Best Korean Food Adventures In South Korea

I need not tell you how delicious Korean food is. I had added it to my palette since I was exposed to it during my Uni time, but I still wouldn’t consider it one of my favourites. That was until I went to South Korea. In South Korea, Korean food tasted so much better! As it should when we eat a globally loved food in its own country.

The Best Korean Food To Eat When You Travel to South Korea

Dakgalbi (stir-fried marinated chicken)

Nothing could have been a better choice on our first night in Seoul than to sit facing a huge cooking pan in front of us, filled with all the meat you ordered and smelling the mouth-watering aroma minutes before eating it.

Dakgaldi is stir-fried, marinated, diced chicken and other meats in a chilli pepper paste-based sauce, with assorted vegetables and rice cake. You are supposed to finish or half-finish it before someone comes and tops a bowl of rice on it and turns it into fried rice. It’s safe to say that we went back that night and agreed that Korean food in Korea is delicious, and we slept with huge smiles on our faces.

Yoogane address: 66-6 Chungmuro 2(i)-ga, Jung-gu, Myeongdeong district, Seoul.

Samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup)

Chicken soup seemed like a perfect choice to have on a snowy day. So we went to Tosokchon, the famous ginseng chicken soup place in Seoul, inside a Hanok. It’s known to be frequented by one of Korea’s former presidents.

It wasn’t even 6 PM, and the place was almost full. I let Vi, who had been here before, order the dishes and eagerly waited for them to come.

The ginseng chicken soup broth was thick and savoury, the chicken meat was so tender, and the glutinous rice stuffed inside the chicken was just damn delicious.

Tosokchon address: 5 Jahamun-ro 5-Gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul.

Okdom Gui (fried salted fish) and Jeonbokjuk (green porridge)

After climbing down from Sunrise Peak, Jeju, we stumbled upon a random restaurant and decided to try it.

We ordered different dishes this time after asking for the owner’s suggestions on what local delicacy to try. She recommended salted fish. The fried fish was nice and salty, the perfect combo to eat with a bowl of rice. Also, knowing that it might have been caught only hours before from the sea that could be seen from outside added to its flavour.

Jeonbokjuk was a bowl of green rice porridge that looked unappetizing, but I’ll be damned if the way a particular dish looks will stop me from trying it, especially in a foreign place. It turned out to be nice, especially the abalone parts.

Jogaetang (clam soup with assorted vegetables)

Jogaetang was a clear seafood soup with noodles, which we had at the Jagalchi fish market in Busan.

The seafood was fresh, and the soup was flavoursome enough. I could have it a little spicier; fortunately, they always have chilli as one of the side dishes. Overall, it’s a heartwarming dish—the perfect Korean food to be eaten during the cold season.

Also, don’t forget to munch on Korean street food and stop at unique Korean coffee shops.

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