villa de spicy — Restaurant in Seoul

There are two kinds of 떡볶이, in my opinion: the cheap, classic street-style version, and the made-to-order 즉석떡볶이. Today called for something a little more special, so I went for the latter.

It was my first time visiting this spot. The exterior, which looked more like a pasta house than a 떡볶이 place, caught my eye right away. Inside, the vibe was nothing like the typical 떡볶이 joints I’m used to—it felt more modern and curated.

The food was solid, and I really enjoyed the meal. That said, it’s definitely on the pricier side for 즉석떡볶이, especially since there are so many add-ons beyond the base menu, which can quickly add up.

As for service, I’d read a few mixed reviews, and I think the experience can really depend on the staff and timing. Personally, I appreciated being able to place my order with a real person rather than dealing with a cold, impersonal kiosk.

Ice cream is one of the best desserts to balance the spicy kick of 떡볶이, so I recommend grabbing a cup of flavored gelato from the ice cream shop just...

I think I've got the easiest tastebuds... What is it about street food that makes me dance? I loved the food here - we had 즉석떡볶기 with added fishcake, ramen, jjolmyun, sausages, eggs, and seafood, in their normal spicy (we usually like it hot, but decided to tone it down since our stomachs were still upset from some fresh oysters we had). We also had an order of the basic assorted fries. You can't go wrong with 튀김. Anyway, it was good. But it was pricy. I actually prefer the less fancy, straight 떡볶기 + 튀김 you get on the streets, like at namdaemoon....

저는 처음 생겼을 때부터 자주 가는 편이었고 애정도가 있는 동네 즉석떡볶이 맛집이예요. 해외에서 다니러온 친구들도 떡볶이 먹고싶다고 하면 꼭 데리고 가서 튀김이랑 맥주 곁들여서 사주면 학창시절 분식점 감성으로 다들 좋아했습니다.

그런데 갈수록 직원분들 기본이.. 맛도 만족도도 팍팍 깍아서 안타까워요. 오늘도 서빙해주시는 남자직원분은 기본적인 응대 잘해주셨는데, 식사 끝나고 나가는데 계산대에 있던 여성직원분.. 휴대폰 보면서 눈도 한번 안 마주치고 카드결제 안내도 하는둥 마는둥 하더니 주차했냐고 성의없이 입안에서 웅얼거리는 수준으로 내뱉듯 물으심. 직원교육이든...