Apple House in Banpo: Classic Tteokbokki
On a sweltering day when my phone said it was 30 degrees, we were riding our bikes and discussing what to eat for lunch, and surprisingly, tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes) came up. I was expecting something cool like naengmyeon (cold noodles), so it was a totally unexpected menu choice. Our destination was "Apple House," a place I'd heard about since high school even though I lived over in Samseong-dong.
"Jageun Gonggan" in front of Eungwang Girls' High School and "Apple House" in Gu-banpo are tteokbokki joints that have been thriving since my student days without ever going out of business. The two places have slightly different styles, but they are both snack shops that put places boasting a "decades-old tradition" to shame.
We went quite early and wondered if they were open, but it turns out they open at 10 AM. Even so, by around 11 AM, the place was already packed. I feel this every time I visit, but they really get a lot of customers.
The three of us ordered two portions of instant tteokbokki with added ramen noodles, plus one order of muchim gunmandu (seasoned fried dumplings). I usually just ate the tteokbokki when I came here, but rumor has it that the seasoned fried dumplings are a special delicacy. We ordered fewer portions than the number of people because we had to fry rice in the leftover sauce at the end.
Perhaps because students are still their main customers, the prices haven't gone up much either. Even if three people eat their fill, it comes out to around 5,000 KRW per person, so they are definitely operating on high volume and low margins. You'd think they would have a second branch, but they don't, and the taste is exactly the same as before. Gu-banpo is scheduled for redevelopment soon, and I'm honestly worried this place might disappear with it—it's an indispensable snack shop in southern Seoul.