Mabongnim Halmeoni Tteokbokki (South Korea, Seoul)

An insta video

Tteokbokki Set For Two 11,000 KRW (S$13.75)

Mabongnim Halmeoni Tteokbokki 마복림할머니떡볶이 is a well known eatery popular for its Tteokbokki  떡볶이. Tteokbokki is a popular street snack in Korea consisting of soft and chewy rice cakes in a combination of sweet and spicy fermented sauce (Gochujang).

Mabongnim Halmeoni Tteokbokki is located next to the arched sign that states“Sindangdong Tteokbokki Town".

It is the restaurant on the left with the photo of the elderly Mabongnim. Mabongnim Halmeoni Tteokbokki was opened in 1953 by Mabongnim. It was so popular that other food establishments joined in and opened along the same stretch selling Tteokbokki. Eventually, the street became known as “Teokbokki Street”.

With its popularity, the elderly Mabongnim had been interviewed by the media.

The interior is simple. No fanciful chairs or tables. Its just wooden tables and stools. Aprons are hung along the sides for customers to wear as the sauce could splatter onto customers clothes.

Set Menu

This is the menu for ordering the Tteokbokki Set. The prices range according to the number of persons in the group. Since there was only two of us, we ordered the 2 person Tteokbokki Set which cost 11,000 KRW (S$13.75)

Menu for additional add ons

For additional add ons, there was a separate menu (for them) displayed on the wall:
Tteokbokki (Rice Cakes) 떡볶이 - 2,500 KRW
Fishcake 오뎅사리 - 2,500 KRW
Jjolmyeon (Korean Noodles) 쫄면사리 - 1,000 KRW
Ramyeon (Ramen / Instant Noodle) 라면사리 1,500 KRW
Mandu (Dumpling) 만두사리 1,000 KRW
Egg 계란사리  - 500 KRW
Beverage 음 료 수 - 1,500 KRW
Ice Cream 아이스크림 - 1,000 KRW

Tteokbokki Set For Two 11,000 KRW (S$13.75) with additional Ramen 1,500 KRW (S$1.90)

This was the Tteokbokki Set For Two 11,000 KRW (S$13.75). Did you noticed the difference between this photo and the first?

Yes, we added an additional Ramen for 1,500 KRW (S$1.90)!

The Tteokbokki Set came in a shallow pan with rice cakes, boiled eggs, instant noodles, dumplings, jjolmyeon, fish cakes, vegetables, seasoning and gochujang sauce.

Give it a good boil, let it simmer and Voilà, its ready! Do keep stirring the pan every now and then to prevent the ingredients from sticking to the bottom of the pan.

The sweet and spicy sauce was unique and does not taste like other Tteokbokki sauce in the streets. Towards the end of the meal, the sauce became more and more spicy. Despite that, the ingredients paired off so well with the sauce that we kept going for more!

We particularly like the noodles. Once the noodles were soft, they absorbed the sweet and spicy sauce and was just so addictive. The dumplings were unique as the sauce penetrated into the potatoes in it and it was like their own korean version of our local curry puffs.

Pickles

Complimentary Pickles were given. Before the meal, I saw no need for this. But during the meal, when the spiciness kicked in, this countered the spiciness and was so refreshing!

This is the Tteokbokki Style Budae jjigae! We both loved this. 

Mabongnim Halmeoni Tteokbokki 마복림할머니떡볶이 (South Korea, Seoul)
5, Dasan-ro 35-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul 
서울특별시 중구 다산로35길 5 (신당동)
Tel: +82-2-2232-8930
Opening Hours: Mon to Fri 7am - 1am
                           Sat to Sun 7am - 2am
                           Closed 2nd and 4th Mondays of each month
Directions: From Sindang Station (subway line 2 or 6) Exit 8, turn left and walk along Toegye-ro 45-gil road. Along this road, there is a fire station at your right. Continue walking about 100 meters, you will see the arched sign “Sindangdong Tteokbokki Town”. The restaurant with the picture of the elderly Mabongnim is at the left hand side of this arched sign. 

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Nghi Xuan Restaurant (Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh)

Bánh bèo tôm chấy (Tiny steamed rice cakes) 68,000 VND (S$4.10)

Nghi Xuan Restaurant located opposite the Saigon Opera House is a boutique restaurant that serves traditional Vietnamese cuisine.

