Moomyung Sikdang (CLOSED)

This is the sort of place you seek out when you’re in need of some comforting, or when you want to reward yourself after some tough struggle. “To share the happiness felt when cooking” is the idea behind Moomyung Sikdang, which serves healthy and basic Korean food. The dishes, just like the soul of the proprietor, are all neat and wholesome. They’re dishes that you don’t easily tire of, dishes that won’t sit unpleasantly heavy in the gut: low-sodium jeotgal (salted, fermented seafood) from Sokcho, gim (dried seaweed) from Jangheung that doesn’t use acid in its cultivation process, dried persimmons from Cheongdo, pickled gim from Wando, and a pickled wild vegetable called chamnamul from Jeongseon. At this restaurant, the ingredients take the lead. With the rice and side dishes changing every day, learning about and selecting the seasonal ingredients ahead of time is necessary to bring the food to table. Their makgeolli (rice ale) list is also one of the most original in Seoul. The makgeolli varieties are carefully selected according to their malts and fermenting techniques (which differ from region to region), diligently hunted down and scrupulously considered before they appear on the menu. Clean meals made with quality ingredients and a lot of heart—this is the sort of place that makes you feel as though you might easily live to be 100 if only you could have their food three times a day.