Hello, this is CACAO1st, here to give you a taste of something sweet and bittersweet.
What kind of restaurant could make someone as lazy and sensitive as me sit down and write a blog post?
This was the first time I ordered food through Baedal Minjok and ended up writing about it on my blog.
When I checked the restaurant information, the address was listed as 1F, 24 Eulji-ro 12-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul.
Euljiro?
It is very close to me, and I often pass through that area.
So why had I never noticed it before?
When I looked at the map, it was not on a main road.
It was located inside a small alley.
Maybe that is why I had always passed by without noticing it.
The restaurant was “Uchon,” a charcoal-grilled food restaurant.
It was also introduced on 2TV Saengsaeng Jeongbo, Episode 460, for its Dolsotbap Seolleongtang.
I have always loved Chungmuro, but I only found out about this place now.
I walk around that area all the time, so maybe my sense of discovery has become a little dull.
<Click the image above to open this place on Naver Map>
🥢 Taste and Character Are Not the Same
No matter how good food tastes, the character of the food changes depending on the character and dignity of the restaurant owner.
Taste and character are not the same.
If the character of the food feels wrong, even delicious food does not feel good for the body.
Food is not something we eat only with the tongue.
The attitude, sincerity, and the way a restaurant treats its customers are also delivered through the food.
The character and dignity of the owner can greatly affect how the food is prepared,
and how carefully hygiene is maintained.
But Uchon was different.
The food was neat and well-prepared.
And this was delivered food.
The taste and portion were good, of course.
But more than anything, I could see sincerity.
It felt like food that could make me healthier just by eating it.
As I became a regular customer, I already knew these strengths.
But I did not write a review because I thought it might change one day.
I just ate with gratitude.
But it stayed consistent.
When food is delivered with this much sincerity, not writing anything began to feel almost like betrayal.
Of course, I paid for the food with my own money, so what I do is my choice.
But this did not feel like a simple transaction.
It felt like an exchange of warmth.
When there is sincerity, responding with sincerity feels natural.
🍚 Sincerity Is Not Written on the Price Tag
The price of food is usually decided by taste and portion.
But sincerity is not included on the price tag.
Sincerity is a choice made by the restaurant.
It takes extra effort, extra time, and sometimes unnecessary cost.
In this world, who would choose to put sincerity into food?
Just sell more and that is enough.
Just make people full and that is enough.
Is that not the world we live in now?
A famous YouTuber eats a huge pot of food in a stimulating mukbang video,
and food becomes something judged only by portion, stimulation, and spectacle.
In a world like that, the fact that one meal from Uchon made me think this deeply means it may truly be a good restaurant.
💪 A Meal That Gives Strength
Instead of calling it “Kongnamul Gukbap + Jeyuk,”
I almost feel it should be called “Cheer Up, Kongnamul Gukbap + Jeyuk.”
Personally, I liked mixing the soft-fried egg with one sheet of gim, about three spoonfuls of Kongnamul Gukbap broth, and a little bit of the bean sprouts from the soup.
It may sound simple, but the warmth of the broth, the savory flavor of gim, the crunch of the bean sprouts, and the soft yolk of the fried egg made the meal feel even more complete.
Because when I eat it, I feel stronger.
Food that moves the heart is not just food with a large portion.
It needs both taste and sincerity.
It reminded me of the feeling I had when mothers in the old days prepared a meal at home.
The food was so good that you almost wanted to shake your body and dance.
Some people might say I am exaggerating.
But even if I did not actually dance like back then, what can I do if that memory came back?
Food sometimes brings back memories.
And good food makes a person stop for a moment.
That was what this meal did.
📝 What I Notice Before Reviews
Even when a place has many reviews, restaurants that truly contain both taste and sincerity are rare.
There were many times when a restaurant had many reviews,
but the meal that arrived in front of me felt like a two-star meal.
It was all more or less the same.
That is why I rarely write reviews.
I also think every restaurant has its own situation.
So I do not want to leave a two-star review and make things harder for small business owners.
I am lazy too, but more than that, there are not many places that make me want to move my fingers and write something.
People these days are also too tired to write delivery reviews.
“Just being full is enough.”
That is why I still order from restaurants with only 30 or 40 reviews.
Sometimes I even order from places with single-digit reviews.
If the taste and portion are at least decent, the first thing I look for is sincerity.
Strangely, you can feel it in food.
You can feel whether it was made roughly,
or whether it was made while thinking about the person who would eat it.
🔍 I Do Not Easily Trust Common Reviews
I do not easily trust reviews.
Search for food review posts on Naver and you will understand.
So many posts are filled with similar sentences, similar photos, and similar praise.
It becomes hard to tell what is real and what is fake.
In the end, you only know after you try it yourself.
That is why I avoid the usual Naver-style blog writing.
I avoid it completely.
If a blog only talks about taste in the usual way, I move on.
A chef can change,
a restaurant’s situation can change,
and the portion and taste can change.
Some restaurant owners may even lose their original sincerity after making money.
There is no such thing as an eternal perfect review.
There are too many places that play games with food.
A world where people receive something in return and talk about taste.
A world that believes in the imaginary medal called a power blogger.
A world where food reviews are used like power.
A world where one mistake can turn into a witch hunt.
When did food become this complicated?
“Auntie, one more bowl of rice, please.”
“This is so good.”
“Really? Come again next time. I will make it delicious for you.”
It is hard to express fully in words,
but the world where this kind of warmth was exchanged feels like it has been gone for quite a while.
Customers trying not to lose anything after paying their own money.
Restaurant owners trying to make as much as they can.
And between them, blogs entering like hunters.
Everyone tries to become the one with power.
Because of this, finding a truly good restaurant has become more and more difficult.
🌿 A Place I Hope Will Last Long
In a world like this, Uchon stayed in my heart.
I hope this restaurant lasts for a long time.
I hope word spreads widely, sales increase, and the owner makes a lot of money.
Only then can the owner continue giving back to customers through food.
Even now, the food is still prepared with sincerity.
But the owner also needs to make money for that sincerity to continue.
Owner, I hope you become rich.
I truly enjoyed the meal. Thank you.
❤️ The First Record of Love This Place
This post is not just a record of one meal.
It is the first record that made me overcome my laziness and write,
even though I dislike common reviews,
and even though I am careful about anything that feels like advertising.
There may be many good places.
There may be many famous places.
There may be many places with many reviews.
But places that truly move the heart are rare.
That is why I leave this as the first post of Love This Place (Yeogibanhada).
Love This Place is not a space for introducing many places.
It is a space for recording only the places that truly move the heart.