Seafood tteokbokki at Beodulgol in Itaewon's bottom
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| Seafood Tteokbokki at Beodulgol |
Last week was another sensational food week. I was able to meet the fabulous food writer Marina O'Loughlin and her husband David and we spent the next few days eating our way through Seoul. Marina, who is a twitterholic (follow her at http://twitter.com/#!/MarinaMetro), was a wonderful person to dine with and by the time we got to Beodulgol, I had an understanding of what she and her husband liked to eat. They liked the local, the raw, the real cuisine that you can only get if you know the land. Of course, I didn't just go to hole in the wall places, but I think this place was a big hit with them.
Beodulgol, is a local hangout that is well known for their seafood. The shellfish outside the restaurant are well taken care of us and it shows in the food they cook. Their most famous dish is Seafood Rice Cake (Haemul tteokbokki). The noodles are made of rice so they have that bouncy texture (some of the places use flour noodles and they just taste spongy). You'll also find many clams, octopus, mussels, and fish cakes in the spicy yet flavorful sauce. It was so flavorful that David, got a bowl of it and ate it like soup! Their presentation of the food is quite good as well. The sliced, white egg on the red sauce is an excellent contrast.
David, really wanted to try some spicy octopus, so we got an order of spicy baby octopus (Maeun Jukkumi). This stuff was very hot because of the red chili flakes, but it was easily cooled down by mixing it with the white noodles and a refreshing beer. This dish had flavor, but mostly hot- I would only recommend it for those that are in the mood for something very spicy.
Beodulgol has all of the touches that make it a great local place. I know that it is a franchise, but if they can replicate what they did at this at other locations, then I think it will be very successful.
Beodulgol Yeeyagi
Itaewon
Korean Dining Bar
02-797-0167
Directions: Go out Itaewon Station Exit 4 and make a U-turn and make a right. At the first street at Chef Meili's make a right and walk to the bottom of the hill. You'll see a tent outside.
Seafood tteokbokki at beodulgol in Itaewon bottom with
