New Restaurant in My Building

Though presumably it will only be my building for about six more weeks, I am pleased to note the appearance of a new restaurant here. I know what you may be saying, especially if you are a careful reader--and/or jealous of the already considerable conveniences of my building, which include a 24 hour Family Mart, a dry cleaner, a bakery, a druggist, two hair stylists, a florist, a Caffe Bene, and about a dozen sit-down restaurants--you may be saying, "Dude, you've already got a 24 hour Family Mart, a dry cleaner, a bakery, a druggist, two hair stylists, a florist, a Caffe Bene, and about a dozen sit-down restaurants. What more do you want?"

Well, I want this:
곱창, gop chang, in case you don't recognize it from the pictures in the window, which is offal, or intestine; a lot of places will focus on either pig or cow intestines, but this place offers both. I really like the cow offal, so tonight, when my other dinner plans got postponed, I decided to carry my camera down and have a look-see.

The location, at the back end of the breezeway that separates the two halves of the building, has spelled death for all the other establishments that have tried to eke out a presence there--at least one a year in the four years since I moved here. Maybe someone pointed this out to them, since they didn't do a lot of renovation, add a massive ventilation system or run gas to each table: instead, they are going with the little tabletop gas burners.

I ordered the 한우곱창, hanu gopchang, Korean cow intestines, which started with a soup: In addition to intestine, the soup has delicious bits of liver and kidney. Yum! The main course was a bit paltry in amount, but still quite tasty. In addition to the gopchang, you get some onions, some potato slices, leeks, and what i think of as "Korean edible grass", though I'm sure there are other, more politically (and otherwise) correct names for it. I didn't shoot the banchan, but there was plenty of it, though no kimchi. A serving for one was 17,000 W, which is a reasonable price for what they offered. Up the road a little ways is a superior place, which charges 28,000 W per person, but includes lots more liver &co., and throws in bokumbap, fried rice. Despite its heftier price, it is always packed, and the usual wait is a half-hour or more. So, 강서 명가 곱창 Gangseo Myeongka Gopchang, though not the best, is reasonably priced, tasty, and for me at least, convenient as it gets.