Fire jokbal for a spice-shy date in Myeongdong: Miss Jokbal

Dinner after shopping in Myeongdong: why Miss Jokbal Seoul Myeongdong Branch?

After shopping in Myeongdong and stopping at a café, we picked Miss Jokbal Seoul Myeongdong Branch (미쓰족발 서울명동점) for dinner. We'd come to Myeongdong to hang out, and between the shopping and the café it was suddenly dinner time! There are so many places to eat in Myeongdong that I couldn't decide, but I settled on Miss Jokbal, which I'd wanted to try for a long time.

It's famous as a jokbal place with 30 years of tradition, so I went in with high expectations.

Is there a wait on a Saturday evening?

We arrived around 6 p.m. on a Saturday and got in right away with no wait. I'd worried a weekend dinner would mean a long line, so I think we were just lucky.

That said, the restaurant was already almost full, and guests kept coming in while we ate. There were a lot of foreign tourists in particular, so you can really feel it's a popular Myeongdong spot.

What to order on a first visit: half-and-half jokbal, steamed egg and flying fish roe rice balls

Since it was our first time, we ordered the most popular combination: half-and-half jokbal, flying fish roe rice balls and steamed egg. We checked the menu as soon as we sat down.

• Half-and-half jokbal ₩49,000
• Flying fish roe rice balls ₩5,000
• Steamed egg ₩5,000

The free kimchi kalguksu

As soon as you order, Miss Jokbal brings out kimchi kalguksu (knife-cut noodle soup) as a basic dish. I usually don't expect much from freebies, but this one was really good. The broth was spicy yet refreshing, with the savory depth of the kimchi coming through. Whenever I took a sip between bites of jokbal, my mouth felt clean again.

Side dishes included a variety of sauces and dried radish, among others.

Half-and-half jokbal: how do the original and fire jokbal taste?

The half-and-half jokbal came out about 10 minutes after ordering, cut into generous pieces, with original and fire jokbal each filling half the plate. Getting two flavors in one order was my favorite thing about it.

Original jokbal: moist meat with no gamey smell

I tried the original first and was satisfied from the first bite. I could barely detect the gamey smell jokbal sometimes has, and the meat was really moist. The skin was chewy but not tough, and the lean meat was tender, with a nutty richness that builds as you chew. Personally I liked it plain rather than with salted shrimp sauce, because that's where you taste the jokbal itself best.

Fire jokbal: spicy enough, yet my spice-shy boyfriend ate it

The fire jokbal isn't just aggressively hot. The sauce is sweet and spicy at once, so you keep reaching for more. It was better than I expected, and with a decent smoky char flavor, alternating it with the original meant we never got tired of it! My boyfriend doesn't handle spicy food well, but he ate this fire jokbal just fine!!

Are the steamed egg and flying fish roe rice balls worth ordering with fire jokbal?

I really recommend the steamed egg (₩5,000)! It arrived bubbling in an earthenware pot, and it looked fluffy just by sight. It had shrimp and green onion for extra savory flavor, and a spoonful after a bite of fire jokbal softly cooled the heat. What a combo!! My boyfriend even said we must always order the steamed egg with it.

The flying fish roe rice balls (₩5,000) went really well with the fire jokbal too. They come with plenty of seaweed flakes and fish roe that pop as you chew, and making them yourself is part of the fun.

A piece of fire jokbal followed by a bite of rice ball tidies up the spiciness perfectly, so you just keep eating. Partway through I decided this absolutely needed a drink, so I ordered a beer and enjoyed it.

How many people does the half-and-half jokbal feed?

With half-and-half jokbal plus the steamed egg and rice balls, the order was really a lot for two, and I think it suits three people if you add sides. I could see why it's loved as a jokbal place with 30 years of tradition. If you're looking for jokbal in Myeongdong, I recommend Miss Jokbal Seoul Myeongdong Branch!!!