The menu here is very compact . . . there’s a few kinds of medicinal teas, and sweet red bean porridge, a clear demonstration of Fatman’s guidelines for finding good food. Most of the medicinal teas are medleys of spices, herbs, fruit, and nuts that make for a slightly bitter, heady brew that will leave your sinuses, throat, and soul happy. To balance out the bitterness, the drinks are served with crystallized ginger, for a sweet-spicy kick that will clear your palate for the next wave of goodness. Between all the melding flavors, you’ll be ready to face the cold air with a bit more equanimity.

The only exception to the tea menu is an extraordinary sujeonggwa. This punch made from dried persimmon, ginger, and cinnamon can be wan and merely sweet in the wrong hands. Thin and insipid canned “nostalgia” drinks can’t hold a candle to the rich, spicy sweetness of 2nd Best’s. It’s deeply and intensely flavored, redolent of all its main ingredients; there’s the spicy zest of the ginger, the soothing spice of the cinnamon, and the concentrated golden sweetness of the dried persimmon. Even on a chill day, the warmth of the flavors compensates and makes the day seem a little brighter.

It’s the patjuk that steals the show, though. Smooth and almost creamy, the combination of sweet rice and sweet red beans is exactly the right texture for slurping as the pale November light fades. The rice cakes almost melt in your mouth, while chestnut and ginko nuts add another texture and layer of nutty and slightly bitter flavor to balance out the sweet read beans. It’ll warm both the heart and the hands, soothing away the stresses of the day.
2nd Best is small, with only two small rooms of very limited seating. It’s got a sort of retro tea house/coffee shop vibe, which only adds to the warmth and charm . . . as does the closeness of your neighboring diners. If it’s too crowded inside, they’ll happily package up your drinks and porridge to take with you. They’re located on the main drag of Samcheongdong, on the right hand side as you walk north. The drinks start at 5,000 won, but go up significantly for the more elaborate medicinal brews.   Even so, it’s both a healthy and satisfying way to end a chilly day.

Ah! But why the Second Best Place in Seoul? “Where on earth is the first place?” we hear you cry! Well, dear readers, it IS the best place . . . the name is merely to leave them something to aspire to. It’s hard to build on near perfection, but 2nd Best is not going to stop trying just because they’re already better than everybody else!

Read more about it here (한국어) and here (English)

image from Chosun Ilbo ~ note the neat rows of tea bushes and compare to the wild ones below.

Only the tips (generally speaking, the three newest leaves at the end of the branch) can be harvested and made into tea, and only during a brief period in the spring from April to May. After the buds for making green tea are picked, either by hand as is done at Hwaeomsa or by machine like the larger plantations at Boseong often are, they have to be processed in less than a day, before the leaves start to oxidize (at which point you’ve begun down the path to the dark side . . . er, teas.) Then, the real fun begins.

In order to stop oxidation and dry the tea, the leaves get tossed into an insanely hot gas-fired cauldron, which is where things start getting really tricky. The leaves need to be dried, not burned, which means that somebody has to strap on layers and layers of gloves and arm protection and tie their hair back (assuming un-tonsured) so that they can reach in and gently toss the leaves and keep them moving so they don’t scortch. How would you like to slave over a 350 C stove?

The leaves are removed, and then rolled with reasonable vigor to start the process of separating and curling the leaves up on themselves. They’re then returned to a slightly cooler cauldron for another round of drying, in a process that repeats itself . . oh, only about nine times.  With each round in the cauldron, the leaves get dryer and dryer, and the work of separating the leaves and getting them to take proper form gets more and more delicate.

But isn’t it all worth it in the end?

Fatman would like to give special thanks to Hwaeom-sa (화엄사) and to Brother Anthony (안선재) for hosting and organizing a wonderful and unique opportunity to get first-hand experience in making tea. 고맙습니다! Hwaeomsa will continue to run these weekend tea-making templestays through the beginning of June.
For more information on Korean tea, please visit Brother Anthony’s tea site here (영어 링크) and purchase his marvelous book, The Korean Way of Tea. It’s hands-down the best English language resource about Korean tea culture and history available.

The sopa pararaguaya is a real highlight ~ imagine, if you will, creamed corn made solid, or the creamiest, soupiest corn bread imaginable. With a little earthy sweetness of onion and corn and the savory edge of cheese, this bread is true comfort food. Meanwhile, the chipa packs a bit more cheese flavor into a much more compact package, but may be too dry for some diners tastes, with a distinctively solid crumb.

But what most people come to Comedor for are their selection of empanadas. These fried pastries can be sweet or savory, but it’s the meaty later that grace the plates here.

Ordered as a set or individually, the empanadas are a great, cheap, and filling lunch. Beef, chicken, ham and cheese, and corn are all available, with thick, gooey cheese spilling out of most of them (our apologies to the lactose intollerant – only the beef comes without) and crisp pastry shells. The only thing they won’t be kind to is your waistline. Corn was a particular favorite, with the sweetness of the corn lightening and sweetening the entree, and beef also won out for its prominent meatiness.

One alley south of the main drag by Itaewon Station (and just across the way from the Wolfhound), Comedor is run by an ethnic Paraguayan (and naturalized Korean) so the food is about as close to authentic as you’re going to get in these parts. Service can be a bit distracted, but is generally pretty friendly.  It has a bit of a low key “lunch counter” vibe, but attracts some pretty prestigious company, including the Ambassador of Paraguay. If it’s good enough for him, it should be good enough for you. It will also be good enough for your wallet, with most everything under 5,000 won.
02-749-2827

Kaya, it turns out, is also a delicious treat from Southeast Asia. This dense coconut custard-style jam is a green, creamy delight that Singaporeans and Malaysians have long been using to top their toast. Taken with thick, sweet coffee or tea, it’s a quintessential breakfast treat made with coconut, eggs, and pandan or sugar. And with Seoul seeing an explosion of international foods and chains opening their doors to our hungry citizens, it was only a matter of time before this oozy treat made its way to our streets.

Kopitiam Kaya Toast gives you kaya toast done up in several different styles: Thick or thin, with kaya, chocolate spread, cheese, or peanut butter. Fatman’s particular favorite is the thin kaya toast for the crispy and toothsome wholemeal toast sliced razor thin to cradle thick slabs of salty butter that melt dreamily into the custard-y kaya. The bread is just chewy and crispy enough to make chewing a joy of contrasting texture against the gooey insides, and the saltiness of the butter adds a key savory note to keep it all from being overwhelmingly sweet. While those in Singapore and Malaysia may treat this as a way to start their day, Seoulites have turned this into a hopping spot for afternoon munching and evening lounging.
In addition to toast, Kopitiam offers the usual range of coffee and tea drinks at the usual prices. Still, if you’re looking to complete your experience, there’s a small selection of drinks done ala Singapore. Both the coffee and teas are exceptionally thick and strong and sweet. Brace yourself, they are big and bold even when served in small cups. They’re not merely bracing, they’re practically a meal in and of themselves.

Kopitiam Kaya Toast has opened two stores in Seoul: The first is at Chonggye 2-ga, overlooking the stream, and the second is just outside exit 2 of Ewha Women’s University Station as you head towards the campus. Both aim for a chill, exotic vibe with lots of rough-hewn planking and ceiling fans to recall the steamy South Asian climate, and are strewn with magazines singing the praises of the city-state. Toast starts at 2500 won, and coffee and tea drinks start from 3000 won.
Their rival chain, Ya Kun, also runs two stores here in Seoul: One in the basement of the Seoul Financial Building (City Hall Station, lines 2 and 4), and the other in the basement of the Kangnam Finance Center.