#1 Best Udon Restaurants in Jeju : 도민 찐맛집 (볶음참깨)

"I'm Chef-Owner Kim Jung-hoon of Jungmun Udon Han Geureut"

When I first tried bukkake udon in Japan, I found it rather salty.
So I adjusted the flavor by adding the soy-based sauce little by little as I mixed the noodles.

After returning to Korea, I realized that the authentic Japanese style might not suit the Korean palate perfectly.
That’s when I decided to significantly revise the recipe and start my own udon restaurant.

Over the past 13 years, I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve changed the recipe.
Even just three weeks ago, I made another adjustment to perfect the current tsuyu (dipping sauce).

Some customers still comment that the flavor is a bit salty.
But I believe lowering the saltiness any further would throw off the overall balance, so I chose not to follow that suggestion.

In the early days, I used a small amount of saba-bushi (dried mackerel flakes) in the broth.
However, due to frequent feedback about a fishy aftertaste, I switched completely to katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes) and worked hard to refine the flavor.

One customer once described the taste of katsuobushi as “like cigarette ashes.”
Taking that seriously, I increased the amount of katsuobushi but drastically reduced the extraction time to create a cleaner, smoother broth.

Looking back, I may have gradually shifted from a Japanese-style udon to one that better suits Korean tastes by listening to my customers.

While I’ve sometimes increased the amount of ingredients to enhance the flavor,
I’ve never once lowered the quality to cut costs.

I believe sincerity always comes through.
And I will continue to do my best, putting my heart into every bowl of udon I serve.

Today was the first time our new employee had lunch at our restaurant.
Interestingly, he went to the same kindergarten, elementary, and middle school as my son.
He mentioned that he first tried our food back in middle school,
and hearing that made me realize how much time has passed—and now, he's working here with us.

We plan to work together for at least a year,
so I'm currently teaching him both front-of-house and kitchen duties.
He’s picking things up quickly, and his hands are pretty fast, so I think we’ll make a good team.

For lunch today, we had spicy braised chicken served with crispy sweet potato fries.

There was one time after opening the restaurant when I was so busy that I used pre-toasted sesame seeds.
But the quality didn’t meet my standards,
so ever since, I’ve been carefully roasting all sesame seeds myself, adjusting the heat with care.

It’s these small acts of sincerity, one by one,
that come together to create the unique flavor of Jungmun Udon Han Geureut.

For the past two days, I haven’t been feeling well,
so my wife and I agreed to keep my blog posts simple during that time.

After work, I listened to a lecture about “emptiness.”
I was surprised to find that the speaker, Namho Cho, shared thoughts that closely aligned with mine.

I listened attentively for two hours,
and came to reaffirm that the word “full” is the driving force that keeps me moving forward.

Though I feel sorry to my wife,
I’ve decided to prioritize my health going forward
and have taken this opportunity to refocus and gather my thoughts again.