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Food in Korea
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Most Korean food is quite spicy, or if it is not spicy, it has a seafood or earthy taste. It is not similar to Chinese or Japanese; although both can be readily found here. A lot of chili peppers and garlic are used. If you have tried Korean food, namely kimchi, before and liked it then you will love eating in Korea as that and rice are the staple foods.
If you have tried Kimchi and decided that you'd rather eat your socks, don't despair we are proof that you can survive just fine without a single mouthful of that chillied cabbage with fish by-products mixture.
Having been involved in a 'Kimchi' making session and watching the raw oysters being wrapped up in a cabbage and put in an outside pot to "mature" for six months, we decided against incorporating the stuff into our regular diet! The Korean's however swear by it, and you may well take to it like a fish to water! This is a personal viewpoint and is not in anyway associated with World English Service Ltd, so hopefully no Koreans sue us for these comments. Just thought you should be warned. That first mouthful, proceed with caution - take only a SMALL bite.
So where can you eat out? There are many Western STYLE restaurants, and some good Western restaurants - there is a big difference. Wherever you are placed in Seoul (Seoul links), you should be reasonably close to a subway (Korean tranport) and if you are, then good food is only a train ride away.
Out of Seoul (city/province links) it is a little harder to find western style restaurants, in most of the bigger cities you won't have too many problems, and even in the smaller places you usually stumble across some pretty good Chinese and Italian places (these places are however run by Koreans so don't expect it to be like the Chinese and Italian food you are used to, for example the 'garlic bread' at one Italian restaurant in Jinju was actually more like gingerbread with some garlic sprinkled on top! The rest of the food however was pretty good).
We personally recommend TGIF's anywhere; just don't drink their water (Korean water) - tap water, and Chillis, our personal fave. The Outback specializes in Australian meals, surprise surprise - It is GOOD!! We recommend the cocktails!! So thumbs up for these guys. Don't be fooled by Bennigins, it looks good, but isn't and that's all we have to say (we found this out the hard way), but there are many different branches so some may be better than others.
Itaewon has a number of restaurants ranging from Indian, Thai, Mexican, through to Chinese and Italian. Some are good, others not so good, it is basically a process of trial and error until you sort out what you like. One place that we can recommend for a classy (or romantic!) dinner is "Top Cloud", found on one of the top floors of the Millennium Plaza (the huge building in downtown Seoul with the big hole in the middle of it). This restaurant is really classy with AMAZING views, a visit up there even if only to use the toilets is really worth it! One the other end of the scale there are numerous Pizza Huts, McDonalds, KFCs, Burger Kings, Subways, Popeye's and more, so if you like it, junk food is never far away.
There are numerous Korean restaurants around, some are good, others routinely fail all health inspections and somehow still manage to stay trading! Bibimbop (rice and vegetables with egg) is a fairly safe option and is usually pretty good, as is Mandu (dumplings). Our advice is just to give things a try, some will be terrible, others will be great! Just jump on in and give the Korean food a go!
Street stalls are everywhere in Korea, although most of these stalls offer a similar selection of food, it's definitely worthwhile trying out what they have to offer as these foods are generally cheap and you get decent sized portions. There are some more unusual choices on offer, and sometimes it is better not to know what ingredients are in it until after you have tasted it!! We definitely recommend the chicken kebabs and the dumplings, or the fried egg sandwiches when you get the 'munchies' after a few beers. If you are after something sweat the pancakes filled with black sugar and peanuts are great! We don't however recommend the "butterfly larvae" or the dried squid, mind you the smell of these items will alert you before you inadvertently buy them by mistake!
The street stalls are generally open late, and are found wherever you travel within South Korea. Sometimes they are open even into the early hours of the morning, but generally open late in the day also, which should suit any ex-students making the transition.
All areas generally have a department store containing a supermarket in the basement, where you can get some normal food and some distinctly Korean specialties. Much of the food you won't recognize, and 99% will be labeled in Korean, so working out what is and what isn't salt can be difficult. Sometime trial and error is the only way to get to know your supermarket.
