Posts on Seoul

5 posts were published about Seoul.

Eating live octopus (산낙지) in Korea (video)

산낙지, live Korean octopus Korean food is full of surprises. If you thought you’ve tried it all, think again… Unless you have already tried live octopus (산낙지), a delicious dish seemingly served “alive”. The octopus is actually and fortunately dead, but it seems as though the nerves still want to communicate something to the diner. The video below shows my own experience of eating live octopus in Seoul (safe for work but not for sensible stomachs). Read more...

Food Adventures and Shopping at the COEX

My friend Nayeon took me to the COEX, an immense multipurpose center with convention centers, a shopping mall, a theater, an aquarium, a food court, and many other things. The food court is quite interesting for tourists: while the food served there is far from best, one can choose dishes from the various restaurants in the court; thus, I got the chance to get 떡볶이 (ddeokbokki), 순대 (sundae), 튀김 (twigim), and cheese ramyeon. Read more...

Seoul's Dongdaemun Market

My third day in Seoul started off well by eating 탕수육 (tangsuyuk) and 짜장면 (Jjajangmyeon), two “Chinese-style” dishes that have been in Korean cuisine for so long that they barely taste anything Chinese (probably for the better). 탕수육 (tangsuyuk, left) and 짜장면 (Jjajangmyeon, right) You can reproduce these dishes at home thanks to Maangchi’s cookbook. I then went to UFO-shaped 동대문 디자인 플라자 (Dongdaemun Design Plaza), a “multipurpose space that combines culture, experiences and shopping” (from VisitSeoul. Read more...

Seoul, You Are Too Big!

The next day, I went with a dear friend of mine on a tour to the old Seoul. We started with the exploration of 인사동 (Insadong), a neighborhood full of stores and restaurants conveying a traditional feeling. I had the chance to try a 한복 (hanbok), the Korean traditional costume. Insadong can look scary at times... My friend and I wearing hanboks While looking for 북촌 (Bukchon), a must-see traditional village in Seoul, we walked past 조계사 (Chogyesa), “the chief temple of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism” according to Wikipedia. Read more...

Seoul, My Love~

This is Part 4 of my ’15 trip to Korea. Part 1 is available here, part 2 here (Jeju Island, Day 1), and part 3 here (Jeju Island, Day 2). After my wonderful trip to Jeju, I flew back to Seoul with my free flight offered by The Korea Times and Korean Air (대한항공). Although I had to board the plane like some Russian flight in the middle of the airport, the flight was painless as well as the arrival in Gimpo Airport. Read more...