Olympic Park team dinner: meaty monkfish stew restaurant, Ttoksuni

What is Ttoksuni Agujjim Jamsil Direct Branch?

Ttoksuni Agujjim Jamsil Direct Branch (똑순이아구찜 잠실직영점) is a Jeolla-style monkfish stew restaurant in Bangi-dong, right in front of Hanseong Baekje Station. It advertises 50 years of Jeolla-style home cooking, and says the deep flavor of the agujjim (braised spicy monkfish) long loved in Seoul's Gangseo area can now be had in Songpa-gu.

The signature agujjim pairs plump monkfish with a secret Jeolla-style sauce, and it's fantastic! The sauce is not overly sweet and built on a rich, deep savoriness, so you don't get tired of it, and the spice level can be adjusted to taste. They say it's the recipe of a master of Korean cuisine.

Agujjim by a master of Korean cuisine

Agujjim is one of Korea's hidden soul foods, something you need to eat every once in a while. A so-so place gives you too little to eat and way too much spice, but Ttoksuni says its Jeolla-style secret sauce, made by a Korean cuisine master, guarantees flavor and happiness.

What's on the Ttoksuni Agujjim menu?

The agujjim comes in plenty of variations: regular, meaty, with fried roe, with seafood added, or with aged kimchi. There's also clear cod soup, flying fish roe fried rice and a kids' menu, so it works for a family meal near Olympic Park too.

Monkfish is said to be low in fat and high in protein, good for the stomach and intestines, and rich in collagen for your skin. Quite the superfood, they say!

Ttoksuni Agujjim Jamsil location, hours and parking

One minute on foot from Hanseong Baekje Station Exit 3. A top-notch location

• Location: 1-minute walk from Hanseong Baekje Station Exit 3, right next door to the well-known Cheongwaok
• Hours: daily 11:00–22:00
• Break time: 15:00–16:30
• Parking: available (free behind the building, valet costs extra)

What comes with the meal at Ttoksuni Agujjim?

A neat, tidy, well-organized spread from a master of Korean cuisine

At Ttoksuni, dried pollack egg soup (북어계란국) comes as standard! Oh, what a pleasant surprise. This hangover-soothing egg soup softens the heat of the red agujjim sauce, and it's delicious.

The side dishes are cucumber salad, japchae (glass noodle stir-fry), cubed radish kimchi, seaweed salad and young radish kimchi, which is plenty, and the self-bar has a few more seasoned vegetables. Maybe thanks to the tidy food and generous service, the place is quite busy.

How did the meaty monkfish stew taste?

Agujjim isn't my absolute favorite, but every now and then it pops into my head, and then I simply have to eat it. And the sight of it piled high on a big shallow dish, isn't that just so happy? Loads of bean sprouts, a bite of mild monkfish, the fragrance of minari (water dropwort)... so good.

That day I ordered Ttoksuni's meaty monkfish stew, and oh, it's so good. I was aiming for a generous spread, and it would make no sense to come up short on meat, right?

The sauce is a rich gochujang sauce with the nuttiness of sesame seeds and sesame oil, and I think a bit of soy sauce too. Toss it with the minari and lift up a big chopstick-full! It's the kind of taste I'd want to take home as takeout on a day when I'm low on energy.

Best of all, you end up eating tons of vegetables, so your fiber is guaranteed!

What's at the Ttoksuni Agujjim self-serve bar?

At the self-bar, grab some cabbage salad, green onion kimchi and seasoned vegetables, and you'll never go hungry or run short of veggies. Agujjim really is a healthy dish.

Is Ttoksuni Agujjim good for a team dinner near Olympic Park?

Order the meaty monkfish stew and you'll be well fed

Ttoksuni Jamsil Direct Branch is a new shop, so it's very clean and comfortable. There's Hadong plum tea for dessert too. If you work near Olympic Park, it's a solid, filling choice for a company dinner, and a fresh, belly-filling meal for family outings too.

Not many restaurants serve cod jiri (clear spicy-free fish soup), so next time I want to try this master's clear soup. The staff service is good too. After a big meal you can head to Olympic Park right across the street, and if you're on public transit, Jamsil, Mongchontoseong and Hanseong Baekje stations give you Lines 2, 8 and 9, a comfortable location that's another plus.

Bangi-dong is a drinking neighborhood, right? Ttoksuni's agujjim is also a perfect anju (drinking snack) with alcohol. It's also so good as a happy meal with friends, talking about life. Every mouthful of thick monkfish brought me happiness and energy.