[Summer's Choice by Summer Lee] Kalguksu may seem basic, but it can be a tasty surprise: The many flavors of a seemingly simple dish
Chanyangjip
Although many restaurants lose local customers when they become popular with international travelers for being too crowded, this restaurant has continued to entertain both. After it ran two branches in the Myeong-dong area for a few decades, it opened its third branch in Itaewon in 2018.
Simply, kalguksu is a type of noodle soup that can be made with chicken, clam, anchovy, beef and even ground perilla seed broth. The restaurant’s version is made with thick chicken broth with noodles inside. On top of the noodles are small pieces of beef alongside petite dumplings for added texture and flavor. To refresh your palate while eating the heavy noodles and broth, be sure to try out the restaurant’s kimchi, which many often refer to as a garlic explosion.
The pungent kimchi, which may be difficult for foreign visitors to get used to at first, is very addictive. Many say that the bowls that are served at Myeongdong Kyoja are the classic kalguksu.
The restaurant probably has helped the word kalguksu become more widely known internationally, as it has been featured on a variety of food and travel media outlets all around the world for over a decade. Kalguksu got its name for having noodles that are cut by a knife, which is kal in Korean. Hence, the dish may also be called knife-cut noodles.
The particular noodles got a further push of international recognition with the launch of the Michelin Guide Seoul, which made locals look at the noodles differently. The international guide used kalguksu as one of the subcategories alongside other well-known dishes like bulgogi, marinated beef, and samgyetang, chicken soup. While naengmyeon, a bowl of cold buckwheat noodles in meat broth, was already established as a barometer to see how diverse of a Korean palate a foreigner had, the bowl of flour-made noodles was not very sought after when it came to introducing others to the world of Korean cuisine. It must have been too simple and too universal in the eyes of Koreans to promote it as something that represents Korean cuisine.
While the dish may not be suited for the international promotion, the bowl of noodles has always been a favorite for those who don’t have much time to get lunch. Kalguksu is one of the easiest items to find in any neighborhood, and is considered a restaurant staple like kimchi jjigae (kimchi stew). The fact that the particular bowl is relatively easy has allowed many middle-aged business owners to open up restaurants specializing in kalguksu. Many of them use the word kalguksu in their restaurant name, so the dish is relatively easy to spot out on the street.
From top: Memilggot Pilmuryeop, Sinsuk, Jangkaljip
Many places serve something extra on top, either minced meat or gim (laver) powder, to add flavor, while others prepare some spicy sauce on the side for those who want to start with mild broth and noodles and end their meal with spicier flavors.
Although it is traditional for a bowl of kalguksu to have white noodles, there are many restaurants that go with variations. At Sinsuk, located in law-office-heavy Seocho District, southern Seoul, kalguksu made with seaweed noodles is served. The noodles are olive green and have a subtle plant-like kick to keep your palate clean. The kimchi here is lightly fermented.
Another place that serves some specialty noodles is Elim in Gangbuk District, northern Seoul. It serves grey or beige noodles that many mistakenly assume to be made with buckwheat. Yet the noodles are made with a particular type of seaweed called tot, which is often eaten with rice. This place is also known for its perilla seed broth.
At Memilggot Pilmuryeop, in central Seoul’s Jongno District, you can enjoy some buckwheat noodles, often used in naengmyeon, in your kalguksu. It has a small chunks of potatoes inside as well.
The width of the noodles is about the size of fettucine. Some places make it thicker, almost like udon, and sometimes shorter as well. As these restaurants often make their own noodles, they sometimes tear off chunks of the dough rather than making it into noodles, and mix the two styles together in one bowl. The dish made with chunks of dough is called sujebi. When the two versions are mixed, people often call it kaljebi, an mix of kalguksu and sujebi.
Other classic styles can be found at Chanyangjip, one of the older kalguksu places in town. This restaurant, whose kalguksu costs 7,000 won ($6), says it started with a bowl for 20 won back in 1953. The noodles here are almost as thick as udon noodles. Clams are also included to bring out seafood flavors in the broth.
Jeonggane Sonkalguksu often has lines of people out of its doors no matter what time of year it is. Made with bone broth, this eatery is a gem for those who can’t travel far for a bowl of noodles in Gangnam District.
The same goes for those who try Hyehwa Kalguksu close to Daehangno, central Seoul, and Myeongryun Sonkalguksu for those who live in Jongno District. The latter is only open for two hours for lunch, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., so make sure to be there on time. Closer to the office-heavy Jongno area in central Seoul, Sarangbang Kalguksu and Hwangsaengga Kalguksu are some good options. The latter is also listed on the Michelin Guide’s Bib Gourmand list, the honor given to restaurants that serve high quality food for under 45,000 won. The former is also well known for its chicken soup.
