Sadang bar reunion over 4 bottles of soju in Seoul: Jindallae Silbi

Aunt-run drinking courses (이모카세) have been all the rage lately — people going wild over generous plates of anju (drinking snacks) served by an 'aunt.' That trend still doesn't seem to be cooling off. I'd only ever read about it in articles, but I finally got the chance to try the 'uncle' version instead — a samchon-kase near Sadang Station. Here's how it went.

Where is Jindallae Silbi Sadang Branch, and when is it open?

Jindallae Silbi, home of this uncle-kase, is only a 5-minute walk from Sadang Station, so it's easy to get to. If you're driving, they offer 1 hour free parking at the Sadang-dong Public Parking Lots No.1 and No.2, worth keeping in mind.

• Location: 70 Dongjak-daero 7-gil, Dongjak-gu, Seoul, 2nd floor
• Hours: Mon–Sat 18:00–24:00, last order 23:00
• Closed every Sunday

I was a little thrown off at first that the place is on the 2nd floor, but once I thought of it as a hideout with 7080s retro charm, it actually felt kind of welcoming.

Climbing the stairs inside the building, I finally reached today's destination: Jindallae Silbi. Right from the entrance, signs full of 7080s retro-flavored phrases greeted me. One line in particular caught my eye.

A place that might be a little loud, but where nostalgic songs, people, stories, drinks, and warmth all pass between us.

Moving forward is important, but I thought it'd be nice to sometimes soak in this kind of retro mood and let go of the pressure through it.

Inside Jindallae Silbi: 7080s retro rooms and the entrance lucky draw

The interior was spacious, and hit songs from the 70s and 80s played throughout, dripping with retro atmosphere.

There were little details scattered around the restaurant designed to stir up nostalgia for anyone from that era. I found some writing that really hit my own retro nerve, so I just posted the whole thing as is — it's a nice read for a bit of nostalgia, so check it out if you're interested.

They were running a no-loss lucky draw event, with prizes ranging from a 100% free visit for two down to a free drink. I gave the nostalgic draw a try myself and won 5th place — a cold bottle of Chilsung Cider.

Jindallae Silbi menu and course prices

Here's what was on the menu:

• Jindallae Course (before 8pm: 15 dishes for ₩39,000 / after 8pm: 6 dishes for ₩20,000)
• Osipsaeju, infused highballs (ginseng, plum, apricot, bokbunja), and other standard liquors
• Rice and ramen noodles, self-serve and free

My friend was running late, so I joined the draw event alone first, and while waiting, seeing the Del Monte water bottle and green cider bottle on the table brought back all kinds of childhood memories.

What comes out in the Jindallae Course for two?

There were two of us. The dishes just kept coming, one after another — and what had already arrived wasn't even the end of it. Only once the table was so full there was no space left for anything else did things finally settle down. Let me walk you through what showed up, one by one.

Porridge

Some kind of pork-and-tteok stir-fry (not totally sure of the exact name) with rice balls

Warm, chewy japchae (stir-fried glass noodles)

Plump, meaty ganjang gejang (soy-marinated crab)

Ham jeon (pan-fried ham) with an old-school, honest flavor completely different from Spam or standard store-bought ham

Soft tofu

Bossam (boiled pork wraps)

A 'lord' of a snow crab, greedily clutching steamed scallops, squid, and shrimp

Aged sashimi from a 4kg-class flounder raised in the waters off Wando, striking an incredible balance between the clean flavor of flounder sashimi and rich umami

I threw back a fresh glass with my friend, whom I hadn't seen in a long time.

Grilled flounder

Pork cutlet, packed solid on the inside

And then pajeon (scallion pancake) with squid in it (I ordered without checking the menu, so I honestly couldn't tell if it was minari pancake or scallion pancake) — such a wide variety of drinking snacks kept landing on one table. The way the 'uncles' would check the table now and then and bring out the next dish at just the right moment was really nice, and between that and the retro music and atmosphere, my friend and I — reunited after so long — ended up going through four bottles of soju.

As we kept eating, more and more people filled in around us until there were almost no empty seats left. I was surprised to realize just how many people out there miss this kind of retro atmosphere as much as I do.

Is Jindallae Silbi Sadang Branch worth it for a night of soju?

I met up with the friend I went with today for the first time in 5 years. Caught up in the mood and the drinks together, we asked after each other's lives, reminisced about old times, let off some steam, and even talked about what's next for us — a genuinely enjoyable time. Racing forward is good, but why not also visit a place where you can rest like this sometimes? I think pausing to take a breather every now and then is one of life's little pleasures too.