Dining Addiction was started in 2013 by me, Dustin Cole, a portrait and wedding photographer by trade. Initially started in Seoul, South Korea, the blog has since transfered back to my hometown of San Diego. This blog is meant to document my favorite locations, and share the love. There are too many good restaurants around to waste time at the bad ones.

All photos are NOT copyrighted. Feel free to use them as you like. If possible, please give credit and a link back to this website. Thank you!

February 11, 2013

Koo-Ee-Do-La-Ku 쿠이도라쿠 The Best Japanese Ramen in Seoul

The name in Korean is 쿠이도라쿠. Yeah, I have no idea what that name means either. Actually until today I’ve just referred to this place as the awesome ramen spot next to my house. As my favorite ramen place is halfway around the world I’ve been deprived of great ramen for a long time. Thank God I moved in next to the best damn Ramen in Seoul. And this place is legit. The guys barely even speak Korean. In America its kind of taken for granted that a foreign restaurant is going to run by a person of that nationality. Not so in Korea. Which is why I appreciate that the young men running this place are so Japanese they barely speak Korean. English is definitely out of the picture. Luckily for those of who you are lingually impaired they have a small menu and big pictures.

Before I go any further… please don’t confuse instant style Korean ramen (라면) with Japanese ramen (라멘). There’s a big difference. According to wikipedia, Ramen (ラーメン rāmen^?, IPA: [ɽaːmeɴ]) is a Japanese noodle dish. It consists of Chinese-style wheat noodles served in a meat- or fish-based broth, often flavored with soy sauce or miso, and uses toppings such as sliced pork (チャーシュー chāshū^?), dried seaweed (海苔 nori^?), kamaboko,green onions, and occasionally corn. Almost every locality in Japan has its own variation of ramen, from the tonkotsu (pork bone broth) ramen of Kyushu to the miso ramen of Hokkaido.

Moving on… Everything about this place is great. Where should I start?

1. Price – it’s cheap. Only 6-8k won per bowl and they give you 500 won off if you pay by cash. Be ready to pay before eating though as it’s prepay (선불).

2. Free stuff – Soda, yogurt, rice, and condiments are all self serve and are all free. I love that. In these days when I feel like everyone is trying to ~~nickel and dime~~ 100원하고500원 me, it’s nice having a neighborhood joint that just gives these things away.

3. Not pretentious. If you’re familiar with my reviews, you know I like comfortable homey spots. This place is it.

4. The food is AWESOME. The ramen is always fresh and hot and perfectly balanced without being overly salty. I’ve had almost every dish here (not hard, as there are only about 7) and they’re all perfect. The meat also is always ridiculously tender. They boil the pork bones in these giant tubs near the door and the smell wafts outside and begs me in every time I walk by. Also, I want to particularly mention the eggs. The eggs are cooked perfectly. They soft, and the yolk is always almost runny. I have no idea how they do it so consistently every damn time, but it’s always perfect.

Here are some pictures. Enjoy!!

매운돈코추라멘