More than once I found myself walking past a restaurant that left my mouth watering, and I swear it was always a gopchang restaurant. For those of you who don't know, gopchang 곱창 is intestines. I know, it grossed me out too. But how can something that smells so amazing *_* be bad? Curiosity finally got the best of me and I took the plunge. Hwangso Gopchang Gui 황소곱창구이 is one of the famous gopchang places in Sinchon. 60 years of business must mean they're doing something right!

I went on a Monday and it was still really busy. Not only that, it was cramped and loud and everything felt greasy. But the smell...If unhealthy but oh-so-good had a smell it would be gopchang. I ordered two helpings of their signature and waited patiently.

In just a few seconds, ta-daaa! Sizzling cow guts with a mountain of Chinese leek. Oh, and sliced up potatoes and onions to mix it up a bit.

You have to be careful not to keep flipping the intestines (what an awkward sentence) and just leave them be to crisp up. After about five to eight minutes, turn them over once, and don't forget to give the veggies a little mix so they cook evenly too. And just look how incredible that looks... Just close your eyes and pretend it's samgyupsal.

How did it taste? The texture was completely new to me, and something oozes out when you take a bite. It was weird. It was really chewy. It was different. But it wasn't bad especially when dunked in spicy soy then wrapped with a ton of leek. 

I'd probably have it again

Hwangso Gopchang Gui 황소곱창구이

As someone who lives alone and is terrible at keeping a stocked fridge, I tend to eat out a lot. This in itself fuels my love for discovering kick-ass restaurants. I'm also one of those girls who takes a picture of her food every time, so the storage on my measly 16 GB iPhone fills up instantly (cause you need to get it in every angle, duh). While I'd like to write something about every restaurant I visit, I always feel like I'm lacking photos because I'm usually too hungry and frazzled to remember to take more. So I've started "Isabelle Eats," a segment where I share my two cents of places I've dined at in the last few weeks. This time around, they're all located near my university in Sinchon and Hongdae.

1. Boiling Pot 보일링 팟

I was just here yesterday with my friend Sharon. It's funny cause we've known each other for a few years now, and have actively commented on each other's Instagram pictures, but this is the first time we've officially hung out. As summer is steadily approaching, I wanted something cool and fresh, we went to Boiling Pot. I think it started out as a ramen shop, then transformed into a cafe/sandwich joint. I got their grilled chicken salad and a fresh kiwi juice. The salad was just okay (but I don't think I'll be coming back for it) but the kiwi juice was exactly what I was looking for. What really made the night though was the company I was with <3

2. Painter and Cook 화가와 요리사

A favorite among Yonsei University and Ewha University students. I love the concept of this tiny restaurant! Just as the name implies, the owner is both a painter and a cook. His paintings and sketches are hung all around the restaurant and he whips out really great donkatsu. There's, of course, the regular pork chop katsu, or you can explore their menu and try sweet potato katsu, kimchi katsu, curry katsu, pineapple and peppers katsu, and the list goes on. Here I got the Cheongnyun Jjigae 청년찌게: katsu on kimchi jjigae with rice and fried egg. Really filling for 7,500 won.

3. Saigon Bridge 사이곤 브릿지

I love pho. I love pho so much I went to Vietnam just to eat pho. It's my ultimate comfort food and I wish Korea had better pho. (How many times can I say pho?) Last week, after finishing midterms, I headed to Sinchon and walked right into Saigon Bridge. There was no one else in the restaurant, but I ordered a bowl of beef pho anyway and crossed my fingers it wouldn't disappoint -- I needed something soothing after the brutal week I had. The verdict: it's really not that bad! The broth wasn't sickeningly sweet, like other Viet places in Seoul, and they didn't overload my bowl with onions. For 10,000 won it's a hefty price to pay, but the portion size was big enough to share between two people. 

