A note on the words: yukgaejang is a Korean soup of shredded beef simmered with vegetables in a chili-red broth, usually eaten with rice. Banchan are the little side dishes a Korean restaurant sets out alongside the main order — kimchi, pickles, dressed vegetables and so on. Tteokbokki is chewy cylinders of rice cake in a sweet-hot sauce. Bulgogi is thin beef marinated in sweet soy and grilled; bibimbap is rice topped with vegetables and mixed at the table; bibim naengmyeon is cold buckwheat noodles tossed in a spicy dressing rather than served in broth. Hijiki is a fine black seaweed cooked as a side dish, and “mountain vegetables” are wild spring greens and shoots.
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Cheongsol on Tabelog (English) — opening hours, payment details and the Japanese address are kept up to date there, not here.
Hey, this is Hangover Meshi. Every now and then I want good Korean food, so I decided to go to “Cheongsol” in Akasaka for lunch! I set out a bit early because I didn’t want to run into a crowd — and when I got there it was already full, lol
Then they told me to go to the shop across the way. Wait, there’s one across the street too? I looked, and sure enough: the second floor opposite is also Cheongsol, lol
The sign says “annex,” but it’s the same restaurant, lol
Bulgogi: 980 yen
Bibim naengmyeon: 1,000 yen
Yukgaejang: 980 yen
Bibimbap: 800 yen
Hmm, they all look good.
There are so many that it’s hard to pick, but at times like this I go for my favorite: yukgaejang! And still, free refills on the side dishes and the rice — that really is something.
Right, so once I sat down, tteokbokki arrived before I had even ordered.
From there they kept coming, one after another — quail eggs, kimchi, all sorts, lol
It’s the sort of spread that could fill you up on its own! I tried a bite of each and they were all excellent. So good.
The fact that all this is included in the 980 yen is remarkable.
Looks so good…
One mouthful and it’s seriously delicious. A soup with real body that isn’t too spicy. It seeps right down into your stomach — this would be good when you’re hungover. It’s absolutely loaded with ingredients, glass noodles among them. A soup with a very good balance of heat and sweetness.
There’s hijiki seaweed, mountain vegetables and egg in there too, so it’s very healthy!
It comes with rice as well, but honestly, eating the rice on top of this puts you into overeating territory. You start to break a sweat as you work through it! Delicious, though. Completely satisfied. So good.
Every Korean restaurant around here is good, but this was a particularly memorable yukgaejang! And 980 yen for it is far too cheap. Good value, good taste — it has become a Korean place I definitely want to come back to. Maybe I’ll go one evening and eat a range of things.
Cheongsol (Korean / Akasaka Station, Tameike-sanno Station, Kokkai-gijidomae Station)
Tabelog lunch rating ★★★☆☆ 3.7
I ate here and paid for it myself. Nothing on this site is a comped meal.
One more for the road?
