What kind of Korean dish comes to your mind first when you think of Korea? Tteokbokki? Korean BBQ? For those who might be interested in the Korean dishes, I’d like to share the records I ate!
Grilled Spareribs
Pork spareribs marinated in a soy sauce or red chili pepper paste mixture and grilled.
1711, Nambusunhwan-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea
02-877-5316
I’m sure everyone knows about “Samgyeopsal(Korean BBQ). However, there are so many all-you-can-eat restaurants in Korea where you can grill this Korean-style marinated pork. After being kept in a sweet and salty sauce for a certain period of time, the meat is served to you! And it will just make eat a bowl of rice in a flash. Especially, this restaurant I introduce offers unlimited rice, soybean paste stew, and all side dishes, so you can eat meat and rice as much as you want for only 13,500 won.
Grilled Cow Intestines
28-4, Teheran-ro 1-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea
02-568-8887
There must be people wondering what the heck this food is. Is it just ordinary pork bbq because it’s on the grill with fried rice? The answer is No! It’s Gobchang! Dishes made of pig and cow intestines(called Gopchang in Korean) are popular Korean delicacies. Some might have just no idea what kind of cuisine can be made with cow intestines.
The intestines are cleaned thoroughly, rubbed with wheat flour and coarse salt, and rinsed several times. The fat is trimmed off, and the cleaned Gopchang is soaked in water to remove any traces of blood. Garlic, ginger, onion, cooking wine, black pepper, and Korean pepper are common marinating ingredients, mainly used for eliminating any unpleasant odors and tenderizing the meat of Gopchang.
The Gopchang is first marinated in the seasonings and spices, then grilled on a lightly greased pan or griddle. Onions and bell peppers are often grilled together with Gopchang. Grilled Gopchang is often served dipped in salt and sesame oil. After that, usually, Bokkumbab(Stir-fried rice)is cooked with Gopchang oil.
Kyochon Chicken Hamburger
The most famous Korean chicken franchise around the world might be “Kyochon”. Korean Kyochon recently released “Real Chicken Burger” which is literally a hamburger with a chicken patty. It was 4,900 won, yet has an enormously big chicken patty which is quite rare in Korea(Almost all the hamburgers might seem really small if you are from the states)
Starbucks Pistachio Frappuccino
I tried a new menu at Starbucks. Originally, whipped cream was supposed to be on top of it, but instead of putting it up, I added a coffee shot(I’m not a big fan of sweet drinks). It was ambiguous to say that it tasted bad, but it was hard to say exactly what it tasted like. Trying something new is not an easy thing to do because of this kind of situation LOL… IMAO, Soy lattes are the best in Starbucks.
Ssada Gimbap(It’s cheap, Gimbap!)
114, Yanghwa-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea
02-336-3919
Here’s the answer if you’ve been ever curious about the food Koreans usually eat the most to solve their daily meals. Gimbap, Tteokbokki, Ramen, etc. We call these foods that you may have seen in Korean dramas or Korean content as “Boon-sik 분식” in Korean. And there are loads of franchises that serve Boonsik in Korea, and I think this franchise has been around quite recently. But I see them quite often around Seoul, so it might not be difficult for you to find one. There are many branches that are open 24 hours a day.
To give you a tip as a Korean, if you order Gimbap, make sure to order some dishes like Tteokbokki or Ramyeon together, and dip Gimbap in the soup. And the side dishes are usually served unlimitedly so if you want to eat more, you can eat more without worrying about the price.