It was not easy spotting this restaurant. You would need to spot its signage located at the left of the above photo at the entrance of the alley. After that you would need to enter the dark alley. The restaurant is located all the way at the end of the alley.

Entrance

The entrance of the restaurant. We proceeded the the second level.

The ambience and environment of the restaurant was excellent! Craved wooden chairs, flowers, wine glasses and lacquerware made the restaurant looked so classy.

Look at how elegant and classy the setting was. Suitable for even a royal family. The waitress were dressed in ao dai, a vietnamese national costume and some of them could speak English. The menu was available in Vietnamese, English and even Japanese languages.

Bánh bèo tôm chấy (Tiny steamed rice cakes) 68,000 VND (S$4.10)

We ordered the Bánh bèo tôm chấy (Tiny steamed rice cakes) 68,000 VND (S$4.10). Shredded shrimp, pork lard and spring onions were added on top of the rice cake. Each person would be served a separated fish sauce. Fish sauce would need to be added on top of the steamed rice cake. After which, mix the fish sauce with the toppings on top of the rice cake. Once they are evenly mixed, divide the steamed rice cake into quarters and then enjoy. The video below shows how this is done.

The Tiny steamed rice cakes were fantastic. The combination of the fish sauce, toppings and rice cake was heavenly. This is a must try if you are at this restaurant.

A Instagram video showing how the Tiny steamed rice cakes should be mixed.

Bún hến (Rice noodles with mussels) 68,000 VND (S$4.10)

The Bún hến (Rice noodles with mussels) 68,000 VND (S$4.10) which consisted of rice noodle mixed with mussels, mussel soup, roasted peanuts and fresh vegetables.

Bún hến (Rice noodles with mussels) 68,000 VND (S$4.10)

The waitress assisted us to mix up all the ingredients till it looked like the above photo as we had no idea what should be done. It had a good mixture of textures and flavours. Reminds me of Lei Cha.

Thịt bò nhúng dấm (Sliced beef dipped in vinegar hot pot) 148,000 VND (S$8.90)

We also ordered the signature Thịt bò nhúng dấm (Sliced beef dipped in vinegar hot pot) 148,000 VND (S$8.90).

Thịt bò nhúng dấm (Sliced beef dipped in vinegar hot pot) 148,000 VND (S$8.90)

It consisted of raw sliced beef, vinegar hot pot, rice paper, fresh vegetables and herbs, slices of unripe banana and star fruit, rice vermicelli and fish sauce

Thịt bò nhúng dấm (Sliced beef dipped in vinegar hot pot) 148,000 VND (S$8.90)

Again, the waitress demonstrated how it should be done before letting us try it ourselves. First, the vinegar hot pot was brought to a boil. After which, the raw sliced beef was dipped into the vinegar bath and cooked to individual's preference.

Thịt bò nhúng dấm (Sliced beef dipped in vinegar hot pot) 148,000 VND (S$8.90)

Once the sliced beef was cooked, it would be placed onto the rice paper on top of the fresh vegetables and herbs, slices of unripe banana and star fruit, and rice vermicelli. All that is left was to roll it up, dip it into the fish sauce before enjoying it. It was a unique dining experience, but taste wise it was not fantastic (i.e. not a must try).

Cơm hấp lá sen (Lotus steamed rice) 98,000 VND (S$5.90)

As we were still hungry, we asked the waitress for recommendations. We were recommended the Cơm hấp lá sen (Lotus steamed rice) 98,000 VND (S$5.90). The rice was steamed in a lotus leaf together with other ingredients such as carrots, corn, pork, shrimps and lotus nuts. It was the worst dish that night. A waste of the calories.

The food at Nghi Xuan Restaurant was more pricey given its top notch environment and service.  If you are there, I would highly recommend the Tiny steamed rice cakes. The staff were very attentive and prompt. They were always around and it was so easy getting their assistance. We noticed that there were no locals and that they catered to mainly Japanese. Their service was so good that we were shocked when we noticed that a Japanese couple asked the waitress to feed their child (who was playing with his ipad game). The child had to be coaxed by the waitress all the time to open his mouth to eat while the couple were just chatting away. And the child was constantly playing his ipad game even when he was being fed! I thought that crossed the line. Kudos to the waitress. Would you have done that if you were the waitress? 

Nghi Xuân (Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh)
5/9 Nguyễn Siêu
Quận 1, Hồ Chí Minh

Tel: +84 (08) 8 3823 0699
Opening Hours: Daily 11am to 10pm
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