Famous Jjamppong at Moljil Siknyuksikdang in Seogwipo
A friend from grad school who was visiting Jeju introduced me to someone who sells clothes in Seogwipo, and this person offered to buy us lunch, driving us all the way to Gangjeong-dong. He confidently declared that it was the most delicious food he'd eaten since moving to Seogwipo, assuring us that despite the distance, the taste was guaranteed. When we arrived, the restaurant didn't just look old—it felt like a piece of history. With elderly women selling fish on the street right next to the shop, it evoked a sense of nostalgia for a time I didn't even know well. True to the saying "a dragon rising from a small stream," this is 'Moljil Siknyuksikdang,' a restaurant in a quiet, uncrowded neighborhood that has become famous nationwide.
The name Moljil Siknyuksikdang uses the Jeju dialect exactly as it is, to the point where I don't even know its Unicode. The fact that it appeared on the TV show 'Baek Jong-won's Top 3 Chef King' and received high praise from the famous chef makes it well worth a visit. It seems to specialize in blowfish dishes, but looking around, everyone was eating jjamppong (spicy seafood noodle soup). I ordered one jjamppong-bap (spicy soup with rice) and looked around, really feeling how old the place is. Even without Baek Jong-won's endorsement, surviving in one spot for this long is a guarantee of flavor.
The jjamppong-bap made its entrance. Perhaps because it was a bit crowded, the food took a long time to come out. I think I waited a good 15 minutes.
First, I took a sip of the broth. I had expected a strong, refreshing flavor since it's a jjamppong sold near the coast, but it completely shattered my expectations. The rich, fatty flavor of the meat was smoothly dissolved into the soup, making it feel like I was eating spicy meat noodles. And why were there so many solid ingredients inside? I felt like I could get full just eating the meat and veggies without the rice. It's spicy but not overly harsh, so it served as a very smooth hangover cure for the alcohol I drank yesterday. I felt like I was sweating out the alcohol; the more I ate, the more clear-headed and comfortable I felt. Just drinking the broth can be hard on the stomach, but the abundant, tasty ingredients made it a hearty meal.
There were hikers and couples, but the majority of the customers looked like fishermen. It's a physically demanding job, and it seems like they come here to replenish their energy. It's a meal that is just that delicious and generously portioned.
I visited again a few days later. This time, I ordered noodles instead of rice. The noodles themselves were nothing special, so personally, I think the jjamppong-bap is much better. Even so, the broth is so good that the noodles, soaked in the soup, went down quickly with a slurp. Eating it with pickled radish to refreshingly cut through the richness, the bowl was empty before I knew it. I feel like I've found another restaurant that would be a massive success if it moved up to Seoul. Well, Baek Jong-won already gave it his nationwide stamp of approval long before I did, so my evaluation is honestly meaningless.
Judging just by the taste of the jjamppong, I'd love to try the blowfish too, but I don't know when that will be.
