Unique Tteokbokki at Ttalkakbari

By Han Sang-hee
Staff Reporter

Korea boasts many colorful snacks, from rice cakes to gimbap to sundae, or Korean blood sausage. Tteokbokki, which is normally served as long and slim rice cakes dipped in a red pepper paste sauce along with various garnishes such as onions and fish paste, is a favorite, and now you can enjoy them at a quiet and modern cafe called Ttalkakbari.

Ttalkakbari is located behind Daehan Cinema, hidden among the tall buildings and streets. It looks nothing like a place that would serve homey food, let alone tteokbokki, as it's decorated like any other chic cafe with wooden tables and chairs, a tree planted in the middle of the restaurant, and books neatly organized on the bookshelves lined up against the wall.

Ddalkakbari offers various choices of coffees, from Columbian and Kenyan to Brazilian beans. Browse the menu and you will also find teas and juices as well, and of course, the ddeokbokki dishes that made this place famous.

There are four choices: The cream sauce, Japanese curry, spicy jjajang ― black soybean sauce, and the basic red tteokbokki.

We ordered the cream sauce, the Japanese curry and the basic red (all 3,500 won).

The red tteokbokki was a pleasant surprise, as it was served covered with mozzarella cheese. The red pepper sauce wasn't too spicy, a little sweet even, and the cheese was a great plus to the red dish. With small pieces of onions and fish paste, the dish was indeed different from the ordinary spicy tteokbokki people tend to enjoy everywhere.

The Japanese curry dish was also delighting, especially the sauce. Distinctive, it was bright red in color but had a hint of curry. Some were skeptical about having a curry ddeokbokki, but the sauce turned out to be wonderful and some even asked if the place sold rice (unfortunately, it doesn't).

The last dish was the cream sauce, which we ordered to balance out the spiciness of the two red dishes. It was like pasta alla carbonara, a spaghetti dish with cream sauce, with small pieces of rice cake dipped into the creamy white sauce. The dish was tasty and soft, and the chewy rice cakes went well with the sauce, complete with bacon and peas.

Overall, the three tteokbokki dishes were delicious. The problem was the amount. Of course, for those who are just looking for simple and light snacks to enjoy with tea and coffee, the amount was just about right, but for our group, looking for a heavier meal, it was a bit disappointing. With only about 7-8 pieces of thin rice cakes, the tteokbokki quickly disappeared, making us wonder if we should have ordered more. Nevertheless, the experimental dishes were unique and tasty, and we decided we would go again for the distinctive snacks later on.

To get to Ttalkakbari, get off at Chungmuro station on subway line 3 or 4 and walk out from exit 1 until you find the SK gas station on your right and turn right. Walk straight until you find the restaurant, located uphill on your left.