Hongik Gejang 홍익게장

Korean regulars eat alongside Chinese, Japanese and Southeast Asian tourists in a large dining room on World Cup buk-ro near Hongdae, everyone working the crab shells by hand. Ganjang gejang, raw blue crab cured in sweet soy, has little fishy smell and is not overly salty, while yangnyeom gejang coats the shell in a sweet chili paste with more direct heat. Body meat gets squeezed out over rice, and the legs and claws are picked clean between the shell segments. The small set brings both crabs with steamed egg, a mini kimchi pancake, seaweed soup and rice, and the crab can be topped up. The hot, soft egg and the soup warm the mouth between bites of cold, salty crab. Mixing rice into the top shell with the innards gives the strongest crab flavor. Waits start around lunchtime. There is parking, though arriving by transit means a short walk.