Jung-gu Korean restaurant for cold soy kalguksu: Tanbaek

I couldn’t forget the cold soy mixed kalguksu I had last year, so I came back again this year—this is Tanbaek (탄백), a Deoksugung favorite I keep returning to.

Back at Tanbaek for the cold soy mixed kalguksu

This cold soy mixed kalguksu is seriously unforgettable and keeps coming to mind. Those of you who’ve tried it will know. I was craving it again this year, so I walked in with my boyfriend.

As you’d expect from a Tanbaek that’s famous near Deoksugung, it was packed even though we came late for lunch, and there were barely any seats. Luckily, there were exactly two seats for us at the bar, haha.

Ordering by QR code

The menu is written on the wall, but the poster by the window makes it much easier to understand with photos. Since I’m not usually a big fan of kongguksu (cold soy milk noodles), I remembered my former self seeing “soy” kalguksu (knife-cut noodles) for the first time and trying it with some hesitation, haha.

You can order through the QR code on the table. Last year, two girls sharing one cold soy mixed kalguksu left us wanting more, so this time we decided to get one each: two cold soy mixed kalguksu and one order of on jeyuk (warm boiled pork).

I also remembered how good the makgeolli (Korean rice wine) was, so I ordered a glass again. I felt a little bad about drinking alone and had been holding off, but my boyfriend encouraged me to have one ^^

On jeyuk, like boiled pork jowl

The on jeyuk arrived first and very quickly. It’s jeyuk made with pork jowl—have you ever seen white jeyuk? It felt a little like bossam (boiled pork wraps) made with pork jowl, and it actually is boiled pork jowl.

You enjoy the on jeyuk with the side dishes that come with it. In particular, the fragrant chamnamul (Korean parsley) went so well with it that the combination even tasted wonderfully clean.

Since it came before the cold soy mixed kalguksu, we were enjoying it almost like an appetizer.

Seasonal cold soy mixed kalguksu with black sesame and Korean melon

My beloved cold soy mixed kalguksu made its entrance. I was amazed by how beautifully they brought soy and black sesame together, telling my boyfriend not to be too shocked because it was so good—being totally dramatic, of course.

The cold soy mixed kalguksu, served with Korean melon, is a cold noodle dish. It’s a seasonal dish available only from May to October, made with a rich soy sauce ground from house-made white Paju Jangdan soybeans, black sesame, and Seongju Korean melon.

First, I lightly dipped the on jeyuk in herring roe. The fragrant boiled pork and salty herring roe were an incredible match.

And then, the cold soy mixed kalguksu I’d missed so much. I think I could eat this once a day for 365 days. I love whoever created this.

The kind of flavor that automatically makes you reach for the makgeolli... My boyfriend poured it for me like it was water 🤓

It looks so incredibly appetizing. I can’t forget when my friend and I saw this cold soy mixed kalguksu for the first time last year and thought, “It’s their signature and it’s seasonal, so should we try it?” Even then, we wondered whether such an unusual combination could really taste good, haha. One bite later, we were possessed by Biryong and working our chopsticks hard.

In the end, we cleared every last bit again. Seriously, every person in Korea needs to try this cold soy mixed kalguksu. Since it’s only available from May through October, the time to start waiting for next year is already coming around. I think I’ll go back and eat it again next year too ^^^ Highly recommended as a Deoksugung restaurant!