Netflix: Season 1
Phil Rosenthal visits Seoul, one of the most modern societies in the world at the cutting edge of technology, music, and entertainment. The food scene is also one of the best in the world, from large food and fish markets of local eats to refined Michelin star dining. See the episode recap of the list of locations, restaurants, and attractions he visited on the show for the best of what to do in Seoul.
Eats
1. Mabongnim
Phil starts the trip off trying tteokbokki, a traditional and popular dish of Korean rice cake. The stew is brought out and placed on top a portable fire stove where you can cook it yourself. After you're done with the stew, the waitstaff will add rice and cheese to the leftover soup to create a wonderful dish.
Tasted:
Tteokbokki Spicy Stew - With ramen, vegetables, and mandu (dumplings)
2. Gwangjang Market
88, Changgyeonggung-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul 03195 South Korea
One of the largest markets in Seoul with over 5,000 shops and stalls. Gwangjang market is particularly popular with its food options and over 50,000 people visit here every day. Phil tries a number of Korean street food specialties included kimchi and kalguksu. He also gives live octopus a try, popularized through the 2003 Korean film Oldboy.
Tasted:
Bindaetteok - mung bean pancake
Kimchi - Spicy fermented vegetable
Kalguksu - Handcut soup noodles
San-nakji - Live baby octopus
3. Samcheongdong Jukkumi Kalguksu
Phil visits a local restaurant where he tries a number of traditional Korean dishes. One of the flagship dishes is Budae Jigae, which is a stew created during the Korean War when food was scarce and locals put the available ingredients together into a stew.
Tasted:
Korean Army Stew (Budae Jigae) - with hot dog, veggie, spam, ramen
Kimchi Dumplings
Spicy Squid
Clam Kalguksu
Walnut gelatin soup
4. Noryangjin Market
674, Nodeul-ro, Dongjak-gu Metro #1 Noryangjin Station, Seoul 06900 South Korea
A must visit when you go to Seoul, this is the biggest fish market in the city. It is lined with tanks of crab, tiger shrimp, sea pineapple, octopus, and any seafood that you can think of. Buy the fresh seafood and then head upstairs to one of a number of restaurants who can help prepare them any way that you like them.
Tasted:
Crab - dipped in gochujang (red pepper paste)
Crab Fried Rice - with the innards of the crab
5. Nula Bapsang
Phil visits a restaurant which specializes in North Korean cuisine. He dines with Sokeel Park, a director at "Liberty in North Korea" which is an organization that helps people escape North Korea. He is also accompanied by Jessie Kim, who is a North Korean refugee who escaped to China for two years before going to South Korea through car, bus, and walking with the entire journey over 3,000 miles.
Tasted:
Sundae - blood sausage
Potato dumpling with vegetable and pork
North Korean noodles
6. Jungsik
One of the most famous Korean restaurants in the world with a branch in New York, it serves refined modern Korean cuisine and has 2 Michelin stars.
Tasted:
Starters - Egg with mushroom stock with truffle sauce; Flounder tartare with lemon sauce and trout roe; Deep fried oyster with sesame aioli and pickled celery; Uni
Charcoal lobster with clam butter sauce
7. Ddobagi Chicken
Phil meets up with Korean Pop star Eric Nam to try Chimaek, which is Korean Fried Chicken and Beer. Koreans had traditionally steamed their chicken until the Korean War, when the U.S. military introduced them to frying it instead. They've since taken the recipe as their own and have improved upon it by using a lighter batter and frying it twice to make it crispier.
Tasted:
Korean Fried Chicken - original, sweet, and spicy flavors
Beer
8. Chung mi Shim
25 Dosan-daero 81-gil, Cheongdam-dong, Seoul, South Korea
For the last meal of the trip, Phil visits a place specializing in Korean beef. The meat here has amazing marbling and is barbequed over charcoal.
Tasted:
Beef Tongue, Beef Rib, Beef Round
Korean pancake
Korean noodles
Banchan - incl. pickled bok choy
Soju - liquor distilled from rice
Beer
Activities
1. Bukchon Village
37, Gyedong-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul 03059 South Korea
A traditional Korean village dating back to the 14th century, it's the perfect place to walk around and to soak in the history.
2. Dongdaemun Plaza
281, Eulji-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul 04566 South Korea
A modern building designed by Zaha Hadid, it embodies the forward thinking and innovation of Korea. Around the area are also a number of wholesale stores that sell affordable clothes in bulk.
3. Korean Air Catering
Phil meets with Chef Charles, a Swiss chef who oversees the meals prepared for Korean Airlines. The division employs 1,800 people who make 70,000 meals a day.
4. Seven-Eleven
One thing about Korean convenience stores is that there are a lot of new and innovative snacks to try. Phil tries a number of different varieties, including Shrimp, Fried Chicken, Churro, Spicy Ramen, and Tteokbokki flavored chips. There are also different flavors of American snacks like Butter Caramel and Black Pepper Crab Pringles, as well as Chinese Peppercorn and Late Night Oven Roasted Chicken Doritos.
