Cycle 12 – Item 176

30 (Wed) June 2021

Chamchi Special

3.5

at Ieodo Chamchi

-Changgok, Sujeong, Seongnam, Gyeonggi, Republic of Korea-

with the Family

Ieodo Chamchi (이어도) is a Japanese-ish restaurant.  Specializes in tuna (chamchi) sashimi (hoe), which is served along with a Koreanized kaiseki.  Free reups on the fish.  The name of the restaurant Ieodo refers to a mythical island in Korean maritime folklore, currently applied to a reef formation known internationally as Socotra Rock,

With 4 options on the menu, we opted for the cheapest “Special.”

The food was good.  The selection of fish comprised a range of cuts, mostly cheap ones – fortunately, IZ prefers the cheap ones – and a smattering of premium ones.  All reasonably fresh and tasty.  The sides were well-varied, well-made, well-balanced, many Korean in character.

Such Koreanized kaiseki usually conclude with a soup, usually maeun tang made from bones remaining after the sashimi is filleted.

Unusually here, the soup was bugeo guk, which is made with dried pollack.  It was good.

Come to think of it, a restaurant that serves only tuna would only have tuna bones, which aren’t typically made into soup, as far as I’m aware.

For the reup, the chef came into our alcove with a knife, a cutting board, and a head of tuna. He proceeded to carve out pieces of flesh, as we watched.  When I expressed surprise to be granted the honor even though we’d ordered the cheap set, the chef said that he wanted to impress us upon our first visit and hoped we’d become regulars.

I see us coming back.

(See also BOOZE)

(See also GLOBAL FOOD GLOSSARY)

(See also RESTAURANTS IN KOREA)