Tosok Kalguksu in Seoul: Perfect Korean Flavors
Lately, I've been walking the Seoul Trail on Saturdays with my coworkers. It's quite fun discovering unknown parts of the city I've lived in for over 30 years, thinking, "I didn't know Seoul had places like this." Today, we walked Course 8 in Pyeongchang-dong. It's an affluent area where you rarely even see people on the streets, but since the trail opened, a few hikers in outdoor gear have started appearing. You can see a small but diverse group of trekkers, from loud, chatty groups to people walking slowly with their heads down like they're meditating. The houses were so pretty that we didn't even realize how tired we were while sightseeing, but walking through an area without a single convenience store quickly wore us out. We were debating where to go when someone said, "This place looks alright?" and we walked into Tosok Kalguksu, which wasn't far from the trail.
We still had a long way to go, so we ordered the Tosok Set meal. Since it was hot, we asked if we could swap the kalguksu (knife-cut noodle soup) for kongguksu (cold soy milk noodles), and they gladly agreed, saying we just needed to pay the 2,000 KRW price difference. Maybe because it was lunchtime, the food took a while to come out. Still, time flew by as we washed our faces, drank water, and gathered our wandering senses in the cool air conditioning. As the dishes finally came out one by one, we couldn't stop saying that we had found a genuinely great restaurant. It was so lip-smackingly good that we wondered if it was just because we were starving or if it was actually a famous spot. The yukjeon (pan-fried battered beef) was especially mind-blowing; with a bottle of makgeolli (rice wine), we could have easily polished off a whole plate of it in a flash.
Seeing diplomatic vehicles pull up, it must be a famous place. Judging by the food, this isn't a taste that comes from just a year or two in business. It feels like a long-standing local fixture, but the restaurant is so clean and pretty that it gets confusing. Still, if you want to eat affordable Korean food in a clean indoor space, I highly recommend Tosok Kalguksu. It's a place even foreigners would absolutely love. However, I was so hungry and exhausted that it probably tasted even better to me than it normally would. Whether you're walking the trail or driving over, it's definitely a great restaurant to eat at in Pyeongchang-dong.