My husband wanted to have Jeju Duruchigi once more, so we looked for a good spot near Jungmun and just walked into a local place. There were no rental cars with “Heo” plates around, but it was full of customers. It looked like a place where nearby workers eat, so I was quietly hopeful.
The set meals looked good too, but we went with duruchigi.
The side dishes came out neat and clean.
Prices were reasonable overall, and the set meals at the next table looked generous. Then an oiled cast-iron pan arrived, glistening.
In went the meat, fresh, not frozen. The other place we tried used frozen meat; here the meat quality looked better.
Slowly grilling.
In went the green onions. The soul of Jeju Duruchigi is the shredded green onion and bean sprouts.
And kimchi.
Grill it well and the visuals make your mouth water.
Wrap it up in one ssam.
Total visual champion. One bite and we devoured it in seconds.
Cleaned out. Personally, this Jeju Duruchigi was far better than the famous place we had heard about, and the meat quality was better too. I had wanted to try the famous chef’s duruchigi place, but somehow I felt this would be tastier.
A humble neighborhood restaurant in a back street, but packed with people. Thumbs up.
After the meal, on our departure day, we returned the rental car and came to the duty-free shop. Jeju Airport duty-free. Domestic travelers can shop here too, which is great.
It had most things, but nothing was that cheap, so my husband just bought cigarettes as gifts. Jeju Airport was honestly so hot. My husband, who feels heat a lot, said it was humid and hot, with annoyance veins popping on his face. Finally, onto the plane.
This Jeju trip kept its healing purpose well, so it was even more joyful and fun. I thought it would be nice to come back with Sojung someday. We had canceled Saipan and Okinawa trips when Sojung came along, which had left me blue, but Jeju was just as joyful as going abroad.
Prices, hours and details in this post are from our visit in July 2017 and may have changed, so check the latest information before you go.