MocoVoko

A Korean Guy’s Life

[mocovoko]

Today I went to “Zebra Restaurant”

It’s located on the ground floor

The address says B1, but in reality, it’s on the first floor above ground.

It’s a Japanese home-style restaurant.

There’s a bar counter, so it’s great for solo dining,

and takeout orders are also available.

Inside the restaurant

There’s a bar table toward the back, which makes eating alone easy and comfortable.

Zebra‘s signature zebra

You’ll spot little zebra details scattered throughout the place.

Menu

They also serve cold soba as a summer-only item.

The menu isn’t very large,

but every dish comes out clean, neat, and well put together.

Eggplant Rice Bowl – 10,000 KRW

Stir-fried eggplant and finely minced beef, topped with chopped scallions.

The minced beef has a slight smoky, flame-grilled flavor with a bulgogi-style seasoning,

so when you eat it with plain white rice, a gentle sweetness comes through.

The eggplant isn’t firm—it’s on the softer side.

Rather than mixing everything together,

I recommend spreading the scallions evenly and eating it spoon by spoon.

The soup on the side is egg soup.

It has a bit of heat—maybe from chili peppers—so it’s lightly spicy.

That spiciness actually works really well,

cutting through the sweetness of the eggplant bowl and cleansing your palate.

Side dishes

Stir-fried fish cake, pickled radish salad, and simmered black beans.

Nothing overly seasoned—just perfect as proper side dishes.

(Yes, I refilled all of them twice.)

And lastly, yakult.

(Yakult is that small drink with the green cap.)

I once read something like this:

if there’s a restaurant near your workplace that serves a pork stir-fry set

and finishes it off with a single bottle of yakult,

men will keep going there for the rest of their lives.

That one small bottle you drink at the end of a meal—

maybe it’s some kind of unspoken signal that the meal is officially over.

Pork stir-fry + yakult

is basically

pizza after a long night of drinking.

That kind of relationship.

Since the menu is small,

it feels like the restaurant really focuses on each dish.

Not only is the food good, but the side dishes are practical, neat, and thoughtfully prepared,

so you leave the place in a genuinely good mood.

Above all, for 10,000 KRW,

being able to eat a meal like this in today’s economy

felt really, really nice.

[mocovoko]

Today I visited Cheonghwaok near Sadang Station.

It’s located between Sadang Station and Isu Station, but it’s closer to Isu.

There’s also a bus stop right in front, so it’s very easy to get to.

Store entrance

There are waiting chairs in front of the restaurant.

When it’s crowded, you register your spot on the waitlist and sit there.

Today, I was able to walk in without waiting.

Menu

I wanted to take photos of the interior too, but it was too crowded and hectic to do so.

There are menus printed on the back as well, but I accidentally forgot to take a photo.

Basic side dishes

From the left on the large plate: seasoned radish, chives, and cubed radish kimchi.

I’ll explain the one on the left later.

What I ordered: Sundaeguk (Special)

Rice can be refilled for free,

and side dishes can be refilled at the self-service station.

The three seasonings on the left

From bottom to top: oyster jeot, cho-gochujang, and saeujeot.

The sauce you dip sundae in differs by region.

In Jeolla Province, it’s cho-gochujang.

In Gangwon and Chungcheong, people dip sundae in saeujeot.

But honestly, for me, nothing beats dipping sundae in tteokbokki sauce.

I added chives and stirred the soup.

There’s a spicy paste (dadaegi) at the bottom,

and once you mix it in, the broth turns red.

When ordering sundae soup, there’s a regular version and a spicy version.

I thought the only difference was the color,

but since even the regular one has a red broth,

it seems the spicy version just adds more Cheongyang chili peppers or chili powder to make it hotter.

Conclusion: the regular sundae soup does not have a white broth.

Sundae and meat

Since it was the “special,” I expected more sundae,

but the portion was smaller than I thought.

Compared to the last time I had it, the amount felt reduced,

so I figured they probably cut the portion a bit instead of raising the price due to inflation.

The meat in sundae soup is called head meat,

but honestly, it’s best not to think too much about it and just eat it.

Cheonghwaok also has a menu item called Charcoal-Grilled Spicy Stir-Fried Squid,

which is personally my favorite.

The combination of charcoal-grilled squid and green onions is perfect as a drinking snack,

but if you don’t like sweet flavors, it might taste a bit too sweet for you.

[mocovoko]

Today I’m making soondubu jjigae.

No real reason. Just really wanted it.

Started by stir-frying whatever meat was lying around, then tossed in some onions.

Clams would’ve been the best of the best, obviously… but yeah, no clams.

Normally, water should go in first, then the onions.

But the cutting board was already a mess, so the chopped onions went in first.

Whatever. It’ll be fine.

Next up, green onions.

Found some cooking wine at home, so it just went in.

They say it gets rid of the meat smell.

…Choosing to believe that.

Then chili flakes, oyster sauce, and soy sauce.

Stir. Stir some more.

Before anything burned, water went in and the soft tofu followed.

Zucchini was supposed to go in too,

but after paying at E-Mart, it somehow didn’t make it home.

How does that even happen.

sigh.

Now for the green chilies.

A Korean stew isn’t complete without them.

Three of them… should be fine, right?

Spicy food is fine, so… yeah.

Alright.

LET’S GOOO—

In go the green chilies, and at the end, an egg gets cracked in and gently stirred.

Maybe the chili flakes were a bit light—the color’s kind of pale.

But the taste is solid.

Honestly, three green chilies were perfect.

That clean, sharp kick… so good.

The kitchen looks loud and chaotic,

but somehow the table ends up looking boring.

Following this “recipe” to make soondubu jjigae will probably end in failure.

For this dish, honestly—

just watch a YouTube video instead.