Colorful Janchi Noodles at Sabal

By Han Sang-hee

Staff Reporter

As office workers, one of the most difficult choices during the lunch hour is deciding on a menu. In the icy cold weather at this time of year, a steamy hot bowl of noodles might do the trick. Hidden between the tall buildings in the busy streets of Jongno, there is a small noodle restaurant called Sabal, which literally means bowl in Korean. The small, modern place has been one of the favorites among busy businessmen and women in Jongno.

Sabal is famous for its modest noodle dishes, which is better known as ``janchiguksu'' or ``banquet noodles.'' These noodles traditionally come in a deep bowl with light and thin noodles made of flour, topped with simple garnishes like chopped green onions, boiled fish paste or just a sprinkle of red pepper flakes and always a soup. The dishes are called ``banquet noodles'' because they were served mostly at banquets like weddings and birthdays in the past and even now.

Sabal sticks to the basic idea of banquet noodles, with the deep bowls, light noodles and soup, but offers a slight twist to the traditional recipe.

We ordered the tofu noodles (7,500 won) and the chicken noodles (7,500 won).

The meal started with a small bowl of pumpkin porridge, with a sprinkle of cinnamon powder. Soft and sweet, it was perfect to warm up the chilliness in our stomachs and fingertips.

The tofu noodles were in a bright red soup, which was refreshing and, curiously enough, far from spicy. The delicate tofu was on top of the noodles, which were very soft. Garnished with Korean leeks, mushrooms, green onions, the dish also had some seafood, like clams and mussels. Tofu complimented the whole dish, with the seafood and vegetables giving a richer taste.