Sindasin Sikdang (Restaurant)
The highlight of Abai Village trip is food. Among them, Sundae(cellophane noodles in tripes) is the most famous one.
When it comes to Sundae, Abai Sundae is one of the best along with Byeongcheon Sundae and Baekam Sundae. Every restaurant in Abai Village has Sundae but we decided to give it a try at Sindasin restaurant that has a long history.
Probably because of internet just like the sweet and sour chicken restaurant, this was expanded and had two restaurants facing each other on the street.
The main building (?) had tables for eating on the floor and the new building had table seats. Table seats looked more comfortable but somehow we thought we have to eat Sundae sitting on floor so we headed to the main building.
Oh my god… A group of people left before we entered the restaurant but there were still so many customers waiting for the seats. Should we go to the new building?
We were there already so we decided to wait and look around a sign written '100 Old Korean Traditional Restaurants' on the wall. I took a photo of this because it might be valuable information on food in other regions for my next trips not because this restaurant was one of them.
I looked away to check out the menu and was a bit surprised to see that the prices were bit different from the ones on the internet. Did I see the old info? Well, we were frustrated by expensive prices but we forgive and forget as long as they are delicious.
It's past the lunch time but we couldn't get our seats even after we looked around the neighboring area. It's almost a torture to look at other people eating.
After a long while we finally got our seats. I liked it that they cleaned the whole table before they called us because most famous restaurants do not do that especially when it's busy hours. Well, I'm one of those who are moved by small things. ;;;
As soon as we ordered, the common dishes were served. We couldn't find anything special. Compared to neat restaurant building, common dishes seemed too plain.
While we were eating common dishes, first dish, Modeum Sundae (Sundae platter), was served! Ohhhh, it seems a bit small dish but yellowish stuff squid that is fried properly and Abai Sundae full of noodles made me feel much better.
Stuffed squid with egg was cut into pieces for bites that we saw in Jungang Market the other day.
And unlike other Sundae you can see in a snack bar, Abai Sundae was fully stuffed that you cannot easily see in other places.
But I must say what I wanted to try the most was Squid Sundae that represengs Sokcho. It's one bite for people like me but might be too big for ladies or children so the scissors and tongs are served together.
By the look of the body, you can't see if it's squid or not but you'll notice the head. And that's my favorite part as well. I feel like I finished the whole squid only if I eat head part.
In order to eat Squid Sundae that seemingly is more likely vegetable pancake, I'd have to dip it in soy sauce or salted shrimp that's served together but the best is to eat it with a piece of Myeongtae Hoemuchim(raw pollack and vegetables seasoned with vinegar and other condiments). This is supposed to be one bite. As I was about to feel soft filling inside Sundae, I get to bite squid and feel the taste of sweet and sour Myeongae Hoemuchim.
While we were into Squid Sundae and Abai Sundae, the second food we ordered was served. It's a bit cold but as big fans of noodles, we couldn't leave the restaurant until we tried Naengmyeon(cold noodles) where we can have a taste of North Korean food. So we ordered Hamheung Naengmyeon, traditional one in the North Korea with a piece of raw pollack on it.
Unlike Pyeongyang Naengmyeon, Mul Naengmyeon (coldbuckwheat noodles), Hamheung Naengmyeon does not have water but the noodles served with spicy sauce in it. And the highlight is always raw pollack.
So you pour some meat broth in the kettle and mix it with sauce, take a bite with a piece of raw fish on it. Ah…the flavor is very strong. I don't know if it's because we're actually in their town but it's definitely different from the one we ate in Seoul. But it's a bit expensive, 8,000 won for one bowl of Naengmyeon.
Now that we tried cold food, we should try the opposite. When we were about to give Abai Sundaetguk(Korean blood sausage soup) a try, Garigukbap being boiled in ttukbaegi(earthen pot) got our attention.
Garigukbap is a traditional North Korean food that is similar with beef and bean sprout soup with rice? Well, Sundaeguk has definitely had more ingredients to eat but Garigukbap broth was so neat, strong and flavory that Sundaegukbap can never beat. We finished the whole bowl along with Naengmyeon.
Was it too much for two people? Thankfully, the leftovers were Sundae so we could bring them home. If you ask the employee to pack it up for to-go, they would give you one paper dish, chopsticks, and a bag. Hm?? Eventually it's self-packing. Well, they're busy so… I packed it pretty good with the tongs.
Well, we had unexpected lunchbox after a nice meal. We'd have to finish it between meals when we find somewhere with good sceneries.
Sindasin restaurant in Abai Village we visited have quite expensive dishes and the waiting time is long that frustrated us but the food and services were quite good compared to others in tourist attractions. Plus, I liked their motto that they do not tout on the street, instead they'd put more efforts to make better food. It had pros and cons but if I would go there to eat North Korean dish, I would go to this restaurant. But next time, I'll choose the new building for table seats. I hate waiting in line when I'm hungry~
Address : 838, Cheongho-dong, Sokcho-si, Gangwon-do
Telephone : 033-633-3871
Opening Hours : 10:00~22:00
Prices : Sundae Platter20,000 won / Hamheung Naengmyeon8,000 won / Sundaetgukbap 8,000 won / Garigukbap8,000 won
