Bueongi Sanjang Gangnam Budae Jjigae

Post by Chiefeater Luke Soon

Just off the neon chaos of Gangnam Station (강남역), on a narrow lane (골목) off Teheran-ro 1-gil, a glowing wooden plank sign spells out 부엉이산장 in hand-carved letters: Owl Mountain Lodge. Step inside and Gangnam disappears. It’s a rustic sanjang (산장), a mountain cabin, all dark timber beams, stone walls, wagon wheels and warm lantern light, packed with office workers (직장인) on their 2차, the second round of the night. It’s loud, cheerful and unpretentious, the way a Korean suljip (술집) should be.

The showpiece is the budae jjigae (부대찌개), the “army base stew” born from American surplus rations after the Korean War, and here it arrives as pure theatre. A wide, shallow black pan comes to the table with a whole quarter-head of mugeunji (묵은지), aged kimchi, draped across the middle like a collapsing tent. A slice of American cheese melts on top, with a heap of minced garlic (다진 마늘), a block of ramyeon sari (라면사리) instant noodles and a scattering of baked beans (베이크드빈스). Around it sit fanned slices of ham and Spam-style sausage (햄), rolled pork, tteok (떡) rice cakes, mushrooms, bean sprouts (콩나물) and fat coins of daepa (대파) leek, all sitting in a red, gochugaru-spiked broth.

As it comes to the boil, the staff, or whoever at the table is bravest, take scissors (가위) to the kimchi and cut it through the stew while the noodles soften. The result is everything good budae jjigae should be: salty, spicy, sour from the aged kimchi, rich from the ham and cheese, with the ramyeon soaking up the broth. The whole-kimchi presentation makes it more fun than most. Chiefeater Luke Soon rates the budae jjigae 6 out of 10.

To cool things down there’s dotorimuk sabal (도토리묵사발), slabs of chilled acorn jelly (도토리묵) in a cold, tangy kimchi broth with shredded gim (김) seaweed, sesame seeds (깨) and a little chilli. The muk is soft and wobbly, with a gentle, nutty bitterness, and the icy, slightly sour broth is a welcome palate cleanser between spoonfuls of the stew. It’s simple, old-fashioned drinking food (안주), and the right partner for something this rich. Chiefeater Luke Soon rates the dotorimuk sabal 6 out of 10.

The rest of the menu is classic anju (안주): haemul kimchijeon (해물김치전, seafood kimchi pancake), gamjajeon (감자전, potato pancake) and grilled squid (오징어구이), all washed down with a good line-up of makgeolli (막걸리) served in battered tin kettles (양은 주전자). It’s not refined, and the room gets noisy as the night goes on, but that’s half the point. Come in a group, order the 부대찌개 and a kettle of 막걸리, and settle in.

Address (Naver): 서울 강남구 테헤란로1길 28-11 조이빌딩 1층. About 5 minutes’ walk from Gangnam Station (강남역), or 15 minutes from AC Hotel Seoul Gangnam.

Naver Map: https://map.naver.com/p/search/부엉이산장%20강남점

Must try: 부대찌개 with the whole aged kimchi, and 도토리묵사발 to cool down

Good to know: Big, busy and loud, so it’s best for groups and a 2차. There’s no parking (주차 불가).

Business Hours

Open Daily
02:00 pm to 01:30 am