A note on the words: makgeolli is a lightly sparkling Korean rice wine; the bottle here arrives as a slush. Chanja is spicy salted cod innards, a classic drinking snack, and kimchi is fermented seasoned napa cabbage. Chamisul is a popular brand of Korean soju. Seolleongtang is a mild, milky soup simmered from ox bone, and yukgaejang is a hearty, spicy beef soup. Tteokbokki is chewy rice cakes in a sweet chili sauce.
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Delica Ondoru Shinookubo honten on Tabelog (English) — opening hours, payment details and the Japanese address are kept up to date there, not here.
Hello, this is Hangover Meshi. This time, I visited Delica Ondoru Shinookubo honten, a Korean restaurant in Shin-Okubo. When it comes to Shin-Okubo, there are tons of deep, off-the-beaten-track Korean eateries! It feels distinctly like being in another country, and just soaking in the atmosphere makes it a fun area to wander. Just off the main strip of that deep neighborhood, tucked away in an even deeper back alley, is where you find this restaurant. It feels like a while since I last had authentic-style Korean food, so I was really looking forward to it.
There is quite an extensive menu. Just about anything you might have heard of in Korean cooking seems to be here, from kimchi and salad to gimbap and an ample selection of soups.
So with that, I decided to go ahead and order one dish after another!
Wondering what slushy makgeolli could possibly be, I ended up ordering it on impulse, and it really is slushy. I wonder if it is half-frozen? It goes down very smoothly, with that crisp, frosty slush giving it an entertaining texture — a fun drink.
Chanja, a classic Korean drinking snack. I really like this — nicely spicy and delicious.
This was amazingly good, so I definitely recommend it!
It feels distinctly different from your everyday kimchi. It has depth and richness, and while not overwhelmingly hot, you definitely get a solid hit of spice. On top of that, the crisp, firm crunch of the napa cabbage is wonderful! This was truly delicious.
Everyone seems to knock this back in shots, ha.
And then the soup: seolleongtang. A cloudy white broth enriched with the gentle richness of ox bone, kept light on salt. I had it once at a seolleongtang spot in Akasaka as well, and it is a very clean, easy-drinking soup.
Craving a spicy red soup too, I also ordered yukgaejang. There was no beef torn into thin strands in it (making that is quite tedious! I have tried making it before), but the broth was solidly delicious. When you think of Korean food, this is really the kind of thing you want.
I was thoroughly satisfied with the Korean food here! If you go in a slightly larger group, you could probably try even more varieties. I ended up picking mostly very traditional dishes this time, so next time I would like to try things like the UFO chicken fondue, cheese tteokbokki, or a Korean cheese corn dog. The interior is quite clean and comfortable, so it comes recommended!
Delica Ondoru Shinookubo honten (Korean / Shin-Okubo Station, Okubo Station, Seibu-Shinjuku Station)
Tabelog dinner rating ★★★☆☆ 3.5
I ate here and paid for it myself. Nothing on this site is a comped meal.
One more for the road?
