Cycle 13 – Item 107

22 (Fri) April 2022

Kongnamul Gukbab

2.5

at Yegaju

-Seongsu, Seongdong, Seoul, Republic of Korea-

with Mom + Dad

Yegaju (예가주) is a Korean restaurant.  Specializes in kongnamul gukbab.

Based purely on personal observation, the signage of Korean restaurants seem to focus more on what they offer (i.e., their signature dish, e.g., kongnamul gukbab), rather on who they are (i.e., the actual name of the place, e.g., Yegaju).  By extension, customers tend to identify restaurants on that basis (e.g., “Let’s go to the kongnamul gukbab place,” rather than “Let’s go to Yegaju.”).  Here, the signage is big on “kongnamul gukbab,” while “Yegaju” is barely visible – I’d wager that 9/10 of customers don’t even know about “Yegaju.”

Apparently, kongnamul gukbab is an established dish, originating from Jeonju, and for some reason a popular dish in Seongsu-dong, judging by the presence of at least 3 restaurants in the immediate vicinity specializing in it (see for example 12.025 Kongnamul Gukbab).

I still think that it’s “just a huge pile of kongnamul in a clear, nearly flavorless broth, topped with scallions, with bits of squid at the bottom,” as I’d described the dish previously.  The one here is much better than at the other place.

(See also GLOBAL FOOD GLOSSARY)

(See also RESTAURANTS IN KOREA)