Hobak Sikdang Hannam: Post-Ride Yakiniku
Namsan (a mountain in central Seoul) is a mecca for cyclists. If you hang around Hannam Intersection, where the route begins, you'll see countless bikes passing by on weekends. I'm one of those riders, often taking my road bike up Namsan and heading back down to Hannam Intersection. Hannam-dong is a special place to me—I lived here for 10 years and went through some tough times—and recently, cycling has given me another connection to the neighborhood. After a ride with friends, we always debate where to eat lunch. In the sweltering summer, we often went to "Donga Naengmyeon" (cold noodles), which I'll post about soon, but when the seasons change like they are now, it's a bit too chilly for cold noodles. That's when I recommend "Hobak Sikdang."
On the main street of Hannam Intersection, there's a premium beef restaurant called 'Hanwadam'. An even more upscale version of it is 'Hanwadam Black'. These are known as pretty good barbecue spots in the area, but the origin of those restaurants is actually Hobak Sikdang. Back when I lived in Hannam-dong, Hobak Sikdang was the only one around. It was incredibly famous at the time, and waiting 30 minutes for a table was standard. Ironically, the Hannam-dong herbal roast chicken place that now easily commands a one-hour wait was somewhere I used to casually stroll to in my slide sandals, grab a pre-roasted chicken from the display, and eat at home while watching baseball.
Hobak Sikdang's main menu item is yakiniku (Japanese-style grilled beef). You've probably tried it at least once. You eat it more for the sweet sauce than the natural flavor of the meat itself. The funny thing is, the number one contributor to making this sweet meat so delicious is the pajeori (green onion salad). They take so much pride in it that their sign literally boasts about the green onion salad being delicious, rather than the meat. And it's actually true.
I wrote this as if this location is the main branch, but the original is actually in Yaksu-dong. Most of the restaurants I post about are main branches, but the reason I'm specifically introducing the Hannam branch of Hobak Sikdang is because it's the perfect place to eat after a bike ride. You get incredibly hungry after a ride. Namsan isn't a massive mountain that pushes your physical limits, but if you ride the North-South course and come back to Hannam-dong, you'll work up quite an appetite. In times like this, the answer is always "meat." Anyone who knows good food instinctively understands that you have to scarf down meat with white rice. That's why, to me, the Hannam branch is even more precious than the main one.
Yakiniku is still beef, so it doesn't taste good if you overcook it. Once it's cooked just enough to be chewy, eat the meat, have some green onion salad, and then cleanse your palate with the rice. Normally, I'd do it the other way around, but I highly recommend this specific order here. If you're tempted to try something else besides the yakiniku, just hold back and order a little more yakiniku instead. At this restaurant, yakiniku is an absolute must.
And whatever you do, do not order alcohol. Seriously, please don't drink and ride your bike.