15.131 Futomaki

Cycle 15 – Item 131

15 (Wed) May 2024

Futomaki

1.5

from Jo

at the In-Laws’

-Apgujeong, Gangnam, Seoul, Republic of Korea-

solo

Jo is a Japanese restaurant.  Offers a range of items, from kid-friendly fare (e.g., tonkatsu) to adult-friendly anju dishes (e.g., tako wasabi).

Located in Sinsa Sijang (see generally 13.069 Sundae in Ddeokbokki Sauce).

Curiously, the entrance of the restaurant is inside the market, with no streetside signage (as far as I could tell) to suggest its existence, sorta like a speakeasy, which is maybe a thing these days: amping the hype by not hyping it (see for example 14.201 Signature (Burger)).

Also, it doesn’t (as yet) (as far as I could find) have any internet presence.

The storefront is also quite striking, clearly intended to evoke the vibe of a back alley hole-in-the-wall in Japan, which can look rundown yet retain hip, in contrast to the market’s Korea-in-the-1970s state of dilapidation, which is simply rundown.

Most items in the market are wrapped in plastic, presumably because they rarely get sold and so needed to be protected from the accumulation of dust.  

Today was Buddha’s Birthday, a national holiday in Korea.

We had errands to run in the city, including to get DJ outfitted (in his uncle’s clothes) for the prom next week.

While he was trying on the clothes, I wandered around the neighborhood in search of a snack, and ran across Jo.  With only a few minutes to spare, futomaki seemed like the quickest thing, but it took over 10 minutes to prepare, even with 2 chefs and no other orders on the line, so I got it to go.

For a place that could either be a family restaurant or neighborhood hangout, it only has a single table; everyone else has to sit at a bar, facing the wall, like a quick-fix lunch joint in the business district for solitary office workers.  

The futomaki was crap.  More like a jumbo gimbap, none of the flavors seemed particularly Japanese, except the shiso, which was overpowering in contrast to the rest of the otherwise bland components.  Ridiculously overpriced at 15,000 won.

Fell apart as I was dipping it in soy sauce.

I might go back for a second visit, if only for the novelty of it.

(See also GLOBAL FOOD GLOSSARY)

(See also RESTAURANTS IN KOREA)

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