Samdae Guksu Hoegwan: Jeju's Famous Pork Noodles
I picked up a guest at Jeju Airport and we headed straight out for some noodles. I thought about going to Olle Guksu, but I wanted to try somewhere different and figured Olle Guksu would be incredibly crowded, so we headed to Samdae Guksu Hoegwan instead. Olle Guksu, Samdae Guksu, and Jamae Guksu are known as the big three of Jeju gogi-guksu (pork noodles), so I visited to compare them.
We arrived bright and early right as they opened, so there were no cars in the parking lot and not a single customer inside. I thought we'd be able to eat in peace, but as opening time hit, groups started trickling in one by one until it was nearly full. It definitely lives up to its reputation.
I heard their myeolchi-guksu (anchovy noodles) is also famous, so I hesitated for a moment, but in Jeju, pork noodles are still the best choice. I won't even touch dwaeji-gukbap (pork soup with rice), but surprisingly, even though pork noodles have a pork-based broth, there's no gamey smell and it goes down easy. Anyway, we ordered the pork noodles.
Since it's just noodles, I thought it would come out quickly, but maybe because we were the first customers, it took a little while. The difference from Olle Guksu is that the noodles here are yellow and the dadaegi (spicy seasoning paste) is already added into the bowl. The boiled pork slices—known as dombe-gogi here in Jeju—are chopped up roughly at this place, too. At older, established restaurants, the meat is usually cut thick and rough like this, whereas newer spots or places that feel like they came from the mainland serve meat that is sliced neatly and sharply.
The broth is a bit lighter than Olle Guksu's. People who prefer a rich, heavy broth might say it's not as good. In that case, it's best to quickly stir in the spicy paste to give it a nice kick. It's really fun to compare them, as they are both pork noodles but have distinctly different flavors.
As expected, pork noodles are best eaten in the morning instead of a standard hotel breakfast. It feels a bit lacking for a dinner while traveling, so it's better to grab a bowl like brunch between 10 and 12 before moving on. The real charm of traveling is eating another pastry at a cafe and snacking on street food at the market. To leave room for all that, a bowl of pork noodles that doesn't leave you overly stuffed is just perfect.