Since the purpose of this trip is walking around the old downtown area,
I naturally look for restaurants located in the old town as well.
Many famous places have branch locations in Hadang, the newer part of the city,
which might be more convenient.
But for someone who enjoys walking,
the original location in the old town feels more appealing.
Today’s lunch was at one of the most famous places in Mokpo.
Jangteo Sikdang serves a few menu items,
but its most famous dish is crab meat,
made from blue swimming crab (Korean flower crab).
Only the naturally sweet crab meat is carefully picked out
and mixed with a vivid red seasoning.
To put it simply,
you could think of it as taking only the meat from marinated crab
and mixing it with a spicy-sweet sauce.
I had known about its reputation for a long time,
but strangely, I had never had the chance to try it.
And then, finally, today,
I found myself visiting this place.
I visited around 2 p.m., which is quite late for lunch,
but the restaurant was still almost full.
Most of the customers were tourists.
It’s winter, so the streets outside felt quiet and empty,
yet this place was crowded.
That alone shows how famous it is.
I usually believe that places filled with locals are the real gems,
and that restaurants crowded with tourists can be less reliable,
so I was a little worried.
One plate of crab meat is meant for two people.
There is no single-serving option.
Hehe.
A seasoned solo traveler doesn’t panic in situations like this.
I simply order the two-person portion and eat it alone.
I eat as much as I can,
and if I can’t finish everything,
I either take it to go or leave some behind.
Otherwise, the choices during solo travel become too limited.
The woman taking my order said she would give me plenty of rice
and told me to take my time and enjoy the meal,
as she accepted my order for two.
Soon after,
the entire table was set very quickly.
There were bean sprouts, seasoned seaweed,
pickled cucumbers, aged kimchi,
radish salad, stir-fried fish cakes, and soybean paste soup.
In the center was a generous portion of bright red crab meat,
and a large bowl of white rice was served alongside.
Among crabs,
this kind of crab meat is known for being especially sweet.
The only downside is how troublesome it is to pick the meat yourself.
But when someone else has already done that work for you,
there’s no way it could taste bad.
I was a bit worried that the red seasoning might be too spicy,
but once I tasted it,
it wasn’t spicy at all.
(※ Of course, this is by Korean standards.)
Rather than being hot,
it was pleasantly spicy and sweet,
a truly delicious seasoning.
Combined with the naturally sweet crab meat,
the result was simply exceptional.
The best way to eat it was placing the seasoned crab meat on white rice
and wrapping it with seaweed.
Mixing the crab meat and sauce directly into the rice was also great.
Eating a two-person portion by myself meant the amount was generous,
so I could enjoy it freely,
taking big bites without holding back.
From time to time,
I refreshed my palate with pickled cucumbers,
bean sprouts, or fish cakes,
and then went right back to devouring
that bright red, sweet crab meat.
This is a place where you can fully understand why it’s so famous.
No matter how or when I come back to Mokpo,
it’s somewhere I would absolutely want to visit again.
Truly legendary.
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