Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Bloopity Bloop]

I typically enjoy my school lunches. Today we had takgaejang, sundae, and the usual rice, pickled stuff, etc. It was pretty good and I certainly enjoyed it. However, after living in Seoul for the past few months, I realized that I haven't had a single meal where I thought, "Damn, that was really good" ANYWHERE. I've had a lot of, "that was nice" meals--ultimately forgettable.

I'm not picky at all and have tried absolutely everything placed in front of me without hesitation. All I do is eat, really. I probably eat the equivalent of 8 meals a day or so (I don't party/drink much, so my money goes into food). I lived in China and Japan and all I did there was eat--and the eating was good. http://www.gifbin.com/981228

My take on Korean food: a lot of okay food. Lots of food seems to be missing some component that leaves me unsatisfied; kind like eating a baked potato without a steak. Don't get me wrong, nothing has been horrible and I've enjoyed almost everything I've tried, but I'm still looking for that great meal.

Do you guys find Korean food a bit lacking or can you not get enough of it?

Any recommendations of foods for me to try? Places to go? Doesn't have to be Korean.

[redhed]

I love the som gae tang (the whole chicken, stuffed with ginseng, rice and jujubees) It is such a savory broth and you mix salt and pepper in a dish to taste. I've had it a couple of times and it was average, but when you a place that does it right it is really, really good. The place I go is in Old Songdo. I also had an excellent version on Jahwol-do, off the west coast, where they made it with a full size chicken..If you're eating 8 meals a day you've probably had it, but it's probably my favorite.

[ekul]

I'm not saying this in a horrible way, but eat less. The less I eat the more special I find a good meal.

[Fishead soup]

Personally I like the garbage bin style Samgyupsal places. The table is made from a makeshift garbage bin or oil drum. Cooked over real charcoal not electric makes a big difference too. I don't waste any time with all those tofu soups too they can get pretty monotonous.

[shinramyun]

go eat dakgalbi

[Old Gil]

I flip my shyte! over 낙지볶음, 감자탕 and 목살. Marvelous stuff.

There's a lot of "yeah I guess this is good" dishes though.

[Xuanzang]

Star Chef near Maebong station. Bulgalbi mushroom salad, million won samyopsal and kimchi, XO samgyopsal.

[Paul Ajosshi]

I agree with Xuanzang, Star Chef is excellent. Ask for the octopus salad, it's not on the menu, but it's absolutely heavenly. The "Amazing Fish" is worth a go aswell. Whole deep fried crispy fish of the day served with a mountain of fresh coriander and pickled ginger.

There's also a roast duck place in Hannam-dong that is incredible. Crispy on the outside, succulent meat within and an incredible stuffing of rice, beans, nuts, cinnamon and all sorts of goodness (http://www.fatmanseoul.com/2009/05/27/a-deliciously-fowl-dish-in-hannam-dong/).

[Bloopity Bloop]

Thanks for the recommendations/suggestions guys. I think I'll try Star Chef this weekend.

redhed: I think that's probably what it is--I'm guess Korea's the type of place where I need to find specialized restaurants for the good stuff.

Ekul: You might be right... unfortunately, I have worms or something and go hungry every 10 minutes.

[platypus666]

I agree with all the above posts, good suggestions

I would also suggest trying duck, the duck in Korea (pronuounced "oh-dee") is usually smoked and REALLY good.

Also, "Bul-tak" (fire chicken) is good if you like spicey food and the out-of-town beef places do raw beef, beef tongue, and liver. But make sure you go to a place that sources their own meats

Korean street food is pretty stellar too! I have been here for a year now and eaten pretty much everything offered to me and have only been ill from bad eats once (I suspect it was a hot dog stick thing).

Happy eating!

[redaxe]

+1 on dakgalbi (닭갈비). Grab a friend and go to 유가네 and get the fried rice. It's spicy chicken, pizza cheese, kimchi, and some vegetables, all mixed up and deliciously fried on a big iron skillet in the middle of your table. Sooo good.

They're a chain and they have a website:
http://www.yoogane.co.kr/main/index.php

Crap, I was just about to go to bed, and now I'm hungry!

[Privateer]

Find yourself some good restaurants. It's not the dish, it's how it's prepared. Makes a world of difference.

Korean friends are good for introducing you to good places to eat.

Or, if even a good Korean dish isn't what you're hankering for, try to find some western restaurants: Itaewon if you're in Seoul.

[mc_jc]

If you want something amazing to eat- cook it yourself.

[kimchi_pizza]

[Xuanzang]