The Best Seolleong-tang Is In Mapo-Gu!

These days, going out during this very chilly winter for lunch doesn’t seem funny.  If I had to expose myself to frostbite and hypothermia, the meal better be worth it!  So, when my friend David suggested that we go to this very good restaurant, I thought the trip may be actually worth the risk.   

                                         
So, we took a quick drive on his car down to Mapo-gu, near that main road that leads to the Mapo Bridge. It was actually just a ten-minute drive as Mapo-gu is just nearby.

And hanging at the door of the restaurant is the Excellence in Food Safety sign by the Seoul city government, which is a guarantee that this restaurant uses only the best ingredients for its dishes and that their preparation is clean. 

The restaurant is located on the second and third floors of the building. And lucky for us, we were able to get a table at the second floor. Had we arrived a few minutes later, we would have had to go up to the third floor to enjoy a meal. 

We immediately ordered what we came here for - seolleong-tang! And glancing at the other customers' orders, I realized they also came for the same thing!


And when our orders came, delivered on rolling trays by the Korean ladies, I was now face to face with the dish we traveled for! Looking at the hot stone pot, the soup was up to the brim and covered with sliced onions! Its broth, made with the flavors of ox bones, was filled with brisket, or thick meat slices, which were so tender and savory to the bite. The meat must have been from beef with highest quality. I think that was their secret - using only the choicest beef for their seolleong-tang! No wonder this restaurant is so popular, notwithstanding the pricey tag of their premium dish!

I added salt and black pepper to the broth, which made it more to my taste. With the beef that was so soft, its flavors overwhelmed my palate after a couple of grinds. The mixture of savory beef, onions, pepper and other spices in a broth of ox bones, which must have been boiled for hours, was really worth the trip!

Thanks to David for this trip and lunch(!), I now know where to get the best seolleong-tang in Seoul! I better not forget to turn right on that street immediately before the Mapo Bridge, if I was coming from Mapo Station's Exit 1. On that street, I just simply look to my left and look for that Excellence in Food Safety sign, and I would be a few steps away from the best seolleong-tang!