[Jeonju] - Gain Makgeolli House (가인막걸리)

Do you know that Jeonju Makgeolli (Milky rice wine) is pride for Jeonju? It's equally famous as the Jeonju Bibimbap, Hanjeongsik, and Kongnamul-gukbap. It's one of top three makgeollis. It contains 10 kinds of essential amino acids and high in protein. Therefore, makgeolli is considered as food not liquor.

There are more 100 makgeolli houses that formed Makgeolli streets in Jeonju: Samcheon-dong, Gyeongwon-dong, Seosin-dong and Pyeonghwa-dong.

 We went to Gain as suggested by Tourist Information Centre when we

checked direction for attraction sites and Makgeolli House around

Jeonju Hanok Village.

Waited for about 30 minutes outside as it's full house! 

We didn't expect that it's so crowded on Wednesday night. One group just went in when we reached there, and we're the second in queue. After a while, another group went in and came out. Not sure whether they reserved and will be back later? or they didn't want to wait and go to another place?

 

Ahh~! maybe the poster behind me explained why Gain Makgeolli house so popular!

Gain Makgeolli was selected as traditional liquor makgeolli for 

Jeonbuk Food Culture Festival in 2012.

~Menu and liquor selection lists~

We just ordered rice makgeolli (쌀막걸리 3병) - 20,000 Won and Stir-fried squid (오징어볶음) - 10,000 Won. 

The real atmosphere inside Gain Makgeolli house... 

They're few groups of youngsters of 3-10 persons. We didn't see any foreigners, they're either locals or local tourists from other cities. They're having much fun... chatting and laughing, while enjoying their foods and drinking makgeolli. It's really noisy inside, kinda topsy-turvy from outside. They must have good soundproof, huh?!

 Walls and even ceiling full of various graffiti... 

헐~!!! They must be so desperate and climb up there to write because no space on the walls?!

Ok, we only waited for about 10 minutes, and two waitress brought a big tray and transfer them one by one to our table, and less than 1 minute...

Wait~ Wait a minute!!! Our table almost full with all sort of seafood!

Did they serve the food to wrong table?!

And here came our main dish... Stir-fried squid!

So?! Did I order hanjeongsik? or mini buffet?

We looked left... we looked right to peep other tables to check and confirm. Wow!!! it's unbelievable to see vast array vast array of side dishes also spreading on their tables. They even asked to refill some of them.

I didn't expect they serve 18 types of anju (안주).  I went to makgeolli houses twice in Seoul. On my previous trip, I went to Chez Maak (셰막) Fusion Makgeolli House with my friend, we ordered 2 main dishes and they served soft tofu and macaroni for anju (side dishes consumed with alcohol).

The second time, we went to Traditional Folk Tavern 월매네. We ordered 2 main dishes too... it came with 1 small bowl of crackers for finger food. 

Chez Maak and 월매네 sell per bottle, and here per kettle.

They poured 3 bottles of makgeolli and served it in this bronze kettle and silver bowl.

Drunk just by seeing these side dishes on the table!

Erh let me think?! Should I put a smiley face or shocked question mark face?!

Just for your info, we'd two bowls of sweet red bean soup (단팥죽) on our way here.

I love to go to buffet as there are varieties of foods to eat. But, I won't waste food,  I only take a bit to sample, then will take the portion that I'm sure that my stomach still have place for it.

If I know that there're so many types of anju, we won't go to eat desserts. We didn't feel hungry, I just brought my hubby as he never been to makgeolli house. How to finish all the food?! 

Rice makgeolli + Stir-fried squid = 

Steamed fish (조기찜) + Snails (다슬기) + Prawns (새우) + Shellfish snails (골뱅이) +

 Silk worm pupa (번데기/Beondegi) + Oyster (굴) +  Octopus + Fermented skate (홍어/Hongeo) +

Hangover Soup (해장국/Haejangguk) + Thinly sliced pork(돼지머리편육/Pyeonyuk ) +

Stir-fried squid (오징어볶음) + Cucumber kimchi (오이소박이 김치) + Marinated

baby crabs (게무침) + Broccoli + Salad + 1 kettle of makgeolli + Orange +

Spring onion Pancake (파전) + Fresh vegetables

Warning!!! there were few Exotic dishes (beondegi, snails, hongeo). According to my hubby, silkworm tasted like braised peanut, silkworm texture just like inari. He said as long as you didn't know or didn't see that it's actually silkworm... it tastes nice. He tasted once at Soraepogu Market in Incheon, so this was his second time eating them. Did I eat? No, thanks I won't... unless I'm drunk and can't recognise them hahaha~!

I don't really like to eat seafood, because they're just too troublesome to deshell, and I'm allergic to crab, not fancy of oyster or shells. I love sashimi most... no need to deshell or debone, just put it in your mouth and munch it. 

It's a horror and traumatic moment to my mouth when a piece of Hongeo landed in my mouth. I looked like normal sashimi. That's real shocking experience to mouth, my tongue and my nose! What's that stinky ammonia smell like public toilet in my mouth?!! Even after i took it out, that smell still unbearable, that I had to drink makgeolli and haejangguk (remedies for hangover) to cleanse and purify contaminated area! I swear that I'll be very careful and never ever put this smelliest sashimi (fish) in my mouth again!!! 

I recommend this place if you want to experience the Jeonju style makgeolli and get drunk the local way. Better if you can go with a group of friends, the more the merrier! Then get drunk in 4 different ways with Jeonju Makgeolli:

1. Drunk on the ambiance and excitement of makgeolli.

2. Drunk from the generous side dishes.

3. Drunk from the extraordinary taste

4. Drunk with its low price.

That's exactly how we got drunk in Gain Makgeolli House. Nostalgic atmosphere that brought me back to my childhood days to see so many dishes and the staking plates...

Padang cuisine restaurants in Indonesia also served various dishes, 

you can eat and refill whatever you like. Just that, after you finished the meal, 

they'll come to check and you pay whatever you ate (not free of charge) :P

Did our best to clear the food, but still unable to finish them and wasted half kettle of makgeolli. My hubby suddenly stopped me to drink and told me that we need to leave the soonest possible. The reason was he felt that his vision was a bit blurry, slower in thinking and a bit difficult to talk. Aigoo... Aigoo~!!! 

Sadly, we'd to end our makgeolli session. My hubby afraid that I've no strength to carry him if he got really drunk. Not easy to find taxi, and he knew that I didn't know the direction to go back to hotel. 

Ok, no worry... we'll be back again next time after I train him how to gulp Makgeolli like drinking water, since  I still have few bottles of makgeolli and soju to clear at home :P

건배... 건~배! 건~배~~!!!

with my best friends with Soju, Makgeolli, Insamju (인삼주 = ginseng wine), 

and Bokbunjaju (복분자주 = Korean fruit wine made from black raspberries).

가인막걸리 (Gain Makgeolli)

전북 전주시 완산구 풍남동2가 35-1번지

  35-1 Pungnamdong 2(i)-ga

Wansan-gu, Jeonju-si, Jeollabuk-do, Korea