Hongdae is a heaven for all kinds of people. There are many hidden gems in this famous street. One of the gems I would like to introduce to you guys today is called “50g”, the place where they serve the famous Kimchi Soup (김치찜) with Mozzarella Cheese croquette.
50g is located a 10 minute walk away from Hongik Univ. (Exit 9). It is a good idea to get to the restaurant a little bit early so as to avoid the queues. I reached around 12.30pm and the waiting time was about 15 minutes. Please take note of their special opening hours:
Monday – Friday : 11.30am – 3pm (only for lunch)
Saturday : 12pm – 12am
Sunday : 12pm – 11pm
The price starts from 7,900 won per person for Kimchi Soup with Pork Belly and 8,900 won for Kimchi Soup with Pork Ribs. You can also have an additional choice of Roasted tomato with Cheese or Cheese Croquette. The price is 3,000 won for each additional item.
The food will come as a set which includes rice, sides and Pajeon (Korean Pancake). For the Pajeon, you can fry it yourself using a mini pan they provide. Not to worry if you don’t know how to cook as the staff will come and help you!
Doesn’t this Korean pancake looks delicious? I would say that this is a Korean version of roti with more flavor and it goes really well with the spiciness of Kimchi Soup! When you fry it until it is golden brown, you can cut it into small pieces so that it is easier to eat.
And now, here comes our highlight! The staff will bring a sizzling pot of Kimchi Soup to you. First, they will take the perfectly cooked and extremely soft pork belly out of the pot and cut it for you. I can say that this pork will melt away in your mouth at your first bite!
And then they will pour the rest of the soup out to the pan in the middle of the table so it is easier to share this delicious item with your friends. The soup is not too spicy. This is good news for people who can’t hold their spice because they can enjoy this too!
The soup is also filled with many kinds of vegetables and ddok (Korean Rice Cake). They also put some noodles in there too. It is even better if you eat this with a hot bowl of rice and put some sweet and salted seaweed on top!
I also tried the Cheese Croquette as an additional choice. I was surprised because the Cheese Croquette was actually really big and the mozzarella cheese inside was super melty. When the cheese melted into the hot Kimchi Soup, it was simply delicious. This is an interesting option for cheese lovers! The potato shell of the croquette was also not too thick that the soup can actually go inside the potato and that makes the croquette taste unique and a lot better!
The portion sizes here are actually really big. So it is a good idea to consider a suitable amount for your groups. (Eg. You could order only 2 portions when you go as a group of 3 if you are all girls ;P But you must order at least 2 portions.)
This restaurant is also a foreigner-oriented restaurant. The staff’s English is perfect! So if you are looking for some good restaurant in Hongdae, this is another one you should keep on your list!
