Yes, 500¥ . . . for ddeokpokki!!!
We can’t believe it either.
Tokyo, you truly are the city of dreams. Crazy, expensive, overpriced dreams.

Lots of places will serve up a plate of decent ddokpokki, but very few use fresh peppers to liven up their sauce. While not blisteringly hot, high-quality peppers lift this sauce from the ordinary to magnificent, enough to bring a little burn but not enough to make you sweat. The ddeok themselves are served on the unadorned and on the al dente side, so let them know if you’d like something a little softer and less chewy.

The specialty here are the twigim (튀김: fried foods). Their crispy, crunchy, eggy batter is enlivened with just a bit of rosemary for an wonderful hint of herb. Another sign that this is a cut above the usual standing snacking is the fresh seafood and vegetables that go into their fry. Tender, wonderfully soft squid fried up here will make you forget the boring blandishments of ordinary calamari. The shrimp were another standout, perfectly cooked just to the point of doneness so you can taste the sweetness of them while you appreciate the soft flesh.

Sesame leaves and peppers are stuffed with an mixture of meat, tofu, and kimchi for a crispy, meaty mouthful both savory and herbaceous. There’s no doubt that the people behind the counter at Sak have been working hard to make sure their seasoning and stuffings were just so. But one of the most spectacular items of the evening was the fried seaweed rolls. Most places just soak some tangmyeon (탕면: glass noodles/cellophane noodles/sweet potato noodles – the same kind you see in japchae) in water or broth, roll them up in a bit of kim, and fry them up without a second thought. Not at Sak; this place uses sweet, tender noodles that have been infused with some of the rich meat flavor of the best japchae. They have both sweetness and umami in a rich little roll, exquisitely tender inside, wrapped in the crispy-chewy kim, and finally fried up in the same shatteringly crisp batter as the other twigim. This is what snack food should be! What could possibly make it any more perfect?

Beer! Yes, unlike most bunshik places, Sak serves up a limited menu of sodas (including Dr. Pepper, Welches, and other relatively hard-to-find fizzes) and beers at reasonable prices. Wash down your ‘pokki and fry with a bit of beer or a swig of soda as you sit back and relax at the small counter inside the main doors or in the seating area one door down. Entertain yourself by reading the post-it notes left by countless counter-sitters before you as you sit back and chow down, or grab some to go.

Get to Sak by taking line 6 to Sangsu Station (상수역) and walking straight out of exit one. It’ll be just a few meters down on the right-hand side. Prices are modest, running about 700 won for a piece of twigim, about 2000 for a serving of ddeokpokki, and 1-5000 for drinks. Two can easily stuff themselves here for less than 10,000.

HT to Zen Kimchi and the extraordinary Eun-jeong for pointing this place out.

Moksuidonna Ddeokpokki is easily one of the most famous places in all of Korea to get the spicy simmer of rice cakes and pepper sauce, and with justification. Unlike common street stall ddeokpokki that’s all spice and flash but not much else for flavor, this place makes ddeokpokki for the ages.

The menu here is all ddeokpokki, but in permutations seldom seen. Diners chose from a base of seafood, cheese, meat, or any combination thereof, and then chose add-ins like boiled eggs, noodles, odeng, fried mandu, or deep fried meatballs. The kitchen assembles it all and starts cooking before bringing it out for you to finish the job tableside to your own liking. In most places, too many cooks can spoil the broth, but here they need all the help they can get rushing food out of the tiny kitchen . . .

The name of the place roughly means “eat, rest, pay, and go” – and they mean it. This humble little back alley spot is so popular that at the dinner hour people will like up down the street waiting to get in, and busy kitchen staff will rush outside to take orders before you even get inside. If you don’t want to wait, be sure and go at an off hour.
Once the ddeokpokki of your choice arrives, prepare to be transported to a ddeokpokki heaven you didn’t previously realize existed. The real joy here lies in the sauce – especially combined with seafood and cheese, the normally blistering but one-note red sauce is transformed to a rich, deeply flavorful essence. The seafood mixture especially is wonderful, incorporating squid, octopus, and beautiful briny mussels. Since you have to order for two anyway, make sure to get one cheese, one seafood together in the same pot. The sauce here, in addition to being much more flavorful than the usual is also much milder, so even sensitive palates can enjoy this ddeokpokki to the fullest. Sides of ramyeon, tangmyeon, or julmyeon help soak up even more of the marvelous sauce . . . but even after you’ve scarfed down seemingly everything but the pot itself, more bounty presents itself.

After you’ve eaten all the ddeokpokki, the staff will kidnap your pot, and return it full of fried rice made from the leftover sauce. Dried seaweed and nibblets of corn add a sweet and salty edge to the bokkeumbap for yet another layer of flavor. Say goodbye to restraint, and plunge in.
As with most Korean restaurants, you’ll need to order for at least two. A single serving costs 3,000 won, and add-ins like boiled eggs, dumplings, and odeng range from 1-3,000 won per very generous serving. This is about as good as cheap eats gets, and you can easily feed a crowd of 3-4 people for about 10,000.
To find MSDN, take exit one from Anguk Station (line 3). Turn right at the Anguk Building and Pungmun Girl’s High School. MSDN is about 500 meters down the road, in an alley on the left hand side (just past the Family Mart).

