South Castle Korean

I really like Soondae.  No it is not a typo for sundae... For those who don't know, Korean blood sausage or Soondae is made from stuffing pig intestines with blood, meat, vermicelli and various other ingredients (depending on who makes it).  If that doesn't sound appetizing to you, I urge you to give it a try, it tastes a lot better than it sounds.  One of the best places to get it in the GVRD is at South Castle in North Van.  Interestingly, I've passed by South Castle many times but have never spotted it due to the very poor signage in front.

We decided to get the soondae and other internal organs in their Spicy Soup to start.  At first glance, the soup looked to be like any other Korean soup, but hidden within the broth was plenty of soondae, liver and stomach.  The flavours were rich with spice and comforting.  I loved the texture of the soondae as it wasn't heavy despite the ingredients.  Sporting a glutinous chewiness, the intestine was not gamy at all.  Inside, the ingredients were almost airy.  This was very filling and worth every penny.

Not satisfied with the amount of offal we had already, we also got the Grilled Beef "Tripe".  That is what they called it on the menu, but it was obviously not tripe.  Rather, it was the small intestine.  Apparently, this dish could be made with either or both.  This particular one was pretty tasty as it had good caramelization with a nice pepperiness. The onions really added a nice aroma and bite to the dish.  There was plenty of tender intestine that had a slight chew to it.  It wasn't overly fatty nor gamy tasting.  

Although the menu is limited, the Cold Buckwheat Noodles looked good (they have pictures).  So we got that too.  Good decision as the noodles were perfectly textured being chewy and ice cold.  The gochujang-based sauce was flavourful with plenty of spicy accented by tang and sweetness.  The thinly sliced beef was tender while the crunch from the veggies added texture.  This was the perfect meal for a chilly day and definitely comforting.  Best Soondae I've had in the city.  I'll be back.

The Good:

- Beautifully textured Soondae

- Solid eats for what we had

- Nice people

The Bad:

- Limited menu

- Limited space