As silly as this thread may or may not be, the Lost Nomad’s comment unlocked an irrepressible desire to get a decent bowl of naengmyeon.
With this blog as a guide, the wife and I visited Woo Rae Oak, located in the gritty Uljiro 4-ga neighborhood. Around for 50 years, Woo Rae Oak has a reputation for a) having really, really good naengmyeon (the Chosun Ilbo apparently called it one of the four best naengmyeon joints in the land, comparing it to the Okryugwan in Pyongyang), and b) being really, really expensive.
The restaurant has a cool, 1980s-eque atmosphere to it. It’s about 3pm, and there are still more customers than you’d expect in that time slot, including a good number of elderly, fedora-wearing types. In other words, my sort of place.
The meat is, as its reputation suggests, expensive. The sirloin sogeum gui here was 42,000 won a person. Was it worth it? Well, I’ll say this — it was the best meat dining experience I’ve had. Big, thick, tender slabs of sirloin beef. Oh, so, so good.
To wash it down, we drank a bottle or two of bokbunjaju, a raspberry wine.
Ah, finally, the naengmyeon. My wife went with the Pyongyang-style naengmyeon, a.k.a. mul naengmyeon, served in a nice beef broth.
I went with the bibim naengmyeon, done Pyongyang-style with the buckwheat noodles.
At 9,000 won (mul naengmyeon) and 9,500 won (bibim naengmyeon) a bowl, this ain’t the cheapest naengmyeon in Seoul. But damn, it was good. Nice, thick chewy buckwheat noodles, topped off with succulent slices of meat, sliced pear and a tangy red pepper paste. No need for scissors here. The portions are quite generous, too. Two thumbs up.
If you live in Washington DC or Chicago, there are apparently Woo Rae Oak shops in those cities, too.
Naengmyeon, of course, is a North Korean dish that caught on in the South after the Korean War. Interestingly, although in the South it is consumed mostly in summer, it was originally a winter dish in the North.
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Damn. Now I’m hungry.
Robert, your wife’s happiness has convinced me. Now, I just have to wait for my own wife to return from the Ozarks to enjoy this restaurant!
Jeffery Hodges
* * *
Mmmm. You have given me pleasant memories of a restaurant I used to go to in Ulsan years ago called 모란각.
Oh, yeah, we gotta try that place too! Thanks…
Raspberry wine? Didn’t know raspberries were grown in Korea.
Sonagi,
It’s a species of black raspberry, Rubus coreanus. It’s rumored to be an aphrodisiac.
Lots of mulberries, too.
http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=%EB%BD%95%EB%82%98%EB%AC%B4&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wi
Thanks for the link, Someguy. I knew that mulberries were grown in Korea since they’re used to make paper. Koreans must not like the taste very much, since mulberries and black raspberries aren’t sold in supermarkets. Dried mulberries are incredibly delicious.
woo rae ok in dc… not as good as the one in korea.
Robert, thanks for reminding me why I keep reading visiting blog despite all the brain-hurting comments.
I’ve never been a fan of mul naengmyeon but bibim naenmyeong, on the other hand, mmmmmmm…
“Koreans must not like the taste very much, since mulberries and black raspberries aren’t sold in supermarkets.”
Actually, they are a bit of a delicacy here. Supermarkets just don’t often carry them because they are easily bruised and, more importantly, they can’t find anyone to sell it to them to the ridiculously low price they offer (it’s shocking how little the farmers get for their produce here. We now do all our shopping from a co-op that buys straight from the farmers). Take a walk to the farmers market in June, you’ll find some berries there.
(…all the produce we buy is fair trade and organic (the farmers that do business with the co-op are committed environmentalists))
I’ve eaten at the Woo Rae Oak in LA Koreatown. That was back in the ’80s. I seem to remember a Korean friend telling me it was the first ever Korean restaurant in LA.
“Interestingly, although in the South it is consumed mostly in summer, it was originally a winter dish in the North.”
Not any crazier than eating ice cream in winter, I guess.
Raspberries, called san dalgi in Korean, have a very short season in Korea. I never saw them sold in the supermarkets; the only places I ever saw them were in the outdoor fruit & veg markets, such as the one down hill from the the Hyatt. Sadly, Korean raspberries are quite tart, even when very ripe they seem devoid of any sweetness, but they go well enough with sugar and cream.
The mulberries are excellent. Always picked them from the trees.
I always wondered why berries, with the exception of the excellent strawberries, aren’t more popular in Korea. Blueberries are renown for their healthful properties. Most of the berry varieties would grow well in the climate, and Korea’s fruit growers are quite talented. Cherries would do well too.
they have one in Vancouver, Canada also. I went there like every week. mmmm.
