Toetmaru, Seoul

When I was little, I did not eat doen-jang, or Korean soy bean paste at all.

I did not like the look of it and it smelled. But you know, as you grow older, your tastebud changes, and you feel good when you eat certain things. Doen-jang is one of them. It still looks the same and smell the same, but now I know the health benefit of it, and I get craving for it when I am not feeling that great.

Toetmaru is the place I go to when I get craving, and when I cannot take Western food. It serves very rustic Korean food, and is known for doenjang bibimbap.

Dried pollock soup with egg drops served complimentary with any dish.

Can you see tofu in gang-doenjang?

*Gang-doenjang is a thicker version of doenjang jjigae, or soybean paste stew.

What you do is...you put chopped fresh veggies on your rice, and put a lade or two of thick gangdoenjang....

and mix!

The restaurant serves nice yeolmu kimchi (young radish kimchi, predominantly made of stalks)

Nokdu Jeon

(mung bean pancake)

Crispy crust and tender centre....

Ahmtoeji bokkeum

(stir-fried female pig in sweet chili sauce)

Slightly fatty and fabulous!

Lunch like this definitely calls for coffee and something sweet to cleanse the palate. So off I went to Coffe and Waffle (I think it is the name of the place. I still have not figured out.) for coffee and bingsu (shaved ice with variuos toppings)

We (moi+ a couple of friends) ordered nokcha pat bingsu (green tea bingsu with red bean) and plain pat bingsu (plain red bean bingsu). Ice flakes are shaved very fine which was a plus, and homemade pat topping was not too sweet either. Ddeok (sticky rice cake) pieces were big and yummy.

Toetmaru: Insadong

Joongwon Building

Phone: (02)739-5683

Walk to Insadong Crossroad

Walk towards Nakwon Shopping Centre for 10 meters or less.

On your left, you will see a tiny alley and at the beginning of that alley, a person is selling brass ornaments. Take that alley and walk for 5-10 meters. You will find the restaurant on your right.

Toetmaru is one of the restaurant in tourist-busy Insadong that targets locals.

툇마루

주소 : 서울시 종로구 인사동 4-2 B1F·B2F (중원빌딩 지하1·2층)

전화번호 : 02-739-5683

오픈시간 : 오전 10시30분~오후 10시

인사동 사거리에서 낙원상가로 10미터 정도 걷다보면 왼쪽에 세탁 이라는 표시와 청동으로 만든 장식 파는 사람이 있는 아주 조그만 골목이 있음. 그 골목으로 들어가면 오른쪽에 있음.

Coffee and Waffle

Opposite Harue or Samcheong Park in Samcheongdong.

Coffee and Waffle

삼청동 하루에/삼청공원 건너편