Andong Jjim Dak

This here is Andong Jjim Dak, which literally means steamed chicken from Andong (a region in Korea). It is absolutely delicious. I suspect that MSG might have something to do with that, but frankly, I'm beyond caring. Why does everyone hate MSG so much anyway? Yes, I know it's artificial. And maybe it's "cheating" on flavor. But let me put this out there: Japan has some of the most Michelin stars in the world, and Japanese cuisine is often lauded as one of the world's best. And you know what? MSG is widely used in Japanese cooking. In fact, ajinomoto (MSG) is a common kitchen ingredient alongside soy sauce. It's what adds umami. So let's not knock MSG. Anyway, that was a long digression.

Andong jjim dak, which is sold in Seoul at restaurants with the same name, is a spicy chicken dish made with a secret sauce of soy, red peppers, sugar and spices. It will usually also have clear yam noodles and chunks of potato and some green onions, but that's about it. You order it in small (serves 2), medium (serves 3-4) or large (serves 5-6), and choose the degree of spiciness you want. Then you dig in. Simple. Absolutely delicious - and super cheap, less than $10 per person.

The restaurants are all over Seoul, and there are several competing chains (Andong and Bongchu are two of the biggest), but my favorite is Andong Jjimdak (안동찜닭 in Korean).

Food rating: ****
Bang for buck rating: 5 

Macchan (aka Mat Jjang)

Sam gyup sal, a popular Korean dish, is uncured pork belly, fried crispy and eaten dipped in fermented soybean paste, wrapped with lettuce, and washed down with a cold shot of Korean soju. It’s a lot like bacon, except unsalted and unsmoked so that the natural savory flavor of the pork can shine through without distraction. I call it “crunchy fat” because when grilled to perfection, the outside layer of the pork belly is crispy and crunchy, giving way to a tender layer of meat in the middle. Carnivores and omnivores who appreciate the velvety, rich texture and taste of kurobota pork will love the juicy, savory perfection that is sam gyup sal.

Japan’s fondness for extra-marbled, extra fatty meat has ensured an abundance of sam gyup sal restaurants throughout Tokyo, but one of the city’s best is Macchan in Shin Okubo. Macchan is the katakana-ized version of the Korean for “Mat jjang” which literally means “best flavor.” The slices of pork belly arrive at your table about 3 centimeters thick, which one of the busy servers will grill for you on a sizzling cast iron grill. After the meat has browned to the desired crunchiness, dip a piece in the salt-sesame oil sauce or dwenjang, Korean fermented soybean paste similar to miso, then wrap in a lettuce leaf and enjoy. Mmmm…crunchy fat – delicious!

After you’ve had your fill of crunchy fried pork fat, ask for a serving of fried rice, which is prepared on the same grill so that none of the pork fat goes to waste. If the main branch of Macchan is packed, as it often is, try Macchan #2 or #3, located on the same street to accommodate the overflow of hungry customers in search of sam gyup sal.

Ssam (wrap) items for samgyupsal - lettuce, perilla leaves, bean paste, garlic

Samgyupsal

Ingredients for fried rice

Prepared fried rice - delicious!

Food rating: *** and a half
Bang for buck rating: 4

The essentials:
http://r.gnavi.co.jp/fl/en/a673500/index.htm
Location: Shin Okubo
Average price of dinner for two (with drinks): 5000 yen (~$55)

See review for the Tokyo Weekender here: http://weekenderjapan.com/?p=17508

Seoul Ddookbbaegi

A friend recently introduced me to a rarity in Tokyo: a Korean restaurant that serves FREE banchan (side dishes). That alone is reason to visit Seoul Ddookbbaegi, on the ground floor of the same building occupied by Hyungboo Shikdang, another one of my favorite Korean restaurants in Tokyo. But here are a few more reasons: the banchan is delicious, the kimchi is delicious, and the seollungtang (beef bone soup) is delicious. Seollungtang is especially good to prevent or cure a hangover, so if you're out late drinking or partying in the Akasaka area, head over to Seoul Ddookbbaegi for a delicious bowl of steaming, satisfying seollungtang.

Seollungtang - beef bone soup, the best hangover cure!

Free and delicious side dishes!

Sign is only in Korean

Food rating: *** and a half
Bang for buck rating: 3.5

The essentials:
No website
Location: 2-13-17 Shintomi Bldg, Akasaka, Minato-ku
Average price of dinner for two: 3000 yen (~$33)

Imasara

Korean shabu shabu. I was extremely suspicious - a restaurant claiming to offer Korean cuisine that doesn't even have a menu in Korean?? And what the hell is Korean shabu shabu - I've never had Korean shabu shabu in my 30 years of existence. Nomenclature aside, whenever I have a red meat craving (which is very rarely), Imasara is where I go for delicious fat-marbled beef, which you cook tableside in a very clean-tasting broth, then dip in a sesame-soy sauce that you flavor to your taste with garlic, red pepper paste, red pepper flakes, green onions and vinegar. If you add enough garlic and red pepper paste, the sauce does indeed remind you of Korean food.

