Mapo Korean pub for pork wraps and tofu: Dambaek Jujeom

A quiet Korean pub near Sangsu Station for a drink

Today, I’m at Dambaek Jujeom, a Korean pub near Sangsu with a wonderfully traditional atmosphere and a clean, understated feel—a great bossam (boiled pork wraps) spot in Hapjeong.

Hongdae and Yeonnam are nice too, but Hapjeong and Sangsu have a warm atmosphere all their own. I really love the feeling of having a drink in a friendly neighborhood. It is a little away from the busy streets, so it is quiet.

Head up the stairs to the second floor, and there it is: “Sincerity, honesty, humility.” Wow... an all-time-great company motto.

There are wooden tables for two to four people, plus a room for groups. The gentle mood suits drinks with friends, a date, or even drinking alone. The open kitchen gives it an extra boost of trust, too!

A menu where you can order sides without a main

I tried to capture the feel of the place along with the menu. A fan decorated with Kim Hong-do’s village school painting makes it feel like a Korean pub from the Gyeongseong era. In other words, it is pretty, haha.

The restroom is shared by all genders, but it even has mouthwash and room spray.

Just like the restaurant’s name, the menu has a clean, simple feel. It is divided into mains, sides, and desserts, but you can order just sides without getting a main. At lunch, every item is ₩2,000 off. At first glance it may look pricey, but kalguksu (knife-cut noodle soup) and vegetables are included, so think of it as a per-person set meal and it feels like good value.

Half pork belly, half pork jowl suyuk with wraps

You can order a half-and-half plate, too. Naturally, I went straight for it. Pork belly suyuk is ₩16,000 per person and pork jowl suyuk is ₩18,000 per person. It comes with perilla leaves, lettuce, napa cabbage kimchi, dried shredded radish, ssamjang (seasoned soybean paste), salted seafood, Cheongyang peppers, garlic, and salted shrimp.

Just looking at the tender, beautifully boiled suyuk and fresh vegetables makes me want to diet. The vegetables are for the kalguksu.

I made myself a proper wrap and devoured it. With food this good to drink with, how could alcohol possibly be left out...? Heh.

Grilled tofu I could not resist, even while dieting

As I keep saying, I’m dieting, so I ordered grilled tofu. You cannot resist a three-way combination, right? It was like grilling soft, fluffy tofu meant for stew.

Fresh kalguksu noodles cooked in the suyuk broth

All right, all right, we are heading into the second half. Once they clear away the suyuk dish we had been eating from, ta-da—the broth arrives! It is the shabu-steam style I really love. I photographed it with the ingredients for the kalguksu. Since the noodles are fresh, they are even more delicious.

It came out looking like ramen, but this kalguksu is unbelievably delicious. The rich suyuk broth and fresh vegetables each do their job beautifully, creating a feast of flavors in the mouth.

The food is understated yet warmly comforting. Dambaek Jujeom is a Korean pub near Sangsu Station and Hapjeong that is great for a drink with friends, drinking alone, or a light daytime drink in a quiet atmosphere.