IFC Mall tteokbokki, a regular since Yongsan cart days: Hyeonseonine

Today I'm back with a review I've been dying to write — tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes)! Hyeonseonine is the tteokbokki spot I've gone to since high school, back when it was a food cart in Yongsan, and it turns out they've opened a branch in Yeouido's IFC Mall. (Apparently it's been there a while and I only just made it!) I always wanted to stop by whenever I passed, so I was thrilled to finally have the chance. So — has Hyeonseonine kept its old taste? Let's get into the real review (❁´◡`❁)

Where is Hyeonseonine Premium IFC Mall Branch, and how far from Yeouido Station?

The Yeouido IFC Mall branch of Hyeonseonine is super accessible. Just walk straight from Exit 3 of Yeouido Station (Lines 5 and 9) and you're there — no need to even say 'a few minutes away' haha. It also looked easy to reach from The Hyundai Seoul.

The red sign and outdoor seats at Hyeonseonine

The standing sign reading 'deliciously spicy' really catches your eye haha. Just look for the red tteokbokki sign and that's it!

There were plenty of seats inside, and outdoor seating too! I saw quite a few people with strollers haha.

What's in the 23,000-won Hyeonseoni Set on the menu?

We went with the Hyeonseoni Set (₩23,000) from the menu — a combo of tteokbokki, fritters, sundae (Korean blood sausage), and gimbap (seaweed rice roll). We debated the instant tteokbokki too, but Hyeonseonine's roots are really the classic tteokbokki, so...! Next time I want to try the instant version too, just saying quietly.

The Hyeonseoni Set spread and the mild-spice tteokbokki

Here's how it came out as a full spread!

The tteokbokki was the first thing to catch my eye haha. And they thoughtfully gave us fish cake broth on the side too!!!!

Tasting the tteokbokki again, it was truly... the exact taste of those memories! Back then I was totally hooked on the spicy version haha. This time, for the sake of our stomachs, we went with the mild version instead of spicy, but even the mild one was plenty tangy and delicious!

Five kinds of fritters and how they pair with the tteokbokki

A bite of the mandu (dumpling) fritter dipped in sauce

A bite of kimmari (fried seaweed rolls) dipped in sauce! The fritter lineup in the Hyeonseoni Set was excellent, and it paired really well with the tteokbokki haha.

• Fried yakimandu
• Vegetable fritter
• Sweet potato fritter
• Kimmari (fried seaweed roll)
• Squid fritter

That's the lineup it came with!

I especially loved the vegetable fritter and squid fritter haha. (The person I was with said they liked the kimmari best haha.)

Sundae mixed with lung and liver

Next up, the sundae (blood sausage)! They mixed in organ meats like lungs and liver evenly haha.

A bite of sundae dipped right in! The person I was eating with usually doesn't like sundae, but said eating it this way was so good haha. That clean taste with no funky smell!

Plain gimbap that gets the basics right

And finally, the gimbap!

Inside the gimbap was ham, egg, pickled radish, spinach, and imitation crab — nothing fancy, but it matched the tteokbokki perfectly haha. (A gimbap that's too dressed up doesn't go well with tteokbokki~! But this one stuck to the basics while still pairing great — a classic taste!)

How Hyeonseonine compares with the Yongsan food-cart days

So that's how we cleaned our plates! Way back in the Yongsan food-cart days, my high school friends and I used to pile in there right after night study haha. Now the place has gotten so much cleaner and nicer, so even though that old food-cart feeling is gone, the taste stayed exactly the same, and that made me really happy! We decided that next time we'll go for the spicy version haha. If it's your first time at Hyeonseonine, I recommend giving the spicy version a try at least once~! Whenever you're craving tteokbokki, I strongly recommend Hyeonseonine, the tteokbokki spot in Yeouido ❤️