Seongsu bar for pollack roe cheese pancake and agu-jjim: Seongsu AGU

These cooler evenings really make me crave something spicy and punchy paired with a cold highball haha

A Seongsu agu-jjim (spicy monkfish stew) spot even Lee Young-ja gave her stamp of approval to!! Today I went to 'Seongsu AGU,' a Seongsu restaurant where you can eat not just plain agu-jjim but a totally unique version piled high with crispy fried tripe!! 🐟🔥

Where is Seongsu AGU and what is the space like?

Seongsu AGU is located in the Seongsu AGU building at 48-1 Sangwon-gil, Seongdong-gu, Seoul. The interior was clean all the way down to the restroom.

The restroom was so clean!

Ordering tip: fried tripe agu-jjim plus the 1+1 highball

If you come to AGU, you absolutely have to try the fried tripe agu-jjim!! And the 1+1 highball deal is a perfect match for the spicy stew!! The agu-jjim sauce itself is rich and spicy, so the fizzy highball pairs really well with it haha

What's the atmosphere like at Seongsu AGU?

True to Seongsu style, it felt cleaner and trendier than a typical agu-jjim restaurant! It's a great place to grab drinks with friends, or to have a light meal with a drink while dating in Seongsu!!

Agu-jjim usually makes me think of a family dinner spot, but here both the vibe and the menu felt different enough that younger people could visit comfortably too haha

The order and the side dishes at Seongsu AGU

• Signature set for two
• 1+1 Jim Beam highball

The basic side dishes were corn salad, yeolmu kimchi (young radish kimchi), and baek-kimchi (white kimchi). They give you a personal plate, spoon, chopsticks, and two types of sauce per person!

1+1 Jim Beam highball

The Jim Beam highball came out first!! 🍺 It being 1+1 put me in a good mood right from the start hahaha. Loaded with cold ice and popping with carbonation!! It was clean and crisp rather than sweet, which made it perfect to pair with spicy food.

Fried tripe with agu-jjim for two

And finally, today's main event!! The fried tripe agu-jjim arrived!!! The visual was overwhelming the moment it landed hahaha. Piled high on top of monkfish and bean sprouts tossed in spicy sauce was a generous heap of golden fried tripe!! There were even fried peppers! Fried tripe on top of agu-jjim... isn't that combination just fascinating??

I picked up a piece of fried tripe first! The outside was crispy fried, and the more I chewed, the more that distinctive savory tripe flavor spread through my mouth!! It's delicious on its own, but dipping it lightly into the spicy agu-jjim sauce made it a real delicacy ㅠㅠ

The spicy sauce completely balanced out the rich, savory fattiness of the tripe, so the combination worked way better than I expected! There was also gonji (fish roe sac) and mideoduk (sea squirt) in there, so it was really delicious. A bite of monkfish, a bite of fried tripe, a bite of bean sprouts, and a sip of highball in between!! With this combo, there's no way you're not drinking hahaha

Half pollack roe cheese potato pancake

The pollack roe cheese potato pancake arrived!! Can you see the cheese stretching?? Ha, it was seriously delicious. Crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside! Packed with cheese for a savory taste. The salty flavor of the pollack roe added an addictive kick that kept me reaching for more!

Half gamtae octopus rice balls

There was a subtle gamtae (seaweed) aroma and the octopus had a chewy bite, giving it great texture, and it paired especially well with the spicy agu-jjim. Can you see the size of the octopus?? It's bigger than expected, giving it a satisfying chew!

Why Seongsu AGU is worth a visit in Seongsu

At AGU, eating the agu-jjim together with fried tripe means you get crispy + chewy + tender all at once, so I never got tired of it and enjoyed every bite until the end!! I think anyone who loves agu-jjim, and anyone who loves tripe in general, would enjoy giving this a try haha

• Fried tripe agu-jjim, clearly different from a regular agu-jjim
• A unique combo of crispy, savory fried tripe with spicy agu-jjim
• Plump, tender monkfish meat paired with crunchy bean sprouts
• A cold 1+1 highball that pairs perfectly with the spicy sauce
• A great atmosphere for a date or drinks with friends in Seongsu

If you're in Seongsu and want something a little different to pair with your drinks, be sure to check out 'Seongsu AGU'! 💕