More Seoul Food: SQ J to ICN and Dining in Korea

[yflyer]

The next course was sea urchin bibimbap, which was one of the restaurant's most popular dishes...





This was followed by a fish course. Mrs yflyer and I had two different kinds of fish, both beautifully prepared.





Our meat course was roast duck, which was done to perfection...crisp skin and wonderful meat texture...





Our desserts were no less inspired...





A selection of different teas (Freshly brewed coffee was also available.)



And petit fours...



A sumptuous lunch, and a fine dining experience as good as any I have experienced.

If fine dining is your thing, then Jung Sik Dang is well worth a visit!

[yflyer]

About a 15 minute walk from Jung Sik Dang was SSG Food Market, an upmarket supermarket with an impressive selection of local foods and produce.



Whenever I visit another country, I like visiting the supermarkets just to see what the locals are eating, and how the goods on display differ from what we get in Singapore.

The seafood selection was certainly different from what we had back home. Apart from a wide selection of fish and shellfish, here were more sea squirts, and yet another tank full of small, live, octopus.



There was a mouthwatering assortment of Korean beef on display as well, graded according the Korean system of 3,2,1,1+ and 1++ where 3 was the least marbled, and 1++ the most.





There was also dry-aged beef available -- Korean customers must be very discerning when it comes to meat!



Unlike many other countries where spam is considered convenience food, there is a special place in Korean cuisine for spam, and this NY Times article explains why.

[yflyer]

That evening, we headed for a guided food tour of markets and eating spots in Seoul.

This was a conducted tour, led by a young Korean guide named JS, together with 4 other tour participants: A young lady from Hong Kong, who had lived in Scotland for many years, an Australian IT professional heading a large division of a multinational company, a Briton who was here for the Seoul marathon (which he had run earlier that day!), and his friend, an Australian living in London, who worked for British Airways.

A pretty diverse bunch then, and we got on very well on the tour, especially as the evening progressed, with a variety of different food -- and copious amounts of beer, soju and local wine, included as part of our tour itinerary...



The tour began in the back alleys of Seoul, where our first stop was a traditional barbeque restaurant, where we had beef bulgogi...







Each step of the way, JS explained what we were eating, as well as how to eat it...

JS also mixed, and let us sample, increasingly elaborate Korean beverages, invariably involving varous combinations of beer, soju, shot glasses, large glasses, and in this case, a small quantity of coke as well...



Out of our first stop, we strolled through Insadong...



...to our next restaurant, which served Korean rice cakes in spicy and non-spicy broth, together with seafood and dumplings...







...where our introduction to Korean eating...and drinking...culture continued...

[yflyer]

Our next stop was a Korean "tent restaurant"...



The Korean "tent restaurant" we entered was exactly what the description entailed: a makeshift, temporary structure setup to house a kitchen, tables, and food and drink.



The focus for typical patrons here were the drinks, JS explained, with the food playing a secondary role. More of the beer and soju followed, this time encouraged with a couple of Korean drinking games...



Fried egg...



Spicy chicken...



By the time we left the restaurant, I am sure of that several of us were not quite walking in straight lines...

[yflyer]

Our fourth and final stop on the food tour was Gwangjang market, where we had been the day before. In the market, we entered one of many restaurants to eat traditional batter-fried vegetables and meat, washed down with makgeolli...





By then, more than three hours had passed, and we were completely stuffed.

In retrospect, the cuisine on the tour was more on the "safe" side, a beginner's guide to Korean street food if you will, but the wonderful companions on the tour made all the difference. The evening had gone by quickly, with JS as a capable guide, and a bunch of like-minded individuals out to find out a little more about what and how people ate and drank in Korea.



See the tank with live octopus? That was not on the menu that evening...maybe they should introduce an Xtreme version of the tour for die-hard foodies who need the adrenaline rush of putting something completely out of their comfort zone into their mouths...

To be continued!

[eminere™]

My goodness, if you ever leave your day job you should be a travel writer! Another fascinating (and mouthwatering) trip report.

[dfs24]

+1. Great report. Admire your patience to take all those photos. Thanks for taking the effort to write this.

[yflyer]

My goodness, if you ever leave your day job you should be a travel writer! Another fascinating (and mouthwatering) trip report.

Thanks, eminere™!

I have always wondered if any of the joy of travel is diminished if you did it as a job...but I do envy folks who get paid to travel and then write about their experiences!

[yflyer]

+1. Great report. Admire your patience to take all those photos.

Thanks, dfs24! I was on vacation this time, so I had my Olympus EP-2 slung around my neck (in true tourist style) for much of the trip. Took loads of photos...

Thanks for taking the effort to write this.

Thanks for taking the effort to read it all!

[Pinkfloyd]

Cheers yflyer! Another great TR as usual!

[KC*]

Wow, yflyer, that was one SERIOUS eating trip.

My mouth is still watering and my belly calling.

Great TR, as usual!

[yflyer]

Cheers yflyer! Another great TR as usual!

Thanks, Pinkfloyd!

[yflyer]

Wow, yflyer, that was one SERIOUS eating trip.

My mouth is still watering and my belly calling.

Great TR, as usual!

Thanks, KC*!

More to come...

[SQueeze]

Great TR as usual.

You inspire me to go. I have never been before.

[yflyer]

Great TR as usual.

You inspire me to go. I have never been before.

Thanks, SQueeze!

You have been to so many places...Seoul should definitely be on your list!