Little Postcards: Eating My Way Through Korea

I’m not a foodie, and I don’t plan trips around meals or viral foods. Yet the food in Korea was my favorite part of the trip.

I don’t research food, and most of the time I’d be perfectly happy going to the restaurant down the street. But my husband likes to eat at the best restaurants wherever we travel, so I leave the restaurant and food picks to him.

During this trip, we skipped the viral French toast, omurice (the Japanese egg dish), rosé pasta, and other Korean takes on international cuisine. Not because I was disinterested in them, but because there were so many other foods I wanted to try. I also really like Korean food, so I wanted to focus on eating the local cuisine.

This post isn’t meant to be a food review. I’m not a food critic. This is just a food diary so I can remember what I ate and my thoughts on the meals I had.

Seoul

Jayeondo Salt Bread

I was eager to try Korean salt bread because I had heard about it online. Jayeondo Salt Bread came up in my search for the best salt bread in Seoul. There were several locations for the company, and one happened to be near where we were staying in Seongsu.

To be honest, I thought this salt bread was just okay considering the hype around it. It was good because what’s not to like about butter, flour, and salt? But it wasn’t so amazing that I had to eat it again.

I thought it had too much butter. (Can I say that?) Butter came out onto the napkin and my hands with every bite. I had to wash my hands and brush my teeth afterward to get the buttery aftertaste out of my mouth.

I like croissants, which have plenty of butter, but the salt bread isn’t as soft, fluffy, or flaky as a croissant.

I rated this salt bread a 5–6/10. My husband rated it an 8/10. I didn’t try any other salt breads on this trip because I figured that if I didn’t like the most popular or viral salt bread, I probably wouldn’t like the others either.

By the end of my trip, I felt that this matched how I felt about Korean pastries overall. They’re mostly just okay. Maybe I’m spoiled because I eat baked goods from Arsicault, Tartine, b. Patisserie, Backhaus, and similar bakeries at home in the SF Bay Area, but that’s my bar for comparison.

Would I eat there again? No

Apgujeong Sanghoe

We were in the Apgujeong neighborhood to walk around and check out NADUKE Cafe, but wanted to stop somewhere for lunch. I found this place tucked into a dead end street, which was great for people watching while we waited for a table.

Their specialty dish is perilla oil buckwheat noodles. They also have fried chicken that’s supposed to be very good, but we weren’t very hungry, so we only ordered the noodles.

The noodles were delicious! They had just the right amount of chew. The flavors of the ingredients and side dishes complemented each other really well. And it was a cold dish, which was perfect for the hot day. I would have happily eaten a second helping.

Would I eat there again? Yes!

Achasan Grandpa’s Tofu House

This family-run tofu restaurant was recommended to me by a co-worker who had eaten there a few years ago. We stopped in at about 8 AM one morning and were the only ones there.

We ordered two dishes - the firm tofu and the extra-soft tofu. The extra-soft tofu was silky smooth, and I had to eat it with a spoon to scoop it up. I ate each with a sauce, which gave it a nice taste since tofu doesn’t have much flavor on its own.

Several family members came while we were there, and they all ate a morning meal together, chatting and laughing before heading off for the day. That made the whole experience even nicer.

I loved this restaurant and the tofu and would absolutely go back next time I’m in Seoul. I want to try the tofu made from black soybeans.

Would I eat there again? Yes!

Mingles

Mingles is a three-star Michelin restaurant specializing in modern Korean fine dining. The dishes were beautifully prepared, and the flavors were spot-on. My husband had the meal as it was prepared for the day. I had some substitutions and had more seafood as part of my meal.

I enjoyed every dish. The food was fresh, with fruit and fish from Jeju Island. My favorite was the jang trio dessert, made with crème brûlée, pecans, rice puffs, and vanilla ice cream. I liked the texture of the smooth ice cream which contrasted nicely with the crunchiness of the rice puffs.

While the food was expertly made and delicious, the overall dining experience there was relatively ordinary for a high-end restaurant. I would eat there again if my husband wanted to, but I’d also be okay with forgoing a second visit to try somewhere else instead.

Evett

Evett is a two-star Michelin restaurant serving modern food using Korean ingredients. This was such a fun and unique dining experience. I loved it, perhaps because I enjoy a more interactive dinner.

I sat facing the dining room and kitchen, so I got to watch all the movement and the open kitchen. Every dish had a unique presentation, like bread hanging off a tree branch or melon ice cream presented on the melons.

At the end of the dinner, we were invited into the kitchen to cook a marshmallow over the fire. We ate the marshmallow with peanut sauce made from peanuts from Jeju Island. We chatted with the staff member who guided us through the process.

I liked the service. The French sommelier was happy, and talking to him reminded me of something from the past. Over 15 years ago, someone once asked me if I’d ever seen a happy Frenchman. That person was a Frenchman who had moved to Asia and found himself happier, but implied that he was a rarity. And here I met a second happy Frenchman in the sommelier. So they exist!

I especially liked that they noticed I’m left-handed early on in the meal and started setting up my utensils on my left side. I love that kind of attention. I had a sushi chef in Japan notice the same thing and start putting sushi on my left side, angled for my left hand to pick it up. I don’t expect it when I dine, but it’s really nice when it happens.

The last thing I really liked was that the sommelier poured me a bit of a non-alcoholic drink so that I could cheers with my husband, who had ordered wine. He called it a non-lemon lemonade made from a Korean mint leaf or something like that. It was a nice gesture from him and reflected the hospitality of the restaurant.