4. Donburi Hongdae 돈부리 홍대

Okay, this is in Hongdae...sorry. According to people on Mangoplate, you should expect to wait between 10 to 30 minutes for a table, but lemmetellya it's totally worth it. I ordered the salmon donburi 사케돈. The salmon extremely soft, there's no hint of it ever been frozen, and the rice was seasoned perfectly. I can see why this is one of their best sellers. Btw, you can ask for extra rice (free of charge!) if you find it's not enough! 

Boiling Pot 보일링 팟

Seoul Seodaemun-gu Changchun-dong 2-36

서울시 서대문구 창천동 2-36

070-8200-6985

Painter and Cook 화가와 요리사

Seoul Seodaemun-gu Daehyun-dong 60-51

서울시 서대문구 대현동 60-51

(02) 364-1970

Saigon Bridge 사이곤 브릿지

Seoul Seodaemun-gu Changchung-dong 5-39

서울시 서대문구 창천동 5-39

(02) 363-5420

Donburi Hongdae 돈부리 홍대

Seoul Mapo-gu Seogyo-dong 366-18

서울시 마포구 서교동 366-18

(02) 3141-8398

Budaechigae 부대찌개 - a "poor man's stew" created during the famine years of the Korean War made with leftover meat that was thrown away or handed out from the US army bases. 

a.k.a. mine and M's most favorite thing to eat ever. 

It's the most satisfying concoction of ramen noodles, Spam, kimchi, and spicy broth. If you're feeling fancy, you can throw in some mushrooms and rice cakes, but there's really no real rhyme or reason to it. Kind of like a one-pot wonder. That's what makes it so great! And I've found the cream of the crop right in the middle of Sinchon.

My brother Eric passed along the deets about this place when I told him how much M loved budaechigae. It's called Original Budaechigae and it's located near the giant church by Yonsei-ro across the street from Outback. If you know the area well enough, this should make sense to you. If you don't, click here! 

It's not a chain restaurant, so you know it's gotta be good... The sallow wallpaper and old beer ads are testaments to how long this place has been around. The menu is pretty simple with only three kinds of budaechigae and the more pricier Agujjim 아구찜. 

It may look empty now, but that's only because we walked in just before dinner time. A few minutes after we were seated, this place was pretty much packed. I guess it's a local favorite among the college kids. Where have I been all these years?!

What's great about this place is that they pre-cook the stew in the back kitchen so once it's out, you can tuck in straight away. Waiting for your food to cook in front of you is pretty high up there on my list of methods of torture, especially when you're just about ready to devour an entire cow. I think that's one of the biggest things I hate about barbecue... Back on topic, this was perfect for us cause I don't think we've had anything to eat all day! 

No joke, we inhaled that in 10 minutes. 

The look of satisfaction. Dinner was a success!!! 

신촌영양센터 - Which directly translates to Sinchon Nutrition Center

Don't be turned off by the name! Yeah, yeah, this place sounds like it belongs in the back of a hospital, but it's home to some of the most comforting chicken soup in town (with the biggest portions)! It's been feeding the cold, hungry university students in the area for years and is kind of a big deal around here. 

삼게탕 - Samgyetang : A stew made with a small chicken stuffed with sticky rice, Korean ginseng, dates, ginger, and other herbs, then boiled to perfection. It's widely considered to be a health food that revitalizes the body and boosts the immune system. Although it's most popular during the summer months, it was exactly what I needed on a day like this. Comfort in a hot pot on a snowy day. 

People have been telling me that this winter is the coldest one we'll see yet. I refused to believe them, but if we're getting snow this early in the year.. :( I'm afraid it can only be downhill from here Sigh. Can I just stay indoors until spring time?

Allow me to introduce you to the one and only authority of hoagies on this side of the city. Freshly baked bread, real bacon and cold cuts, Lord Sandwich, without a doubt, the is home to the best sandwiches you'll get your hands on in Seoul.  

Outdoor seating was perfect for the lovely spring weather

Here's mine: the BLT with Focaccia bread

Baked bacon on top of crunchy lettuce and tomato with a basil mayonnaise sauce

Lord Sandwich makes John happy.

The sandwiches are all served with Ciabatta bread, but, if you're like me and prefer something chewier, ask the waitress for Focaccia at the counter.