Bukgyeong Banjeom in Sinsa: A Chinese Food Feast
Coming out of Sinsa Station (in Seoul), there's a food alley right before you hit Garosu-gil. It's a place where long-standing restaurants like Ribukjib blend perfectly with trendy, ever-changing shops. The place I'm introducing today, Bukgyeong Banjeom, is a local fixture here. I used to come here a lot when I was younger because their jjajangmyeon (black bean noodles) and bokkeumbap (fried rice) were so good. The restaurant's name isn't anything special, and the interior is nothing to write home about either. It's just a typical neighborhood Chinese restaurant, but since we just came from a wedding today, we're planning to try some dishes we've never had before.
Because of COVID these days, weddings give out gifts instead of serving meals. The wedding we went to today gave out wine as a return gift, so we tried to find a place with wine corkage. We couldn't really find a suitable spot and were just wandering around near Sinsa Station. Then, a liquor-loving member of our group saw an ad for Yanghe Daqu (a Chinese baijiu) on the wall of Bukgyeong Banjeom and just walked right in.
I looked up Yanghe Daqu, and it turns out it's no ordinary liquor. It started gaining fame after being selected as one of the Eight Great Liquors 50 years ago. The only baijiu (Chinese white liquor) I knew was Yantai Goliangju, but I learned about a new one today. If Yantai Goliangju has a rough throat hit followed by a fiery aroma, Yanghe Daqu goes down smoothly with a subtle yet very distinct aroma that travels up your nose. If you drink it chilled over ice, it becomes even smoother. Everyone says it has a floral scent.
I heard supermarkets sell the large 500ml bottle for about 20,000 KRW, but this restaurant charges around 60,000 KRW. The price wasn't exactly listed on the menu, but since we ordered a ton of food and three bottles of liquor, they were able to adjust it a little. Of course, the discount wasn't huge, so don't expect too much. If you ever visit and the liquor isn't on the menu, I recommend asking how much it costs.
Seven of us went and spent about 380,000 KRW, so we really did eat a lot. There were even people who didn't drink, which means the rest of us are true heavy drinkers alcohol lovers. Aside from the menbosha (shrimp toast), the food was delicious enough to hold its own anywhere. It makes sense—even if the hype has died down a bit, you can't stay in business long around Garosu-gil if your food isn't good. Back in my school days, this was the best place for jjajangmyeon and fried rice in the area, and tasting the dishes today, they were just as good as I expected.
When you walk inside, you might think, "This is just an ordinary Chinese restaurant," but it's definitely one of the best among those ordinary places. Sometimes a place like this is better than paying a premium for a fancy interior. It's especially great after attending a glamorous wedding—you can just roughly loosen your tie, say, "Ah, should we try the lemon shrimp and yuringi (deep-fried chicken in hot and sour soy sauce) with some Yanghe Daqu today?" and let out your envy while wishing the newlyweds a happy life.