Bonjuk And Bibimbab Cafe

Rice is an art in Korea - it’s not just about how you steam it, but how you manipulate it after it’s cooked. Rolling it into gim, or dried seaweed, is one thing, and pounding it into dduk, or rice cakes, is another. But my favorite way to eat rice is in juk, or porridge. But lest you get away with thinking you can just skip Bonjuk, a famous Seoul juk chain, know this: Koreans can put anything in porridge. Kimchi, oyster mushrooms, tuna, veggies, chicken and ginseng, abalone, black sesame, red bean… nothing is forbidden. And when the rice here is perfectly cooked, but not overcooked, I get the same sensation I get from a perfect risotto, that just right. The spicy octopus dolsot (stone bowl) bibimbap is really nice here too, but honestly, it’s an afterthought to that juk.