Daehak-ro bibim poke shop: fried tofu & beef brisket bowls, Sallering

A light but filling lunch near Hyehwa Station: Sallering Daehak-ro

Sallering Daehak-ro (샐러링 대학로점) serves Korean-style bibim poke salads near Hyehwa Station, and it's a great stop before a show or at lunch when you want something light that still fills you up. When you're in Hyehwa before a performance or hunting for lunch, it's surprisingly hard to decide. You want something light, but you don't want to be hungry again in an hour, and heavy food can feel like too much. This time I visited Sallering Daehak-ro, a poke place in Daehak-ro that's been getting buzz lately, and it totally changed how I think about salad!!

How is Korean-style bibim poke different from regular poke?

Sallering's bibim poke is Korean-style poke where the flavor comes together the moment you mix everything (bibim means mixed), so it's nothing like a small diet salad. Salad usually brings to mind diet food and small portions, but I went to eat salad and came out full!! Sallering is a brand specializing in Korean-style bibim poke salads, and it has a charm that's clearly different from ordinary poke. Because it's a mixed style, every ingredient blended together really well, and thanks to the special dressings made for Korean tastes, I never felt that bland saltiness-free quality salads can have.

Sallering Daehak-ro has an open kitchen and fast cooking

Sallering Daehak-ro runs an open kitchen, so you can see the ingredients being prepared, which made me trust it even more. The ingredients looked fresh, and since cooking after ordering is quick, I thought it would be easy to use even during the lunch rush. Honestly, with only a little exaggeration, it came out almost right after I ordered..!

How do you pick a Sallering poke combination?

Sallering's biggest strength is that you can combine things to your own taste. You can freely choose from 11 signature dressings, 12 main toppings and 4 bases, and I heard that makes over 500 combinations, so it seems like you could eat here every day without getting bored.

Each menu item also shows a recommended sauce, so even on a first visit it wasn't hard to order.

The two combinations I ordered this time

• Fried tofu bibim poke: brown rice and barley base + seaweed sesame mayo sauce
• Beef brisket bibim poke: whole-wheat pasta base instead of rice + gochujang mayo sauce

Besides dining in, Sallering Daehak-ro offers takeout and delivery, so it works for busy office workers and students too, and the quick cooking means you can drop by at lunchtime without worry.

How does the fried tofu bibim poke with seaweed sesame mayo taste?

The fried tofu bibim poke had tofu that was crispy outside and soft inside, which was really appealing. Mixed with the brown rice and barley, it had a great chew and was very filling.

Above all, the seaweed sesame mayo sauce was really impressive. Nutty sesame and the flavor of seaweed came together so well that I kept reaching for more, and it had real savory depth for a salad. Personally, this is a sauce I definitely want to recommend!!!

How was the beef brisket bibim poke on a whole-wheat pasta base?

The beef brisket bibim poke also beat my expectations. Choosing whole-wheat pasta as the base felt different from an ordinary salad, and the gochujang mayo sauce went really well with the beef brisket. It was slightly spicy and nutty, so I enjoyed it to the very end, and just one bowl made a hearty meal.

What makes Sallering special is that it isn't food made only with health in mind. Not missing out on taste was its biggest plus. The ingredient combinations were good, but thanks to the bibim dressing, I think even people who don't usually enjoy salad could eat this happily.

Is it good for people who get hungry quickly after salad?

If you've always thought you get hungry soon after eating salad, I hope you'll try the bibim poke at Sallering Daehak-ro at least once. I'm usually like that too, but after Sallering I felt really full, and it was completely enough for a meal.

If you're looking for a healthy yet tasty meal in Hyehwa, I recommend Sallering Daehak-ro. The distinctive Korean-style bibim poke salad, the variety of combinations, the excellent sauces and the filling portions all satisfied me. It broke my prejudice that healthy food doesn't taste good. On a day when you want taste, health and fullness all together, do try a bowl of bibim poke at Sallering Daehak-ro.