There are a few iconic dishes that one shouldn’t leave Korea without trying…one of them is the beloved dumpling called mandu. Steamed mandu (찐만두), fried mandu(튀김만두), meat mandu (고기 만두), kimchi mandu (김치만두), wang mandu(왕만두), or jjinppang mandu (찐빵만두)… they are all delicious. I would be hard pressed to pick a favourite.
After a day spent walking through streets lined with traditional architecture in Seoul’s Bukchon Hanok Village, we wound up in the heart of Insa-dong- a crowded, rather touristy neighbourhood characterized by an almost overwhelming number of shops and galleries. It is a great place to browse local art…antiques- and if you are in need of a souvenir, this is the place.
Battling crowds is tough work -exhausting even- and when our energy began to flag, we were beyond thrilled when we peered down an alley just off the main drag, and spied a small storefront bursting at the seams with humans…and dumplings!
just look for this sign…and a line!
Bukchon Son Mandu: the restaurant is so petite, the mandu is in piles, *practically spilling out onto the street. We waited in line for a seat at the tiny counter, literally rubbing elbows with a few other dumpling lovers, and ordered up the ‘Bukchon Special’. For 12,000 won it was a sizeable plate that included a variety of mandu: steamed, fried, shrimp and ‘ball’ -a nice mix of minced pork and veg formed into a bite sized ball and steamed. (I have consumed an impressive amount of mandu during my time in Korea, but so far this is the only place that I have found that serves the ball type…)
As we ate we took in the scene: in one corner a man was expertly creating dozens of dumplings- magic fingers tucking bits of filling into small rounds of dough, while a few inches away large plumes of steam squeaked out from the cracks of a bamboo stack, where somebody’s lunch was nearing perfection. Plates whizzed by. Chopsticks clicked. We reached for a second, then a third helping of danmuji (yellow pickled radish) from the serve yourself bins that were just within reach. Not only are the dumplings at Bukchon Son delicious, the restaurant itself is an exciting experience for all of the senses. I highly recommend a visit!
Jogyesa Temple, Changdeokgun Palace, Gyeongbokgun Palace, Gwanghwamun Gate, and Bukchon Hanok Village are all relatively near by making this a perfect spot for a snack after a day of sight-seeing…
How to get there: Take line 3 and get off at Anguk. Continue straight out exit 6 and take a left down Insadong-gil. The mandu stand is down an alleyway on the left.