16.357 Snow Crab

Cycle 16 – Item 357

POST 5,836

28 (Sun) December 2025

Snow Crab

3.5

at Hai Susan

-Susong, Gunsan, Jeollabuk, Republic of Korea-

with the Family

Winter Holiday Roadtrip 2025, Day 3 of 4

In lieu of an overseas destination for our annual winter trip, we’re staying local.  Gongju + Buyeo + Gunsan.  For me, it’s all about jjambbong.  W’s motives are historical.

LUNCH

Upon arriving at our destination for lunch (landmark Korean restaurant), we were faced with a wait-list of 43 parties ahead of us, so we decided to go elsewhere.

After wandering around the neighborhood, W and the boys settled on a Japanese restaurant – no thanks.

I went off on my own in search of jjambbong.

The queue consisted of about 30 customers.

Gukje Banjeom is a Korean-Chinese restaurant.  Typical menu.

Located 880 m from Ssangyong Banjeom.

Like Binhaewon last night, Gukje Banjeom has also been featured in movies and in Jjajangmyeon Rhapsody (though not by name).

While the restaurant is small as it is, they don’t bother to maximize available seating by sharing tables – for example, the 8-pax capacity table on the left currently has 4 empty chairs.

As documented by the time stamps on the photos:

11:58 – Stands in line.

13:11 – Gets seated.

13:30 – First dish served (jjambbong).

13:42 – Second dish served (mul jjajang myeon).

13:52 – Finishes meal.

The wait time of 1-hr 13-min, just to get seated, has got to be a personal record.

Even more remarkable because, as a general rule, I usually refuse to stand in line for any meal.

I was seated at the window, a bar facing out to the queue of waiting customers, which was really awkward because everyone kept looking at me: what is he eating, why can’t he eat faster…

Despite the relatively wide selection of dishes, I did not see anyone order anything other than jjajang myeon, mul jjajang myeon, jjambbong, tangsukyuk.  While I have specific content-creator motives for waiting in line and ordering specific dishes here, I can’t fathom why the average person would go through the trouble, just to eat things that they could get at home.

Another factor contributing to the long wait time is the kitchen’s method of preparing dishes in batches: say, a round of jjambbong, distributed to tables that had ordered it, then a round of jjajang myeon, and so forth.  After I’d placed my order (13:11), I just sat there as a round of tangsuyuk went out, followed by a round of jjajang myeon, then jjambong (13:30), and eventually mul jjambbong (13:42).  Had the food come earlier, I would’ve been out of there by 13:20.

The jjambbong was good.  High quality ingredients, properly prepared.  Best of the trip so far.

In stark contrast to the traumatic first experience with mul jjajang myeon at Binhaewon last night, I was pleasantly surprised, perhaps a bit relieved, to find that the dish can be quite nice when done properly.  Familiar flavors, the generous smattering of garlic chives giving it a yusanseul vibe (see for example 4.104 Yusanseulbab).  Light and tasty, this might be something that I’d order on occasion.

Hate to waste food, but this is as far as I could get.

Had I planned this out, I would’ve gone to Ssangyong Banjeom.  As prominently featured on Jjajangmyeon Rhapsody, it’s famous for clam jjambbong.  One of the Gunsan Samdae (Big Three) Jjambbong.

Binhaewon is also one of the Big Three.

Not sure if I could’ve endured the queue if not for this book of New York Times Saturdat Crossword Puzzles – completed 2 while waiting.

Tomorrow, we are planning to visit Bokseongru, the third of the Big Three, so I would’ve completed the trio on this trip.

COFFEE

Lee Seong Dang is, according to the signage, a patisserie/boulangerie.

Every famous place in Gunsan, apparently, includes a queue.
Never seen people line up for croissants.

SIGHTSEEING

Gunsan Modern History Museum

While Gunsan has never been a particularly important city in Korea (as far as I’m aware), it has a rich history, both as a port in the 19th century and a center for resistance activity against the Japanese occupation during the early 20th century.

Located 313 m from Jjajmbbong Alley and Binhaewon, the venue of last night’s disastrous dinner.
Giving props to the statue of freedom fighter Im Byung Chan (임병찬).
The museum includes a recreation of colonial-era streets and shops, such as this rice wine store, which wouldn’t have been anywhere near this nice/clean.
Shoe store.
What would be the need for a display when all the shoes are the same style?
Rice sack and carrier.
Heating dosirak on the classroom furnace, a practice kept alive until the turn of the 21st century, when schools began to offer cafeteria lunch.

ACCOMMODATION

With a last-minute reservation, we weren’t able to keep the same room for 2 nights in a row, so we had to check out this morning and check back in to a different room this afternoon.

Looks so much nicer at night, and from the front.
Better to have the living space on the entry level, with the bedroom above.
Roomier.
Movie room with projector (connected to Netflix etc).

DINNER

Hai Susan is a Korean restaurant.  Specializes in steamed crab.

Located 1.7 km from the hotel.
When I asked over the phone whether they had stock, the owner replied: “We have over 1,000 crabs.”
Steamers.

The boys really wanted crab for dinner (anything other than jjambbong).

Fine by me, thinking that I’d also order a lobster, as per my birthday tradition (see most recently 15.357 Lobster Braised with Superior Broth).

King Crab = 120,000 x 3.3 = 396,000 + Snow Crab = 89,000 x 2.8 = 249,000

Alas, I was disappointed to find that the restaurant no longer offers lobster, as older photos on the internet had shown.

King Crab (3.5): loads of meat.

We started with a king crab weighing 3.3 kg.  The owner warned us that it wouldn’t be enough.  Recalling past experiences, 3 kg has always been sufficient for us.  But very quickly, the crab was gone and everyone was still hungry.

Nothing on the table but crab.

Then I remembered that other places (in Seoul) provide lots of freebies, like shrimp and clams, as well as banchan – in contrast, this place serves only crab.

Snow Crab (3.5): sweeter but more difficult to get at (prefer king crab for the convenience).

For the second round, we ordered two snow crabs totaling 2.8 kg.  It was all a bit too much – as with anything, crab is better when there’s not enough to go around.

Ramyeon (3.5): with crab.

With drinks and noodles, the meal came out to over 700,000 won.  Enjoyable but definitely overpriced.

(See RESTAURANTS IN KOREA)

(See GLOBAL FOOD GLOSSARY)

(See HANSIK)

(See BOOZE)

(See MY BIRTHDAYS)

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