I was researching things in Korea, and it seems outdoor wear is on the up around Seoul’s Dongdaemun. Checking around I came across a really good bar district which appeared when I entered a back alley to get to the main street. Young and old surround gather around boiling intensely pots.​ ​
So there’s a group of ‘takkanmari’ restaurants around here.

I’m taken to a table on the third floor and soon a hot pot containing chicken is placed where I’m sitting. No questions asked.
“With tteokbokki?” he asks. Of course.
The "tteokbokki" (rice and fish cakes in a sweet chilli sauce) is eaten separate, but still seems to be stewed with the chicken.

First a toast with Hite beer.
And while waiting for tteokbokki to come I cant bu’t help try the soup.
At this point it tastes delicious. I can’t wait for the rest of it to come.
You can also count on self-servings of kimchi.

Once it’s come to the boil the tteokbokki which seems good.
An akutori (fine mesh skimmer) is essential.
And seasoning the sauce for chicken is done with pepper, mustard and soy sauce from the table. Though I prefer the vinegar.
And when the chicken finally comes we begin.
This is more delicious than I imagined. The chicken is still moist even though it has been well stewed.
The soup will become delicious if stewed well enough.

Potatoes are at their best and absorb all the flavour.

Last dish is udon. Since they’re flattened hirauchi noodles they really absorb the soup.
Well, I’ve eaten ‘Takkanmari’ in Japan but these are so delicious. It seems the restaurant is prestigious though I learned about this later.
For 5 grown-ups as pleased as they could be the bill comes to around ¥7,000. It will never be short of customers.
I want to eat this again just to remember the experience. Is there a delicious shop like this around Okubo?