Korea Trip

Korea’s is absolutely beautiful with stunning fall colors, but I simply miss Korea’s spring landscapes and seasonal foods. I eventually broke down. How could I resist another trip to Korea and opportunity to travel with my friends! I’ll share our travel experiences over a few posts. The focus will be on the foods we had.

When we arrived, we go to one of the  Famous restaurants for our first meal in Korea. The restaurant (Gulgukbap Jeonmunjip Gulsesang, 굴국밥 전문집 굴세상), specializing in steak dishes, was about a 30 minute drive from the airport. We ordered steak bibimbap for me, steak soup with maesaengi (매생이, super fine seaweed), and a big plate of crispy guljeon (굴전, pan-fried battered oysters) as an appetizer to share. Incredibly fresh oysters were delightfully incorporated into the classic dishes, offering a burst of ocean flavor in every bite. It was a meal that clearly reminded us we were in for a culinary treat in Korea!

In Seoul, we stayed in the center of the city near Kwanghwamun (광화문). Our hotel was tucked into a quiet area not too far from the main streets. It was within walking distance, or a short taxi ride away to many attractions, cool neighborhoods, traditional markets, restaurants, etc.

As we were turning into the small street where the hotel was located, I was struck with a strange feeling of familiarity in the area where I couldn’t recognize anything. I quickly learned that it was the area where my middle school used to be, which I had not visited for over 40 years. The City relocated the school to Gangnam (강남) and tore down the buildings. 

The next morning, we ate at one of the haejangguk places (Cheongjin Dong Jangteo Soondaeguk, 청진동 장터 순대국). We ordered soondaeguk (순대국, blood sausage soup) and bbyeo haejangguk (뼈해장국, hangover soup with beef bones). The soups were so good – deep and complex! It’ll be a must go stop when I visit Seoul.  

We also enjoyed wandering around Samcheongdong (삼청동), a hip neighborhood with boutiques, cafes, restaurants, galleries, etc. After stopping at a few stores, we had lunch at Samcheongdong Sujebi (삼청동 수제비). We were there a little early for lunch but there was already a long line outside. The place is very popular to Koreans for their sujebi (traditional soup with thin, hand torn flour dumplings) and potato pancake (감자전, gamjajeon). A friend brought me here last time I was in Seoul, and I really enjoyed these dishes. So, we ordered them again this time. Delicious comfort foods!   

Bukmakgol (북막골) is another popular place in Samcheongdong, where we indulged in braised beef ribs (galbijjim, 갈비찜) and yukhoe (raw beef) bibimbap. Braised in a sweet and savory garlic sauce, these huge ribs were fall-off-the bone tender and loaded with bold flavors. They were served on top of steamed colorful vegetables, which was a nice twist on this classic dish. The bibimbap was a refreshing accompaniment.

For us, it was a nice, convenient location to hang out and meet up with friends and my cousin for dinner and drinks.  We enjoyed bossam (보쌈) and kimchi jjim (김치찜) at Insadong Maneul Bossam (인사동 마늘보쌈) with lots of good makgeolli (막걸리, Korean milky rice wine) and another night of delicious dinner at Yangbandaek (양반댁), which included gulbi (굴비, dried salted yellow croaker), ganjang gejang (간장 게장, soy marinated raw crabs), and many other dishes. For some sweets after dinner, green tea ice cream at Osulloc (오설록) is lovely!