FatManSeoul

Beware! They’re coming for your taste buds!

Daseulgi Haejangguk (다슬기 해장국) is helping aid North Korea in their attempts to take over your mouth via their delicious marsh snail cuisine. This old hanok on the west side of Gyeongbuk Palace is the landing site of the next invasion from the north, featuring haejangguk, salads, and even savory pancakes featuring these tiny taste bombs. Sure, at first their menu and food looks innocent enough. You’ll settle comfortably on the nice, warm ondol and relax as the staff brings out innocent-looking banchan to tempt your tastebuds away from vigilance.

They’ll attempt to coax you into relaxing your guard with a nice, thick slab of seonji (congealed blood). Try eating some of the savory slice with a bit of the spicy, acidic salad for a really fantastic study in textural and taste contrast. Almost like a firmer version of liverwurst, the seonji here is really something to behold, and something better to eat.

They use is again in a delicious, spicy hangover-curing soup, but be on your toes because they’re only using it as a cover story! It’s bubbling over with delight, but don’t be deceived . . .the real threat is still on the way.

What? Are those commie marsh snails hiding in Fatman’s haejangguk? Ok, maybe hiding is the wrong word, considering we ordered the daseulgi version, but still . . . Fatman has suspicions.

Peppery and biting, but without the spiciness most haejangguk rely on for their flavor profile, this veggie-laden soup is the perfect thing to warm you up on a cold day, or bring some clarity to your befuddled brain after a long, hard night infiltrating partying and drinking. What makes these tiny, chewy, peppery snails so wonderful and distinct? Fatman had to investigate further, but in the meantime, we had more eating to do.

Great Lenin’s Ghost! Savory snail pancakes, glorious to behold! These minuscule little snails were fantastic, adding a peppery, chewy twist to the usual pajeon, which took on a brininess we couldn’t get enough of. Let’s get a closer look at those pinko pancakes:

Daseulgi Haejangguk gets all their snails imported directly from North Korea. While marsh snails are fairly common in Korean cuisine, Fatman’s never had any quite so fresh-tasting. The restaurant’s very helpful (yet secretive!) staff were happy to boast about their communist connection. Whatever your opinion about the neighbors to the north, you have to give them props for some glorious gourmet gastropods.

Assuming you haven’t yet been hauled off for offending the National Security Law by reading this, you can find Daseulgi Haejangguk by heading to Gyeongbukgung Station on line 3. Go out exit three and walk straight for about five minutes, and the restaurant will be on your right hand side.
Haejangguk (both normal and commie snail variety) costs 8,000 won per generous bowl, and the pajeon is 10,000.