Nakdonggang

When you pass the line in front of the dried pollack soup eateries in the neighborhood of Mugyo-dong, you’ll come across a sign that reads “Hwangbuja.” It’s part of the Nakdonggang restaurant. If you’re feeling like some stew for lunch you can hit up this popular eatery. If you’re craving grilled frozen sirloin and doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew), turn the corner and enter Nakdonggang. They have a unique technique of freezing the sirloin solid, slicing it thin, and grilling it on quality charcoal. The sliced meat is so thin that it cooks almost instantly, but expert grillers can control the process so that the meat is cooked to medium, not all the way. Slap on some spicy, tart seasoned leek and spicy radish salad and wrap it up in some lettuce for heaven in your mouth. The Nakdonggang doenjang jjigae, which is one of Seoul’s top five doenjang jjigaes, is eaten afterwards as part of the “rice course.” With beef and spring onion, radish, and tofu, their doenjang jjigae is an exemplary model of a dish that tastes “clean”—an important virtue for Korean food in Seoul.