Myeongdong is my favorite place in Korea because it's where we usually shop and eat whether street food or specialty dishes from the different restaurants.These are the top 6 must try dishes in Myeongdong--restaurant edition.
1) Buddae Jjigae (Military Stew)- Buddae Jjigae was invented in the Korean Military during the Korean war hence the name. It's basically a combination of different ingredients that were leftovers from meals of American. It contains ingredients such as mushrooms, kimchi, tofu, minced beef, sprouts, vegetables, noodles, cheese, spam, Korean sausage and a lot more. The taste is indescribable! soup is really rich plus it has a cheese/ mozzarella kick after sipping the hot and spicy stew. The cheese taste made it so yummy for me after my Korea trip, I immediately cooked one at home. Preparation is very very easy! It's a matter of cutting ingredients. This Buddae Jjigae is from Nolboo Korean Restaurant in Myeongdong. It has a lot of branches all over Korea and their specialty is the Military Stew.
Price: Around KRW 20,000 or Php 800 good for 3-4 people. However, you can add on Ramen and Rice since they can provide additional soup for FREE!
2) Galbi Jjim - Korean Beef Short Ribs- Galbi Jjjim was traditionally enjoyed on big holidays like Jeongwal Daeboreum or during "Full Moon in January" or during Korean Traditional holidays like New Year's Day. It's a steamed beef ribs with potato, carrots, quail eggs. and glass noodles. Galbi Jjim's meat is very soft and literally comes off from the ribs/bones. The meat really melts in your mouth!
This dish is ideal for those who doesn't like spicy food because the sauce is somewhat sweet. Galbi generally is a premium part of a Cow in South Korea. It is regarded as a "high-class dish" therefore you should expect that the taste will be "to die for" too hahaha :)
Price: KRW 22,000 or Php 900 good for 3-4 people.
3) Yoogane's Ddak Galbi (Marinated Spicy Chicken)- Ddak Galbi is very popular in Korea and one of my favorite restaurant would be Yoogane. It has been one of the most popular galbi brands in Korea and because of its popularity, they opened one in the Philippines as well (though I haven't visited the one in Quezon City but I did heard good reviews about it).
Galbi refers to a variety of grilled dishes in Korean cuisine. It is made up of marinated meat in a special sauce. Yoogane's signature dish would be their Marinated Ddak Galbi. It is prepared by putting the vegetables and meat first inside a thick grilling pan. Then other ingredients are mixed in like potatoes, tteokbokki or rice cakes, and rice or noodles. You add gochujang too or sweet chili paste depending on how spicy you want your roasted chicken to be. Mix everything then eat! You can choose to add cheese, seaweeds, or mozzarella stuffed tteokbokki to make your food extra special :) haha. Adding cheese makes it more gooey and such a joy to eat because it helps alleviate the spiciness.
Price: KRW 21,000 or Php 850 for set menu good for 2.
Bibim Naengmyeon or cold noodles is a refreshing dish. It is made up of long and thin noodles with tangy iced broth, julienned cucumbers, slices of Korean pear, and boiled egg with cold boiled beef. Traditionally, the noodles are eaten without cutting as this symbolizes longevity of life and good health. For me it's a bit weird to eat at first because Filipinos are not used in eating cold noodles--as in literally with ice cubes! But after awhile, you'll get used to its taste and find it yummy and refreshing.
Bibimbap meaning "Bibim" for "mixed" and "Bap" for "rice" = mixed rice. Bibimbap is served in a bowl of warm white rice topped with sauteed vegetables and gochujang and fried egg. Usually when Koreans prepare this dish at home, they make use of left overs or left over side dishes. Then they just toss everything up. It is one of the famous Korean dish and it is very well known in areas such as Jeonju, Jinju, and Tongyeong. We tried the Bibimbap in Jeonju (province) and it's really really good! Tastes different compared to the ones in Seoul.
4) Ssam Neng Myeon Restaurant's Bibim Naengmyeon (Cold Noodles) with Galbi Gui (Grilled Beef) or Bibimbap with Galbi Gui
When I travel to Korea, I always eat in this particular restaurant in Myeongdong called Ssam neng Myeon Restaurant because the food there is very cheap and sulit (worth it) because it comes with FREE Galbi Gui :) The dishes there are the usual Korean food. We usually order Bibimbap, Bibim Naengmyeon, or Mandu and Noodles. Price ranges from 250 to 300 pesos only and it's actually good for 1-2 persons.
Price: KRW 6,000 or PHP 240 for set menu which includes Naengmyeon and Galbi Gui or Bibimbap with Galbi Gui
5) OPPA Dak or literal translation of Big Brother's Chicken: Oven Baked Chicken
In Korea, it is very popular for Chicken to be paired with Beer. This is usually the snack Koreans eat during World Cup or just a regular night out (an alternative to Soju haha if you don't want to get too wasted!).
Oppa Dak's signature oven baked chicken is two thumbs up! It has a variety of chicken flavors like rotisserie, honey, or spicy and it comes in skinless or with skin. The skinned chicken has more juice and crisp in it and I highly recommend trying it. A basket full of chicken is moderately expensive but if you come with your friends and divide the cost...price becomes affordable!
I really like Oppa Dak's oven baked chicken because it's "healthier" compared to the fried ones and the chicken is really really soft and tasty.
Price: KRW 18,000 or Php 720 for 1 order of boneless spicy chicken
6) Two-two Yangnyeom Chicken (Spicy Chicken)- THE BEST CHICKEN EVERRRRR (for me!). Two-two is my favorite chicken in Korea. This is located beside our hostel in Myeongdong which made me want to go home early everyday when we were still there because the aroma can be smelled all the way from the MRT exit haha. IT IS TOO IRRESISTIBLE!
Twotwo is the first chicken joints established in Korea. It's name was changed several times since 1978 as Gela Chicken in Myeongdong then Two-Two in 1990. This restaurant is everywhere and for me, this is still the standard for chicken and beer. You know what, I ate Two-Two chicken for 3 straight days during my recent trip? hahah because it's really divine.
You can try the original/plain chicken but I highly recommend to try the spicy one :) Eat it with your fingers and pair it with a Cass Beer in one fine cold night.
Price: KRW 17,000 or Php 700 for 1 whole chicken (option to make it half/half regular and spicy chicken)
Disclaimer: This is an old post from my Blogspot account dated June 14, 2014.
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