Sunhi-ne is a Korean restaurant. Located in Gwangjang Market (see most recently 6.345 Painting the Town Pink).One of the most popular/famous establishments in the market, lines out the door at all times of the day.We were fortunate to score a spot right away, sharing an outside table with other customers.The benches are wired to provide heat to the asses.Soy beans ground on the spot.About 1 cm deep in corn oil, the cooking falls somewhere between griddling and deep-frying.Other items are available on the menu, but it’s all about the bindae ddeok (3.0) (see for example 3.007 Nokdu Bindae Jeon) (also with LY!) and gogi wanja (2.5) (see for example 3.145 Wanja…).
The primary objective of visiting the market was Sunhi-Ne.
The food was okay. First time eating on the premises, I was a bit disappointed, perhaps expectations too high — previous experiences with takeout, reheated at home, had been very positive. The texture was nicely crisp, but the flavors weren’t as rich as remembered. Oh well.
By coincidence, the stall next door is where Number One Swedish Fan GK and I had shared our last drink (see most recently 4.234 …Dweji Galbi).
Then again, my impression of food seems to go out of whack when eating with LY sometimes (see for example 2.274 Jaengban Guksu), perhaps under the pressure to satisfy GMTD’s Number One Fan.
2-CHA
We quickly moved on, settling on this stall offering dumplings.Hand-rolled skins.In the Philippines, food left out in the open creeps me out, but it doesn’t bother me here, apparently.Mandu (2.0) (see for example 7.013 Mandu).
In Seoul. Arrived two weeks ago on a mission. Injured my back last weekend (see generally 7.011 Bacon Cheeseburger Pizza). Staying in town for treatment. Aiming to return to Manila this Saturday.
3-CHA
LY is the mysterious woman in charcoal, as seen only from behind in these photos.More typical street fare (see for generally 4.166 The Quad).Gwangjang Market’s culinary claim to fame are these so-called “mayak (narcotic)” gimbap (foreground) (2.0) (see for example 5.158 Bareun Gimbap), which represent the fifth and final pillar of Korean street food — to be covered in a separate post someday; the ddeokbokki (background) (2.0) (see for example 4.092 Myeong-Dong-Style Ddeokbokki) were passable.
In my defense, while recent posts may seem to suggest that I’m out carousing when I should be at home recuperating, I should explain that I’m home in bed all day, and dinner is the one chance every day that I get to stretch my legs, as recommended by my doctor.
4-CHA
The entrance to Charles H., a “speakeasy” located in the Four Seasons Hotel Seoul; we had a drink with LY’s acquaintance, a lawyer from the States, a smoker, who refused to accept evidence of a “causal link” between tobacco use and cancer.
Whatever the opposite of “in my defense” may be, this post certainly doesn’t help.
I haven’t achieved so many “cha (stages)” in nearly 2.5 years (see 4.227 Köttbullar) (also with GK).
5-CHA
Samgyeopsal (3.0) (see for example 7.021 Samgyeopsal), at a pork barbecue restaurant within walking distance of the hotel; not just us, we were accompanied at this stage by another acquaintance of LY, another lawyer, not moron.
Disk herniation be damned, what a fantastic evening — maybe not the food per se, but everything in toto.
one good and simultaneously bad thing about both of us is that neither gets too sloppy when drunk, which is good at the time because it doesn’t spoil the setting, but then it doesn’t provide us with important negative feedback that could alert us when enough is too much.
i’m going to write about this in an upcoming post…
i think perhaps one justifies smoking in this day and age by refusing to believe the causal link between tobacco and cancer. it’s ridiculous. and i can’t believe he had that conversation with you, the WHO NCD guy.
things that i would do every day, simply because of the pure pleasure, damned if i do — but try to avoid because of the undeniable harm — are smoking (maybe once every few months), eating fried chicken (maybe once a month), and drinking Scotch (maybe not once every few months).
that was such a fun night! i don’t remember how i got back to the hotel.
one good and simultaneously bad thing about both of us is that neither gets too sloppy when drunk, which is good at the time because it doesn’t spoil the setting, but then it doesn’t provide us with important negative feedback that could alert us when enough is too much.
i’m going to write about this in an upcoming post…
i think perhaps one justifies smoking in this day and age by refusing to believe the causal link between tobacco and cancer. it’s ridiculous. and i can’t believe he had that conversation with you, the WHO NCD guy.
things that i would do every day, simply because of the pure pleasure, damned if i do — but try to avoid because of the undeniable harm — are smoking (maybe once every few months), eating fried chicken (maybe once a month), and drinking Scotch (maybe not once every few months).