Essentials
Money in Korea
Best exchange rates, ATMs & how to pay
Read guide →Korean cuisine (hansik) is built around balance — fermented sides (banchan), a steaming bowl of rice, and a main dish that changes with the season. Meals are served all at once rather than in courses, and sharing dishes at the table is the norm. The depth of flavor comes from slow-fermented pastes like doenjang (soybean) and gochujang (chili), which form the backbone of soups, stews, and marinades across the country.
Yeongdeungpo-gu's Times Square mall and Yeouido financial district generate a diverse food scene of department store restaurants, business lunch spots, and the Han River cycling culture that has made outdoor food and coffee culture a fixture of the waterfront.
I ordered seafood stew and monkfish stew. The table was dirty and sticky. The seafood stew was average in composition and taste, but the scallops all tasted rotten. In the monkfish stew, the seasoning and monkfish were completely separate, so it felt like I was dipping the fish in the seasoning. It was the worst food I've ever had.
Korean blogger posts. Links open original posts on Naver.
