Hongdae Korean restaurant for clear broth and traditional spirits: Anok

I wanted something a little different from the usual Korean food in Hongdae, so I visited Anok (안옥), a newly opened Korean restaurant in Hongdae.

Anok’s hanok atmosphere near Hongdae Entrance Station

It is easy to get to from Hongdae Entrance Station, so it felt like a nice spot for lunch or dinner after shopping or a date in Hongdae. From the entrance onward, Anok has the peaceful atmosphere of a hanok (traditional Korean house)—from the name plaque to the stone path, it is full of Korean character.

Inside, everything was neatly arranged and the atmosphere was full of Korean sensibility. I especially loved the Korean-style details in the lights and even the aprons. Anok says its broth has fat precisely filtered out over 48 hours, giving it the clear, deep taste of Korean pork without being hard on the stomach. Broth is especially important for gomtang, so I was really looking forward to that clean flavor!

Ordering clear gomtang, Pyongyang naengmyeon, and braised pork tail

Here are the Korean dishes I ordered at Anok today.

• Clear gomtang (beef soup)
• Pyongyang naengmyeon (cold buckwheat noodles)
• Braised pork tail

For drinks, there was a great variety of traditional distilled spirits that suit Korean food, including maesil wonju (plum wine), Leegangju Emillejong, and Andong soju Hahoe Tal. I also liked that the draft beer options included the less-common Hanmac and Suntory.

The tableware was set out so neatly, along with the basic side dishes: kkakdugi (cubed radish kimchi), pickles, and a sauce for dipping meat. Everything tasted clean and paired nicely with the main dishes.

Clear, transparent-style gomtang

The first dish to arrive was the clear gomtang. Anok’s gomtang is a little different from the usual gomtang with its milky-white broth. As you can see, the soup is clear and transparent.

A spoonful had a subtly deep flavor rather than an aggressively rich or salty one, and the broth was clean with none of that unwanted meat smell. The bowl of rice does not come separately—it is tucked underneath the gomtang.

There were also thin slices of meat in the gomtang, and they were tender rather than tough, making them nice to eat with the rice. Personally, when gomtang broth is too oily or rich, I can get tired of it after a few spoonfuls, but Anok’s clear gomtang had much less of that feeling. I recommend it to anyone who likes broth that is both clean and deeply flavored!

Mild and clean Pyongyang naengmyeon

The second dish was Pyongyang naengmyeon. Anok says its version is a mul-naengmyeon (cold noodle soup) style, with chilled broth for a light, clean taste.

Those who like Pyongyang naengmyeon will know this already, but if you expect the sweet, sour, punchy flavor of ordinary naengmyeon, it may taste a little different. Anok’s Pyongyang naengmyeon also leaned mild and clean overall.

The noodles made it easy to enjoy buckwheat’s distinctive aroma, and the combination of broth, noodles, and meat was nicely light. I would recommend it to anyone who likes a clean, understated Pyongyang naengmyeon! Personally, it was very mild for my taste... I did feel that it was a little short on deep flavorㅠㅠ

Braised pork tail with a great chewy texture

The third dish was braised pork tail. This was the dish I had looked forward to most, because it is not something you easily come across at restaurants, so I was curious.

Unlike a cut with only lean meat, it has the distinctive chewy, springy texture of collagen, fat, and skin, and that chewy pork texture was so tender and delicious. The braised pork tail was tender, yet became wonderfully chewy the more I chewed it. Eating it with the gomtang and naengmyeon made the contrast in texture really clear, which I loved.

It was also a great menu combination with the clean gomtang or Pyongyang naengmyeon. The braised pork tail really gave the mild flavors a boost!! And rather than being just a meal dish, it went so well as an anju (food to have with alcohol) that I could not resist having a beer too, haha. I did not order them, but these are dishes that would also be great with the various traditional distilled spirits.

At Anok near Hongdae Entrance Station, I found clean, understated Korean food that lets the ingredients and broth shine rather than relying on bold flavors. Of the three dishes, the clear gomtang was the cleanest to me; I recommend the Pyongyang naengmyeon if you prefer mild, understated flavors, and the braised pork tail if you prefer something with more punch. When you want a clean Korean meal in Hongdae instead of the usual pasta, ramen, or grilled meat, I think this is a nice place to visit for either lunch or dinner.