I love Korean street food, especially in the winter time. There is nothing quite like slipping into a little tent full of hot, cheap, delicious food on a chilly day and eating to your heart’s content. 오뎅 (odeng) aka fishcake, is probably one of the cheapest types of street food you can find and there are lots of different types to choose from. A few months ago, the boyfriend and I discovered a wonderful little odeng spot in 홍대 (Hongdae).
몬스터 치즈 떡볶이 (Monster Cheese Tteokbokki) isn’t quite a tent nor a restaurant, it’s more of an open-air rundown looking hole in the wall. Honestly, if it wasn’t for the alluring aroma coming from it I probably wouldn’t have even given it a second glance. The shop opens up to reveal a small cooking area where fresh batches of 튀김 (twigim) and 떡볶이 (tteokbokki) are prepared. Two large drum barrels are then set in front of the shop, each with its own large pot of steaming broth and odeng skewers.
Customers are free to stand around the barrels and eat as much as they desire, as is customary with many outdoor food stalls. Each odeng skewer is is color coded according to price. In this case they range from blue (₩700) and yellow (₩1,500) to green (₩2,000) and red (₩2,500). ₩2,500 for a single fishcake skewer may seem a bit steep, but these are no ordinary skewers.
Two of my favourite skewers are the 치즈소시지 (cheese sausage), which is a cheese stuffed sausage wrapped in fish cake and the 당면 (dangmyeon) which is a thick clump of fishcake stuffed with seasoned glass noodles. They are as massive in size as they are delicious. I really recommend trying them out. Occasionally the owner likes to experiment with new types of skewers, so last time there were 당고 (dango) skewers, which are Japanese rice cake balls. They were super tasty. I’ve never actually had cravings for fish cake until I came across this place.
One of the best parts of this place (aside from the odeng) is the 오뎅국물 (odeng gungmul), which is the broth the fishcakes are cooked in. I think their broth is what truly sets them apart from other odeng stalls. They use entire crabs, fresh peppers, long stalks of green onions, spices and sorcery (probably). The broth is a bit spicy, but oh so good. There are paper cups and ladles, so you can pour yourself as much as you want at no additional charge.
As if that weren’t enough, they also have fantastic tteokbokki. Personally I like their specialty tteokboki best. This comes piled with gooey cheese, garnished with dried basil and topped with potato wedges… POTATO WEDGES! A cup of this carb infused snack will only set you back ₩3,000, while a larger serving will run you ₩5,000. If you love tteokbokki, you have to try this one.
I haven’t gotten around to trying their twigim (fried foods) because I always fill up on tteokboki and odeng, but I’m sure I’ll get around to it. So wether you’re an expat living in Korea or just vacationing, if you like street food, you’ve got to try this place out. It’s quick, simple and delicious.
- Hours
- 2:00pm~1:00am Monday~Friday
- 12:00pm~1:00am Saturday & Sunday
- CLOSED on the 2nd and 4th Monday of the month
- Address
- 서울특별시 마포구 서교동 333-1
- 333-1 Seogyo-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul
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