So recently I have fallen in love with Korean food. It’s so pungent-spicy-flavorful-fresh-delicious. I don’t know much about it, so I just kind of walk in and order what sounds good and go from there, which means that when my meal comes I’m poking at things and saying, “I don’t know what this is, but it’s good.”
We stopped by Misung 888, a tiny Korean restaurant in the corner of a shopping center. Inside it’s all wood and mirrors, and it feels comfy, bar-like, laid-back. The prices seem kind of high, but then you realize that each dish can feed twenty-seven people. Maybe less.
This is the gamjatang – a spicy pork neck and potato soup. It comes to the table with its own little gas stove, which means that every ladleful is piping hot. It’s full of bony meaty goodness, with a super-flavorful broth and little perilla seeds floating on top. It came with some banchan – kimchi, dried anchovies, and some other fermented thingamajig.
People, this soup is amazing. And the “small” version is totally enough for two people. But of course, we ordered more, because we have no sense of self-control.
This is the gul bossaam – steamed pork, freshly shucked oysters, jalapenos, raw garlic, and another sweet kimchi to be rolled up in cabbage leaves. And then there was more banchan. We managed to make a small dent in this, rolling up huge bites of goodness and stuffing them in our mouths, before we were TOTALLY FULL. It’s kinda hard to stop eating really good food, you know?
I’m really looking forward to coming back here. It’s kind of like a bar or pub – it’s open late, it has Korean pop music going on, and it’s just a cozy, comfy place to hang out and slurp up some soup. Next time we’ll either take someone with us or order less food. Anyone interested in a field trip? 🙂
(Also, I want to be able to read this.)
