Nakji Ilbeonji: A Spicy Seafood Delight Near Suyu Station
서울특별시 강북구 수유동 191-38
Nakji Ilbeonji, a renowned restaurant near Suyu Station and in Suyu Market, is a place I've frequented with friends.
I want to share my experience at this restaurant, which impressed me with its deliciously spicy braised octopus with abalone and excellent service.
1. Location of Nakji Ilbeonji in Suyu Market
My favorite restaurant is just a 2-minute walk from Suyu Station Exit 8. Its clean exterior makes it easy to spot.
It's open from 11 AM to 10 PM daily (last order at 9:30 PM), making it perfect for lunch, dinner after work, or even a casual get-together.
The staff is always cheerful, and the interior is clean and bright, which I appreciate. My friends were worried it might be a dingy dive, but they were pleased to find it more like a cafe.
They use a special sauce aged at a low temperature for 72 hours and only the freshest ingredients carefully selected by the owner. That's why I can confidently bring my friends here.
I usually don't bother with review events, but my friends insisted I do it, saying I'd look old if I didn't. So, I wrote a review while I was there.
2. Menu at Nakji Ilbeonji in Suyu Market
You don't need to spend too long looking at the menu. From my many visits, I can say that everything is delicious, reasonably priced, and generously portioned.
3. A Full Table at Nakji Ilbeonji in Suyu Market
Today, I ordered the braised octopus with abalone to treat my friends. The table was filled with a generous spread. At first, it might seem like not enough, but the portion is actually large enough for two women to share and still have leftovers.
Cabbage salad, a must-have when eating spicy food, is served as a basic side dish. It helps soothe the stomach and palate.
Bean sprouts are another essential pairing with spicy dishes. If you need more, you can always grab them from the self-serve bar.
Personally, I prefer eating octopus with sesame leaves rather than lettuce. The unique fragrance of sesame leaves enhances the flavor of the spicy octopus sauce.
4. Buckwheat Pancake (Memil-jeon)
I ordered buckwheat pancakes as an extra dish for my friends who had never tried them before. At first, they seemed a little wary of the dark color.
They were also disappointed that it seemed plain with just cabbage. But after trying a piece dipped in the sauce, they couldn't stop praising it.
5. Braised Octopus with Abalone (Jeonbok-Nakji)
The portion of braised octopus with abalone is already plentiful, but the soft steamed egg and savory cheese around the side of the hot plate are complimentary! This generous service is one of the reasons I keep coming back.
They only use plump, fresh octopus, which is a world apart from the flimsy octopus used in cheaper restaurants. You can always tell when octopus has been frozen, but that's never the case here.
Because they use fresh octopus, not much water is released during cooking, and the sauce adheres nicely to the octopus.
The combination of sweet and spicy sauce with the plump octopus is amazing! Adding chewy glass noodles and shredded scallions makes it so good that you don't need any other side dishes.
But who can resist trying different combinations to make delicious food even better? Wrapping the octopus and flying fish roe in plain dried seaweed is fantastic.
6. Rice Balls (Jumeokbap)
Rice balls topped with plenty of seaweed flakes and flying fish roe are the perfect match for spicy octopus or webfoot octopus stir-fry. They neutralize the spiciness and add a satisfying fullness.
I put on gloves and made pretty rice balls for my friends. They joked that I was going too far with the service at this restaurant.
Spicy octopus stir-fry with savory rice balls is always a great combination. It wasn't too spicy that day, but it still went well together.
It's completely different from eating the octopus stir-fry on plain white rice. Putting a rice ball on a spoon and topping it with the spicy octopus and sauce makes the flavor even richer.
I hesitated for about two seconds, then ordered fried rice with the leftover sauce. You have to finish everything to feel like you've had a proper meal here.
Once the heat is on, stir the remaining ingredients well until the savory fried rice is ready. The key is to let it get slightly crispy on the bottom.
Top the crispy fried rice with soft steamed egg for a perfect bite that combines spiciness, savoriness, and smoothness.
After the meal, I got a warm mixed coffee from the vending machine for dessert. This kind of service makes the whole experience even more satisfying.
7. Overall Review of Nakji Ilbeonji in Suyu Market
As always, this visit to Nakji Ilbeonji was a success. My friends were so satisfied that they said they wanted to come back with their families next time, which made me feel proud.
Source :https://blog.naver.com/sonbogong
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