Location: Mapo-dong
Cuisine: Korean (South Jeolla Province)
Reservations: Accepted. Especially need them on weekend evenings.
Suggested Items: MulHui, Hui DeopBap
Other Amenities:
Phone: 02-714-1233
Website:
Location
More pictures on Flickr.
* Please help complete this review by adding information in the comments
Let’s test your ‘gringo-ness.’
When someone says sushi, what comes to your mind?
If you said raw fish, then congratulations – you’re one of the truest of the true gringos. Sushi is the vinegared rice that the slices of raw fish, or any other toppings, rest on.
Ok, then what do you call the slices of raw fish?
If you said sashimi, then you’re a well-cultured gringo. Now if you want the elite gringo status, what is sashimi called in Korea?
회 Hui (pronounced hway) is correct, but more specifically it’s 생선회 Saengseon Hui. If you say ‘hui’ most people will assume that you are, indeed, talking about raw fish.
Although they are prepared in the same exact way, there are a couple of huge differences in Korean hui and Japanese sashimi. The most glaring one might be the condiments. Japanese will only serve you soy sauce and wasabi, basically the same stuff that accompanies sushi. Koreans, however, will serve you 초장 chojang – a mix of 고추장 gochujang, vinegar, and sugar. Wasabi and soy sauce are available upon request, if not served up front. The other disparity is that Korean hui is usually a full course dining experience, whereas the sashimi is more like an appetizer to a meal.
Let me expand on the full dining experience that is 횟집 huitjip – Korean raw fish restaurant.
One of the most talked about huitjip in Los Angeles is 와! 싸다 ‘Wa! Ssadda’. It is sometimes misspelled as Wassada, especially on the ‘Net, and is mistaken for a Japanese sushi joint. But hey, however you find this place, just get in here!
Also, forget about the menu. Get either the combo plate or the 광어 Gwang-eo (flounder) hui plate, then you can add live lobster, live sea cucumber, or live abalone as needed. Notice the word live. When you enter the restaurant, you will be surrounded by fish tanks featuring your dinner menu. You can even name the fish before they take it to the kitchen and kill it for your consumption. It’s a good thing that fish do not make any audible noises.
We ordered the combination plate #2 (medium) and a side of lobster. The huge plate consists of sea urchin, abalone, flounder, tuna, salmon, some sea bass, and other fish that I could not identify. But this plate is only a small part of why you go to a huitjip. As soon as you’ve ordered your food, the army of servers come out with various banchan dishes and the beginning of your full course meal.
First to be set on your table are a house salad, sea snails, spicy peanuts, seaweed salad, edamame, raw half-shell oysters, macaroni salad, sweet potatoes, and 전복 죽 Jeonbok Juk (Abalone Porridge). Also, at this time, they bring you lettuce, sesame leaves, sliced jalapeno peppers and garlic, and an array of dipping sauces. As some of you may already know, Koreans love to make lettuce wraps with various greens (organic preferred).
Round 2 – Tuna Tataki is served with monk fish liver.
Round 3 – the lobster arrives with its tail split open, cut up in bite sized morsels and presented back in its shell.
Round 4 – the server brings out the spicy tuna roll.
Round 5 – the main course is presented to us on a huge plate the size of a small satellite dish. A sizzling plate of grilled onions and garlic is served for the lettuce wraps.
Round 6 – vegetable tempura time. Also at this time, they take back the lobster to the kitchen to cook it.
Round 7 – the grilled trio of mackerel, salmon head, and mixed fish on a half shell is served.
Round 8 – they bring out the 매운탕 spicy seafood soup made with the leftover flounder from the earlier hui. The staff also offers up our leftover lobster that they have just cooked.
Round 9 – as if all that wasn’t enough food, the fine sushi chefs prepare a spicy kimchi hand roll… for dessert! I will warn you, this stuff is SUPER HOT!!!
So, there you have it. Since I cannot describe the flavors of all 12-15 dishes, I will just say that all the dishes were excellent in flavor and texture – they were living and breathing just a mere few minutes ago. Our bill came to about $150 for the medium combo plate, a lobster and a couple of Cass beers; for the four of us, it was quite fulfilling. You will eat like there is no tomorrow!
Lastly, the Korean hui dinner is an experience that everyone should try at least once. The whole experience is not only a feast for your stomach, but your eyes, nose, and mouth will thank you even more.
So on the fly, they decided to bring Chef Kim in as the guide for the Noryangjin act. Andrew had flown in, and the Noryangjin shoot was scheduled the next morning.
I’d had a busy week with work. I was planning to go down to Noryangjin that morning, but I was too exhausted. For some reason, I woke up three hours earlier than usual and couldn’t go back to sleep.
“Ah, screw it. I’ll go.”
