Jang Jinyoung Soy Sauce Crab in Hannam-dong
When you enter the restaurant, the wall filled with flashy resumes and awards immediately catches your eye. Alongside a confident photo of the owner, a large sign reads, "I am Jang Jinyoung, branding food." Looking at her dense portfolio, which includes being named a Korean Food Master and receiving a grand prize from the FDA commissioner, you can really feel her tremendous pride in her food.
On the side, there's a scrapbook of magazine articles covering her 24-year culinary career. You can tell she has built up serious expertise in the restaurant industry over a long time. Reading through it, my expectations were already rising before the food even came out.
There’s also a shiny plaque designating her as a Korean Food Master. Seeing titles and medals like this makes you think you're about to be served some incredibly high-quality food.
Sitting at the table, I noticed a paper mat with a cute crab drawing. I heard this place used to be quite price-competitive, but honestly, that price advantage has mostly disappeared. It's in a similar price range to other famous ganjang gejang (soy sauce marinated crab) spots, so the cost of marinated crab always feels a bit steep.
My order of ganjang gejang arrived as a full table spread. The crab, packed with bright orange roe, is served on a wide plate alongside saeujang (soy sauce marinated shrimp). It comes set with a few slices of suyuk (boiled pork), vegetable side dishes, kimchi, and seaweed soup. They also give you plenty of rice and finish with sungnyung (scorched rice water). Just looking at the crab shell made me want to quickly mix my rice right into it.
Most importantly, the taste of the marinated crab isn't as salty as I expected. I was ready to shovel down a ton of rice in case the saltiness hit me like a waterfall, but the seasoning is just right to pair with rice. Ganjang gejang is a dish that people usually either love or hate, so I'm cautious to say this, but the flavor here is approachable enough that even foreign visitors could comfortably give it a try.
However, the accompanying suyuk and other side dishes were just average. Rather than picking at everything, it's better to just focus on the main dish: the marinated crab.
The restaurant's atmosphere and service feel like a very ordinary, casual diner rather than an upscale establishment. I recommend visiting with the mindset of enjoying a comfortable meal rather than expecting top-tier hospitality.
If you're looking for another long-standing restaurant in the Itaewon area, check out Nari's House, famous for its naengsam (frozen pork belly).