Apple House

This instant ddeokbokki restaurant serves up the beloved Korean snack food of soft rice cakes drenched in sweet and spicy red sauce from the second floor of the Banpo Jugong Apartment shopping center. The messages from adoring patrons that fill the walls on the stairway up speak to the age and popularity of the restaurant. It is frequented mostly by apartment residents, students from the nearby school, and adults who are unable to erase the nostalgic taste from their memory. The interior remains untouched, and a long queue forms every day at mealtimes. Apple House makes its ddeokbokki on the spot, using a recipe similar to the dishes that are served in Sindang-dong. With the addition of shredded cabbage and black bean paste, it's both sweet and spicy. Although the ddeokbokki is tasty, the true spotlight goes to a different menu: the spicy seasoned fried dumplings. Kimchi fried rice, garnished with a topping of seaweed flakes and fried egg, is another nostalgic dish that will make your mouth water.