There is also a Woo Rae Ok down in Gangnam, about half a kilometer south of the Samsung Subway Station Intersection. The same funky, retro design and the Jongno location.
Looks like no flash at 1600 ISO.
Messing with the white balance (for tungsten lighting) will get that yellow cast out.
Re: “Raspberries, called san dalgi”
San dalgi are not used to make bokbunja. They’re a different species of berry and sometimes also used to make wine. San dalgi wine is not widely available.
The bottle in the photos is Jinro’s new brand. I haven’t tried it yet.
Does anyone know the meaning of “bokbunja”? I’ll give you a hint, it has to do with peeing…
As you know, I loathe Seoul and don’t go up there unless it’s life or death but next time we’re up there, we’ll be sure to give that restaurant a try. Oh, and thanks for the link to that blog; some interesting possibilities listed there.
@sonagi
“Koreans must not like the taste very much, since mulberries and black raspberries aren’t sold in supermarkets.”
I saw some in my local neighborhood produce section last weekend. A bit expensive for my taste though.
@vince
the meaning of 복분자… so yeah, like so many foods in Korea, the stuff is GOOD FOR MAN, and after drinking it, a man’s unit is so powerful that when he pees, the force of his stream knocks over/breaks the toilet/traditional bowl. Interesting this is, it’s actually true, I’ve tried it.
The closer you get to Seoul the less effective your Charisma man powers become.
Re: 20
So how much 복부자 did you have to drink to break the bowl?
Re: “The closer you get to Seoul the less effective your Charisma man powers become.”
Especially if your Charisma is wrapped up in simply in being non-Asian in Korea.
It’s not a matter of how much one drinks, it’s a matter of whether one has mixed it one to one with soju. This is the proper way and multiplies it’s power.
its.
I love bibim naengmyeon myself and have enjoyed it at Woo Rae Oak many times. Sure, it’s an acquired taste, but one worth cultivating.
Mrs. Marmot is a convincing spokesmodel!
Re” It’s not a matter of how much one drinks, it’s a matter of whether one has mixed it one to one with soju.”
Yeah I like the mix, but soju does not add to man power… 영양없어요.
Do you know the story about the guy who sees a young man beating an old man on the street and asks him “why are you beating that old man?” and he replies “that’s not an old man… blah, blah”? I think you probably do. But the punch line of that story may literally be “i’m beating him because he won’t drink 백새주”, but what it really means is “because my son drinks soju”, which when combined with all the smoking, makes many Korean men look like crap by the time they hit 35.
I have been to WooRaeOk several times. A great old restaurant.
@10
“it’s shocking how little the farmers get for their produce here”
So the food is terribly expensive in Korea just because of the taxes???
Thanks for this post, Robert! Now I really want to come back to Korea for a visit and hit great restaurants. I for one, do miss Korea; the food, the neverending stream of beauties, the hustle and bustle and interesting sights, the plentiful jobs… Asia in general is one fantastic region to visit (and live in).
Re: “Asia in general is one fantastic region to visit (and live in)”
True it is. I love it here!
“So the food is terribly expensive in Korea just because of the taxes???”
No, blame it on the greedy middlemen and retailers.
Where is this fair-trade, organic, committed-environmentalists co-op farmer’s market, SomeguyinKorea? i’d shop there…
http://forums.galbijim.com/viewtopic.php?t=3846
The name of the fruit is bokbunja. San dalgi (or namu dalgi) and bokbunja are both in the same family: ‘Rosaceae(rose)’ according to the Nate encyclopedia. They are both raspberries, the prior being red or dark red and the latter black.
Is the Marmot’s Hole a place where sentiments come to die under the impersonal blow of the grammarian’s pen?
By the by, I bought shite naengmyeon on my bike course today in Gangwon for 6 thousand won. A piddling kimchi presentation plus the noodles themselves. I didn’t count the ocean view as banchan but I have many things to learn.
Still, that will keep a fellow upright for a few hours anyway.
We can see the love that your wife has for you in her eyes when you post these pics. You are a very lucky/blessed man.
Indeed I am.
My wife and I dined at the Washington, DC Woo Lae Oak (their romanization) yesterday. Incidentally, it’s not located in DC itself, but rather on Leesburg Pike (Route 7) in Tyson’s Corner.
I had the mul naengmyeon, while my wife opted for the galbijjim. The food was superb—every bit as good as Korea, in my Korean wife’s estimation—though the service was considerably less so.
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