Seoul Food - Korea
 

When I travel, I'm a big fan of dining local or at least regional. I find it refreshing the differences in cuisine and I run for the hills when I ask the concierge for a local/regional dining experience and they recommend the "local" Applebee's.

I'm heading to Seoul later this year and have compiled some FT quotes about food in Seoul Korea. They are as follows. Not too many actual restaurants mentioned so if anyone has a restaurant suggestion, please post them. Thanks,


Then it was time for dinner at Sadongmyenok, a famous little dumpling shop buried in the alleyways of Insadong, and I walked past it around three times before realizing that the Lonely Planet map was useless. I strained my hangul-recognition skills to the limit, spotted a sign pointing into an alley, and hit the jackpot with a soup of the three of the largest dumplings I've ever seen (these things are almost as big as my fist) and a vast spread of banchan (side dishes) served up for all of W5000 ($5). Lip-smacking good. Then, as my final assault before succumbing to jet lag, I set out to duplicate a gorgeous nighttime photo of Namdaemun Gate in my guidebook; turns out you need to clamber on some office building's door to get it, but with a tripod and some creativity you can still manage a decent shot or two. Good, cheap, local Korean food with an English menu: Sadongmyeonok in Insadong 5-gil

At lunch I opted for bibimbap, a bowl of rice topped with meat and all sorts of veggies, to which a dollop of spicy gochujang paste is added and then mixed up vigorously before eating. Sounds simple but can be excellent, particularly the dolsot variety served in a scalding-hot stone bowl that cooks the edges of the rice to a crisp as you eat.

Korea is one of the few countries where authentic ( mostly Fujian ) Chinese food is widely available outside of the Motherland

if you want a traditional Korean restaurant - albeit expensive, try Yongsusan, in the Chungdam area, tel 546-0647/8

If you are staying at Westin Chosun, there is a Korean restaurant right across the hotel (Lotte Dept. direction). I am not sure the name but I guess is "hansarang" or something like that.

In Gangnam near Shinsa-dong street there is an area of upscale crab restaurants. Not cheap but the taste is delicious and very fresh. Koreans like their crabs marinated in a salty soy based sauce but it's also possible to have them just steamed. One sign of quality is that HK Chinese businessmen who are among the most discriminating diners on Earth are seen in remarkable numbers wolfing down the crabs.

As far as Jumaleok is concerned, these restaurants are all over the city. High-end restaurants, those with linen tablecloths, will charge an arm and a leg for "kal-bi" (beef shortribs). I find "taeji-kogi" (pork) cheaper and more tender, but that's my personal taste. "Soju" is to Korea what Sake is to Japan. Koreans make excellent beers in my view ("Mekju") - main ones are Hite, Cass, and OB.

Forget the department stores, which are no different from other Asian department stores (although Lotte's basement food court is worth a visit),

Best Indian in Seoul
Initially, a bunch of us from Australia, Singapore and India felt that the Ashoka in Itaewon is the best, but later discovered the Ganga -- absolutely the best in the world as far as our experiences went.

One culinary thing that stuck out in my mind was eating at a couple of restaurants that specialized in Hwe (the Korean version of sashimi).

1. Try food courts at departments stores. No chains! All unique.

2. Try street carts to get the true local flavors and culture. Quality of food may vary but Soju is always consistent.

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future posts

Concerning Korean sashimi in Seoul, one could do worse than head for the giant Noryangin fish market. Basically you choose your fish and seafood at the market booths and then have one of the upstairs restaurants (24h) "cook" it.

Sorry, no restaurants, but here are the foods I usually eat. (Please excuse the spelling):

Those dumplings are called man-doo. They are usually served steamed or in a broth - both delicious if made right (and they usually are.) Two types (that I know of): goo-gi man-doo, which is made primarily from minced pork with green onion, maybe a little kimchi in it; and kimchi man-doo, made primarily of kimchi and can be spicy. They are served with soy sauce and vinegar for dipping.

Bulgogi - very thin slices of beef served in a broth. The beef is marinated in a very slightly sweet/sour sauce.

Galbi (or kalbi) stew - beef served in a stew.

Mul nang myung - cold noodle soup. Buckwheat noodles served in a broth so cold it's usually slushy along with sliced veggies, a small piece of beef, half a boiled egg and a few shreds of Asian pear for a little bit of sweet crunchiness.

I don't like hot spicy stuff, so my Korean colleagues know to have the restaurant folks tone it down a lot for me. But I once had a spicy pork stew that I have to admit was delicious. But the hot spices became too much that, at the end of the meal, when they serve the rice, you are supposed to put it into the stew bowl and scrape up the remaining stew bits, but my mouth was in such pain that I couldn't even eat the rice, it hurt so bad. Another (western) colleague refers to the dish as Korean risotto.

In general, Korean restaurants specialize in one type of food product, such as beef or pork dishes, but not both and the menu choices are limited. There are no multi-page menus as in some Chinese restaurants. So decide what type of meal you want and ask the concierge for a recommendation for a good Korean meal of (insert desired type of meal here.) I'm sure he will be more than happy to oblige.

Also, Vietnamese noodle shops are quite popular and very good also.

La Cigale Montmartre (Itaewon) cooks up some very nice Moules Frites (mussels & fries). I'm not a fan of Korean food, but have plenty of Western recommendations; ok to post?

