Chef Lee Yeon-bok's Mokran in Yeonnam-dong
My older sister succeeded in getting a reservation at the notoriously difficult-to-book Mokran. Even if we had to invent a family celebration, we absolutely had to go. We had a huge fight just a few days ago, but for the sake of Mokran, I figured I should throw my hands up and apologize. Full of anticipation, I gathered the whole family and rushed over to Yeonnam-dong (a trendy neighborhood in Seoul).
I thought parking would be a nightmare, but since it's a reservation-only spot and the parking lot is spacious, it was no problem at all. They even have parking attendants, so even beginner drivers won't have any issues.
We went in at our reserved time, were shown to our seats, and looked at the menu to decide what to eat. My sister had already pre-ordered the Dongpayuk (braised pork belly) and Menbosha (shrimp toast). Since Dongpayuk takes a long time to cook, you can't get it unless you order it when making your reservation. I also heard that Menbosha is so famous that it's hard to get if you don't order it in advance. Mokran's Dongpayuk and Menbosha are incredibly famous, so they are absolute must-order items.
We looked at what else to eat alongside the Dongpayuk, and since it was so hard to get a table here, we decided to order a course meal to try a variety of dishes. Given our family's stomach capacity, we probably should have gone with Course A or B, but we ordered Course E to try things we don't usually get to eat.
The first dish was the Dongpayuk. It was served by a chef who is said to be Chef Lee Yeon-bok's son (at least, that's what the TV-loving middle-aged ladies around us were testifying).
As soon as the Dongpayuk came out, the smell of soy sauce hit my nose. It smelled so good that my mouth started watering instantly. I picked one up, placed it on my plate, and took a gentle bite—this isn't just meat. I've had Dongpayuk at other restaurants, but I've never seen anything as soft as this. I recently saw Park So-hyun (a celebrity known for eating very little) chewing her food for over 10 minutes on TV, but if she ate this Dongpayuk, even she could finish it in under a minute. I want to say so much more about the taste and texture, but there's so much food left to cover, so I'll stop here. The only downside is that Dongpayuk seems like it would pair perfectly with a very strong baijiu (Chinese liquor), so it's a bit of a shame that it comes out first (though we didn't drink today anyway).
Right around the time half the Dongpayuk had disappeared, the Menbosha came out. I was disappointed by a Menbosha I tried in the Seocho area because it smelled too much like oil, but as expected, Mokran's Menbosha is on another level. The crispiness on the outside and the moist crab meat on the inside are perfect. It tastes like it would be absolutely flawless with a beer while watching baseball.
Now, Course E officially begins. Since we already had the Dongpayuk and Menbosha, I wasn't sure if eating the crab meat soup—a stomach-soothing appetizer—as our third dish made sense, but it tasted incredibly good. I gobbled it down, and it was gone in a flash. If I had to make a recommendation, it would be to hold off on the Dongpayuk and Menbosha for a bit until the crab meat soup comes out first.
Next was the Sapum Naengchae (four-delicacy cold plate). I personally don't really like cold dishes, so I'll skip this part.
After that came Jeon-ga-bok (stir-fried seafood), a dish that sounds absolutely incredible just from the name. Since it has shrimp and mushrooms, which our family loves, everyone enjoyed it. The previous dishes were quite greasy, and eating them without alcohol made the greasiness feel a bit overwhelming. The Jeon-ga-bok is less greasy than the earlier dishes, so we kept reaching for it. Jeon-ga-bok is famous for being made with the chef's best ingredients, and even though you can visibly see the oil in Mokran's version, I thought the taste was somewhat light and kept me going back for more, almost like a snack.
Then came the fried medium shrimp, which really cut through the greasiness. Even my family members, who were starting to put their chopsticks down because they were so full, devoured these large shrimp that disappeared in a single bite. It was chili-flavored, which finally cleared the greasiness from our mouths.
I couldn't eat much of it today, but this is Gungbo-gijeong (Kung Pao chicken), the number one beer snack. If they sold this at a regular pub, it would probably be their best menu item. It has a sweet flavor with chewy cashews and chicken. Just looking at the ingredients, it's a dish that could never taste bad. I think it came out later because of its sweetness, but it really made me crave a beer. It was honestly tough eating this dish without any alcohol.
Finally, the last course: a choice of Giseu-myeon (chicken noodle soup), Jjamppong (spicy seafood noodle soup), or Jjajangmyeon (black bean noodles). We ordered one of each to see how they tasted, and the Giseu-myeon was the best. It was like an egg drop soup, and its mild flavor perfectly rounded out the strongly flavored dishes we had eaten earlier. If I come back and have to choose one of the three again, I think I'd order the Giseu-myeon.
The food was absolutely delicious, which makes sense given that getting a reservation is like plucking a star from the sky. What was funny was seeing the middle-aged ladies at every table whispering about who the passing staff members were, and saying things like, "I think I could make this," while eating—truly showing off their "K-Ajumma" (Korean middle-aged women) energy.
Seeing these ladies break through that tough reservation process to come and enjoy the food proved that this is a true culinary hotspot. Watching everyone take pictures left and right as if they were at a tourist destination rather than a restaurant, it seemed like they were fully enjoying the whole place with both their eyes and their mouths.
Since I wasn't the one who made the reservation, I don't know the secret to booking it successfully. I've only heard that it's all about luck. Hopefully, next time I can make the reservation myself and write a review.