By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter
Samcheong-dong, near Gyeongbok Palace in northern Seoul, has become a hot spot for the fashionable younger generation. In recent years, the traditional neighborhood got a facelift as its hanok (Korean traditional house) buildings were renovated into chic, modern cafes and pasta places. But some things never change.
Samcheong Sujebi, with its stark, ``retro'' look and taste, keeps it low key. It offers something classic and homey: hangari sujebi, or Korean-style gnogghi soup that comes in a clay pot.
Sujebi is prepared from ripping out rough pieces of potato and flour based dough and cooking it in hot soup. Samcheong Sujebi offers nothing too fancy. The classic sujebi (6,000 won) is served in a refreshing, anchovy-based broth with clams and chopped carrot and onion. The clay pot keeps the hearty soup nice and warm, and you can help yourself to small servings.
The sujebi tastes totally homemade and some may wonder what's so special about the place. But the not-too-thick, not-too-thin dough is just chewy enough and the seafood-base soup is steamy but refreshing. It's that unassuming perfection that keeps people coming back here time and time.
In fact, the place is so popular that it has an annex. You'll always find a long line spanning almost two blocks during peak meal times. But the line usually goes surprisingly fast. Given its location, it caters a lot to civil servants. Last month, President Lee Myung-bak made a surprise visit. You can see all the photos along with other newspaper clippings and stills of TV show appearances framed on the wall.
The restaurant can be described, like its food, retro at best. The mint green tables and chairs are rather dreadful, but you'll have no time to spare as you devour the food.
Another listing in the menu is chapssal sujebi, or sujebi made with sticky rice instead of flour. This is similar to Italian gnogghi, and the texture is delightfully fluffy unlike that of conventional tteokguk or rice cake soup. It comes in milky sesame porridge, with pieces of seaweed and veggies.
They strongly warn you about the extreme flavor, so those who don't like sesame should indeed stay away. It was very flavorful and you can almost savor every inch of ``healthy,'' but it did start getting a bit fatty after several scoops. Also offered in hangari or clay pot, it's 7,000 won per serving, but you must buy a minimum of two orders.
Other great dishes that compliment the sujebi are the pan-fried gamjajeon and pajeon. Gamjajeon or potato pancake (6,000 won) is very simple, but again, it's always the basic stuff that's hard to perfect. It's crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Pajeon, or green onion pancake (10,000 won) is whipped up with eggs and minced veggies and seafood. It's savory and sumptuous.
On your first visit, we recommend you stick with the original sujebi and either one (or both if you're super hungry) of the pancakes. Two types of kimchi ― the regular red cabbage type and the other made from radish leaves ― complete the meal.
If you're going in a group of four or more, ordering two chapssal sujebi might be add more flavor to your restaurant experience. The pancakes are pretty big, so two small eaters might want to share just one with one serving of sujebi. If you're in a festive mood, try ordering dongdongju, or traditional rice wine (3,000 won for half a hangari, or two or three servings).
Samcheong Sujebi is open everyday 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m., including holidays. It's located on the main strip of Samcheong-dong, a 15-minute walk from Gyeongbok Palace station on subway line 3. Call (02) 735-2965.