My favorite dishes were the tilefish, potato bites with caviar, a little fried donut, homegrown rice with fish, and the marshmallow with peanut sauce. The sauces for three of the dishes were interesting - not something I particularly liked or disliked, but something I experienced as new. But I loved the overall experience of dining at Evett.

Would I eat there again? Yes!

Solsot

This was one of my favorite meals of the entire trip. I ordered the hot-pot rice with sea bream, mixed it all together, and was ready to dive in. It was so satisfying, like eating the first bite of your favorite comfort food.

I wanted to eat there again during our stay in Korea, but we didn’t have time. I was basically eating two meals a day, and there were so many other good places to try. I plan to go back next time I’m in Korea.

Would I eat there again? Yes!

NADUKE Haus Dosan

I was initially drawn to this place for its art-inspired creations. I ordered this sweet treat that reminded me of cookies and cream. The flavor was okay, not particularly special. It was nice to look at but ordinary in taste.

I mentioned above that I didn't find Korean pastries to be very good on this trip, and this one was similar.

Would I eat there again? No

Hannam-dong Hanbang Tongdak (Korean chicken restaurant)

We got a whole herbal chicken roasted and stuffed with rice on the last night of our trip. It’s a modern take on traditional herbal chicken. The chicken is on the smaller side - not like a giant Costco chicken. It was small but fine for two people, especially since my husband ordered the gizzards as well.

The chicken skin was crispy, and the meat was very moist and tender. There wasn’t enough sticky rice for my liking, but it was a small bird, so I expected there wouldn’t be much. It was still delicious and something I wouldn’t be able to find at home.

I’m so glad we made it a point to go. It wasn’t far - just one or two stops on the bus straight from Myeongdong to Hannam-dong. We got there early on a weeknight but really didn’t have to, because there was enough space, and it wasn’t even full by the time we left.

Would I eat there again? Yes!

Busan

Korean restaurant at the train station

This was a sleeper find. We stopped at this family-owned restaurant on the lower level of the train station on the way to finding the exit. I saw many Korean people eating there, and I saw that they had lots of vegetables available, so I wanted to try it too.

I got the wild vegetable bibimbap. It came with hot-pot rice and a side of bean sprout soup. I liked the banchan as well. They had what I think were black soybeans. The texture and taste mixed perfectly with the bibimbap. And you could serve yourself these big leaves of greens.

It was great for getting fresh and cooked vegetables into my diet. I liked it so much that I asked my husband if we could eat here again when we were at the train station waiting to go back to Seoul.

Would I eat there again? Yes

Jagalchi Market

We visited the market to see the live seafood sold downstairs and then eat seafood at the food court upstairs. We ended up getting a flatfish that was salted and grilled. It was so good that I ate every last bit of the fish. My husband said I found meat where he thought there was none!

We also tried the abalone porridge. I had seen abalone porridge featured at a restaurant in Seoul on Instagram and really wanted to try it. But you can’t smell through the phone, and editing can make anything look good.

The first thing I noticed about the porridge when it arrived was the smell. Yikes! It smelled musty, like stale laundry. Apparently, it’s actually abalone intestine porridge because the intestines are a delicacy and are added to the porridge. I used soy sauce to mask the smell and taste. It was a good porridge, just not for me.

Would I eat there again? Yes, if I wanted extra-fresh seafood

Hometown Taste Restaurant

My husband found this mom-and-pop Korean restaurant near our hotel in the Seomyeon area of Busan. He knows I like Korean food and wanted something authentic.

It was underground so not especially popular, but there were only older Korean people eating there, no tourists, so I knew it was good. It was one of the best Korean meals I had and so much food!

Would I eat there again? Yes!

Liberta Cafe

We ate at this cafe in the morning before our Sky Capsule ride from Cheongsapo to Mipo. It was around the corner on the waterfront, so we almost didn’t see it because my husband initially didn’t want to walk that way. But once we got there, I could see why it was popular. It was a swanky cafe with beautiful pastries and second and third floors which made for great ocean views while dining.

I got the fig and cheese baguette, which was perfectly sweet and savory. My husband got the salt bread and said it wasn’t as good as the one from Jayeondo. Even the girl sitting next to me said the salt bread was her least favorite of the things they ordered.

He also got a small matcha pastry that I thought was not bad, but not going to wow anyone.

Would I eat there again? Yes, but I’d be selective about what I order

Dongmyeonsik Milmyeon

We stopped here at this beachside restaurant to try milmyeon, which is a cold wheat noodle soup and a specialty of Busan. This dish is traditionally made with buckwheat, but the people of Busan started making it with wheat during the Korean War.

We’d walked the beachfront in hot weather, so the noodles were the perfect meal. The noodles tasted like wheat, as expected. I think I like the dish with buckwheat noodles more, but I’d happily eat these noodles if I were in Busan again.

There wasn’t a lot that I could eat at this restaurant. The noodles came with what I think was beef on top, which I gave to my husband. The dumplings are very popular here. Every table ordered dumplings with their noodles, but those were made with pork. So it’s not a place for vegetarians or vegans, but the noodles by themselves were nice enough.

Would I eat there again? Yes, if I were in the area and wanted cold noodles.

The Things I Loved

Traditional Korean dinners
Solsot sea bream hot-pot rice
Wild vegetable bibimbap
Roasted chicken with sticky rice
Fig and cheese baguette

The Things I’ll Pass On

Abalone porridge with the innards
Extremely spicy sujebi
Salt bread and most Korean pastries

I ate really well in Korea. It was the most memorable part of my trip. And because portions were often large, I often ate only two meals a day. I wish I could grow a second stomach so I could enjoy more of the food next time. I have so many more restaurants and foods to try. I’m looking forward to eating my way through Korea again.