Cycle 15 – Item 81

26 (Tuesday) March 2024

Jogae Jjim

3.5

at Suwang

-Jae, Jongro, Seoul, Republic of Korea-

with SL, dbBOOKS staff, et al.

Suwang is a Korean restaurant.  Main menu includes just 2 types of meats (grilled) and 4 types of shellfish (grilled/steamed/raw); side menu offers a small selection standard soup dishes.  Not a franchise chain.

SL, Asia sales manager for Hachette Book Group, is back in town for her twice-yearly visit to Korea.

For dinner this time, having had a bit of fun last time seeing her reactions to Korean-Chinese food (see 14.306 Palbochae (and Other Non-Chinese Dishes)), we decided to play it straight this time and go for traditional Korean – also a no brainer because she’s staying in Insa-dong, the most ostensibly “traditional” neighborhood in Seoul.

When confirming the date of the dinner a few weeks back, I’d suggested that our colleagues at ICK (local partner of HBG) propose a suitable venue close to SL’s accommodations (renovated hanok, of course), but apparently they’d missed that part of the email.  So, we wandered the alleys of Insa-dong until kinda settling on a restaurant that looked less touristy than the rest.

As soon as we walked in, I suspected that we’d hit the jackpot.  Everything about the place – ratty wallpaper, cheap furniture, sparse menu – screamed independent authenticity, the antithesis of franchise.  Even if the food weren’t that great, it would be real.

The food was excellent.  One half of the table dedicated to grilled meat (beef rib fingers) and the other to steamed shellfish (clams, scallops, oysters), shared back-and-forth between.  The meat was fresh and tasty, as were the shellfish.  Though at first glance an odd pairing, the surf-and-turf synergy was soon evident – the smoky earthiness of the beef, further enhanced by dried rosemary, which made it smell like a forrest X the sweet brininess of the shellfish, like we were on a beach.  Best, and most soulful, Korean meal that I’ve had in recent memory.

Interestingly, the restaurant is described on Naver as a “fusion” restaurant, which I only discovered in writing this post.  In fact, during the meal, we kept explaining to SL that certain elements of the spread – such as the rosemary infused beef, white cabbage salad – were “unusual, yet authentically Korean in essence.”

Beyond the food, what a great time overall.  Can’t wait until SL’s next visit.

(See also HANSIK)

(See also RESTAURANTS IN KOREA)