칼국수

had 칼국수 for lunch yesterday at DR, alone.

칼국수(Kalguksu), meaning knife noodles - literally, is handmade, knife-cut noodles, served with broth in a super large bowl.

wanted to have sth 清淡. Hakka Lui Cha was out of the question coz...well...i ate it last friday. then while driving home, i thought of 돌솥 비빔밥 (Bibimbap in stone pot). n it appealed so much i jz couldn't resist =P

as usual, whenever i step into the restaurant, i'd be bombarded with loud greetings from all the staff there. n of course, the owner always wear that kind smile on his face. felt a bit awkward, coz i was the only one walking in, and the only customer at that time. oh...btw, it was alrd 2.45pm.

kinda weird, having everyone in the restaurant to wait for u to order. n i took arnd 10 minutes to decide. coz it was really hard, torn between Bibimbap and Kalguksu. of course Kalguksu won the battle, coz i've never tried that before.

and it was weirder when i had nth to do after ordering my lunch. there wasn't much to look at also, coz i'd alrd looked at the stuff hanging there hundreds of times. so i jz sat there, stare into space, n wander off to my lala-land. i actually wanted to look at the menu again coz i love the pictures =)

then when my noodles came steaming, with all the side dishes [kimchi!!], i looked so happy, like a child, that even the few waiters standing nearby smiled. foolish, ain't i?

it was really really nice. the broth n the noodles. plus the side dishes! ^^

but..i felt real weird coz 1) i'm the only customer there; 2) it was really quiet; 3) they looked bored; 4) it smelled different; and 5) i felt like i was "jodeng", delaying them closing their shop for the afternoon.

coz the few times i've been there, it was usually bustling with people and i loved the chatter all around. makes the place so lively and warm. and the smell of barbequed meat all over the place...syok man. oh...n if u manage to hear the music above all the chatters, u'd be delightfully surprised at what songs they were playing in the background =P

such a contrast from yesterday. n there i thought, "ah..this place is meant for friends and family". but...i'd go there alone again. when need be. jz like yesterday.

though weird, it was a good 1 hour for me. felt recharged when i stepped out of the restaurant. like the food "cleansed away" some of the pressure i feel lately. maybe it was the serenity of the atmosphere. maybe it was the kindness and ease of the owner. maybe it was the memory of times spent there.

anyway...the serving was big. but...of course i ate all of it. a regret i couldn't finish the broth though. too full.

i actually wanted to call for the bill in Korean, coz halfway through my meal, all the staff were off for their rest alrd, on the owner's permission. but i wasn't sure if the words i know is polite n appropriate or not since Koreans are big on formality in speech. so instead i used English.

then i was surprised again, coz the owner brought 2 pieces of watermelon for me. swt...i was full n it was alrd past 3.30, a few hours to dinner. anyway...finished off the watermelons coz it looked delicious =P

n the owner was pleasantly surprised when i thanked him for the meal in Korean. heeheehee =) now that i think of it, i should've added that the Kalguksu was delicious. oh well, i'll remember the next time i'm having Kimbap (rice rolls) ^^