For the exact location of JooMak, please refer to the post on Dinner at JooMak [ 주막 ].
Did not had a chance to take photos of the side dishes ( also known as banchan - 반찬 ) previously so gonna make it up now.
Korean restaurants are famous for their banchan [ 반찬 ] as they would always provide a variety of banchan [ 반찬 ] and there is no exception for JooMak.
JooMak will provide about 6 side dishes all the time and Kimchi is the basic and a must for one of the choices. Sometimes they will also have other alternative of side dishes such as 계란찜 ( Steamed egg casserole ), 오징어채볶음 ( Stir-fried Shredded Squid with Gochujang ( Chilli pepper paste ) ) and many others.
You can also request for more side dishes after you have finished yours.
This time round, I ordered Army Stew which is also often known as Budae Jjigae [ 부대찌개 ] and also Seafood Pancake [ 해물 파전 ].
The aroma of the 부대찌개 started to get stronger as the soup started to boil. The soup did not taste as spicy and hot as you expected at the first mouth, however the taste got stronger and stronger as you continued eating. As you get to the bottom of the pot, you can see the amount of chilli padi being used to contribute to the spiciness of the soup. The soup was really thick and tasty with sweetness and spiciness.
There was a lot of ingredients in the soup especially spam, sausages, bean curd and onions in the soup. The ingredients in the soup absorbed all the taste and fragrance from the soup and make you crave for more.
Will recommend this dish to you as you are able to experience the mixture of some common ingredients that is combined into one dish and yet is it tasty at the same time. The taste of the different food blend well together too. 부대찌개 is one of the most popular dish order in JooMak and is still one of the more popular food in South Korea, so do give it a try if you have the chance.
Seafood pancake [ 해물 파전 ] is one of the popular food in Korea. As you can see from the picture, the pancake is filled with lots of squid, prawn, and scallion. I admit that I am a really picky eater and there's a lot of things that I don't eat and scallion is one of it. But this is one of the dish that I will and don't mind eating although the whole pancake is basically filled with scallion.
Although the pancake contains lots of scallion, but you won't feel that the taste of scallion is too strong and it blend well with the taste of the pancake. The squid and prawn used in the pancake is not those kind of small shrimp or even being cut into small pieces. You will taste more of the ingredient rather than the pancake portion. However, the pancake will taste even better if it is more crispy.
Will recommend this dish if you are a seafood lover.
Last but not least, I found my new love. Korean Spicy Seafood Noodles [ 짬뽕 ]. Finally get to eat it this time as it wasn't available the precious round.
Korean Spicy Seafood Noodles [ 짬뽕 ] arrived and at the first look, my reaction was 'Wow, look at the amount of clams.'
Spiciness came to my tongue at the first mouth of the soup. Decided to give the noodle a try. The noodles was really chewy and it did not become soggy despite being soaked in the soup for a long time. The hotness from the soup remained in your tongue as you continued to eat. However, after a while, the spiciness was gone and replacing it was sweetness from the onion and clams. As you continued eating, you will start to experience a familiar taste which set you thinking what is it but only to realize that it is the taste of ginger. However, the taste of the ginger goes well with the soup and it does not give out the usually tangy taste.
Totally recommend this dish to you if you are a fan of seafood and if you love spicy food. You will be able to experience this dish with different level of tastes.
Will be better if the 짬뽕 can be keep warm/hot all the time.
Do note that most of the food portion from JooMak is quite big and it is enough to share about 2 people or even 3 people for some dishes.
