Start the holiday in a Hanjeonsik laden with treats
Once again, Christmas approaches. To get into the festive mood we need fine company, fine booze and tables groaning under the weight of fine fodder. And to round out the cheery atmosphere, how about a spot of live entertainment?Yes, merry gentlemen, it is the season for hanjeonsik, or Korean traditional table d’hote.
▶ Pansori is a side dish at Nolbboo Myungga
“Hold it!” you say. “Hanjeongsik? Doesn’t a seat at a table in one of those traditional restaurants in Insa-dong or Samcheong-Dong cost an arm, a leg and a second mortgage?
It certainly does ― which is why we are not in the rarefied atmosphere of a converted traditional house, but standing outside a thoroughly modern building in Central City, the shopping complex that connects the Marriot Hotel and Gangnam’s Express Bus Terminal. Nolboo Myungga is the name of the place.
Nolboo (named for a scallywag in a folk tale), with some 400 outlets nationwide, is arguably Korea’s most successful restaurant franchise. It is also admirably consistent. Whether I am at one of Nolboo’s buddae jiggae (regimental stew) restaurants, a bossam (steamed pork) establishment or a clay-cooked duck outlet, I have yet to be disappointed with the grub served. The chain’s top-end dining experience is offered at its Myungga (named for a traditional house) restaurants, which specialize in hanjeongsik.
The Central City establishment is a huge, hall-like place. One enters via a lobby that showcases traditional art and artifacts. There are two floors.
We are ushered to a vacant spot on the ground floor, but something seems to be missing: Where is the table? By the time I think to ask, our waitress had disappeared, leaving us to ponder the mystery and the menu.
The latter offers three table d’hote selections, for 30,000 won, 23,000 won and 17,000 won per head; we ― two parents, one child ― order the cheapest times two. There are also a number of meat dishes: We choose smoked duck for 20,000 won.
▶ Duck is the main dish. By Andrew Salmon
Minutes later our meal arrives, as does our table. Two hefty lads attired in faux Joseon-era silk livery carry one over. It is spread with a banquet of 23 separate bowls and plates.
Various dishes stand out in this riot of traditional colors and flavors. There is doenjang (fermented bean paste) soup. A pair of pickled jalapenos keep the chills at bay, as do a range of kimchis. A savory egg junket adds a splash of yellow ― contrasting with the color and texture of the fresh spinach. A bowl of steaming galbi (beef rib) stew is almost European in appearance: It contains braised beef on the bone, carrots and potatoes. Streamed rice is included.
This would satisfy most appetites, but then along comes our platter of duck. It is pink, glistening, moist and fatty. It’s hearty stuff, and a fine stand-in for Christmas turkey.
No meal is complete without mood-altering beverages. The menu offers a page of western wines and a second page of traditional Korean tinctures. We order a bottle of Samsang Takju (8,000 won), or rice brew with wild ginseng. The milky white liquid is lighter, smoother and not as aggressively acidic as some rice beers: It was a good match with the meal.
Now, how about entertainment? In the evenings, a range of performers take the stage in the center of the dining room. We are treated to opera, dance and finally, a trio of gayageum (zither), daegum (flute) and janggu (hourglass drum). The tune is oddly familiar, but I can’t quite put my finger on it - hang on! That’s The Beatles’ “I Wanna Hold Your Hand!” I wonder what the yangban of yore would have made of this.
Unlike the performers in some hanjeongsik restaurants, the crew here does not overstay their welcome. Their sets are short and sweet.
Service is on the ball, but there is one drawback. The size and layout of the restaurant imparts something of a canteen-style feel; it lacks the dignified atmosphere of the high-end hanjeonsik restaurants in downtown.
Verdict: The ambience is a bit public, and the hearty fare served here may not, it is true, be the very finest hanjeongsik served in Seoul ―but it is almost certainly the best value. Mix in a good-natured lack of pretension seasoned with traditional entertainment and you have the ideal combination to catapult you into a mood of goodwill toward all men. Season’s greetings!
NOLBOO MYUNGGA
English: on the menu, none spoken
Tel: 595-0202
Address: Outside the Marriot Hotel, Central City, Gangnam Express Bus Terminal
Subway: Express Bus Terminal
Hours: 11:30 a.m ―11:00 p.m., 7 days
Dress: Come as you are
by Andrew Salmon
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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