Knight Diner Road
Episode 6
<Taxi Driver's Shelter, Suwon Gyeongju Driver's Diner >
Among my long-time close friends, I have a unique friend. They're usually fun friends, but Dawn, the most Martian (?) The time to show off your side is when you watch sports together. It was a friendly match for South Korea's national soccer team on one day. After a long time, I went to a noisy pub with a big monitor to see my friends face to face and watch soccer. I was having a heated discussion with my friends about today's winner's score before the game started, and when my eyes were fixed on the screen, I noticed a strange appearance of that guy.
A friend who was drawing while turning his back from the screen was strange and asked, “Do any ghosts appear on the screen?†When I touched him, he said he should never watch the game. I was outraged, so when I asked him, it wasn't once or twice that he was outrageously defeated just by watching the game. Then he didn't turn his head until the game was over. The game ended in opposition to his wishes, but…
Everyone has jinx. I also have one thing: “If you just go on a trip to a place a little away from home, the weather will be bad.†Rain is basic, and there have been cases where pension roof tiles have been blown away due to typhoon winds (only the place I was in out of about 40 complexes!) Today, I went to Suwon, the destination of Kara Diner Road, only 2 times for sightseeing; one was when I saw Chicken Alley on a TV program a few years ago (I left right after watching a scene where chicken was deliciously fried in oil in a cauldron…), and for coverage of Kara Diner Road last weekend. It rained on both visits. I felt sorry, “I only go there looking at the water source.â€
When I asked several taxi drivers waiting for customers at the bustling Suwon Station about the restaurant they were going to visit today, they answered without hesitation that it was the most famous place among Suwon driver's restaurants. I took a step forward without much trouble. If you travel about 3 km from Suwon Station, you can find Janganmun, the main gate of Suwon Hwaseong. There is a huge castle in the middle of the city, and it's a unique landscape where past and present meet. People who enjoy walking along the castle path and the cute red dragon-shaped ferris train that passes by every once in a while make you feel nostalgic. If you walk just over 5 minutes from Janganmen, you'll find today's destination, Gyeongju Kite Diner.
Like a popular restaurant, the parking lot was full, and cars kept coming and going. As you walk inside, you can see the busy staff.
| Jang An Mun in a dignified manner
LPG gas station near Kiki Diner. Since it's close to a restaurant, this place is also very crowded.
| Exterior of Gyeongju Knights Restaurant
â—‰ The actual size of the parking lot was twice the size shown in the picture, but it was already full.
Gyeongju Knights Restaurant is only 30 years old this year. It is said that they initially operated in a high school and then moved to their current location in '97. It's a restaurant located in Suwon, and I was wondering why it has the name Gyeongju.
“My mother lived in North Korea and took refuge south when the Korean War broke out on 6.25. I walked endlessly south to Gyeongju and settled there. So my mother's second home is Gyeongju. Even now, all the outsiders are in Gyeongju. Meanwhile, my mother came to Suwon and opened a restaurant, named after her hometown, Gyeongju.â€
The mother, who has gone through many years, is now an old grandmother who is tired, but she was still in charge of managing the kitchen while worrying about each food, and now her son is in charge of running the counter and restaurant. Also, the staff are not young, but it is also true that this restaurant has a lot of customers, so it is said that the only remaining employees are people who have been working with them for at least 10 years because of the large number of customers who have been working with them for at least 10 years. Probably because of that, the sum of the employees was a good match.
Another unique point is that two or more seating tables have been set aside so that guests can play games or go. Just then, I was able to see the knight warming his body and placing his organs on his warm lower neck.
Seating table space. Usually 2 or more guests are seated.
View of the hall. The taxi driver's charge.
| A private “shelter†where taxi drivers can take a breather
| Dust-stained Go and the long game board
| A view of a busy kitchen with a menu
Always pay attention to the customer
Each table is connected to a gas stove, so most food can be eaten while warming it up by turning on the light on the table. If you order stew, you can cook it in a place with good heat, then bring it to the customer and eat it right away. Dongtae jjigae and stir-fried pork are the most popular dishes, but today I ordered dongtae jjigae because I was terrified by the rain tracking down. When I looked around, there were many customers of Dongtae Jjigae because they all felt the same way as me.
If you order food, they will always bring you a side dish. The side dishes are changed 3 times a day: breakfast, dinner, and early morning. It's open 24 hours a day, so there's no time to go shopping yourself. Instead, merchants from nearby traditional markets who have been trading for a long time will take care of bringing the ingredients. When fresh ingredients come in 3 times a day, the kitchen makes delicious side dishes. Because of this, there is almost no inventory of foodstuffs.
I tried the flavors of the side dishes one by one, and the overall flavor was a bit strong. I had no choice but to add rice even though I was hungry because my hands kept getting wet. Dongtae jjigae contained 4 pieces of thick dongtae, and was full of tofu and various vegetables. It was a satisfying taste for the price.
Hearty Dongtae Jjigae (5,000 won per serving; the picture is for 2 people)
| With a side dish
Once cooked, you can eat it right away.
Scoop a hearty portion and eat it.
| My hands are breaking over and over again~
| Salty side dishes
The number of customers visiting this place in one day is around 700 to 800, which is very high compared to regular restaurants. I don't feel well because of the intensity of the work of preparing meals with different side dishes three times a day and welcoming customers. Meanwhile, one day, the boss went out and bought medicine to a regular customer saying “I'm sick.†The boss said he couldn't forget his memories of that time. And I went on to talk boldly.
“Even now, seven or more visitors come every day. After being in business for a long time, all of our customers became brothers and sisters in the neighborhood. Should I say that my family, staff, and guests are growing old together? Right now, I'm just doing business with lots of customers having fun. That will continue to be the case.â€
Tips for eating
•Address: 438-11 Yeong-dong, Jangan-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do
• Menu: Dongtae stew 5,000 won, stir-fried meat 7,000 won
•Business hours: 24 hours
• Additional rice: 1,000 won
•Vending machine coffee: free
•Parking space: 26 cars