Brompton Noodle Run to Ddukbang Super: A Spring-ish Bike Ride

Cycling · Published 2/15/2024 ·

A sudden heat wave? The weather turned spring-like out of nowhere, so I figured I’d fire up the bike.

Let me cut to the chase: I could’ve started riding a while ago. As long as you’ve got the right jacket, you’re fine…

The destination was Ddukbang Super, about 15 km one way from my starting point in Pung-dong, Ilsandong-gu. It’s a nice, easy distance for a casual ramen run. Yesterday the temperature topped 10 degrees, though it did get a little chilly come evening. I’d been wondering whether they’re open on weekdays too — turns out they are. They welcomed me, saying I must’ve gotten off work early. I rolled in around 6 p.m. It was already getting dark…

Here’s the 2024 price list, take a look~

There’s a little fluctuation here and there, but it’s still cheap. Soju at 3,000 won — honestly, if this place were near my house, I’d be here every single day.

In the same spot for ages…

I don’t know exactly how long they’ve been in business, but the building and the shop itself look at least 30 years old. And in that nice, rustic country way ^^

I’m a true country boy myself, and this is the kind of place where you can catch that nostalgic smell from the old corner shops of my childhood — that mix of makgeolli and dust.

That’s how old it felt.

There’s a dining area up front. Since I was on the Brompton, I just folded it up and tucked it behind my chair while I ate. There’s also a rack outside for road bikes. It’s a great spot to ride out to and soak up that old-time atmosphere. There’s a heater too, so you won’t get cold.

It’s got that cozy back-alley feel, but scenes like this are slowly disappearing. Or maybe the scenery sticks around while the people fade away.

We kicked things off with kimchi-jeon. It was fried up nicely crisp — crunchy, just the right amount of seasoning. I dipped a bite lightly in soy sauce for that sweet-savory touch.

A modest spread, but more than enough.

My iPhone occasionally focuses somewhere other than where I intended ^^; The kimchi is chopped up nicely fine, which gives it a good texture. A bland kimchi-jeon is kind of a letdown, but this one was seasoned just right.

Yes, yes, you’ve gotta have the dubu-kimchi~ I paid an extra 1,000 won for the stir-fried kimchi with tofu version. Very luxurious.

To finish, some noodles. The garnish is humble — that’s all there is — but noodles in a hot anchovy broth with a side of kimchi are filling no matter when you eat them. I had to ride back, so overeating makes things a bit rough, but I couldn’t help myself and overdid it anyway.

A savory, umami-packed janchi-guksu with nothing missing.

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From my starting point it was a 31 km round trip. Feels a touch short, honestly. Next time the weather will be even better, so I think it’d be nice to ride out to Banpo Bridge and grab the noodles on the way back. I tracked the distance with my Garmin Edge running, and had the radar paired up too. I couldn’t be bothered to link the heart-rate sensor to my Garmin Enduro 2, so I skipped that part.

It felt great to work up a little sweat for the first time in a while, with that faint hint of spring in the air. I’ll have to ride diligently this season too.

Thanks for reading.

Bought it with my own money

#DdukbangSuper #BromptonPLine #EmeraldGreen #BromptonRiding #GoyangBromptonRiding #NoodleRiding

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