After a long, very image-heavy report on Thursday of two lunches in Bombay at a lauded restaurant (The Bombay Canteen), I have for you today a very quick look at a casual lunch in Seoul. Most of our meals out here have been—and will be—fairly casual affairs. It’s not that we haven’t done or won’t do any meals that involve reservations or which are the focal points of outings but for the most part we are eating quick meals in places we happen to be near for other reasons. Or in some cases, as with meals eaten at markets, our destinations have been consciously casual ones. Today’s meal was at a restaurant that was not a destination in any sense. In fact, we were looking for a different place. We’d just visited the Korean Film Archive and Google Maps had told me there was a sullungtang restaurant in the vicinity. The weather being wet and cold, sullungtang sounded like just the thing but when we followed the map’s directions we found no sign of that restaurant at the location. We did find Ryujung Dakgaejang right by where the other was supposed to be and rather than mess around in the biting rain, we went in. And a good thing too.

Ryujung Dakgaejang doesn’t in fact show up on maps. And unless you can read Korean, or have a Korean speaker in tow—as I did—you’re not going to know you’re looking at it because they don’t have any English signage (or menus once you’re in). In this they are like the vast majority of restaurants in Seoul. Which is to say, they are indifferent to the possibility of non-Korean patronage; perfectly welcoming of it if if any should show up, but not particularly worried about anticipating their needs.

Also like the vast majority of restaurants in Seoul, they have a limited focus: there are things they specialize in and that’s pretty much all they do. It’s not that there aren’t places with the greatest hits all on their menus, but most neighbourhood spots are specialists. Ryujung Dakgaejang’s specialty is in their name: dakgaejang or spicy chicken stew (Americans interested in Korean food will be more familiar with its beef counterpart, yukgaejang). They also put out two other chicken stews: dakgomtang and dakdoritang. And that’s pretty much it. Your only other options are a choice of rice or guksu/noodles to go with. The smart money is on the guksu to top with the dakdoritang, if you should order it.

And, on the whole, I would suggest that if you too should find yourself at Ryujung Dakgaejang, you order the dakdoritang. I liked my taste of the eponymous spicy dakgaejang and the mild dakgomtang, but the dakdoritang was my pick of the three. And I really liked it over the guksu. All the stews arrive all but boiling out of the stone pots they’re served in, and once the dakdoritang slows down to a simmer is when it hits its peak. The chicken portion is generous but it’s the potatoes that are the real star of the proceedings. It was just what I needed for lunch on that miserable day.

For a look at the restaurant and what we ate, click on a pick below to launch a larger slideshow. Scroll down to see how much it all cost.

It’s not the largest restaurant and if this day was any indication, they get pretty busy at lunch. There was an endless stream of workers from nearby offices going in and out and tables rarely sat free for more than a minute or two.

Price? Very reasonable. We were five people and we got three orders of dakdoritang and one each of dakgaejang and dakgomtang. Plus some rice and guksu and a couple of soft drinks. The total came to 64,500 won or just about $48. So less than $10/each for a big, hearty and extremely tasty lunch. Mind, I would not suggest going out of your way to eat at Ryujung Dakgaejang, but if you’re in the vicinity of the film archive, you won’t regret a stop. Unless you’re a vegetarian.

Okay, back to Bombay tomorrow, probably for another seafood lunch. We’ll return to Seoul on Tuesday with another casual meal, though with a market report attached.