By Han Sang-hee
Staff Reporter
``Ramyeon'' is one of the most popular and versatile recipes here, from simply adding water to a ``cup rameyon'' to placing the noodles on top of another steamy dish. At a small restaruant called Shimwon, visitors can have ``doenjang jjigae,'' or soybean paste stew, complete with the popular noodles and also a hearty dish of bibimbap.
As visitors walk in the relatively small restaurant, they can find about 10 round tables and also an area where you can sit down with your shoes off.
The place is modest, but loud and energetic, with the owner and waitresses talking and laughing with the customers as they busily serve the food.
Shimwon also offers various meat dishes, but during lunchtime, the place is packed with businessmen and women seeking for a cheap, home-style and tasty dish of doenjang jjigae, plus the all time favorite ― ramyeon ― and this is what we ordered as well.
As soon as you place your order, the waitress comes along with five small side dishes ― kimchi, Chinese cabbage mixed with nutty spices, bean sprouts with red pepper sauce, boiled mackerel with a spicy soy sauce and thin slices of fried fish paste. The mackerel dish was a bit too oily for us, but the other four dishes were simple and tasty. Then comes a dish of steaming white rice, along with the doenjang jjigae, which is placed on the burner.
Open the lid of the hot stew and one can find the noodles neatly placed on top.
While the jiigae cooks, most people mix the side dish ingredients with the rice to make a simple ``bibimbap.'' The owner comes and goes with a bottle of spicy red pepper paste, or gochujang, and also sesame oil.
When the jjigae is ready, it is time to taste the ramyeon. The noodles actually went very well with the thick stew, full of deonjang beans, sliced potatoes, zucchini and onions. It somewhat resembled ramen, a Japanese dish, but was much thicker and heavier.
Some fans of the jjigae even scooped spoonfuls into their bibimbap, giving it a more deep and interesting taste.
Simple as the recipes may be, the bibimbap and doenjang jjigae went perfectly together, while the ramyeon proved once again that it is indeed a versatile ingredient Koreans love to experiment with.
The doenjang jjigae is 5,000 won per person and the ramyeon 1,000 won.
Shimwon is located right between exit 3 and 4 of Hoehyeon Station on subway line 4. The store is closed on Sundays and holidays. For more information, call (02) 775-4272.