Ah, what the heck – let’s have another view of that beautiful bubbling sauce . . .

Finding the perfect 떡볶이 / ddeokpokki is a long and arduous task. Aren’t you glad the Fatman is dedicating the time and effort to finding it for you? 맛있는 떡볶이를 찾으려면 많은 시간과 노력이 필요하다. Fatman이 여러분을 위해서 직접 발벗고 나섰다는 것이 기쁘지 않은가?

There’s a surprising diversity in the tastes of those plump little rice cakes as they chill in their chili sauces. Al dente or soft and oozy? Long, short, or figure-8 shaped? Spicy, tangy, sweet . . . each sauce has its own special flavor. How chewy should the odeng (fish paste patties) be, what shape, and how much of it? Are you an afficionado of the hard-boiled egg in your dish? How many vegetables should lurk in the mix? 동그스름한 작은 떡으로 만드는 요리이지만 조리하는 동안 여러 가지 차이점이 생길 수 있다. 적당히 딱딱하거나 부드럽게 혹은 완전히 익히거나. 길거나 짧게 혹은 8자 모양이거나. 맵거나 톡 쏘는 맛이거나 혹은 달콤하거나… 각각의 소스는 제각기 특별한 맛을 지니고 있다. 어묵(생선을 잘게 다져 만든 음식)을 얼마나 익힐 것인가, 어떤 모양으로 자를 것인가, 그리고 얼마나 넣을 것인가? 달걀은 완숙으로 할 것인가? 얼마나 많은 야채를 넣을 것인가?

Then there’s the comforting conundrum of side-dishes. Deep fried delights, sundae (blood sausage), and kimbap (gimbap: rice and assorted vegetables and meat rolled in seaweed) are the usual suspects, lined up at the counter and waiting for you to point the finger of fate. Which will you consume? 이제 함께 곁들여서 먹을 음식에 대해 정할 차례이다. 보통 튀김, 순대 그리고 김밥 정도를 선호한다. 자~ 이제 당신은 어떤 선택을 할 것인가?

현선이네 매콤단콤한 떡볶이 (Hyeonseoninae Mekomdankomhan Ddeokpokki: Hyeonseon’s Spicy-Sweet Sauced Ricecakes) is one of the more famous street stalls near Yongsan Station. The street that runs between Yongsan Station and the Shin (new) Yongsan bus stop is chock-a-block full of pojangmacha (street stalls) dedicated to ddeokpokki. There’s lots to chose from around here, but people head to Hyeonseoninae for one reason: To have the taste buds scorched right off their poor tongues. “현선이네 매콤달콤한 떡볶이는 용산역 부근에서 유명한 포장마차이다. 용산역과 신용산 버스 정거장 사이의 길은 떡볶이를 파는 포장마차로 장사진을 이룬다. 하지만 사람들은 “현선이네”로 간다. 이유는 단 한가지이다. 바로 특별한 맛 때문이다.

Hyeonseon ought to be sued for false advertising. A plate of ddeokpokki here seems ordinary, even spare and without excessive sweetness or spiciness . . . at first. There’s no egg or vegetables, no sesame leaves to dress it up. Other than sauce and ddeok, only a few large pieces of odeng liven things up. But that’s alright, because this doesn’t need anything to liven up. The first few bites will seem innocuous enough, but after the first minute or two a strange, blistering, burning sensation will start to crawl through your mouth. You’ll be in the midst of appreciating the still-chewy texture of the ddeok and the softness of the odeng when suddenly it hits you. By the time you realize exactly how spicy it really is, it’s too late. It’s a slow building but sharp-burning: Chilihead heaven!

그곳의 떡볶이 한 접시는 그저 평범해 보인다. 아니, 초라해 보이기까지 하다. 달걀이나 야채도 없고, 장식용 깻잎 같은 것도 전혀 없다. 단지 소스와 떡, 몇 개의 어묵뿐이다. 하지만 괜찮다. 더 이상 어떤 것도 필요하지 않기 때문이다. 처음 씹었을 때에는 별다른 차이가 없었지만 1~2분이 지난 후에는, 조금은 색다르고 타오르는 듯한 느낌이 입안 가득 퍼졌다. 아마도 여러분이 쫄깃쫄깃한 떡과 부드러운 어묵의 맛에 대해 감탄하고 있을 때, 그러한 느낌이 찾아들 것이다. 얼마나 매운지 느꼈을 때에는 이미 늦은 것이다. 천천히 밀려들지만 한 순간 날카롭게 타오르는 듯한 매운맛.

Sundae, twigim (in this case a large assortment of deep fried delights including squid, kimbap, sweet potato, and mixed vegetables), and kimbap are all available if you still have functioning taste buds. The sundae is very good: Toothy but tender, in natural casings, and most importantly without any greasiness. Twigim are heavily battered and crispy, but none of it matters because the old hands here all recommend mixing them together into the ddeokpokki. Kimbap here is a bland and pedestrian food, also meant to be dipped in the sauce. None of them are sufficient to provide any starchy or greasy relief from the fire in your mouth, so you might as well mix it in and take it like a Fatman.

