Sunday, August 17, 2008

Famous Tea Place in Samcheondong

My friends and I stopped at this famous tea place after a hilly walk through Bukchon. I had been craving its traditional red bean juk ever since trying it with a Korean friend. Koreans call this dish a dessert, but it's a rich soup in my eyes. Juk literally means porridge, quite a dreadful-sounding word for such a tasty food! The menu offered two herbal Chinese teas ($5-$7 each), a ginger tea, a persimmon tea, a rice tea, and this porridge. As per Korean culture, we received one menu for the four of us.
The sweet, thick red bean base was topped with cinnamon, red beans, and chestnuts. A glutinous rice ball lurked beneath the surface. I can not think of an American food equivalent to the rice ball. It took me awhile to adjust to the gummy texture. I can't help but wonder if the globule is now bobbing around in my stomach.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

If you thought this was good, I definitely would like to try it. The tea seems expensive.. is it so worth it then?

MandyKat said...

I would like to take you there to try that porridge. I think the tea is overpriced too! I imagine that the Chinese herbs are expensive. I heard that the tea is really strong and hard to drink. It offers a health benefit according to Chinese Medicine.