Yeolbong Andong Jjimdak (Andong Chicken)
Yeolbong Andong Jjimdak (Andong Chicken)
Address: 364-23 Seogyo-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South KoreaWebsite: http://www.yeolbong.com/
Budget: Around SGD 10- 20 per pax
Opened by pop stars Se7en, this Andong Jjimdak outlet is the one near Hongdae university and is relatively easy to get to within the shopping district. Just to clarify, Yeolbong is the name of this particular chain of stores and it is popular with tourists like ourselves because of its affiliation to the pop group. And also because it was relatively easy to find.
Look for the chicken carrying a huge chili to find the store and you'll not go wrong.
Into the food proper, what this place serves is essentially just one dish. The andong jjimdak is basically a huge plate of braised chicken, potatoes, Tteokbokki (rice cake), assorted vegetables and completed with scallions, sesame seeds and glass noodles. One serving costs between KRW 20,000 - 40,000 depending on the size ordered.
There's also an option of how spicy the dish is supposed to be and it'll really depend on your tolerance to make your order. However, please note that there is NO option for NON Spicy. So there will be a bit of spiciness in the dish no matter what you choose.
This writer is not one who can take much spice without perspiring like a walrus on a summer beach but was still able to enjoy the least spicy dish to the max. The chicken and potatoes have been soaked and boiled in the soy bean sauce for so long that they are both soft, tender and easily taken apart. The sauce itself adds a wonderful spicy and sweet mix which is extremely addicting and appetizing at the same time so you will have no issue finishing any size of this dish with good friends and family. The glass noodles which is typically the last thing to be finished, is also undoubtedly one of the best things about the dish. This is because it has been thoroughly and completely infused with the sauce that the taste is just superb. The chewiness means you need to cut it with a scissors before plopping some on your plate but its oh so good!
In the end, we had this 3 times in winter and never really got tired of it. Is this the best Jjimdak in Korea? We can't say for sure since its the only one we tried and fell in love with and would love to try others if we do return. Do give some recommendations if you know of better ones in the comments section below.
Verdict: Absolutely worth eating in Korea for the spicy and non spicy eaters.
