Hongdae Korean restaurant for first-time Pyongyang cold noodles: Anok

Autumn is here. I can hardly believe it, but I’m going to start trying on my fall clothes soon. The weather has been all over the place lately, so before the heat fully disappears, I came out to try a cool dish. I visited Anok (안옥), a Pyongyang naengmyeon restaurant in Hongdae.

My first Pyongyang naengmyeon in Hongdae

Pyongyang naengmyeon is famous for being a dish people either love or hate, so honestly, I was curious even before visiting. People say that first-timers might find the famously mild flavor bland. Since it was my first Pyongyang naengmyeon too, I went in wondering what it would taste like.

Anok is located around Hongdae, so it was easy enough to reach. It is open from 11:00 to 22:00, with last orders at 21:00. When I think of Hongdae, I first picture cafés, bars, and youthful restaurants, but Anok felt more unusual because it serves Korean food with a mood a little different from the usual Hongdae scene.

Ta-da... There was an atmosphere like this in Hongdae...?

We ordered gomtang (beef soup), Pyongyang naengmyeon, and braised pork tail.

What does Pyongyang naengmyeon taste like at first?

Pyongyang naengmyeon is definitely a different kind of dish from strongly flavored cold noodles, so I thought it was best to try the original flavor first rather than adding lots of seasoning.

Staff: Who has the gomtang? (Me, faster than anyone): Me. Hahahahahaha

Gomtang setup: complete.

Cold noodle setup: complete.

It definitely was not sweet-and-sour or boldly seasoned like ordinary cold noodles. At first, I went from “What is this...?” to “It’s milder than I expected?” But after a few spoonfuls, I gradually began to taste the broth more than I had at first. From what I read, it is buckwheat noodles in broth.

The green side dish was gungchae, a crunchy vegetable with a texture like danmuji (pickled radish), and it kept the flavors balanced. I think the appeal of Pyongyang naengmyeon is not that it delivers a bold flavor all at once, but that it lets you notice its flavor gently as you eat.

Noodles, meat, and side dishes together

The noodles are important in Pyongyang naengmyeon. What impressed me more than expected while eating it was the noodles. Compared with the cold noodles I usually eat, both their texture and aroma felt clearly different. They were a little different from the springy chew of regular cold noodles, and when I chewed them, I could taste their distinctive nutty aroma.

The meat on top of the noodles was also very large, and eating it with the side dishes added texture to the noodles and broth, making the meal feel fuller. If you expect a strong flavor from the beginning, it might feel a little plain, but I thought it could be nice when you are tired of highly seasoned food...

If it is your first Pyongyang naengmyeon

Personally, if you are trying Pyongyang naengmyeon for the first time, you might take one or two bites and think, “What flavor is this?” I was not hit with an intensely delicious feeling from the start either; it was more that I gradually got used to it as I ate.

Pyongyang naengmyeon is often described as mild, but I came to think that does not simply mean it has no flavor. Rather than making the flavor strong with salt or seasoning, it is closer to a dish where you taste the broth and noodles themselves. So it may feel different for people who enjoy spicy bibim naengmyeon or sweet-and-sour mul naengmyeon. On the other hand, if you like mild food or clean flavors, I think it is worth trying at least once.

Besides Pyongyang naengmyeon, Anok has various Korean dishes including bibim naengmyeon, pork gomtang, and braised pork tail, so it seemed like a good place for several people to visit and share dishes rather than coming only for noodles. In particular, if noodles alone feel a little lacking, I think ordering jeon (savory pancake) or braised tail alongside them would make for a good meal.

It felt like all the soft bits of jokbal (braised pig’s trotters) gathered together.

I took these when it was this pleasantly quiet in the evening. I hear it is popular with people of all ages at lunchtime.

Mild Korean food in Hongdae

There are so many restaurants in Hongdae that I tend to look for pasta, ramen, or meat every time. But trying Pyongyang naengmyeon at Anok this time, I liked that I could have this kind of mild Korean food in Hongdae too.

If you enjoy the subtle, mild flavor unique to Pyongyang naengmyeon, it seems like an easy place to visit. And for people like me who have not eaten it often, I thought it was a fine place to experience it at least once. More than anything, I understood a little more why people say Pyongyang naengmyeon is a food whose flavor you come to know as you eat.

It definitely had a different kind of appeal from food that makes you go, “Wow, this is delicious!” from the first bite. (Not that I thought it was delicious from the very beginning.) If you are looking for a different kind of Korean food in Hongdae, or for Korean food that is not intensely seasoned or for Pyongyang naengmyeon, Anok may be worth a visit!

If you are not used to it yet, I would recommend trying it not with huge expectations, but with the thought, “So this is what Pyongyang naengmyeon tastes like.” Personally, if I visit again, I would like to order not only mul naengmyeon but also bibim naengmyeon and other Korean dishes. Off to find new Pyongyang naengmyeon—adios.