Haemul Ddeokjjim 0410, Seoul

It didn’t take me long to figure out where were going for lunch in Myeongdong.



This poster, filled with screen captures of people in happy-tears, was my Polaris and it led us towards Haemul Ddeokjjim 0410. We were there at 12:10pm but the restaurant only opened at 12:30pm so we returned after a short shopping stint ***.

*** Why am I including this seemingly useless piece of information? You will see.



Haemul Ddeokjjim 0410 is a restaurant chain that specializes in spicy seafood hot pot. The spiciness ranges from Level 1 (for beginners) to Level 3 (for the hardcore), and my sister and I immediately asked for Level 3.

“(Average) Korean … Level 2” Waiter explained, with a V-sign.

Not wanting to kill our tastebuds on our third day, we went for Level 2 – it was one of the best decisions we made that afternoon.

The Haemul Ddeokjjim (해물떡찜), seafood hot pot, consists of squid, fish, cabbage and rice cakes… and it sort of becomes unrecognisable after a while because everything gets soaked silly in the spicy broth.

The spice only kicks in after I stupidly declared it manageable.

“Level 2 is ok what… Whattt the f… ” Cue vision blurring and unclogging of the nose.

But it was fantastic. With so much going on the pot, my sister and I were just dipping, chewing and blowing out air to sooth our lips.

I love (another V-sign)!



We also order their most popularsnack, Ddong tuiguim ( 똥튀김) which is unappetizingly called ‘fried turds’ because they supposedly resemble like fried turds. Amazingly, that did cross my mind when I first saw them.

But holy crap! It’s awesomely delicious. I have no idea what goes into these and it is much like a croquette … only 10 times tastier, thanks to its finer mash. Oh, the sweet-spicy chili sauce is dab-worthy but you wouldn’t want to overshadow the turd’s natural flavour with too much of it.

So the next time someone says your cooking tastes like crap, smile and say, “Kamsamida”.



Because you waited for 20 minutes, here's some plum milk juice for you.

How's that for service? The waiter handed us a carton of plum milk tea which tasted like old-school Yammi Yogurt. Mmm.



After that we had Lee Min Ho for dessert at Lotte Department Store. The overnight superstar had an autograph signing session and I was at Lotte Avenue L when my sister smsed me.

Goo Jun Pyo is at Lotte!

There were hordes of people (98% female) and after being squashed for a good 30 minutes, I caught a 3-second glimpse of him. If you think he looks good on your 40 inch plasma TV screen, wait till you see him real life. Lee. Min. Hot.

I'm not even going to try and redeem myself. Acting like a freakin' groupie in Seoul ... on a younger guy?!

If Haemul Ddeokjjim Level 2 was second best decision we made that afternoon, this other hottie was the best.

Hides face in embarrassment.

Haemul Ddeokjjim 0410
At various locations
Seoul

OMY: Thank you SK (I wish I knew who you are) for nominating me for the Singapore Blog Awards but alas, I will not be joining as I'm not confident of winning with 5 votes (from my mum + 3 mahjong kakis + yours). And if it helps, I'm friggin' flattered. YAY!