Supermarket shopping is always interesting and taste testing is all part of the fun, only you can't spit out what you just tried, you must swallow (another thing found out the hard way)?it is however a great way to try out new foods for free though! Some recommendations however are the "Denmark" brand of Dairy produce and that you purchase you bread from one of the local Bakeries as opposed to the supermarket. Paris Baguette sells good French sticks, and finding normal tasting bread takes a bit of trial and error but you should be able to find something at the Bakery.
If you really are craving 'normal foods', there are a number of places in Seoul that specialize in foreign foods. The Deli in the Hyatt hotel is good, as is Jels deli in Itaewon, and the Hannam supermarket, which is found in the basement of the Volvo building about a 10 min walk from Hangangin Stn. These places all sell imported wines and spirits and a number of other food items. If you have a chocolate craving and require more than the "M&Ms", "Snickers bars" or "Kit Kats", that can be found at most small stores and supermarkets, Cadbury's chocolate can be found at Jels Deli and the Lolly store at COEX mall.
Boiled Rice (Bap)
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Boiled rice, or rice mixed with barley, corn, or other grains, is a staple of the Korean diet. There are many ways to cook rice and many ingredients, which may be added to it. Besides rice boiled by itself or with other grains, one can find boiled rice cooked with vegetables, eggs, or meat.
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Gruel (Juk)
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Koreans have eaten many types of porridge since ancient times. Rice and other grains are mixed together then into gruel, which can be either a choice delicacy or a special medicinal dish for the sick.
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Soup (Guk,Tang)
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Soup (called guk or tang) is served at every Korean meal. Soups are usually made from meat, vegetables, fish, seaweed, clams, and even the bones and internal organs of cows and pigs.
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These dishes contain less water and more ingredients than soup. Depending on the dish, soy sauce, soybean paste or red pepper paste is added to the stew. Jeon-gol is a dish cooked at the table by placing layers of sliced, seasoned beef at the bottom of a pot.
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Smothered and Soy Sauce-glazed Dishes (Jjim and Jorim)
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Jjim is prepared by putting ingredients and seasonings into an earthenware pot and steaming them at low heat. There are many varieties of jjim. Glazing in soy sauce, or in red pepper paste, is a time-honored technique that preserves food for weeks.
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Broiled and Fried Dishes (Gui and Jeon)
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Gui and Jeon are foods prepared by broiling either on a spit or directly on a grill. Barbecued beef is the most common broiled dish. Jeon is a popular fried dish that is made by covering chopped, stuffed, or whole meat, fish or vegetables with flour, dipping them in beaten egg, and pan-frying them.
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Many people enjoy fish either raw or parboiled. Both dishes go well with drinks. Koreans like to enjoy raw meat and raw fish on special days or for special occasions.
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Salted Fish (Jeotgal)
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Koreans preserve fish, clams, fish eggs, or the internal organs of fish with salt until they are fermented. The results are salty but tasty side dishes and appetizers. They are also good as seasonings for Gimchi and other foods.
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Rice Cakes (Tteok)
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Steaming rice flour in a rice cake steamer is the usual way of making tteok. These traditional cakes are used in ceremonial rites honoring ancestors and are eaten during holidays and festival times.
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Vegetable Dishes (Namul)
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Vegetable dishes are prepared by parboiling or frying and seasoned with various spices. They should be mixed, seasoned, and soaked by hand to improve the taste.
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Most of these light and crispy traditional sweets and cookies are made of rice flour mixed with honey. Like rice cakes, han-gwa was served at ceremonies honoring ancestors and on other special days.
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Drinks and Teas (Hwachae and Cha)
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Hwachae, served as refreshments with dessert, are traditional Korean fruit drinks. A sweet rice drink and a cinnamon fruit punch are common. Green tea, Job's tears tea, citron tea, and ginger tea are all popular beverages in Korea. When drinking tea, people observe a special etiquette called Dado, the "Way of Tea."
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Design & development by Karere. |
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Vegetable stall
Food stall
Korean barbeque resturant
McDonald's Korean style
View from a diner
Donuts and donuts
Street stall
Vegetables
Fish
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