Seoul Delicious

As promised in the last post, this post is dedicated to the ever so delish korean food. I must admit that I have never been a fan of korean food. It's ok to have it once in a long while, but it is definitely not on my 'crave-for' list. While we can find rather decent korean restaurants on the shores of Singapore, the quality and taste factor are definitely not 'to-die-for'.

Having said that, this trip to Seoul has allowed me to see and taste korean food with new lenses and fervour. I love our meal times in korea. And no, I am not going to talk about Paris Baguette at all in this post. 

1. Korean BBQ

I would think that there are as many korean bbq restaurants as there are paris baguette cafes in seoul. At the recommendation of my friend, Z, we went to the one at Myeongdong, which was popular with both locals and tourists alike. Between the three of us, we ordered a tenderlion platter, a beef mixed platter and a pork belly platter (at the insistence of Z). Both the hub and I are not pork lovers but we absolutely love the bbq-ed pork belly. When cooked, you can't taste an ounce of fat nor oil in the meat. It was the perfect meal in the freezing weather.

We also ordered a pot of makgeolli to share. After the first glass, the hub actually left the two ladies to finish up the entire pot. Although the alcohol content of the drink was rather low (around 4.5%), I did feel a little tipsy. I couldn't think of a better drink to accompany the meats.

2. Nami Island Sausage

This is a tourist trap, but how can you not fall into it when the aroma wafts to your nose 200 metres away. Although the taste is only so-so, it does help to put some fat and oil in your belly to help fuel more energy to walk in the cold.

Not to mention, makes for a good photo-op too.

3. Beef Bone Soup

Somehow, I always see the koreans eating this dish in the k-dramas. It was purely out of curiosity that I picked this dish for lunch one day. At the first spoonful of soup, I thought it was a little too beefy for my liking but found myself savouring and enjoying it more as the meal progressed. Definitely able to appreciate food featured in the k-dramas more after the meal. 

4. Fried Chicken and Beer/Soju

The hub was uber surprised when I suggested eating fried chicken for dinner one day. As a proponent of healthy and clean eating, I keep away from such unhealthy and greasy food back home. But since we were on holiday, I thought, why not?

Again, Z brought us to this hole-in-the-wall fried chicken place at the Hongdae area. With just enough space for 2 tables, the setting was cosy. And because there were three of us, we ordered a portion of garlic and soy (my favourite), sweet and spicy and bbq sauce at Hong Cup. These boneless chicken pieces come with rice cakes and tater tots. Again, the perfect kind of food to go with beer and soju. In Korea, you never need proper dinner.

5. Korean Street Food

I was craving for a steaming bowl of udon when we came across this small restaurant selling all kinds of street food indoors (good idea in winter) in the Samcheong-dong area. We had rice cakes, 2 skewers of fish cake in flavourful oden broth and some tempura. Sometimes, I think eating street food like this makes it less stressful and more comfortable for me. At least, we don't have to stand in the cold and attempt to communicate with the ajumma at the stall.

6. Noryangjin Fish Market

The quality of seafood here could never match with Japan but the live, wriggly octopus and the abalones were worth forcing ourselves out of the comforts of the bed and blanket in the hotel. Given another chance, I would stick to the wide variety of shellfish available (many of which I have never seen before) and forget about the crab and sashimi. 

7. Rice Cake Stew

I'm sorry, but I absolutely have no idea what this stew is called in korean. All I know is, it is extreeemmmeellly DELICIOUS! It was so good I asked the hub if I could have this again before we head back to Singapore. Again, it has everything I would usually not eat - spam, instant noodles and hotdogs. But it also contained lots of vegetables, which was a good thing for me. I guess what made me like this dish so much was the sweet kimchi sauce and the other ingredients in the pot just made it all the more sweeter. Definitely a comfort food in cold cold Korea.

Even with so much instant noodles in the stew, we asked for a top-up of rice at the end of the meal with the leftover sauce. It came fried with corn kernels and seaweed. I never thought I could stomach so much carbohydrates in a meal. But I tell you, it was worth every calorie I ingested.

8. Mung Bean Pancakes

As we trolled the streets of Insadong, we came across this stall that sells mung bean pancakes. The shape of the pancakes resembles a little like sh*t but it was quite interested to have one in hand as you explore the arty farty stores in the area.

9. Ginseng Chicken

Finally, what's a trip to Korea without ginseng chicken? Needless to say, we went to the highly recommended Tosokchon. I like mine with lots of ginseng wine added to it. I think that gives it more flavour. If you don't fancy queueing in the cold, try having lunch at 3pm instead. Haha.

 I don't know about you. But as I conclude this post, I could feel myself drooling for these korean delicacies all over again.