After exploring the Bukhansan National Park area in the morning, I was heading back to Yeonsinnae Station when I noticed a smaller food market tucked off the street down a nondescript alley. I went down the alley to check it out and it opened up to a sort of food court area with a handful of stalls with seating. One of the stalls was bustling with activity so I decided to take a seat there.

This particular stall served noodles and gimbap with four different types of noodles on the menu. I love when small places have such a small, concise menu, as they tend to excel in crafting quality dishes. This was definitely my kind of place.

I went with the gimbap and spicy noodles. The prices were amazing here. The gimbap was 3000 won ($2.28 USD) and the spicy noodles cost 6500 won ($4.93 USD). Yeonsinnae is a little outside of the city center and the prices reflected this!

The portion size was quite generous as well. Such a great deal!

Let’s start with the freshly made gimbap. Gimbap always pops due to the bright colors of it’s ingredients and this was no different. Freshly made, this gimbap was bursting with carrot, spinach, yellow pickled radish, ham,and burdock root. The fresh veggies provided a nice crunch and texture, as always.

As for the spicy noodles, I’m not entirely sure what kind of noodles these were or what the broth base was. The noodles were very thin and straight, with excellent texture. Strips of fish cake, nori, green onion, sesame seeds, and a solid spoonful of chili paste topped the noodles. I gave it a thorough stir to mix in the chili paste before taking my first sip.

The broth was subtly flavored making it hard to tell what the base was. The flavor wasn’t overpowering at all. The chili paste provided a mild spice, not overly spicy. I enjoyed the ample use of sesame seed in it. You could really taste the sesame in the broth which was enjoyable. Overall, the broth leaned more toward comforting than intensely flavorful.

I felt it could use a little more “oomph” so I dropped some kimchi into it. The kimchi added a nice, slightly sour flavor to it and really enriched the broth overall. I had to add a little more to the broth to get it more towards my liking but overall it was a satisying, hearty bowl of noodles,

This was a very enjoyable lunch, especially considering the cost. I was fortunate to just stumble upon it. For less than $10 USD, I enjoyed a substantial, freshly prepared meal that really embodied true comfort food. Quite a find!