phone number since you can input them into the machine and you can walk around the area while waiting (they’ll call/message you when you’re table is ready). But if you don’t have a Korean phone number, you’ll have to wait around the store at least when your turn is near.
Will I come back again to this place? I already did actually. Went back in the fall with a different group of friends, although my second visit was to their Yeouido location and the food was as good as this location.
Hanmiok Cheongdam • 한미옥 청담동
Address: 서울 강남구 선릉로 822 지하 1층
Telephone: 02-545-4622
Hours: Monday-Friday 11:00-22:00 (Break Time: 14:30-17:00) | Saturday & Sunday 12:00-22:00 (Break Time: 15:00-17:00)
Instagram: @hanmiok0616
