Away from the spotlight, Korean cuisine is a well-kept secret waiting to be discovered. Rice is the mainstay of Korean food and is usually served with meat, seafood, vegetables, and a variety of side dishes. A visit to Seoul is incomplete without trying the local favorite, Korean barbeque. Have your choice of meat, vegetables, and sauces grilled right in front of you, on grills embedded into the table that you are seated around. If you are on the move and don’t have time for a sit-down meal, food stalls around the city offer some fabulous food at great prices.
Seafood is an integral part of South Korea’s rich culinary scene and there’s no better place to experience this than the Noryangjin fishery market. Located close to Seoul Station, it is Korea’s largest and oldest seafood market and is bustling through the day. To see it at its liveliest best, get there in the wee hours of the morning when fish auctions are held. At other times of day take your pick of fresh seafood and head to a nearby restaurant and have it cooked right there.
Must Eats:
1. Kimbap (Korean Stuffed Rice Roll): This popular snack is basically white rice stuffed with meat and vegetables and rolled on dried seaweed. Where to Eat: Gimgane in Myeongdong
2. Korean Street Food: Go to any popular hangout area in Seoul and you’re bound to find street food vendors lining up. Must try are the Spicy Rice Cakes (Tteokbokki) – a staple to Korean street food scene and is a common menu item in restaurants as well, these are literally just boiled rice cakes served in gochujang chili sauce; and Korean Pancake with Brown Sugar filling (Hotteok) – if you can find this, make sure you get them fresh off the fryer. That first bite into a Hotteok, where the brown sugar filling melts into your mouth is pure bliss. Where to Eat: Myeongdong Main Street, Insadong Main Street, Hongdae.
3. Korean BBQ: The way to eat Korean BBQ is to grill the meat yourself. Once done, you can then cut the meat into little pieces using scissors and put the meat on a piece of lettuce. Add raw garlic, green chili, and a bit of Gochujang (Korean chili paste) and sesame oil, wrap it all in lettuce and then pop the entire thing in your mouth! Where to eat: Mapo Jeong Daepo, Arirang Restaurant near Myeongdong, Wangbijib in Myeongdong.
4. Korean Fried Chicken (Chimaek): The name is ‘Chimaek‘ is a combination of ‘chicken’ and ‘maekju’, which means ‘beer’ in Korean. Korean fried chicken lovers can choose to snack down the famous ‘Fried Chicken Alley’ in Suwon, tasting Sokcho’s dakgangjeong (sweet, marinated chicken) and munching for a few days at the Daegu Chimac Festival in July. But the easiest way to enjoy the delights of Korean fried chicken is by diving face-first into the crispy deliciousness at one of the numerous fried chicken joints in Seoul. Where to eat the best KFC: Gyeyeolsa in Buam-dong
5. Bibimbap – Looking for comfort food? Try this rice bowl with meat and vegetables. Where to eat: Tt’s available in most diners. But best ones – Namsan Mokmyeok Sanbang, Jeonju Yuhalmeoni Bibimbap.
But wait… there’s more! A lot more. From Touring Yeonnam-dong, Seoul’s trendiest neighborhood that will please your hipster heart, to taking the Michelin food trail, which features the best of the best, to satiate the hungry soul. Stay tuned for our next story of ‘Soulfood-Searching in Seoul’ that’ll cover the best of local and international restaurants with suggestions for Vegans and Vegetarians as well!
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