Side Show Instant Tteokbokki at Samseong Station, Seoul — Small Portions

#NoSponsorship

Today we headed to COEX near Samseong Station for lunch, and after wandering through the endless food options, we spotted an instant tteokbokki place called Side Show.

Side Show COEX branch is on B1 of the COEX City Airport Mall. The address is 22 Teheran-ro 87-gil, Gangnam-gu. Hours are daily 11:00 AM to 9:00 PM, last order at 8:15 PM. It was honestly a bit tricky to find - it is hidden behind the Dr. Martens store, tucked next to Smoothie King.

Apparently this place normally has long waits, but we went on a Thursday around 11:30 AM and walked right in. By noon, a line had already formed.

The interior has a fun vibe - the owner seems to love superhero stuff, with figurines and posters everywhere, plus a cool Coca-Cola collection on display. Each table has a tablet for easy ordering, and they offer set menus, though we decided to go a la carte.

We ordered the instant tteokbokki for 1-2 people, plus brisket, chewy noodles, and bunmoja as toppings, and a cola. The base tteokbokki comes with just rice cakes and fish cakes, so toppings are essential. They have main and sub topping categories to customize your pot.

We also got a free service of fried gyoza and fried...