The menu is entirely in Japanese and the English version is a severely reduced version that includes only the items they want you to order (for example, it only lists the more expensive, extra-fatty beef, which I think is way too greasy. The normal fatty beef is tender and fatty enough and is 1000 yen less per serving). If you can't read the menu, just ask for the regular beef moyanabe (2950 yen per person), which also includes a bed of bean sprouts and cabbage. They also have fatty pork (like uncured bacon), which is also delicious - this also comes in two versions, fatty or extra fatty - I always go with the regular fatty.

The extensive menu also includes various Korean dishes including bibimbap, naengmyun, jun (savory pancakes which for some reason is called jijimi in Japan, but I have known it as jun all my life). However, I have never tried these, nor have I ever seen anyone else dining at Imasara eating them. Everyone goes for the moyanabe, which I think means Korean shabu shabu.


Regular beef moyanabe for two - slices of fatty marbled beef on a bed of bean sprouts and cabbage, which you cook in the broth once it starts boiling


A la carte serving of regular fatty pork


The condiments you can add to your sesame-soy sauce to your taste


The finished sauce - mine had extra garlic and red pepper paste, which made for some kicking breath afterward

Food rating: *** and a half
Bang for buck rating: 3.5

The essentials:
http://imasara.jp/index.html
Location: on the 8th floor of the building across from the Peacock grocery store in Azabujuban
Average price of meal for two: 8000 yen (~$90)

Hyungboo

Hyungboo means "brother-in-law" in Korean and I don't know whose brother-in-law this restaurant refers to, but it serves up the best, most authentic Korean food I've had in Tokyo. Mainly, this means that they don't add sugar to their jjigaes (stews) and soups.

Note #1 to other Korean restaurants in Tokyo: unlike Japanese food, Korean food is not supposed to be sweet. Please do not add sugar to soups and stews, it ruins them.

Note #2 to other Korean restaurants in Tokyo: please do not charge for kimchi. Hyungboo offers gutjuri (fresh, unfermented version of kimchi) for FREE and it is lip-smackingly delicious, totally worth the smell of garlic that will reek from all your pores all day.

Like most restaurants in Tokyo, lunch offers the best deal with an entire page of options that include rice, banchan (side dishes) and soup or meat (or both) for 1200 yen or less. Their lunch Special "D," which comes with spicy sauteed chicken on top of rice, soondubu (spicy soft tofu stew) and banchan was especially good, as was their yukgaejang (spicy beef soup - not on the lunch menu but can be ordered off the regular menu).


Seafood and cheese pancake - a bit greasy but we had to try it as I've never seen attempts at Korean-Italian fusion before


Spicy chicken on rice


Yukgaejang


Soondubu

Food rating: ****
Bang for buck rating: 4

The essentials:
http://www.hyungboo.com/
Location: on a side street about 3 minute walk from Akasaka Sacas
Average price of meal for two (lunch): 2500 yen (~$28)

Kangnam Myunok

Naeng myun literally means "cold noodles" and refers to Korean-style thin, chewy noodles, usually made of buckwheat. There are two main ways to eat naeng myun: bibim naeng myun (literally, "mixed cold noodles") or mul naeng myun ("water cold noodles"). Bibim naeng myun consists of noodles topped with a spicy-sweet cho-gochujang (spicy red pepper paste) mixture, marinated beef, half a boiled egg, and spicy-sweet pickled mu (Korean radish). Mul naeng myun is noodles served in a cold beef broth, usually topped with mu, half a boiled egg, slices of beef and slices of Korean pear. Both mul naeng myun and bibim naeng myun are the perfect remedy for a hot, muggy summer day and if you eat a truly great bowl of naeng myun, you will think it is one of the best things you've ever had in your life. IMHO, it's hard to find good naeng myun outside of Korea unless you have a kickass chef of a mother or grandmother.

My favorite place for bibim naengmyun in Seoul is Hamheung Myunok in Myungdong and my favorite place for mul naengmyun is Kangnam Myunok in Insa-dong. The broth is refreshing, crisp, ever so slightly sweet. So delicious that just thinking about it makes me think I need to plan a trip out to Seoul soon so I can have some. My advice: do not go here for the dumplings (and as tempting as they look because they are very big and succulent looking, do not order them because they are not very good) and do not go here for the bibim naengmyun (which is decent, but to try the best, you have to go to Hamheung Myunok). Just order the mul naengmyun. And you might want to order sari (double serving of noodles).


Mul naengmyun - refreshing, delicious perfection


Bibim naengmyun - decent version but really, get the mul naengmyun


Mandu (dumplings) - look delicious, but are a bit disappointing

Food rating: ***** (for the mul naengmyun), *** and a half (for everything else)
Bang for buck rating: 5

The essentials:
No website
Location: On Insa-dong gil in Seoul, Korea
Average price of meal for two: 15,000 won (~$12)