mary eats

Lunch with Elaine is always a treat. The World Jewelry Museum curator has the old and twisted alleys of Insadong and Samcheon-dong down pat, and is always introduces me, right when I think I have Seoul’s food scene down, to something special.

Ok, I am stopping there. This post has been sitting in the edit file of my blog for over two weeks. I have tried many times to write a narrative that goes along with the following photos, but am struggling to come up with much that varies from a series of declarative sentences. So I am going to show, not tell, well, a little bit of telling, with some declarative sentences. Restaurant specifics at the end.

The restaurant is set in a traditional Korean house, hanok.

Lunches are not al a cart, but hanjeongsik, set meals.

Meals kick off with a soup to stimulate one’s appetite.

Second course features a wild green salad with dried mushrooms in a sweet pear dressing.

Kimchi and Mungbean cakes, or jeon.

Japchae, noodles with spinach and mushrooms.

Namul, greens, various kimchis, pickles, and deonjeong jiggae, soybean soup.

Service, free deep fried tofu and ginseng atop a spear of arugula (rocket).

Nwui Jo
Seoul, South Korea
02-730-9301
Some English spoken, English menu.
Vegetarians are easily accommodated, just ask the set meal you order to be vegetarian.
Service can be pushy, but over all pleasant.

Hidden in the back alleys, easiest to start from Anguk station, exit 6, head left, and turn right down the lane at the Jongro Police station. Follow the brick alley through a series of right and left turns (follow the green sign for the tea shop) Nwui Jo will be on your right.