Let’s get down to business: eating in Seoul! Asian countries are often the temple of good food: Korea is no exception to the rule! To be honest, I was almost permanently eating there because not only can you find delicious restaurants but even more tempting street food as well! So I will try to list what I was able to taste while walking in the streets of Seoul.
Food stands are very common a bit everywhere there: you can eat a soup or skewered food for little money. The dish that Korean students love is the tteobokki: rice noodles soaked in hot sauce.
Korean are also fond of skewered fish cake (which can be compared – afar – to surimi). I already knew this more or less, it’s pretty good, but I don’t think I will be dreaming about it day and night.
On the other hand, I loved the fried version of tteobokki (of course, the fattier version, right) that I tried in the Bukchon Hanok village: the rice noodles are fried in an oil bath and then coated with hot sauce. It’s crispy and melty at the same time (the perfect combination for me!). This together with Sik Hye (refreshing rice drink), it’s perfect!
The Namdaemun market is full of good food: if you get lost there, no worries, you will not die of hunger (we will even find you with a few kilos too many):
The famous “banh bao” (steamed brioche, sweet or filled with meat, veggies, and which I like so much that they get to be highlighted in my pseudonym): here they’re called wang mandu or 왕만두 (I’m fluent in Korean, I made it!). I took a picture of the front of the stand so you don’t miss it if you’re in the area (since I’m unable to give you the address!).
Here, the brioche are selling like hot cakes (hahaha). One batch after another. Once a platter of brioche is out and made available to the public, in 5 minutes they’re all gone! You can let yourself be tempted by either the salted or sweet version, which is bigger and filled with a kidney bean paste. De.li.cious!
All sorts of doughnuts in Seoul: my guilty pleasure!
Doughnut filled with red bean paste
Rice doughnuts
Hotteok: pancake-doughnuts, sweet or filled with veggies
A weird cake that I also saw in the area of Insadong, Sssamzigil (you can’t miss the stand): I don’t know the Korean name but I would call them “poo cake”… yes, simply because they have the shape of poo! No need to make a face, they only have the shape of it! They are in fact waffle-dough cakes filled with kidney bean paste!
I will need an explanation for this fascination for feces (I had already seen poo soft toys in Thailand!)… In any case, the cake is delicious! Well, as we say, appearances…
Same thing in terms of taste, with this fish cake (Bongeobbang): it’s simply the same as the poo cake but we’ll just say that this one is reserved for the more “poet souls”.
Another version for the romantics (in flower shape)
In this area as well, walnut cakes: these are cakes with the shape of a walnut, filled with kidney bean paste and a walnut kernel!
Otherwise, I think the thing that put me down to my knees and which I would have taken back with me right away, is the egg bread or egg muffin: a muffin, somewhat salted and somewhat sweet, topped with a dripping soft-boiled egg, au gratin style! Absolutely amazing!
I have only listed here what I took pictures of as there are many more extremely delightful things, but I will leave some suspense for you in case you get the chance to visit Seoul!… and for the main course, I will write down all my good addresses to share with you very soon! Happy digestion! (ENGLISH translation by LN)
