Dining Snippets: South Korea 2016 (Part 1 of 2)
4:00pm/08.22.16: Korean Restaurant nearest to Myeongdong Guesthouse Como
My first taste of Korean food in Korea was in a cozy hole-in-the-wall right beside our guesthouse. It was manned by a lovely and endearing old couple who didn’t know how to speak English; with a menu that was purely in Korean. Motivated by our ravenous appetites (it was a very late lunch after all); we somehow managed to order a bowl of Bibimbap each, and slices of Samgyeopsal for sharing through the use of broken Mandarin and hand gestures.
BIBIMBAP (KRW 6000)
The restaurant’s banchan selection was well-balanced in terms of flavor. We were served with greens, kimchi, crispy anchovy, tofu, pickled onions, and a selection of sauces. The Bibimbap was served in a deconstructed manner. Admittedly, it looked like a sorry lot; but hand me an unlimited supply of gochujang, and I can scrape the bowls clean (which I did).
SAMGYEOPSAL (KRW 12000)
The Samgyeopsal came in thick and fatty pieces; which made the cooking wait time quite unbearable. Though tender and juicy, the meat was unseasoned. This may be the reason why we were served with a variety of sauces to pair the meat with.
Although the meal satiated my hunger, I was disappointed with the quality of food we were served with. Hole in the wall Korean restaurants here in the Philippines can give this restaurant a run for its money at cheaper prices.
9:30pm/08.22.16: Myeongdong Street Food
Every night, countless kiosks set up shop along the alleys of Myeongdong’s bustling shopping center. Each corner brings a new kind of street food, and endless rows of facial care boutiques and fashion accessories shops. One shop that caught our attention would be this Barbecue shop.
Each stick commands a hefty price of KRW 5000; but is filled with perfectly marinated juicy pork pieces, torched for that extra smoky flavor. It’s dipped in a sauce of your choice (regular or spicy) and coated in bonito flakes. Tip: Opt for the regular sauce. The spicy sauce’s way too hot to handle even for a spice-lover like me!
I was ecstatic to see a stall serving Korean Fried Chicken. Admittedly, I’ve grown quite tired of these glazed crunchy chicken pieces since it seems we can’t escape from a Kyochon or Bonchon stall here in Manila as they're just all over the place! However, those cups looked too good to be resisted. I got a container and eagerly took my first bite. However, it left me confused. They looked gorgeous and came beautifully glazed in a sweet and slightly spiced sauce. It was even served with some tteokbokki to serve as a nice contrast in flavor; as well as to help fill one up. The one thing that it lacked was the one element that I thought characterized the essence of ‘Korean Fried Chicken’: the crunch. It wasn’t that the pieces weren’t crunchy enough that bothered me; it was the fact that they were not crunchy at all that left me troubled.
Another Korean street food classic I was excited about would be the Mandu; the Korean version of the Japanese deep fried gyoza. These beautiful golden dumplings were fried on the spot; and definitely packed a lot of flavor. It was quite a struggle to eat them while walking around because I couldn't dip them properly into the tangy dumpling sauce. Added to that, they were really really HOT so shoving the whole piece in my mouth was definitely not one of my smartest moments. Nonetheless, it was one of my best food finds in this trip.
11:00am/08.23.16: Gallery Booxafe, Nami Island
Despite the scorching hot summer of Korea, Nami Island remained to be picturesque. Sure, we weren’t able to witness its majestic and renowned frozen landscape a la Winter Sonata; nor were we able to experience its vibrancy at the height of autumn. However, each scenery was still a beautiful landscape to behold. After covering almost half of the island’s spots, we decided to take a break in its café, Gallery Booxafe.
NAMI ISLAND PINE NUT ICE CREAM (KRW 5000)
I was actually looking for a warm and savory bite; but their house specialty, the Nami Island Pine Nut Ice Cream, easily grabbed my attention. Although ice cream has never been (and never will be) a smart brunch option; I was curious to find out how this quirky flavor tasted like. A cup comes with a generously-packed scoop of rich ice cream. It wasn’t as smooth as I wanted it to be; but it interestingly tasted and felt like cheesecake. It also came with a surprise hazelnut spread filling in the middle which wonderfully pairs well with the subtle tasting ice cream. It took a few bites (and the discovery of the hazelnut filling) before I warmed up to it. Tip: A scoop is highly recommended for sharing!
Apart from ice cream, the cafe also serves up interesting iced coffee creations meant to beat the heat, and a selection of baked pastries to pair one's drinks with.
*A quick conversion guide would be KRW10000=Php450.
My travel companions for this trip: Dani Dingcong, Jabez Orara, Norman Gatdula, Julius Manolong, Marj Villacorte, and Meka Carag (L-R); photo belongs to Dani Dingcong.