매운 떡볶이를 한 입 먹은 후에도 아직 여러분의 미각세포가 정상적으로 작동한다면, 순대, 튀김(오징어, 김밥, 고구마, 야채튀김) 그리고 김밥 모두 함께 먹기에 더 없이 좋다. 순대는 매우 맛있다. 거칠지만 연한 순대 피(껍질)로 순대를 만드는데, 여기에는 어떠한 기름기도 들어가지 않는다. 튀김은 부서지기 쉽지만 떡볶이 소스에 담가서 먹는 것이 제 맛이기 때문에 이것은 전혀 문제가 되지 않는다. 김밥은 평범한 편인데 이 또한 떡볶이 소스에 찍어 먹는 것이 좋다. 앞서 말한 음식은 여러분의 불이 난 입을 달래기에 그렇게 효과적이지 않기 때문에, 떡볶이만 먹지 말고, Fatman처럼 적당히 섞어서 먹기 바란다.

This kind of heat is only for those with a masochistic streak. Fatman dined among a sea of young people, office workers, and neighborhood folk, all of whom were drenched in sweat while their noses ran like spigots. There is no dignity in eating this – only the triumph of knowing you lived through the experience.

이런 매운맛은 마조히즘 성향의 사람을 위한 것인가 생각될 정도이다. Fatman이 여러 사람들에게 이것을 대접한 적이 있는데, 모두 땀과 콧물로 범벅이 된 채로 떡볶이를 먹었다. 이 떡볶이를 먹을 때는 위엄이란 없다. 오직 ‘무사히 먹었다’ 정도의 성취감 뿐이다.

Hyeonseoninae is a fairly big stall, with some limited sit-down dining behind the cook stand. The food (except for sundae and kimbap) is appropriate for people who abstain from red meat, but not for those who avoid fish. A full set, with sundae, twigim, and ddeokpokki for two runs 7500원, and a half serving is 4500원. Go, and enjoy that burn!

‘현선이네’ 가게는 꽤 큰 편이다. 얼마 안되지만 조리하는 곳 뒤편에, 앉아서 먹을 수 있는 자리도 마련돼 있다. 순대와 김밥을 제외한 다른 음식은 붉은색 육류를 피하는 사람에게 좋다. 하지만 생선을 피하는 사람에게는 그다지 좋지 않다. 순대, 튀김, 떡볶이까지 다 해서 2인분에 7500원이고 1인분에는 4500원이다. 지금 그 불타는 맛을 직접 느껴보라!

Street Snack Extra: As long as you’re in the neighborhood, Fatman recommends heading down towards the bus stop. Across and down the street from Hyeonseoninae’s is a jeontong hoddeok (“traditional” or baked, caramel-filled pancake) stand on the corner called Beobeul Hoddeok. Instead of the deep fried version, the old-fashioned form of this dessert is baked in a round mold. They can turn into crunchy, flavorless nightmares, but this lady makes them the right way: Each one is hand-made from her homemade dough and filled with her secret sugar and spice mixture (the only things she admitted to Fatman were sugar, cinnamon powder, and black sesame seeds and . . . the rest remains secret!), and hand-shaped before she tucks it tenderly into the mold. The irregular looking results were a revelation: The exterior was floury and chewy at the outsides and only reached shattering crispness near the very center, where the sugar and spice mix was in perfect proportion. Instead of a mass of gooey burned sugar in a cracker, this was airy and lightly sweet. 1 for 700원, 2 for 1000원.

그 밖의 먹을거리 : 근처에 산다면 버스 정류장 쪽으로 가 볼 것을 추천한다. “현선이네”에서 길을 건너 쭉 내려가다 보면, 모퉁이에 “버블호떡”이라고 불리는 전통호떡집이 있다. 많이 튀긴 “현대식”과는 달리, 이 곳의 호떡은 예전방식대로 동그란 틀에서 구워진다. 그러자 바삭바삭하기만 하고 맛있어 보이지 않는 모양이 되었다. 그러나 그것은 틀린 방식이 아니었다. 호떡은 이 곳 주인이 집에서 직접 만든 그녀만의 비밀 설탕과 양념이 든 반죽으로 만들어진다(주인이 Fatman에게 알려준 재료는 설탕, 시나몬 가루, 검은깨 씨.. 나머지는 비밀이다). 맛은 울퉁불퉁 못생긴 겉모습이 놀라울 정도였다. 겉에는 가루가 묻어있고 적당히 딱딱했고, 주인만의 비밀 양념이 있는 가운데 부분은 매우 바삭바삭하며 맛이 좋았다. 끈적끈적 달라붙는 맛 대신, 이 호떡은 가벼운 달콤함이랄까? 한 개에 700원이고 두 개에는 1000원이다.

Korean Translation by: Maxzest