Ever since I started my Japan food tour over 10 years ago, I've been getting this question a lot: “Between Japan and Korea, which is better?” and without hesitation, I’d say, Japan by far. You see, I’ve had two Korean food tours in the past, good but not great, the second better than the first. Both were about five years ago. Plus we have so many Korean restaurants in the country there was not much difference if we were to compare. That was my thought before the trip.
Now this third and recent Korean tour just a few weeks ago simply blew my mind. It was a total 180 degree turn from my past two experiences. Wow!
When people visit Seoul, they all go to the busy, bustling place of Myeongdong. Our hotel Soria was in the heart of Myeongdong, where all the action happens. As you go to the first floor, boom! You’re right smack in the middle of everything (and safe). This place is a paradise for women shoppers. There was make up or face improvement products everywhere. At night, a stretch of that street a kilometer long is abuzz with peddlers of all manner of street food, as well as fruits, steaks, shawarma, seafood bbq, and more. The big but for our group, though, especially for me, was that the food was so much we hardly had any space for anything extra, except for a few in our group who were still able to squeeze in some street food. Amazing! We arrived in the evening and went straight to dinner. Our dinner was a Korean beef meal, in boiling broth with an assortment of vegetables and green noodles. The beef was very well marbled and the noodles were just different. Texture was great, slippery, smooth, just perfect. But what made it better was a simple sauce which I’m told was made with peanut butter, vinegar, sesame oil, and broth. Simple yet so so good! If this meal was an indication of meals to come, then it was going to be very promising.
The next day we had lunch in a hot pot seafood. The seafood was so fresh some of them were still moving. The abalone looked like some strange thing from Mars. Moving, like it was telling us, I was just caught! Included with this delicious meal was an outstanding pancake called pajeon. Best I’ve tried ever. Of course you can’t miss the sauce that goes with it.
Another unforgettable meal was an eat-all-you-can pork samgyupsal. Back home, not many of us are used to the pork being loaded with fat and all. Here, everything was of high quality. Pork slices were fresh, belly, perfectly sliced, sauces were plenty, and the vegetables were bursting with freshness. Four of us shared a grill and we just cooked away. Rice was the superior white and you could eat until your belly bulged. I grilled, cut the meat with scissors, and wrapped each mouth full in sesame leaf and lettuce. I added a slice of fresh garlic, sesame oil, and some Korean sauce. Oh my. Superb! And healthy!
Other meals that I loved was another Korean samgyupsal of chicken in an island two hours away. Our last meal was a Michelin-star noodle place that also served great wanton. We had cold noodles with a vinegar sauce, piping hot noodle soup, and wanton. The line was so long, we had to wait. But it was so worth it. Fantastic! There too was a Michelin-star ginseng chicken! Boom also!
On our last day, we had four hours of shopping in an outlet area. Huge place! Out of the entire food trip, there were two that were good but not acceptable to me. Those will be changed.
My Korean food tour was an eye opener. Not perfect but I will certainly make the next one close to one.
Check us out! Happy eating!
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