We took a Secret Food Tour for us on our third day in Seoul. The tour is supposed to be a group tour but luckily for us, no one else joined us so it turned out to be like a private tour. This 3-hour tour involved a lot of eating and some walking as well. Our first stop was Gwangjang market, which we also visited on the evening of our arrival. We got to try some of the same food, plus a few more. There are a lot of food stalls here but arguably the most popular is the Gohyang Kalguksu Stall which was featured on Netflix's Street Food (episode 6).
Owned and operated by Yoonsun Cho, this place is known for its delicious hand-cut noodles. Our tour included the drinks upgrade so our noodles came with a small bottle of Soju (this may have been the first time, or if not then definitely the first time in a long while, that I had alcohol at around 10am LOL) . Of course, you can't have Korean food without a side of kimchi. I'm a huge fan of hand-cut and hand-pulled noodles so I really loved this dish. The broth was really flavorful too, making it a perfect dish to have on a cold winter's morning.
After that, we headed to a nearby stall to have some bibimbap. (Cool thing about Gwangjang market: the seats are heated so even in winter, it feels quite comfortable to sit down.) Bibimbap is like fried rice with an assortment of vegetables and sometimes meat. I believe the bibimbap we had was a vegetarian one. We were also served some delicious mung bean soup.
We then headed over to another spot to enjoy some mung bean pancakes. I believe these are locally called Nokdujeon or Nokdu Bindaetteok. These were served with some onions in soy sauce (or something that is like soy sauce) and our guide Joseph told us we can dip the pancake into the sauce. This was a good idea because it helps cut the oiliness and balance out the richness of pancake.
Our drinks upgrade meant that we also got a bottle of makgeolli, which is like a sparkling rice wine. I actually really liked this, it was like a light, alcoholic soda.
By this time, I was getting really stuffed but we had one more stop in Gwangjang market to enjoy more carbs LOL. We got a plateful of what I believe was kimbap or gimbap, which is like Korean sushi.
These were served with rice cakes which I love.
Thankfully, we took a break from eating to go on a bit of a long walk. As we walked through the streets of Seoul, Joseph shared some interesting facts about the city. He also took us to Sewoon Rooftop to take in some panoramic views of Seoul.
After maybe an hour of walking around, we finally stopped at a dumpling restaurant to have some Korean dumplings. I forgot to take note of the name of this place or what the these dumplings are called. They are the sweet side but still pretty good.
There was a bit more walking after this before we made our way to Shin Old Tea House in Insa-dong for some tea and snacks. This was the last stop of our Seoul Secret Food Tour. Joseph explained all the tea options to us and highlighted one of them, saying it was something that was not very common so we all ordered that. Unfortunately, I can't remember what it was but it was fruity and delicious. We also got two types of sweets. I don't know what they are called but both of them were good.
Of course, the Secret Food Tour wasn't the only opportunity we had to enjoy local cuisine. On our first night, we walked over to a nearby restaurant to enjoy some delicious Korean barbecue. It was pretty cool that one of the wait staff here helped us cook the food in front of us. We got three types of meat but my absolute favorite was the beef.
We had more Korean barbecue for lunch on one of our tours but this one was not very traditional. Instead of beef or pork, we were served duck.
During another tour, we also got to enjoy some Dak Galbi, which is spicy chicken with vegetables.
Chicken and Beer is also quite popular in Seoul so we got to try it a couple of times. On our second night, we had dinner in Kkanbu Chicken. I ordered Cass beer to go along with it.
On our third night, after the U2 concert, we had more chicken and beer in a restaurant near Gocheok Skydome. We actually got in the restaurant when it was empty but right after we ordered, a horde of people who I presume all also came from the concert went in so in a matter of minutes, the restaurant went from almost empty to full.
While this last item isn't Korean food, it is something we got to try in Myeongdong night market and I feel it is worth sharing. If you love takoyaki, try to look for The King of King Tacoyaki, which serves the biggest takoyaki I have ever seen and eaten.
It is also packed with a variety of ingredients. It isn't cheap but it is really good and perfect for takoyaki fans.
