Hongdae Date Night
Sunday, December 07, 2014
M and I, we're simple folk. Throw us a bone (or in this case a giant fish) and a case of beer on date night, and we're happy as a clam at high tide.
Back in New York, we'd frequent a place called Kenka on St. Marks Place. It's this crazy loud and busy izakaya with impossibly cheap beer and Japanese bar food. It's actually where M and I had our first ever date! Every time we went, it was the struggle for me to choose between the kara age (fried chicken) and the okonomiyaki (savory pancake) so I'd end up ordering both, and M always got the saba shioyaki, or grilled mackerel.
It's his favorite kind of fish and we have something similar in Korea, so after a few Google searches, I found a place in Hongdae I had a feeling would suit his fancy....
We first ordered the Spanish mackerel + soondoobu set 삼치구이 순두부 세트, which is supposed to be good enough for two, but the fear of missing out paired with my indecisiveness got the best of me and I added the regular grilled mackerel 고발비구이 to our order.
....And look at the size of that thing. 40 centimeters, or roughly a foot and three inches, of smoky, fishy goodness. I'm drooling... The larger fish is the Spanish mackerel (and was my favorite), and the smaller one was the regular grilled mackerel (M's favorite, surprise surprise). The difference was that the regular mackerel has a distinctly fattier flavor, while the Spanish one paired better with the wasabi soy sauce.
Click here for directions! It's called Turbo Godwengi Sengsun Gui 털보고된이생선구이 and it's a five minute walk away from Hongdae station, Exit 8.
After all the barbecue, street food, and ramen we had over the last few days, it felt good to sit down for something a little lighter and, I wanna say, healthier for our body. Buuuut that little thought bubble burst as soon as it dawned on me that I just ate two whole fish *_*
After some post-dinner wandering, I tried looking for that one izakaya I went to last year but we just ended up going around in circles. Poor M.. I have the worst sense of direction, but thank God for GPS! But...I think Naver Maps wasn't having the best day either cause it took to us to an entirely different spot all together!
In its defense, this place is also called Kizuna 키즈나. And it worked out! This place was just as cozy and probably less crowded than the one I was searching for.
A tall glass of Kirin for me, one Highball for him, and an order of edamame to share
Yeah, steak dinners and grand gestures are always appreciated and great for once in a while, but sometimes the silence shared between a giant fish is all you need. I'll miss nights like this the most once M's back stateside :( Waahhh sigh.
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