thank you for the great suggestions
I try to avoid getting foreigners involved in my "foodie" experiences abroad because they usually suggest stuff that has nothing to do with the host country... nothing against them showing me around, but you know as a first time visitor to Korea I'd really love to try authentic korean food... (my recent experiences in Kuala Lumpur for example saw foreigners living in Malaysia take a french tourist to MOS burger... a damn shame if you ask me.... or my own personal experience in Bangkok with a foreigner, we went to an Irish pub... definitely not my cup of tea)
I seem to have managed to find a local now who is very interested to show off korean culture to me, this is exactly what I was looking for.
cheers!