[Hundred Year Gourmet] An Il-ok… The Korean restaurant with the longest history in Gyeonggi Province
│ A rich broth stewed in a cauldron for 17 hours
Fifty-nine restaurants from around the country were selected for the “Hundred Years Restaurantâ€, which connects generations. These are places that have been silently meeting customers in one place for over 30 years. A place that impresses with “uniformity†while protecting faith and determination. These efforts have stolen the government's taste. The 59 restaurants selected directly by the Ministry of Small and Medium Venture Enterprises and the Small Commercial Market Promotion Corporation are currently known through the foodtech O2O (online and offline connection) platform “Shikishin.†Under the title “Hundred Years Gourmet,†AJU Keizai introduces the Hundred Years Restaurant, one by one, each weekend, a place filled with memories.
*Image source: Courtesy of owner An Il-ok
There is a proverb that says, “Gangsan changes in ten years.†It literally means that many things change as the years go by. However, in Anseong, Gyeonggi-do, there is a woo-tang specialty store 'An Il-ok' that has maintained its place for a long time while maintaining the same taste and quantity based on the belief that customers who visit the store will eat their fill.
An Il-ok, which boasts a history of 100 years, is the fifth Korean restaurant in Korea and the oldest Korean restaurant in Gyeonggi Province. It started in 1920 when the first boss, the late Lee Sung-ye, sold gukbap at Woo Market in Anseong, and has been running it for four generations, including her daughter-in-law, son, and grandson. This place uses traditional methods to prepare a rich broth by heating a cauldron and simmering beef bones for 17 hours. All menus are based on this broth and are divided into seolleungtang, crucible soup, and rib soup according to the ingredients served with it. The signature menu is “Seolleungtang,†which contains plenty of tender beef in an immaculate broth. The light soup maintains its fresh flavor without any impurities even when it cools down. The “Perfect Wu-Tangâ€, which contains plenty of parts such as crucible, ribs, beef leg, oxtail, and beef head, is also a favorite because it can serve a hearty meal.
[Hundred Years PICK] “Seolleungtang†= A soup made by thoroughly boiling the head, entrails, bones, and crucible of a cow, mixed with meat cut into a size that is easy to eat. If you boil it for a long time, roll a bowl of rice into a soup full of umami from each ingredient, and eat it with sweet kimchi, it is a fantastic match. 'An Il-ok', which has the meaning of being the most comfortable place in Anseong, offers attractive Seolleungtang with a heavy broth based on beef bones cooked in a cauldron in the old way.