“After a long time, I visited the grilled cutlassfish alley in Namdaemun Market after work.
It feels like it’s been almost 10 years since I last came here.
I remember that when I first visited the cutlassfish alley, I would just go to any place without caring about whether it was a good restaurant. But this time, I decided to use a search chance.
I believe most people have their own search methods, so I’ll skip that, but I prefer to use Naver Maps to search and carefully check the reviews.
Especially these days, the receipt reviews are very helpful, making it easy to quickly check.
Even though it was past lunchtime, there was still a short line, but the restaurant had an adequate number of seats inside, so I think I waited for about 5-10 minutes.
In Namdaemun Market’s cutlassfish alley, there are several restaurants, but some of them were closed on holidays. The place I chose was Central Cutlassfish Restaurant.
The male owner was kind, and the lady serving on the second floor was also friendly.
They turned the tables quickly and cleaned up the tables promptly after customers left.
In one corner, they grilled fresh fish.
Apart from the cutlassfish stew, I had a hard time choosing between assorted grilled fish and soybean paste stew.
I heard that if you order cutlassfish stew, you also get grilled cutlassfish, so I decided to try assorted grilled fish next time.
There was an aunt working diligently in front of the grill, making steamed egg.
I wondered how she could stand the heat on a hot summer day like this.
It seems there were various reasons for its popularity on Naver search.
It was also featured on the show ‘Is This Your First Time in Korea?’
And it even uses our local rice from the Janggok Port and directly contracts with Janggok agricultural cooperative for rice. Plus, the cutlassfish is domestically sourced.
I heard that there are many Senegal-sourced cutlassfish these days…
Menu:
- Cutlassfish Stew 12,000 (per person)
- Assorted Grilled Fish 12,000
- Grilled Hairtail, Grilled Japanese Spanish Mackerel 10,000
- Soybean Paste Stew 7,000
Additional Steamed Egg for 2,000 (provided once)
I personally recommend trying the soybean paste stew; overall, I think it’s good value.
The cutlassfish stew for two people was substantial.
I remember it had about four sizable cutlassfish pieces.
If you’re with three or four people, the cutlassfish stew for three people, assorted grilled fish, and soybean paste stew could be a good combination.
The basic side dishes included seaweed salad, kimchi, and pickled radishes. The only downside was that the kimchi was a bit too salty.
Apart from that, I was satisfied with their kindness and service.
Unexpectedly, they served fried seaweed (nalkim) as a side dish. I wondered why it was served as a side dish in cutlassfish stew. Maybe it’s a good combination to put cutlassfish meat and rice on top of the fried seaweed?
Oh, the fried seaweed was missing. It was served as a side dish after a long time, and it was perfect when you added soy sauce on top and put rice on it.
Unexpected Grilled Cutlassfish: Even though it was a service side dish, it was surprising that they served grilled cutlassfish along with the cutlassfish stew I ordered. How fortunate!
And in the middle of the bustling Namdaemun Market, this high-end place is truly a gem.
I ordered cutlassfish stew and soybean paste stew, and they already served grilled cutlassfish and steamed egg as service dishes. However, the soybean paste stew had not arrived yet.
Erupting Volcano Steamed Egg: This steamed egg was so soft and fluffy that I wanted to try making it at home. When you order cutlassfish stew, the grilled cutlassfish and this steamed egg come as service dishes.
The soybean paste stew in the stone pot, which I ordered just in case, was something I would have regretted not ordering.
I thought it would be roughly served, but it had a rich taste just like the soybean paste stew at specialized restaurants.
The taste of the soybean paste stew in the Namdaemun Cutlassfish Restaurant will probably become an unforgettable memory for me.
[My Honest Review]
✔️ There may be a wait at the entrance, especially during lunchtime, but the wait time isn’t usually very long, so it’s okay to wait if you can.
✔️ The male owner at the entrance was exceptionally kind and had a great sense of hospitality. We ordered two extra servings of rice, and he kindly removed the charge for one of them. (Please don’t always expect this to happen, though!)
✔️ In Namdaemun Market’s cutlassfish alley, there are nearly 10 restaurants besides Central Cutlassfish Restaurant. (Using the nearby public parking lot is convenient for parking.)
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