Jeju's Famous Ollae Guksu: Pork Noodles
Even though I took the first bus of the day and transferred to a flight, it was already 9 AM by the time I picked up my rental car in Jeju. While figuring out what to eat for breakfast, seafood ramen and pork noodles (gogi-guksu) came to mind. I love seafood, so I was leaning toward the ramen, but the famous spots were a bit far from downtown Jeju. So, I settled on pork noodles, which are easy to find right in Jeju City.
When you think of pork noodles, the most famous spot is "Ollae Guksu," and since I had never been, I decided to check it out. Living up to its fame, the place was already packed to the point where the waiting line felt ready to explode. I was in a rush and there was nowhere to park, so I used a nearby paid parking lot. There was a sign directing people to a parking lot 150 meters away, but it was hard to find since it was my first time in the area. The paid lot is cheap at 1,000 KRW for 30 minutes, so I highly recommend just using it for peace of mind.
I managed to get my name on the list and was told to come back in 30 minutes, so I killed time at a nearby cafe. The guy at the counter seemed friendly but also looked a bit angry, and it was often confusing whether my name had been called or not. This was the first time I thought a restaurant really needed to use a digital waitlist platform.
I finally managed to grab a seat. The only item on the menu is 'Pork Noodles', so the number of people equals the number of orders. Compared to the wait time, the food comes out incredibly fast. I spent a brief moment looking for familiar names among the celebrity autographs covering an entire wall, and soon enough, the simple side dishes and noodles arrived.
I was worried the broth might be too thick and have a strong pork smell like dwaeji-gukbap (pork soup), but thankfully, it was quite clear. It's a fascinating broth—not too pungent, yet perfectly rich. I stirred it around with my chopsticks to see what was inside, and it felt like they had thrown in an entire block of suyuk (boiled pork slices). How can there be this much meat? The price must have gone up because it was 8,500 KRW instead of the 8,000 KRW I saw on blogs, but looking at the amount of meat, it still felt incredibly cheap.
The noodles themselves are pretty average—neither particularly chewy nor mushy. They feel more like an accompaniment so you aren't just eating meat; the noodles definitely aren't the main event. On top of that, the kimchi is as delicious as what you'd find at a famous kalguksu (knife-cut noodle) restaurant. Rather than being tangy and refreshing, it has a heavier, deeper flavor that pairs perfectly with the pork.
After eating about half, I sprinkled in some black pepper and red pepper powder, which completely changed the flavor. It turned into a spicy, kick-in-the-pants broth reminiscent of maeuntang (spicy fish stew), making it even more fun to eat. Adding a lot of pepper also made the meat flavor richer. I kept thinking, "What am I going to do for lunch if I eat this much?" but my chopsticks and spoon just wouldn't stop. I ended up finishing all the meat and noodles, and even wiped the kimchi plate clean before leaving.
Now I understand why people say you have to come here if you're going to eat pork noodles. The meat, the broth, and the kimchi leave such a strong impression. Ollae Guksu is famous as the very first stop when arriving in Jeju, or the last meal before leaving. Because it's so crowded, the wait times are really long. I'm sure there have been plenty of situations where people had to turn back because of their flight times. Even though it's a dish with fast turnover, the wait is still this long, so I really wish they would expand the main branch significantly. Of course, there are plenty of other branches, though.