korean restaurant / Remembering winter with taste – 116

Remembering winter with taste

I met another winter at the dining table at a destination I went to to remember winter.

Jeongseon Samtan Art Mine Miner Bento

Samtan Art Mine's “Restaurant 832L” is a restaurant located 832 meters above sea level. It was originally a maintenance shop that manufactured and repaired various mechanical parts. The interior was converted into a restaurant, and huge shelves and old mechanical equipment were used as wine shelves and sculptures.

At “Restaurant 832L”, in addition to Western-style menus such as steak (19,500 won to 40,000 won), pasta (13,000 won to 15,000 won), and pork cutlet (12,000 won), you can also find unique Korean food such as flower bibimbap (10,000 won) using Sanya-cho from Hambaek Mountain and Samtan Miner's bento (9900 won).

The menu I chose on this trip was the Samtan Miner Bento. A memorable bento is neatly packed with simple side dishes such as egg sauce, ham, and stir-fried kimchi. If you cover the lid and shake to mix and eat, you'll be desperate to think about the bento you used to heat on the stove when you were a kid.

Meals are available from 11:00 to 20:00, except on Mondays when the museum is closed. Reservations must be made by phone after 18:00.

033-591-3001, 033-592-0445

Samcheok Sea Village Kimchi Ecological Bath

Samcheok's winter delicacy is moray eel soup. The combination of the white and soft flesh of sundubu and the deep, sharp kimchi makes you feel refreshed. Twenty years ago, moray eels were cheondeokers who would let go if caught in a net. Recently, however, the amount of fish caught has declined, and it has become such a precious fish that it is called “golden fish.”

As I headed to Samcheok this winter, I was excited to eat a cool bowl of moray eel soup. However, when I just arrived at the restaurant in Samcheok, there was a paper saying “No moray eel soup.” When I heard about the situation, they said that they couldn't catch moray eels easily because of the high water temperature. They said that moray eel, which used to cost 2 to 30,000 won per fish, went up over 200,000 won, and it was difficult to bring it and sell it.

The situation was the same for the restaurant “Sea Village,” famous for its moray eel soup. The owner recommended an ecological bath instead of moray eel soup. The ecological soup made with kimchi aged like moray eel soup had a sour yet savory flavor. There were few side dishes, but the side dishes were also neat. Kimchi Ecological Bath 8,000 won.

Open all year round. 033-572-5559

Pyeongchang Undu-ryeong Trout Sashimi Restaurant Trout Sashimi

Pyeongchang was the first place where trout was farmed in Korea in 1965. That's why the trout festival is held in Pyeongchang, which is 700 meters above sea level.

Trout sashimi has a similar shape to salmon, but it is light because it is low in fat. Like low-temperature first-grade fish, the meat is plump and the juice that comes out when you chew it is also fresh. The best season is January and February, which are midwinter months.

In Pyeongchang, vegetables and trout sashimi are generally eaten mixed with soybean powder, soy sauce, minced garlic, and sesame oil in a dipping sauce.

Undu-ryeong's trout sashimi restaurant is famous even in Undu-ryeong, famous for its trout sashimi. If you order sashimi, place the trout neatly on a frozen stone plate. The method of adding soybean powder, sesame oil, and minced garlic and grating it with vegetables is similar to other restaurants. The spicy soup that comes out when you finish eating the sashimi has a sharp seasoning that is addictive. A combination of trout sashimi and spicy soup is 45,000 won. Even if they both eat, they are full. I only take a day off during the holidays.

033-332-1943