Korean Job Discussion Forums

[victorology]

I was just going to hop on this thread to recommend Samwon Garden. If you want more of a traditional atmosphere, check that place out. If you want a restaurant that's more modern and trendy, check out Gaon. Or, why not try both?

[suadente]

Unfortunately, nice stuff in Korea sucks. My family came a few years back. My aunt's house stands on a million dollar lot. My parents have a full 8 car garage. They stayed at the W Hotel, which ferried them around in a Jaguar. They were disappointed with Korea.

Instead of looking for expensive places, I suggest the cool cheap places--the reasons why we like living here. A midnight dinner of a fresh fish at Garak Market would be good. Also, maybe take a camera and take them up Dobong Mountain, north of Seoul. The view is nice up there--city if you look to the south, and mountains to the north. There's also a pretty temple on the side of the mountain, but I was exhausted at that point and just went back down. The islands west of Incheon can make for a nice day. Take the airport shuttle to the airport, then grab a cab from there. I can't remember the name of the island, but there's an island that during low tide, you can walk across to Silmido (watch the movie with them, then take them there). You could rent a car for that, but I don't recommend it. The road was 1-1/4 lanes wide, and traffic was terrible. We walked, enjoyed the scenery and got there much faster. There are also vineyards on the island and a nice beach. Insadong was good for gifts, and the tea houses are a nice place to relax. Dongdaemoon Market was also pretty fun, take them through the winding streets and find the Insadong trinkets for half the price. If you can speak Korean, show them your haggling skills. My family was bored with the palaces, but you should take them to one anyways. I think it's obligatory. It takes a while to get the visa processed, but if you have time, instead of going to the DMZ, why not go to North Korea? The tours to Kumgang Mountain and Kaesong could be impressive. I went to Kaesong, and I still think about it almost daily. If you do go to the DMZ, take the USO tour, not the tunnel tour. Be sure to check the schedule and make a reservation. Also, if you have a valid drivers license to drive in Korea, rent a car and drive to the east coast. Some of the tiny little villages can be gorgeous. (though most aren't.) I'll post again if I can remember the name of the city, but we went somewhere with nice beaches, a quaint town with a fresh fish market, a ship that you can tour that was a US WW2 ship, then Korean warship, and a North Korean submarine that was caught.

Also, take them to some cheap Korean restaurants that are good. My family was impressed by the fact that dinner for six only cost $40. I think that Korean food is an acquired taste. I remember when I first got here, and everything tasted the same. I've had those royal dinners and I wasn't impressed--so what, you get 10 dishes in bowls, rather than 8 dishes in bowls.

The nice places in Korea are getting better--now you have to ASK for pickles at some Italian restaurants, but it's not there yet. If you want to take them to expensive places, I suggest asking them to come in 5 years. It sounds like they're pretty well travelled. If you want to impress them, make them 'jealous' that you've got a good life in a fun country, and they have to go back home.

[captain kirk]

[suadente]

[amo_jh]

check out the restaurants below,

필경재 (Pil Kyung Jae)
http://www.philkyungjae.co.kr

아사달 (Ah Sa Dal)
http://blog.naver.com/kosmose?Redirect=Log&logNo=120000732384
(don't have the restaurant website but checkout the pictures in the above link)

석파랑 (Suk Pa Rang)
http://seokparang.co.kr/

지화자 (Ji Hwa Ja)
http://www.jihwajafood.co.kr/

[madoka]

[gluestick]

When my folks came out last month we went to this place:

http://www.yongsusan.com/

It's traditional Korean food in a pretty nice setting. Food was very good and service was decent as well. We went to the one in Seocho.

[pkang0202]

OP, jsut listen to me.

Go to Sanchon in Insadong. The place is founded by a Buddhist monk and the food is all vegetarian.

[Jeweltone]

The town on the coast with the random ship on a mountain is called Jeongdongjin. You can take the midnight train from Seoul and arrive there right at sunrise on the East Sea. It is a popular "couple" thing to do, but a group of single friends and I did it in October.

[pkang0202]

[simone]

Seoul puts out a directory of all the "mobum" restaurants.

It's only in Korean, but it's worthwhile... it's good for finding the nicer meat places, good for getting your "yuk whey" on.... I like the raw beef, but only trust it at the finer establishments.

The Nolboo "sulfur duck" places require reservations - pretty nice though.

We keep it in the car, so that when we're somewhere new, we see if there's any new restaurants worth checking out.

[gajackson1]

JG -

Not sure when they were coming. You've already gotten a smattering of decent choices from the people who bothered to actually READ and respond to your request.

The extended course Chinese set meal restaurants will meet your requirements for everything bu the Korean food. Since you only need to cover 3 meals/nights out, the suggestions here ought to cover you bases -

In the case they don't, and you still need something really OUTSTANDING, post me a PM. You've weighed in valuable advice over the years, and I'd be happy to tap the CEO set for you tomorrow, & see what they suggest. Or, the previously-mentioned Zenkimchi grew up with Christina; I can put in a call to him, or pass along your number to him via PM/ call him & ask him to send you a PM. If JM & his fiancee don't know, they do know the right people to find out fast -

Oddly enough, I have a Blue House related gig tomorrow afternoon, so I may be able to scoop a suggestion or 2 from that lot.

Regards,

G.

(a handful of years ago, my then-gf & I were in at Hua-Hin Dusit in Thailand, and some friends of hers - the 2 sons of the CEO of India Pepsi? Coke? blew through BBK - booked up 2 floors of Novotel, and everything was a whirlwind along the same lines as you are describing; they just asked her to 'find stuff to do' - money quite literally no object. NOT as much fun as people would think it is!!! )

[Jeweltone]

I don't remember exactly how much it cost...I think the train was around 20,000 Won-30,000. It is the regular KTX that goes. I remember that it leaves from on of the smaller train stations in Seoul (Yeongdupo maybe?). You will have to contact KTX to get more details. I do remember that the train is famous for coming the closest to the ocean in the world.

As far as food, there is fancy food (the ship hotel on the hill), and cheap food, just like anywhere else in Korea. It is a resort area, so you can get just about anything.

Watching the sunrise is a real trip...not exactly romantic, but interesting. Cheesy fifties music blares at you from the bushes, and there are over-sugared children running around...Koreans on vacation. But there are some neat places to visit, such as the Reunification Park (N. Korean sub and WWII American Warship).

[ultra]

[Are they the lemmings]

Sorry to resurrect this old thread but I just wanted to ask how this ended up.

So, JongonoGuru, where did you end up going?