A couple of links to Seoul restaurant reviews in english:

JoongAng Daily: http://joongangdaily.joins.com/artic...at_code=020501

Korea Times: http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news...tegoryCode=146

For a further food rec, I think nothing beats a Seolleong tang (ox bone soup) with scallions, sea salt, kimchi and a bowl of rice for a Korean style breakfast. The local way sometimes used in business relationships to add a bottle or two of soju is not recommendable if anything productive is to be done on the rest of the day.

of course it is as every FT'er has different tastes, just don't post about Outback Steakhouse !!!! :)

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I actually had the great pleasure of sampling both Outback Steakhouse and Tony Roma's a few weeks ago with an US expat who claimed she needed to get this kind of food every now and then; the remarkable thing about Tony Roma's was that they charged some KRW 35,000 for a relatively small portion of baby back ribs.

These places serve meatless all-vegie healthy food but still got the absolutely top notch flavor.

"SanChon" in Insa-dong area.

"JoGum" also in Insa-dong area.

and my all time fav. "Chaegundaam" in Datch-dong area.
(although the web didn't help me much...)
http://www.chaegundaam.com/

This... is a bit hard one...
no web, no English sign or menu, and hardly seen non-Koreans there either.
Even the direction is not very easy. But if you ask any locals, most of them know where.
"Jinjoo Hwegwan(?)" near Seoul City Hall.
I miss this place.

The giant Noryangjin Fish Market is detailed on Fatman Seoul: http://fatman-seoul.blogspot.com/200...sh-market.html

Looks good mosburger, thanks for the suggestion.

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a non-FT person who lives near Seoul sent me these suggestions.

Sawore Boribap
cheap and delicious meals styled after old-fashioned country cooking.
Price range: 5,000 won and up
Location: Apgujeong-dong
Telephone: (02) 540-5292

Bukchon Kalguksu
Tucked near the Blue House sits this homey restaurant that serves hearty dumpling and soup dishes. Steamed dumplings known as wangmandu (“king dumplings”) are popular, as is beoseot jeongol, a mushroom stew.
Price range: 5,000 won and up
Location: Sogyeok-dong
Telephone: (02) 739-6334

Soban
Located in the heart of Apgujeong-dong, this small, clean and cozy restaurant serves home-style set menus, featuring the season’s best, which include grilled fish and bulgogi in earthenware, along with steamed rice and side dishes.
Price range: 10,000 won and up
Location: Apgujeong-dong
Telephone: (02) 546-0806

Nolbu Myungga
An opportunity to revel in a Korean atmosphere while eating a full-course meal on the traditional Korean floor, known as ondol.
New but old-style decor, waiters dressed in hanbok and nightly live Korean music.
Price range: 17,000 won and up
Location: Express Bus Terminal Telephone: (02) 595-0202

Wooreega
Owned by Ahn Jung-hyun and specializing in traditional wedding banquet food, Wooreega is a refined Korean restaurant that serves traditional Korean dishes in a modern and artistic way.
The restaurant includes two private rooms and a bright, sleek interior.
Price range: Lunch sets are 30,000 won and up. Dinner sets are 78,000 won and up.
Location: Cheongdam-dong
Telephone: (02) 3442-2288

descriptions come from this site: http://joongangdaily.joins.com/artic...at_code=020501

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I like those small hole-in-the-wall joints. It took a while to get used to seeing rolls of toilet paper on tables for use as napkins. I also prefer taeji-kogi for the same reasons - cheaper and more tender. I wrap the meat in lettuce and add some kimchee for extra taste. Wash it all down with mekju which is pretty good - I prefer OB myself. The variety of side dishes is limited only by one's imagination I suppose - my favorite are kimchee of course, taegu and kon namool.

I also like to visit the local alley markets - stalls selling roasted pig heads, live fish, pine nuts, chili peppers, and grapes side-by-side with stalls selling pots and pans, dress shirts, hangars, and cheap polyester Han Boks. And to think that just 30 miles north of Seoul, across the border, every day people are starving to death.

As a Korean from Seoul, Here's my recommended restaurant :

Bong-Hee Seolong-Tang , famours for its Selong-Tang (soup bolied with beef, beef-bones etc). Even Kim Young Sam (a former president who screwed the korean economy during Asian Financial Crisis period:( ) went to this place to have this soup. I personally tried and loved it. It should be fine with westerners.

Enpyong-Gu, Sinsa-Dong 35-25 (North-west of Seoul)
If you get off at "Sa-Jeol" station of Subway Line no.7, you are right next to this place. Just ask people around where this place is and they will surely know.

I will further advise on good restaurants in Seoul area.

p.s : By the way, the best western meal I've ever had in Seoul was in US army base :D

BTW, here's the address/directions for Sadongmyenok in Seoul, referred to in the earlier post:

Sadongmyenok (사동면옥), Insadong 5-gil (down the alley). Justly famous for its manduguk, a soup of gargantuan homemade dumplings stuffed with meat and veggies and served with side dishes for W5000. English menu available.

(courtesy of Wikitravel)

Ask for ttoek manduguk, which has my favorite slices of gluten rice cake in it!!! YUM!
For me, Seoul is all about the street food. I can't get enough ttoek poekki while stumbling around Chongo at
4:00am!!! Heavy on the odang!!!:p^

This thread is making me hungry..... and I had dinner an hour ago! :eek: