If you’re ever in the Jongno area near Korea Development Bank, Keun Muri Haemul-jjim (02-732-9159) does a mean haemul-jjim, which for the uninitiated is steamed seafood and bean sprouts bathed in a very spicy sauce.
Wonderful stuff. Not bad price-wise, either.
{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
Mmmm, mercury and PCBs. Yum. Seafood used to be brainfood, but not anymore.
If you ever make it to Tokyo, you MUST, MUST, MUST have the freshest sushi lunch ever at the Tsujiki Fish Market. I ordered a Y1600 sampler plate of maguro (tuna) with five different cuts. The flesh melted in my mouth. So sublime. Since then, I haven’t been able to eat the rubbery freezer-thawed slices that are served in most ordinary sushi restaurants now that I know what the real thing tastes like.
Mercury, PCBs, and other nasties perhaps, but it can be pretty tasty. Generally I prefer Japanese seafood dishes to Korean ones (아구탕 and a few other “river” soups/stews can be very sketchy IMHO), but that haemul-jjim in the picture looks really good. Might be inclined to wash it down with a local beer, or maybe some 청하. Unfortunately, today I’ll have to settle for one of the two choices the faculty cafeteria is has got going…
I couldn’t agree more about the sushi in Tsukiji….was there in December and the fish I had was just beautiful. I stuffed myself silly on raw fish/seafood in Tokyo, and was thrilled to discover that the prices weren’t astronomical…
As for mercury, PCBs, apparently eating coriander (cilantro in the US) helps the body to expel heavy metals: I buy bunches of the stuff, mince it and toss it into whatever I’m eating after a big sushi-fest
Why is the soju glass across from the photographer empty?
cilantro?
And boy, that food looks mild, did Robert get the foreigner-friendly serving?
local beer?
청하
take it easy, its still lunch time!
boy, the kind of people that travel these days…
What separates good haemul-jjim from great is the cooking time. Too often the shellfish and octopus/squid are over cooked to a rubbery texture.
When the ingredients are thrown in all together from get go this tends to happen. If you speak Korean ask that shellfish and octopus/squid be added after everthing else has come to a boil. Three minutes in, that’s all they need.
Same deal w/ haemul-tang.
“local beer?
청하
take it easy, its still lunch time!
boy, the kind of people that travel these days…”
Hey, when in Seoul, do as at least some of the Seoulites do…
Yeah, whatever, global. I’m sure you order extra corn on your pizza, right?
Mmmm, mercury and PCBs…
Mercury content of seafood is a concern with fish that are top of the food chain predators, such as tuna and shark.
“Yeah, whatever, global. I’m sure you order extra corn on your pizza, right?”
Someguy, the corn is a fine complement to the maraschino cherries and golden sweet potato border I’m partial to. Don’t forget the sweet pickles on the side…
“Someguy, the corn is a fine complement to the maraschino cherries and golden sweet potato border I’m partial to. Don’t forget the sweet pickles on the side…”
You’ve made me lose my appetite.
Robert, I’ve always noticed the photos on your blog are great and always sharp as a tack. Great pics!
What photo gear do you have??
Steve….
Thanks, frogmouth. I use a PowerShot SD700 IS. Has image stabilization, which really helps at night and in poor lighting situations. Just point and shoot, really.
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