I got dressed and got to the subway to head to Noryangjin, which was a bit of a ride.
When I got there at seven, the summer air was thick, and the humidity felt like rain was coming eventually. The air on the outside of the fish market was rank, but once inside, it smelled kinda clean. The entrance from the subway is on the second floor. I wondered how I would find everyone in this, one of the largest fish markets in the world.
A-ha! I’d know those orange shorts anywhere. I made my way down there, where I was recognized by crewmembers who weren’t absorbed in shooting the show. They had been shooting for a few hours by then, including the fish auction.
I hung out in the back so as not to disturb anything.
Despite being early in the morning and just off a flight over the Pacific, Andrew was full of energy.
Even though I had introduced everyone to Chef Kim, I hadn’t met him in person myself. So that’s what he looked like. Andrew was a kid in a candy store. As well traveled as he is, there were still many things that he had never seen before.
The crew was just as interesting to watch.
Jane took pics for the Bizarre Foods web site and promotion.
The octopus lady bags their catch. Chef Kim tells her to put it in a clear bag in a styrofoam cooler. Andrew compliments that he’s a chef who knows how to get his seafood.
After that bit, Andrew and Chef Kim went aside to discuss things. Kel introduced me to Andrew as the guy who set up everything.
“Oh, you’re the guy that I hate,” he joked.
They went back to another aisle around some shellfish to continue the act.
The market was very noisy, and I really zoomed in on my little Pentax point-and-shoot. Man, I miss that camera!
I couldn’t hear what they were saying amidst all the noise in the market. They were trying this one thing that I thought was sea urchin but may have been a sea squirt. The web site says it was “mungae” (door dog?), but I think they meant monggae 몽개, which is sea squirt.
Nonetheless, he ate it.
“Eating shellfish in chili sauce is the perfect way to start the morning.”
Andrew also found this tiny wooden box that was used for something he knew of. I haven’t seen the show yet, so I don’t know if that was included in the cut.
They moved on to more shellfish. Chef Kim brought his friend, who was a photo designer in New York City for eight years and could help him with his English. I got to know him pretty well. Chef Kim and Andrew looked at more shellfish, with both of them picking out their favorite.
Always whip out your handy knife when shopping.
He likes it! Hey Mikey!
“You should try this.”
Then they got to the ki jogae 키조개, which translates strangely as “pen shell.” It’s a giant triangular black shellfish with meat similar to a scallop. Andrew had to try this one out. I don’t think his pocketknife was up to the task, so the lady opened it for him.
“It’s a gorgeous monster.”
That’s a massive lob of meat in there.
Munch, munch, munch!
The last bit, I think, was the jeot 젖 section of the market, which specialized in all those lovely stinky fermented fish products that are the base of much of Korean cooking–a common feature in many world cuisines, especially in southeast Asia. The ancient Romans and even pre-Victorian British were fans of fermented fish products. That’s actually the origin of ketchup and Worcestorshire sauce.
Oh, ADD set in again. Where were we?
Oh yeah, look at all this stuff! And they have toothpicks out to sample. It smells raunchy, but the flavors are complex, deep and disturbingly addictive. Andrew went around getting the crew to try samples on his toothpicks. He particularly loved the spicy salted pollack roe.
That’s really good stuff if you know what to do with it (I don’t).
Oh, here are our friends the penis fish. Uncircumcised.
These are such a mystery to not only foreigners. Korean friends are puzzled by these things. They’re called “gaebul” 개불, and they’re really a species of marine spoon worm. Urechis unicinctus. One day, I’ll eat one of them. I’m afraid I’ll cringe in inappropriate places if I see them being prepared.
ouch…
They picked a live red snapper for lunch, and the fishmonger swiftly transformed it into sashimi. Andrew whipped out his camera to shoot some golden photos.
**WARNING**
**LIVE FISH EVISCERATION COMING**
The fish was very active and flopped around during most of the carnage, even when the head was hacked off. Check out that knife. That’s something a Klingon could love.
Gutting. Still flopping around.
Fascination.
Happiness.
And we’re all wrapped up. This… was… fast!
Everything was tagged and bagged, so they did the “walking off to the restaurant” shot. Raymond made sure to write down and pay for every little thing eaten there.
It was then that I lost everyone. I don’t remember how. I think, oh yeah, I found a tinker–you know, a knife craftsman. Gorgeous knives there. When I came back out, I couldn’t find anyone. After some looking, I eventually found Richard and Kel. Kel, after all the hype, wanted to see one of those fermented skates for himself. We looked around, and I asked a lady. She obliged.
He leaned over to sniff it and jumped back reflexively.
“Yep, that’s it.”
He took a few snapshots for the show.
Smile!
