So-Dahm Bibim Guksu

Korean food reviews on Ulsan Online are a rarity and it is a shame. There are so many great restaurants here that I think, as a foreign community, we are missing out. In an effort to introduce more Korean food to our Ulsan Online readers, I set out to explore the “Gogi (Meat) Street” a wonderful street that follows the Taehwa River, just up from the Taehwa River Grand Park.

Like most things in Ulsan, the names that we use may not always be exactly what is offered. Here, “Gogi Street” or sometimes “Bulgogi Street” is a collection of great restaurants that serve a wide range of food, not just meat. In a effort to prove this to you, I have found the best noodle place in Ulsan.

So-dahm Bibim Guksu is famous for it’s mouth-watering sweet and spicy cold noodle dish. For those who are unfamiliar with this and think that it maybe the noodle version of bibimbap, you are sadly mistaken.

Bibim guksu is a cold noodle dish that is made from Somyeon, a wheat noodle and then mixed with hot pepper paste, garlic, vinegar, and sugar to add a bit of sweetness to the heat. Garnished with some vegetables,  this dish is perfect for those coming warm summer months.

What makes this place special is that they won a competition on SBS’s “Master’s of Life” (생활의 달인)  TV show that looks at people and places that are the best at what they do.  For Koreans and restaurants, this is a great award to achieve.

As for their bibim guksu, it was great. It was also interesting in the that it was more watery than typical bibim Guksu but had a lot more flavour. For 6,000 won the portion size was big enough to share but a hungry person could easily finish it.

The other dish that we tried deserves a mention here is the Perilla Seed Kal Guksu (들깨칼국수). This has to be one of my favorite noodle dishes. Finely ground perilla (often confused with sesame seeds) are added to the broth to give it a nice nutty flavour and a milk-like appearance. The “knife-cut” noodles are handmade wheat noodles and are really delicious. The dish is then mixed with mushrooms then garnished with some carrots.

This was a great dish and probably the best that I have ever had. For those who are looking for something  not spicy at all and without the usual seasoning of   hot pepper paste, you make want to give this a try.

To Get There:

Taxi: Tell the taxi driver “Taehwa-dong Jail Joong hak-kyo ahp” If you are good with directions in Korean, tell him to turn at the Pontus store and head towards the river. Turn right at the river and it is about 100 metres down next to the “3 Pigs” Samgyup sal restaurant. Map link here

Bus: Take Buses  103 104 114 123 133 203 233 317 327 402 413 421 421(지원) 422 426 433 442 704 708 708(지원) 718 728 802 802(지원) 807817

Get out at “Taehwa-dong Jail Joong hak-kyo ahp” turn at the Pontus store (large intersection) and head towards the river. Turn right at the river and it is about 100 metres down next to the “3 Pigs” Samgyup sal restaurant. Map link here

 

Address in Korean: 울산 중구 태화동 773-8번지

Restaurant number: 38

Phone Number: 052-910-1110