Less-spicy monkfish braise at Balsan Station: Gwangju Ttoksuni Agujjim

I heard that Gwangju Ttoksuni Agujjim (광주똑순이아구찜) won first place in the monkfish braise blind test on the TV show Baek Jong-won's Alley Restaurant.

With a glamorous record of awards like that, the taste seems pretty much guaranteed, so I went to see for myself.

Where is Gwangju Ttoksuni Agujjim, and how far is it from Balsan Station?

Gwangju Ttoksuni Agujjim is on the 1st floor of 375-8 Gangseo-ro, Gangseo-gu, Seoul, just one minute from Balsan Station, so it's very easy to get to.

Looking at the facilities and parking info, it says group visits and free parking are available.

Gwangju Ttoksuni Agujjim sits in the back alley right behind Balsan Station. Monkfish braise (agujjim, spicy braised monkfish with bean sprouts) is said to have started in Gwangju about 45 years ago, and this place recreates that flavor properly, so I hear it's already a well-known monkfish restaurant in the Gangseo area.

Takeout orders get ₩2,000 off, it seems. And like any popular spot, there was a waiting zone out front.

Gwangju Ttoksuni Agujjim atmosphere and menu

The restaurant was very spacious and pleasant. Aprons hung here and there so you can grab one easily. Below is the full menu.

After some deliberation, I ordered the extra-meaty monkfish braise for 2 in the mild spice level, plus 1 bowl of rice.

What side dishes come out? The chili crisps are refillable

The side dishes at Gwangju Ttoksuni Agujjim were dried pollack and seaweed soup, kimchi, braised quail eggs, corn salad, and chili crisps. A nuruk (traditional fermentation starter) soy sauce was on the table, so I poured some into a small dish. It tastes a little like mustard, I think.

I'd never had chili crisps (gochu bugak, crispy fried chili pepper) before. They're a curious mix of slightly spicy, salty and sweet, and crunchy and delicious. When I finished them they refilled them once more, and I polished those off too.

The kimchi was cool and had plenty of broth, and the seaweed soup had dried pollack in it, so it tasted refreshing and mild.

Extra-meaty monkfish braise, mild spice: fine if you can't eat spicy food?

The extra-meaty monkfish braise for 2, mild spice, arrived! The portion is really generous, and maybe because it's the extra-meaty menu, there was a ton of monkfish in it.

It came with crunchy bean sprouts and fragrant water dropwort (minari), so I ate them together with the monkfish meat. Wow, I can't eat spicy food, and going with mild was absolutely the right call. It's still spicy, with a hot-but-refreshing feel.

If you can't eat spicy food, I recommend the mild spice level. I went with mild instead of medium and it was just right.

Monkfish meat with nuruk soy sauce

I dipped the meat in the nuruk soy sauce too. The pieces are really big, and even though the seasoning coats the outside, the meat itself isn't salty, just mild, so it balances perfectly. Even dipped in the soy sauce it isn't salty at all, just tasty.

The skin side was tender and chewy. Wow, monkfish is such a delicious fish! I haven't eaten much monkfish braise so I didn't really know, but eating a truly good one at Gwangju Ttoksuni Agujjim, the blind test winner, I immediately understood why people eat it.

The piece on the left was laid on top as a garnish. I'm not sure which part it is, but it was chewy and delicious! There were also lots of sea squirts (mideodeok), so I enjoyed the little pop when they burst, and they were tasty too.

Can you take leftover monkfish braise home?

At Gwangju Ttoksuni Agujjim, if you ask about leftovers, they give you a takeout container. The portion was huge and generous, but it was too delicious to waste, so I asked, they handed me a container, and I took it home and enjoyed it again for dinner.

Who would I recommend Gwangju Ttoksuni Agujjim to?

Gwangju Ttoksuni Agujjim is near Balsan Station in Gangseo, Seoul, so it's a great monkfish spot when you're looking for a place to eat in Magok! You can enjoy a range of dishes, from the braise with plump monkfish and crunchy bean sprouts to aged-kimchi monkfish braise and seafood monkfish braise. The restaurant is spacious, so I recommend it for family meals or gatherings.