Gangdong-gu in southeastern Seoul is a family-oriented district known for its community markets and traditional Korean restaurants. Cheonho Market offers one of Seoul's best selections of traditional banchan, grilled fish, and home-style Korean cooking away from the tourist circuit.
I ended up at this Chinese restaurant by accident while looking for a place to eat cold noodles — took a wrong turn and stumbled in! Turns out, the place is actually run by a Korean celebrity, Kim Hak-rae. Pretty cool, right? One thing that caught my eye on the menu was “Injeolmi Tangsuyuk” — sweet and sour pork with Korean rice cakes. I had to try it because it sounded so unique! But honestly, there wasn’t much meat… It felt more like a rice cake dish with sauce than actual pork. Still, the texture was fun and the idea was super creative, just not quite what I expected. I also had the white jjambbong, which is a seafood noodle soup with a clear broth. It reminded me of a famous version from a 40-year-old restaurant in Daegu called Yeongsaengdeok. Light, clean flavor — definitely tasty! Only downside? The tangsuyuk was 35,000 won, which felt kinda pricey for what it was. -BOFF
