HaeJangGuk 해장국 is the traditional hangover cure of Koreans. It is comfort, warmth, 'home' in a bowl. Haejangguk could be found in many Korean restaurants in Sydney; however, the experience at YeoDongSik was a distinctive one.
The restaurant's name express the owner's willingness of curating "a place for gathering and sharing food together". The homely and warm minimalism interior, the hangeul menu in block letters framed on the wall, and staff's soft tone, all reminded me of a conventional Korean family with the father being a man of few words, very polite and unassuming; giving a glimpse into Korean culture (not the K-pop thing). With only around 20 seats, a queue would be expected at the mealtime.
Their menu is concise, only including less than ten kinds of soups and two or three shared plates, which is good - how a specialty shop should be. Although the base recipe is consistent, haejangguk may vary from different household. Popular variations may include seolleongtang, a milky white bone broth soup with tender beef slices, gamjatang, a spicy pork spine soup with potatoes and a robust blend of seasonings, and gomtang, which is the style adopted by YeoDongSik, a clear broth made from beef bones and is often consumed for its comforting and nourishing qualities.
The owner is using the recipe from his mother-in-law - how lovely! - and he has been experimenting and perfecting the recipe. Broth would be boiled for hours and any yellow fat that gathered on the surface would be skimmed for reducing the unpleasant gaminess. The process was labor intensive, but the ensuing broth was nutritious and tasty.
We ordered Yanggomtang (spicy beef intestine soup) and Sundae-gukbap (Korean blood sausage soup with pork belly, pork ear and pork stomach). The soup base may taste 'bland' by many, but they need to know there is an art of eating it with all the sides and condiments provided. A bowl of rice is served on the side, but definitely try it in the style of gukbap, adding the rice into the soup.
Four side dishes, including cabbage kimchi, radish kimchi, Ojingeo-jeot (salted fermented squid), chilli and soybean paste, may not sound a lot compared to many other places, but they are good enough to do the trick.
Friendly staff here will also explain the roles of condiments provided in a seperate tray to each table: saeu-jeot (salted fermented shrimp) for salty-umami depth, perilla seed powder for earthiness and punchy taste, chilli flakes and chilli garlic paste for heat, and roasted salt and pepper. Add just a hint of whatever seasoning strikes your fancy at a time if you are afraid of ruining the beautiful soup. What we are expecting is the moment when the right amounts of everything come together, and finally you know what it exactly means, although you have heard that from thousands of recipes, "season to taste"! - That is the human element in food culture, delivered in a subtle and poetic way. Some soups, for example, Yanggomtang, might be accompanied by a running egg poached directly inside the soup, which gives a further boost to the flavour and texture.
We also ordered the prawn-jeon, a Korean-style crispy pancake with prawns and chives that’s accompanied by an onion pickle soy sauce dip on the side.
The batter was flavourful, and so crispy, yet not greasy. And the slight charred chives give a nice fragrance to the dish. This is one of the best Korean jeon I have ever had. Though given their specialty is hangover soups, I will firstly recommend this Korean prawn and chive pancake to anyone coming here.
Haejangguk, beyond a hangover remedy, is popular as a comforting meal, especially during cold days; more importantly, as a representation of Korean culinary and cultural heritage. And YeoDongSik, is writing beautiful Korean poems over bowls of hot soup - savoured by you.
Details:
여동식 Yeodongsik
Address: Shop 7, 36/44 John St, Lidcombe NSW 2141
Opening hours: Mon-Sat, 12:00–15:00，17:00–21:00
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