Euljiro snack bar for catching up with a friend: Hyeonseoni-ne

Why Hyeonseoni-ne for a reunion after six months

Today's the day I finally get to see my Mimi again! We met in winter and now it's summer already — time really does fly, seriously~

Since it had been so long, I wanted to eat something really good together! Searched and searched and searched, and my final pick was an old-school Euljiro tteokbokki place near Cheonggyecheon, a snack bar restaurant called Hyeonseoni-ne!

Old-school Euljiro tteokbokki, Cheonggyecheon snack bar, Hyeonseoni-ne — yep, that's the same Hyeonseoni-ne known for its Yongsan tent-bar tteokbokki! Starting all the way back in 2004 and now grown to 8 directly-run branches, that's seriously impressive~ These days a lot of places are shutting locations down, but here they're actually expanding — respect!

Tent-bar mood, air-conditioned dining room

Walking into Hyeonseoni-ne Cheonggye Instant Branch, they haven't lost the spirit at all — that classic tent-bar feel is all there! But the kicker is, it's cool inside! Getting the tent-bar atmosphere without the heat — pure bliss!

What's on the Hyeonseoni-ne menu

What to eat at Hyeonseoni-ne Cheonggye Instant Branch~ Looking at the menu, there's really so much! From spicy to a mild version for people who can't handle spice well, plus instant tteokbokki that's fun to watch bubble away!

Everything on there looks amazing~ Plus hand-rolled gimbap (seaweed rice roll), hand-made sundae (Korean blood sausage), and fried snacks! And it wouldn't feel complete without fish cake! We ordered the Hyeonseoni combo with tteokbokki + sundae + fried snacks + gimbap + fish cake all together! Wow, all that for ₩25,000 is genuinely such a steal!

I see a lot of people ordering the beer sets to enjoy with a drink too! Makes sense, it's the perfect combo for a meal that doubles as a drink!

Self-serve utensils and tabletop induction burners

Plates, utensils and water are self-serve, so grab those yourself~! By the way, having an induction burner installed at every table for instant tteokbokki is really nice~ I want one of these tables for my own home! Having this would be so convenient! Promised myself I'll buy one once I move out!

While waiting for the food, we used the time to catch up on how we'd both been living. So much happened for both of us over these 6 months~ We'd both been busy and didn't have the chance to really talk, so finally getting to say it all out loud felt kind of touching.

The 25,000 won Hyeonseoni combo, all on one table

And in the middle of all that, our order came out fast! Wow, the colors look incredible!!! The spicy tteokbokki smell hit me right away and my mouth started watering!

I'd come straight from work and was already starving, so seeing and smelling this made my eyes go wide! I wanted to dig in immediately, but held back and went into work mode to snap some photos first!

Sundae, fried snacks, gimbap, fish cake — good food right next to more good food, pure happiness! Tried dipping into the tteokbokki sauce and wow, mind blown~ Delicious and spicy enough to eat on its own, but also great for dipping the other sides into!

Sundae, liver and chewy rice cakes

So I tried everything one by one! The sundae had zero funky smell, so good! In the middle of it all I couldn't help myself and had some tteokbokki — the texture on the rice cakes is really good! Chewy and clings to your mouth just right!

And my absolute favorite, the liver!!! No smell at all, just nutty and amazing

Fried snacks that never taste greasy

After that I tried the fried snacks, and the oil must be clean because there's no soggy taste at all, just crispy! I could eat ₩20,000 worth of just this!

I'm not usually that into fried food, but wow, I could eat endless amounts of theirs~ First time eating fried snacks that weren't greasy! I'd love to take some home for takeout later too! Eating something this good makes me think of family~~

A Cheonggyecheon walk after the meal

My friend loved it too, which made me feel proud~ Eating good food together and finally talking through everything we'd been holding onto — that's true healing, healing right there~ What more could you need these days!

We don't actually get to meet that often in a year, but no matter when we do, this friendship is always so reliable, fun and precious. And with our tastes matching so perfectly, what more could I ask for~ Ate so well my stomach was practically bouncing, pure healing!

Before we met she'd won me a doll from a claw machine as a gift too, the best! Ate so much we took a walk along Cheonggyecheon to help digest~ Eating great food with someone I love plus a walk, my favorite hobby — such a happy day~ Next time I'll bring the family here too and heal all over again!