Unexpected Delight in Bukchon: A Gukbap Discovery
During a spontaneous trip to Bukchon, I stumbled upon a Gukbap (Korean rice soup) restaurant called 느좋 Gukbap while searching for a place to eat.
My companion wasn't thrilled initially, but I was immediately drawn to the fact that they generously serve Gukbap with a heap of cilantro (coriander).
You order outside before entering. Uniquely, they don't charge extra for adding cilantro; instead, they offer a discount for *removing* it. My companion was mortified, again.
The Gukbap menu was simple... they just had Gukbap.
You could add cilantro... It was a clear, greenish broth with tender meat and rice.
Just plain Gukbap.
The weather was incredibly unpredictable that day, with rain coming and going, sometimes soaking you, sometimes not. So, it was wonderful to warm my belly with the hot soup.
We ordered one Gukbap *with* cilantro and one *without*, along with Suyuk (boiled pork slices) and some drinks.
The Suyuk looked incredibly tender and fragrant – the most appealing I'd ever seen (and it lived up to its appearance).
The concept is to wrap the Suyuk in the cilantro, shallots, etc., that it's served with.
It was genuinely delicious… I honestly preferred it over the Gukbap. The soft, tender pork combined with the refreshing aroma of cilantro and shallots enveloped my mouth.
The Gukbap tasted exactly as it appeared.
Oh… fragrant. Oh… clean. Oh… soft.
After eating some of it, sprinkling on a Chinese spice that was similar to pepper (there was a sticker saying it wasn't pepper, but I forgot the actual name, only remembering that it *wasn't* pepper) enhanced the flavour.
It has a slight refreshing feeling.
We originally planned to go to Hyundira next door after eating, but it was closed! So, we checked out the display of Today's House chairs in front of the restaurant and then headed back.
It was so nice to be able to sit on the cute chairs freely.
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