OngGi Mandu — Fresh Dumplings

A mandu shop opened up near my work to add a slight bit more variety to the dearth of places to eat in that neighborhood. It’s a shop the size of a closet called OngGi Mandu 옹기 만두, and it looks like it’s a franchise.

Now, in the past few years, people in Korea have been afraid of eating stuffed dumplings because a few news stories exposed that factories were putting rotten vegetables in them. I seriously doubt this is the case with OngGi. They come out very fresh. They are packed with crispy vegetables, pungent kimchi, and savory meat.

The menu is simple. They only have four things: Kimchi Mandu, Gogi (Meat) Mandu, Wang (King) Mandu, and Jjin Bbang (Steamed Red Bean-stuffed Bread). Everything is 3,000 won. I usually get a pack of ten Kimchi Mandu and a pack of five giant-ass Wang Mandu. They keep my snack fix on for the day.

Again, what makes them different from other mandu places I’ve tried has been the fresh crunchy veggies in there, which do make a difference.