Seoul & Busan, S. Korea
Playing tour guide through two major cities, eating our way through a cultural trip.
The second part of our winter trip in 2018 was spent in South Korea, exploring through cities of Seoul and Busan. We flew from Hong Kong straight to Busan, my hometown, and stayed at a Lotte hotel instead of our family home. It would have been nice to stay at the house I grew up in, but was only able to get a photo from the front gate this time. To get over my disappointment, I took Cheuk on a hike through Gudeok Mountain that’s located right behind our family home. I used to run up and down the mountain trails alone in sandals as a young child, but going back as an adult was a much different experience.
I lived pretty far from my school and friends, so I spent a lot of time entertaining myself and playing with imaginary scenarios in the mountain. There was a small creek that cut through from the top and I remember trying to climb up the rocky stream while pretending to be an explorer. I don’t think I ever found out what was at the very top. I remember getting distracted by a snack shack and that’s really the furthest I’ve climbed.
We also explored Seomyeon and Gwangbok-dong, which are popular neighborhoods for shopping and restaurants. It’s filled with young people looking for things to do afterschool or on weekends. You’ll find a lot of cute stationary shops, cafes, off-brand clothing stores, and a ton of street food vendors lining both sides of the street.
One of my favorite places to visit was the Gamcheon Culture Village, though it has a pretty sad history, it’s been revitalized by the colorful homes nested on the side of a mountain. The streets wind like a maze and they’re dotted with whimsical murals, quirky shops, and Instagram-worthy cafes. Originally, it was a shanty village set up by refugees from a minority religious group after the Korean War. In 2009, the government initiated an art-themed renovation project, calling upon artists and students, to transform the neighborhood into an immersive culture and art experience.
The iced coffee topped with fluffy cotton candy was from a cafe called “Blue House Atop the Stairs” (계단위푸른집), a small spot that sells picturesque drinks that taste just as good as it looks.
My aunt and uncle treated us to an amazing traditional Korean style meal where they serve a ton of small dishes made from seasonal ingredients in a multi-course service. I regret letting my gluttony get the best of me and not capturing anything we ate at the table. After lunch, we visited Haedong Yonggungsa, a Buddhist temple originally established in 1376. It’s known for the unique location, positioned between the sea and mountain, along with a deep history.
Busan is a large coastal city and is obviously known for beautiful ocean views and seafood. Snagging a seat at a local clam grill by the beach was an experience not to be missed. I took a chance on luck and stepped into a random restaurant along Gwangalli Beach called Ehwa. The owner was super nice and came over to help us cook our meal at our table. He joked about wanting us to open up his first US branch in SF; not a bad idea?
For the second leg of our trip, we wanted to spend time in Seoul. As a maniacal planner, I made a list of every popular restaurant I wanted to try and enlisted the help of a friend to make reservations in advance.
One the first day of 2019 we ate at Dooreyoo, a traditional Korean restaurant owned by a renowned chef named Tony Yoo, featured on the Michelin guide. He uses seasonal ingredients and methods inspired by traditional Korean temple cooking. All of the fermented sauces are made in-house including the soy sauce and soy bean paste.
I will never forget the moment I ran into the chef himself on my way to find the bathroom and in an extremely flustered state, I asked him in English where the restroom was!!! I’m cringing as I’m typing right now and the memory is brought back to the center of my mind. YIKES. Despite my mortifying first encounter, I mustered up the courage to ask him for a photo at the end of my meal and fan-girled over him. It was the perfect way to start the new year!
The second reservation was at Moglan (pronounced mog-lan), a Chinese restaurant owned by a Korean celebrity chef who spent decades in China, required a reservation months in advance and we had to explicitly tell them which of their popular dishes we planned to order.
Apparently it’s really tricky to get a reservation, I read through a bunch of Korean blogs for tips. First you’ll have to know the specific days of the month they accept reservation calls and phoneline hours. You can make reservations starting mid-month (around the 15th) for the next 30 days and reservation phonelines open an hour before the restaurant at 10:30AM. Then, you’ll need to be persistent on calling because getting through to an operator is the next challenge. Lastly, you should know exactly what you want to order if you plan to get one or more of their popular dishes including Menbosha (deep fried shrimp paste sandwich) and Dong Pa Yook (braised pork belly).
After getting spoiled by all the good food, we walked around to explore Gyeongbokgung Palace which is located right in the center of Seoul. It’s really surreal to soak in the well-preserved atmosphere inside the palace and seeing tall building just outside the walls. The juxaposition between old and new is really something else. You can rent a hanbok (traditional Korean clothes) at a bunch of nearby stores and wander around the palace for photo ops. At the time we were there, they had a special policy that if you were in a hanbok, your admission fee would be waived. I regret not taking this opportunity because I was too shy. It’s actually quite common for tourists from all over the world to try this!
This palace is the largest of the Five Grand Palaces in South Korea built during the Joseon dynasty, the last dynasty of Korea before being replaced by the Korean Empire. It’s gone through several attempts of destruction but have managed to survive the test of time and invaders.
I also went to Bukchon Hanok Village, a neighborhood in Seoul characterized by clusters of Hanok (traditional style houses made of wood and clay tile roofs) buildings. Walking through the streets take you back in time and it totally feels like you’re in another world.
Last but not least, I got to catch up with two friends I met in the US while working together. They’ve since moved to Korea and Japan for work and our timings all worked out to meet. I’ve had the best BBQ beef experience at Tokyo Sirloin — I honestly don’t even remember what we ordered but dishes came out in a set menu style, one after another. The marbling on the meat was perfection and all the sides including a new Japanese dessert I fell in love with, mochiri tofu! Clearly, this was a fancy AF meal but I don’t regret a single thing about anything that happened that evening.
