Thursday, March 24, 2011

Trip to Seoul (March 2011)...Mandu and kalguksu lunch


(From March 9, 2011)
It was already our 3rd day in Seoul and another sunny day.

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We went to Myeong-dong Kyoja for lunch. It’s a very popular local place which is specialized in traditional noodle and dumplings (I later found that they have a branch in Koreatown in LA...so I want to check it out). Their menu consists of only 4 items (3 noodle dishes and 1 mandu plate). They have large dining rooms over two floors, and there was already a waiting line after 12 pm. Luckily, we got in to beat the lunch rush.

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This is their signature kalguksu (hand-cut wheat noodles). Clear broth was infused with chicken and vegetables for 4-6 hours. The broth was very nice. The noodle was topped with ground pork, wontons and shredded cucumber. The noodle was very smooth and had the nice texture.

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Here’s their mandu (dumplings). It was also very nice. The filling was ground pork and lots of Chinese chives with garlic. The texture was fluffy and rather light, so I could keep eating one after another. But later, I realized the very strong chive and garlic flavors stayed in my mouth for a while (even after brushing teeth!).

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I really enjoyed the rustic delicious lunch.

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After lunch, we crossed the river to Apgujeong area for shopping. We took a break at Galleria department store. They have a small but nice basement grocery section plus food court. I had 3 kinds of ice cream…rice, cheese, and green tea. They were rich and nice. Rice ice cream even had grains in it.