Next post: DMY Spy Tour
Gohyang Kalguksu Stall, owned and operated by Yoonsun Cho
Owned and operated by Yoonsun Cho, this place is known for its delicious hand-cut noodles. Our tour included the drinks upgrade so our noodles came with a small bottle of Soju (this may have been the first time, or if not then definitely the first time in a long while, that I had alcohol at around 10am LOL) . Of course, you can't have Korean food without a side of kimchi. I'm a huge fan of hand-cut and hand-pulled noodles so I really loved this dish. The broth was really flavorful too, making it a perfect dish to have on a cold winter's morning.
hand-cut noodles from Gohyang Kalguksu Stall
After that, we headed to a nearby stall to have some bibimbap. (Cool thing about Gwangjang market: the seats are heated so even in winter, it feels quite comfortable to sit down.) Bibimbap is like fried rice with an assortment of vegetables and sometimes meat. I believe the bibimbap we had was a vegetarian one. We were also served some delicious mung bean soup.
bibimbap and mung bean soup
We then headed over to another spot to enjoy some mung bean pancakes. I believe these are locally called Nokdujeon or Nokdu Bindaetteok. These were served with some onions in soy sauce (or something that is like soy sauce) and our guide Joseph told us we can dip the pancake into the sauce. This was a good idea because it helps cut the oiliness and balance out the richness of pancake.
mung bean pancake
Our drinks upgrade meant that we also got a bottle of makgeolli, which is like a sparkling rice wine. I actually really liked this, it was like a light, alcoholic soda.
Makgeolli
By this time, I was getting really stuffed but we had one more stop in Gwangjang market to enjoy more carbs LOL. We got a plateful of what I believe was kimbap or gimbap, which is like Korean sushi.
kimbap or gimbap
These were served with rice cakes which I love.
rice cakes
Thankfully, we took a break from eating to go on a bit of a long walk. As we walked through the streets of Seoul, Joseph shared some interesting facts about the city. He also took us to Sewoon Rooftop to take in some panoramic views of Seoul.
After maybe an hour of walking around, we finally stopped at a dumpling restaurant to have some Korean dumplings. I forgot to take note of the name of this place or what the these dumplings are called. They are the sweet side but still pretty good.
Korean dumplings
There was a bit more walking after this before we made our way to Shin Old Tea House in Insa-dong for some tea and snacks. This was the last stop of our Seoul Secret Food Tour. Joseph explained all the tea options to us and highlighted one of them, saying it was something that was not very common so we all ordered that. Unfortunately, I can't remember what it was but it was fruity and delicious. We also got two types of sweets. I don't know what they are called but both of them were good.
Tea and snacks at Shin Old Tea-House in Insa-dong
Of course, the Secret Food Tour wasn't the only opportunity we had to enjoy local cuisine. On our first night, we walked over to a nearby restaurant to enjoy some delicious Korean barbecue. It was pretty cool that one of the wait staff here helped us cook the food in front of us. We got three types of meat but my absolute favorite was the beef.
Korean beef barbecue
We had more Korean barbecue for lunch on one of our tours but this one was not very traditional. Instead of beef or pork, we were served duck.
Korean duck barbecue
During another tour, we also got to enjoy some Dak Galbi, which is spicy chicken with vegetables.
Dak Galbi
Chicken and Beer is also quite popular in Seoul so we got to try it a couple of times. On our second night, we had dinner in Kkanbu Chicken. I ordered Cass beer to go along with it.
Chicken and Beer from Kannbu
On our third night, after the U2 concert, we had more chicken and beer in a restaurant near Gocheok Skydome. We actually got in the restaurant when it was empty but right after we ordered, a horde of people who I presume all also came from the concert went in so in a matter of minutes, the restaurant went from almost empty to full.
more chicken and beer
While this last item isn't Korean food, it is something we got to try in Myeongdong night market and I feel it is worth sharing. If you love takoyaki, try to look for The King of King Tacoyaki, which serves the biggest takoyaki I have ever seen and eaten.
The King of King Tacoyaki in Myeongdong
It is also packed with a variety of ingredients. It isn't cheap but it is really good and perfect for takoyaki fans.
Next post: DMY Spy Tour
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