Jinsang Hoetjip Yeoksam BranchSea Cucumber Entrails Poured Over Greens in a 20,000-Won Wada Baekban

Sometimes you suddenly want konowada

Every now and then I suddenly crave konowada. It is the entrails of the sea cucumber, and it is not an easy thing to eat. But this restaurant has the wada baekban. Places that sell it this way are rare, so when the craving comes, it is nice to be able to eat it at a good price.

It is packed at lunchtime

I came at lunchtime and the room was full. Looking around, many people were eating the lunch menu's cod soup (clear, jiri-style) and hoedeopbap.

How the wada baekban arrives

The staff bring the usual side dishes together with a plate of konowada, plus a bibimbap-style bowl so you can toss it with greens.

This is what the table looks like in the photo. A large white bowl sits in the middle, filled with sprouts, shredded cabbage, green leaves and crumbled seaweed. In the centre is a heap of yellow granules sprinkled with sesame seeds. Above it, six small plates stand in two rows: a spinach-and-egg mix, a seaweed salad, seasoned bean sprouts, napa cabbage kimchi, tofu topped with a seasoned sauce, and finely cut green vegetables in a seasoning. On the right are a small bowl of something thick and yellowish and a bowl of clear soup with seaweed-like pieces floating in it. At the lower left lies a stainless-steel lid engraved with the character 福.

How to mix it, and how it tastes

You pour the konowada over the greens in the bibimbap bowl, add soy sauce and wasabi to taste, and mix. It feels as though the sea is right in front of you. It is delicious, the taste of the sea. I even thought I tasted a faint butteriness, and the flavour is wonderful.

It divides opinion

If you dislike a sea smell like that of sea squirt, it may be hard to eat. I like the smell of the sea, so I enjoyed it.

Menu words

• Konowada (このわた) is the sea cucumber's entrails, usually salted and eaten like a preserved delicacy
• Wada baekban is a set meal in which konowada is served alongside the side dishes and mixed with greens; it is this restaurant's menu name
• Baekban means a meal of rice, soup and side dishes laid out together
• Daegu-tang (jiri) is a clear-broth cod soup, and hoedeopbap is a rice bowl topped with raw fish. Many people were eating these two at lunch
• To order, say "Wada baekban juseyo" (와다백반 주세요)

Who it suits

• ✅ You want to try konowada, which is hard to find, at a good price
• ✅ You like a sea smell with a faint buttery richness
• ✅ You want a lunch with many side dishes laid out
• ⚠️ If you dislike a sea smell like that of sea squirt, it may be hard to eat

Before you go

• Nearby — for coffee afterwards, Terarosa Yeoksam Station is in the same Yeoksam area.