A 3,500 won cheonggukjang that is good for the body and good for the wallet
My body is cold, my mind is cold, and my wallet is getting colder these days. Prices keep rising, but I don't know why my salary is the same as it was 10 years ago these days! If two people want to eat a meal for lunch, it's really hard to get a 10,000 won ticket and have no trouble making a living these days.
Therefore, nowadays, there are more and more “one-way people†who pack their own lunch boxes or settle meals with convenience store bento boxes. The variety of bento boxes has also increased. At this time, Hyeja Road Team went to Gangnam when they heard that there was a place where you could have a meal for only 3,500 won. 3,500 won's happiness. This is Gangnam's original Cheonggukjang restaurant!
I visited this place on the day the winter rain came. It's in the alley between Maebong Station (Line 3) and Yangjae Telephone Station. The main customers here are employees of small companies in the surrounding area and residents living in nearby houses, Lucky Apartments, etc. Therefore, at lunchtime, office workers flock to the point where they can't take a break, and it is said that nearby residents often come to buy cheonggukjang and tofu during other leisure hours.
When you walk through the rain to the end of the alley, you can see an impressive green sign that looks like a milk store from the 90s. I personally love the sign that says “Cheong Guk Jang's house†because it's very intuitive. The phrase “Cheonggukjang is 3,500 won†is very nice on the side of the door before entering the store.
Cheonggukjang house with a signboard full of force
Look, I can see the business hours
Simple menu. Cheonggukjang and fried rice hehe
Good price certificate recognized by the government~
Small interior
I can see the ingredients.
Basic table settings~ (I took a picture of Gochujang with the lid open)
An elderly couple greets customers at the store. As soon as I walked in, I was amazed, “How many people?†The question is popping up. “Two people,†and soon after, “Fry?†The question comes up. As soon as I heard that the Hyeja restaurant I went to recently didn't allow first-time food, it was unusual for me to be so embarrassed. If you look at the menu quickly, you'll see a price list that says “Cheonggukjang is 3,500 won, fried food is 500 won.†When this happens, half and a half is also the best. “Add one, just oneâ€
It was raining outside the window, smelling the bitter yet savory smell of cheonggukjang while waiting for food, and I fell in love with old thoughts for a moment. When I was a kid, when I went to play at my grandmother's house, I used to smell like cheonggukjang from the moment I walked through the main gate. I also remember sniffing at the wooden beams on the wooden floor, probably smelling like cheonggukjang. I didn't like the smell of cheonggukjang when I was a kid, but now I'm looking for it and eating it. The taste that changes with age is really interesting.
Cheonggukjang set meal
Crunchy bean sprouts
Leek sauce
Radish kimchi, which had an excellent refreshing flavor
Radish
Even seaweed~
If you wait for a while, you'll soon find cheonggukjang served on a round silver tray with a side dish. The steaming cheonggukjang has a very savory smell. It's a style with lots of soup so you can eat it by scooping it like soup with rice.
The first thing that catches your eye is the number of side dishes. Often, when calculating costs in restaurants, the first thing you pay attention to is the number of dishes, but this place has 6 side dishes excluding cheonggukjang. I'm really grateful that they offered a meal for 3,500 won while providing such a number of dishes.
I added a fried egg for one serving of rice, and just received the rest. It's a pity that the fry that was placed on it was a bit cold, so it was as if you had to fry it all at once before lunch. Also, if you take a look at the dish that comes with it, you can see that it consists of crunchy boiled bean sprouts, finely chopped chives and radish greens, dried radish kimchi with a savory flavor, and seaweed for bento boxes. One seaweed per person~
Lots of homemade cheonggukjang and tofu
Savory berries and soft ripe radishes
Put cheonggukjang on hot rice
If you rub the rice and take a bite, it tastes like honey
You can also eat it wrapped in seaweed
When you order cheonggukjang, they add ripe radish, pumpkin, and tofu, and make a quick boil, and serve it to the customer. When you take a bite, you'll notice a slightly harsher rural scent than the flavors commonly found on the market. Cheonggukjang contains plenty of large tofu, but the outside is firm and the inside feels slightly rougher than commercially available tofu. If you cut the tofu with a spoon, the cheonggukjang will soak into the rough surface. It fits well.
“Where do they come from?†When asked, they say they don't make their own food; they find a place in the countryside where they make their own cheonggukjang and tofu, and procure ingredients through that place. When I asked if they could sell cheonggukjang and tofu, they said they also sell cheonggukjang and tofu cut into pieces. In the middle of actually eating, it was easy to see local residents coming to buy cheonggukjang and tofu.
A purchase worth 5,000 won
Hyeja Road Team also sells personal orders ~ +_+ in units of 5,000 won. I ordered it for 5,000 won, and they gave me a bag containing five pails. If you put one ball in the soup and boil it, I think it will make about 3 servings. It was a good feeling to eat a full meal and go to the grocery store, but I think you should be careful on the subway on your way home from work. Because I have a very real foot odor similar to that… :D… It's not me! This is Cheonggukjang! I feel frustrated that I want to shout…
It's no different from Jeonju's Mo Bibimbap Restaurant
Put on the gochujang
Wobble Wobble Wobble Wobble
Ah~~~ do it!
Most of the customers here eat the side dishes served with rice, gochujang, and a little bit of cheonggukjang. Hyeja Road Team also followed popular recipes and posted side dishes. The perfect shape and color are so pretty, right? Place a spoonful of the gochujang provided on the table and grate it gently. It's better to add a spoonful or two of cheonggukjang when it's pumpy.
As salty cheonggukjang and gochujang are mixed together, most of the side dishes here are unseasoned or very lightly seasoned, so even if you eat bibimbap, it's not salty. You can tear off the seaweed that comes with it and put it in bibimbap, or you can wrap the bibimbap and eat it. After you finish rubbing the bibimbap, you can throw the chopsticks away and eat while making fun of the spoon. When you eat a spoonful of bibimbap and take a bite of cheonggukjang, the magic of the rice contained in the big treat disappears before you know it!
General review: Being able to eat a meal at a very reasonable price is a huge advantage! However, I'm finishing episode 15 of Hyeja Gourmet Road with the hope that the owner's grandmother would pay a little more attention to hygiene~
[Store Information]
Address: 36 Nonhyeon-ro 30-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul (Dogok-dong 517-1)
Menu: Cheonggukjang set meal 3,500 won/additional fried egg 500 won
Business hours: Weekdays 07:00 to 19:30/Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays 07:00 to 15:00
One-line evaluation of Shikigami: Rubbing with the right hand~ If you rub with your left hand, it's two bowls~
Hyeja Index: 8 points!