I heard so many comments that Korea is an expensive place to travel just like Japan or Singapore especially when it comes to the price of food... I beg to disagree because you can survive with not more than Php 1,000 per day for food allocation in Korea especially if 1) you have someone to share or divide the cost with and 2) you're game in eating street food. Speaking of street food, here are my personal Top 11 fave street food in Myeongdong in no particular order.
1) Jajangmyeon or Black Spaghetti- Is a popular noodle dish in Korea. It's made up of black bean paste, noodles, onion, pork, and potato. It is popular because it is a symbolic dish that single people (after Valentine's Day or White Day) eat with friends during Black Day. It's a celebration for all single people who did not get any flowers or chocolates during Valentine's day. Jajangmyeon is sweet and very filling. If you're a fan of Koreanobelas, then I am sure you know this dish very well. In Myeongdong, 1 small bowl of Jajangmyeon is KWN 3,000 or about Php 120.
2) Freshly squeezed lemonade or orange- While you try to taste as many street food as possible in Korea, make sure you have something to quench your thirst and clean your palate to get ready for round #2 or 3 of street food tasting. These limes are mixed with chilled Cider (equivalent to 7-UP or Sprite) and placed in a resealable plastic bag with straw. It costs KWN 3,000 or Php 120.
3) Twisted Ice Cream- This ice cream is unique because of its twisted cone. It is filled with soft vanilla ice cream just like the Philippine version of Barquillios with ice cream sold in the malls
4) Strawberries- Although strawberries are available in the Philippines....in Baguio particularly, Korean strawberries are a must try because they're humongous and relatively cheaper vs. the ones in Baguio. These strawberries are very sweet and it's a break for all the meat, noodles, and rice cakes you ate all throughout your Korean trip ;)
TIP: try to go to Lotte Mart (my fave is the one in Seoul station because it's really big!) and buy fresh fruits like kiwi, strawberries, and grapes--ALL GIANT ones! ;) It's about KWN 5,000 -6,000 per pack or around Php 200-250 only. I sure got tempted to hoard and brought 2 boxes (in styrofoam) of strawberries in my hand carry.
5) Odeng and Tteokbokki- Odeng or fish cakes with (FREE) soup plus tteokbokki or spicy rice cakes are the staple Korean street food. You can see a kiosk or tent selling these almost in every corner in Korea and I read it somewhere that it can also cure a bad hangover haha. When I went there during the winter season sometime in March, these two were my best friends when hunger and coldness strikes. It is filling and gives warmth to your body only at KWN 3,000 per order or around Php 120 for Tteokbukki and KWN 500 per stick or Php 20 for Odeng.
6) 32 cm Parafait Soft Ice Cream- Koreans love ice cream despite the chilly weather. Here is one of Myeongdong's famous ice cream, the 32 cm Parafait. There's nothing unique to this ice cream aside from its height but it sure does taste light and creamy similar to the ice cream we have in Family Mart, Philippines. There are a lot of flavors to choose from like vanilla, green tea, choco, mango, strawberry, blueberry, and cherry and you can have it in a cup or in a cone at KWN 2,000 or Php 80.
7) Grilled/ Dried Squid- Just the smell of these grilled and dried squid will make you salivate. I can't get enough of the smell! The squid and octopus comes in different sizes and variety. There are the shredded ones, flat ones, in bite size, or just buy the tentacles if you're a fan. Price is about KWN 2,000 to 5,000.
8) Hot Bar- Is similar to Odeng (Fish Cake) but deep fried. It comes in varieties of flavors stuffed with rice cake, seaweed, cheese, squid, shrimps, hotdogs, and a lot more! The outer part is made of mashed Odeng and usually, the vendor prepares your order on the spot. You can watch this video in youtube on how to prepare the Hot Bar. It's entertaining at the same time mouth watering experience! It cost's around KWN 2000-2500 or Php 80-100.
9) Gaeran Bbang- Is Korean sweet egg bread! The bread is like a muffin with a sunny side up egg cooked on top of it. The smell is divine! You would want to wake up early in the morning and pair Gaeran Bbang with a fresh hot brewed coffee.
10) Hotteok- Hotteok is simply sweet panckaes filled with brown sugar syrup filling. The pancakes are the sticky type (think ala Tikoy) and not really the American panckaes. For me it's addicting! Just a word of caution, be careful when you eat this as the brown syrup sugar might burn your tongue :) This can definitely make you feel bloated at a very low price of KWN 1,000 or Php 40.
11) Sausage with Rice Cake- These are tasty bite sized sausages with fried rice cake. It is usually sold with all other fried street food like the blood sausages or Sundae and tteokbokki. To add variation to this snack, some sausages are stuffed with rice cake or the other way around. It is usually topped with mustard and spicy ketchup. One stick is about KWN 2,500 or Php 100.
There you have it! My Top 11 street food in Myeongdong. I hope I made you hungry while sharing the food I ate. There's so much more actually but these are all the common ones you see. I suggest you eat 1 full meal in a restaurant in Korea (lunch or dinner) and all the rest, try exploring different street food for the sake of variety and affordability! Snacking is your best bet when traveling on a budget.
Disclaimer: This is an old post from my Blogspot account dated May 30, 2014.
Σχόλια