RESTAURANT OF THE WEEK Duriban's victory over gentrification still tastes sweet

Ahn Jong-nyeo, left, poses with her husband Yoo Che-rim in the kitchen of Duriban, Nov. 16, 2016. Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar

Hired goons entered this week's Restaurant of the Week on Christmas Eve 2009 and forcefully removed all the customers and workers, then closed up the restaurant with metal shutters.

The next day, Duriban owner Ahn Jong-nyeo and her husband Yoo Che-rim tore down the shutters and reoccupied the building, kicking off a sit-in protest that lasted 531 days. During that time, they gained support from the local community around Hongik University, including artists and musicians, driving a resurgence of the local indie scene. After 531 days of peacefully resisting violent eviction, she won her right to a resettlement package and relocated the business to a new space not far away.

It's a pretty dramatic story, especially for a restaurant review. The restaurant scene in the Hongdae area has changed drastically over the decades, away from small businesses offering affordable food to chains providing the latest trends at inflated prices. Duriban isn't a memory of that older era, but a part of it that fought for survival against gentrification forces and survived.

Duriban doesn't quite make the news as often anymore, but it's still alive and well, tucked away in a small alley, continuing to serve great Korean cuisine. Its new location somewhat resembles a museum, with the walls adorned with posters showcasing music events, art exhibitions and political causes — sometimes all tied up in one. There's a stand near the cash register where you can find merch for sale, including CDs of some of the musicians they've befriended, as well as DVDs of "Party51," a remarkable documentary by Jung Yong-taek that gave an up-close look at the Duriban struggle, right from the beginning all the way to victory and resolution and the aftermath.

This would be a pretty cool place to hang out at on its own, but it just so happens the food is also pretty great. Duriban's main specialty is kalguksu (knife-cut noodles), a dish that, let's face it, varies wildly in quality depending on where you get it. Duriban's kalguksu is always the good kind of kalguksu, if not some of the best. You can also get various different kinds, including chicken, mulberry leaf and hot.

Duriban has always been known as a noodle restaurant, but it also has a pretty extensive menu, including bossam (boiled pork), mandu (dumplings) and kimchi jeongol (stew). Some of the dishes, such as kimchi jeongol and mandu jeongol, are most easily ordered for groups rather than individual portions. They are cooked right at the table and can be a bit splashy to serve. The side dishes are also above par, especially the excellent kimchi, which has a freshness you can never find in the typical stuff imported from China.

There's soju and beer, including an IPA craft beer, but the vibe of the place better fits traditional fermented rice alcoholic beverages, such as dongdongju and makgeolli (Jipyeong and Neurin Maeul). Going well with those drinks, there is a selection of jeon (Korean-style pancake) including potato, kimchi and seafood.

Inflation has driven the menu prices up over the years, but Duriban still keeps them low, ensuring that you get a great feast for the money you pay. Many of the dishes, including a single serving of bossam, are kept at 10,000 won or even below. Duriban is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day of the week except Sunday.