Those in the northwestern area of Seoul can also visit popular spots Yeonhui Kalguksu or Sinchon Sujebi. For those living in southern Seoul, Yeonhui Kalguksu also has a branch close to Gangnam Station, subway line No. 2, as well.
Hanseong Kalguksu, known for its quality bowl of kalguksu that it serves in Gangnam District, has long been a sought-after spot for many soju lovers. It serves a variety of other Korean dishes, so most people start with jeon, or Korean pancakes, with either fish, oysters, shrimp or all of them together, as well as steamed pork or beef, then finish the meal with a bowl of carbohydrates at the end.
While many immediately assume that a bowl of kalguksu won’t be too spicy, some restaurants offer their own spicier versions. At Jangkaljip in Songpa District, southern Seoul, steps away from the Helio City apartment complex, people usually line up for a serving of its spicy bowl of noodles. Called jangkalguksu, it has red broth with hot peppers inside. To ease the pain coming from the spice, the bowl comes with cooked eggs inside, and you can add more at an additional cost. After you are done with about half of the bowl, another key thing you should do is to put either dumplings or rolled tuna rice in your bowl. The spicy broth seeps into them and adds flavor to the dumplings or rice for a perfect bite full of gamchilmat, often known as the Japanese word umami.
If you plan on taking a hike in Seoul and wish to choose a mountain that has a good restaurant to try afterwards, try going to Mount Surak in Nowon District, northern Seoul, and eat at Yongsun Gajaegol Sujebi. This place is known for both kalguksu and sujebi in a spicy red broth. Its sujebi comes in two different versions - one is made with flour and the other is made with potatoes.
At Daehaptang Sujebi, you can enjoy a bowl outside, because the eatery is a pojang macha.
Pojang macha is the term used to indicate a food tent instead of store as part of a building. Here, spicy and non-spicy versions are available as well.
If you are visiting Guro District, western Seoul, formerly a factory-heavy area of the capital that is now turning into a cultural hot spot, be sure to try Sun-daeng-i-ne Eolkeun Sujebi for a spicy lunch.
It is also very simple to make a bowl at home. Packages of kalguksu noodles are widely available at bigger supermarkets in Korea or online shopping outlets. Cut up some of fresh vegetables, like onions, zucchini and carrots, into strips so you can add them to the noodles. You can make your own anchovy broth by boiling anchovies and kelp for 20 minutes. When the color of the broth is darker than light beige, put the vegetables in first and then the noodles to cook.
You can make variations at home as well. You can add clams to the broth, or for thicker flavors, use meat to make broth. Beef broth might be much easier to make if you buy a packaged beef soup, which is easy to find at a local supermarket.
Daehaptang Sujebi Pojang Macha
350 Mokdongdong-ro, Yangcheon District
(02) 2062-2888
Memilggot Pilmuryeop
31-1 Hyoja-ro, Jongno District
(02) 734-0367
Hwangseangga Kalguksu
78 Bukchon-ro 5-gil, Jongno District
(02) 739-6334
Chanyangjip
5 Donghawmun-ro 11-dagil, Jongno District
(02) 743-1384
Myeongdong Kyoja
29 Myeongdong 10-gil, Jung District
(02) 776-5348
Sarangbang Kalguksu
46 Teogye-ro 27-gil, Jung District
(02) 2272-2020
Hyehwa Kalguksu
13 Changgyeonggung-ro 35-gil, Jongno District
(02) 743-8212
Myeongryun Sonkalguksu
45-5 Hyehwa-ro, Jongno District
(02) 742-8662
Ellim Kalguksu
67 Samgaksan-ro, Gangbuk District
(02) 996-2583
Sanwol Sujebi
212-2 Samseong-ro, Gangnam District
(02) 556-8229
Hanseong Kalguksu
735 Eonju-ro, Gangnam District
(02) 544-0540
Sinsuk
21 Beopwon-ro 3-gil, Seocho District
(02) 596-9295
Jangkaljip
3 Garak-ro 6-gil, Songpa District
(02) 420-7935
Jeonggane Sonkalguksu
11 Seolleung-ro 129-gil, Gangnam District
(02) 3442-3282
Hyangwon Kalguksu
199 Gwanak-ro, Gwanak District
(02) 875-2280
Sun-daeng-i-ne Eolkeun Sujebi
1 Siheungdae-ro 136-gil, Geumcheon District
(02) 852-3670
Yeonhui Kalguksu
37 Yeonghuimat-ro, Seodaemun District
(02) 333-3955
Sinchon Sujebi
87-8 Sinchon-ro, Seodaemun District
(02) 334-9252
Manna Sonkalguksu
29 Dongho-ro 31-gil, Jung District
(02) 2266-6556
Yongsun Gajaegol Sujebi
100 Dongil-ro 242-gil, Nowon District
(02) 939-6778
BY SUMMER LEE [summerlee@joongang.co.kr]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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