The restaurant wasn’t ready yet, so we waited outside. I got to finally shake hands and get to know Chef Kim. I also helped out with translating some of the fish they encountered. That’s the weird thing about my Korean. Since my obsession is food, I’m more likely to know the name of a fish species, even though I still have no idea how to tell a hairstylist how to cut my hair. There actually was a small kink. The restaurant had set up a small private room.
Too small. Too private.
Andrew wanted customers in the background and activity all around them. Yet it was a bit early for customers.
As they set up for them sitting in the main dining room, a few of us retreated to the air-conditioned bus, specifically Jane, Kel, Andrew and me. Andrew was really excited about his new fisheye lens on his camera and showed it off to Kel. We hung out and talked about stuff. I wish I remembered what it was. Must not have been important.
They opened the restaurant, and we entered. As mentioned before, Andrew wanted customers and activity with the open kitchen in the background, but it was a bit early for the lunch rush. The crew worked on setting up the logistics. They recruited the floor manager to be in the act to welcome them. Kel said that if no customers came, he’d want my back sitting at a table in the background.
There was a lot of waiting. I remember someone asking me to translate some stuff on the menu. Then the time finally came to do the shot. Everything had to be done perfectly so that the octopus was still wriggling for the cameras. Richard went into the kitchen to get shots. By the time it started, I was stuck in the original private room with Jane, where I had stretched out on the floor. The lack of sleep was catching up.
Since they had started shooting, Jane and I were trapped in the back room. So while they were shooting this.
We were just beyond that door to the left.
We watched what was going on through the reflection on the beverage cooler.
During a quick break, we escaped. Andrew used the opportunity to get in his own bit of food porn. They had all the side dishes out.
Oh yeah, this is the cool thing about Noryangjin. The surrounding restaurants don’t really do much seafood cooking. They make the sashimi in the market, and you bring it over, where they have side dishes and drinks all ready. The only cooking they may do is turning the leftover bones and head into soup. If you don’t have any sashimi on you, they’ll just yell out an order to the market. That’s fresh!
The octopus was ready. FAST!
They got the octopus. I’m afraid it was kinda pooped and didn’t put up much of a fight, but it still moved. Andrew picked up his first tentacle.
And the reaction. Now with modern cooking shows, they usually cut to get the food porn money shots. This is “Bizarre Foods.” They gotta cut to get the “Andrew playing with his food” shot.
When that bit was done and there was still some wriggle in the octopus, they got some teaser clips, where Andrew improvised lines about what he was eating “next on Bizarre Foods.”
“Coming up: Food so good, it literally jumps in your mouth.”
By then the octopus was down for the count.
Kel and Jane still got their turns to try some. The consensus? Chewy. That’s always what people say, and that’s it. It doesn’t have any flavor and is like chewing rubber bands. But it’s fun in its own sick way.
Oh, Raymond’s looking. Say hi!
The soup came out, and there was more fun.
Andrew took out the fish eye and shared it with Chef Kim. By then, the clock was ticking for me, and I had to head back to Anyang to start my workday.
SUCCESS!
I can’t believe this actually turned out.
After asking in all manner of places, including the site itself, I decided to go all Korean with the monkfish. Considering the scope of this journal, that was an obvious choice.
I made three dishes:
I had no recipes for these dishes. Eun Jeong had never made any of them herself. So I was going on instinct and memory, breaking down in my head the components of restaurant dishes I’ve had.
First, let’s meet our friend Thelonius.
Hi Thelonius!
“Feh! Whatever. Leave me alone.”
What are you hiding underneath?
Ooh, some nice goodies. I see the yellow-pink liver on the left (“The Foie Gras of the Sea”) and that bursting red roe sack on the right. Since you’re a small fella, there’s not that much liver to work with.
Luckily, you have friends.
Okay, guys–girls–um, this is weird. Since you’re not using those livers anymore, I’ll gently remove them with my sharp little knife.
There! Done. That didn’t hurt, did it? Of course not. You’re dead.
Now, what to do with these morsels? I’ve never had monkfish liver before. It’s called ankimo in Japanese and is considered very valuable in sushi restaurants. I haven’t heard much about Koreans eating them. So this is the least Korean of the dishes–Monkfish Liver Sashimi.
After rinsing them (there was a lot of slime on the fishies), I placed them in a mesh strainer.
I steamed them over boiling water with the lid on for less than a minute.
And they were done.
I rinsed them again under cold water to calm them down.
The next thing I did was slice them thinly (very sharp knife for that) and put them in the tiniest bowl in the house. I didn’t spend much time on arrangement.
To bring out the flavor, I sprinkled a little mirin and yuzu juice and garnished with some capers.
Simple little appetizer. They were silky smooth and had a sophisticated tuna flavor. The yuzu did wonders for it.