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Modern Korean Style Lunch in Ikseondong,Seoul

Ikseon-dong, one of recently famous regions to Korean young guys is definitely full of fancy and modern-traditional mixed style cafes and restaurants. 

Every weekends, young Koreans are gathering in Ikseon-dong and strolling around to find nice place to have a meal or get some coffee.

However, if it’s the first time to there and even you are a stranger, you might get confused and lose your way in this maze like town surrounded by traditional Korean houses.

To be prepared for such situation, I hope I could give a recommendation through this article about where to eat when you visit Ikseon-dong.

Ikseon Banjoo 

Ban (飯) stands for a meal, Joo (酒) means an alcohol. 

So Banjoo altogether means an alcohol with the meal or dishes served with liquors, as you have already guess Ikseon Banjoo sells liquors, especially various Korean traditional liquors. 

During the day time they serves a lunch course and after lunch time it turns to a sort of bar in Korean traditional style house.

When I visited Banjoo it was almost the end of lunch time, there was not long queue, so after about 20 minutes could get into the restaurant. 

But, normally there are a lot of people in Ikseondong on the weekend and even the places do not have enough space to serve many customers at a time. So, you should be known that you might need to wait for a long time if you want to go to some place in Ikseon-dong not only this restaurant also including other places.

Makkoli (Rice Wine)

Had ordered a Korean rice wine (Makkoli) before lunch course started

This one is quite different from normal Makkoli in green bottle selling in ordinary supermarkets or convenience stores. It has its own brand called ‘Bok-soon-do-ga’  It has originated from Ulsan, the city located in southern area of S.Korea. It is made in a family’s own secret way (hand made and using traditional yeast). The most interesting thing of this rice wine is that It’s very SPARKLING like sparking wine.

It may hard to get noticed it’s sparkling in this picture, but I took this one after a few minutes later the restaurant staff had opened it. She specially opened it by herself saying “It’s too much sparkling”.

Flavor of this makkoli is much softer than other ones and it feels very light, since it’s sparkling. So if you didn’t like the own flavor of makkoli when you tasted it, this one could give you another chance to try to enjoy makkoli. Furthermore, it does not tastes heavy and it does not interrupt the own scent and taste of dishes served with it. But It’s a little bit stronger than normal makkoli as 9 % alcohol content. 

Chicken broth Porridge with barely and seaweed

Please do not be worried about the word ‘seaweed’, I guarantee that you never feels the  taste of it at all. It’s just a kind of vegetable grows in the ocean and it’s absolutely good for your health. 

It tastes like chicken porridge but has more Korean flavor since it made of Barely. pieces of red and yellow paprika make it taste refreshed(?).

(from left) Dried white radish kimchi, stirred and steamed egg, salted squid and white radish kimchi.

Grilled octopus and Potato

chewy octopus and well grilled octopus. a sort of harmony of land and sea. a feature of Korean cuisine is the harmony between the ingredients which seem  that really not related to each other.

Oyster

One of the best thing of living in Korea is enjoying fresh and fine oyster as really low price compared to Western countries.

Beef tartare

you can enjoy the own flavor the beef has when having this Korean style tartare.

Seasoned and minced raw beef (Yook Hwe) is one of cuisine that loved by many Koreans, however, of course, there are also many Koreans who can not eat raw beef.

Spicy Korean Chicken soup

This chick soup is not spicy for me, as you know Korean love spicy food and immunized to such spicy food. So, it might be spicy for foreign tourists. Though it may be spicy, it is sweet at the same time.

What you need to enjoy this soup is separate some soup to your own bowl, then enjoy it with a rice with some vegetables, pollack roe and mayonnaise.

Menu for food

Menu for Liquor

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Vietnamese cuisine in Yeonnam-dong, Seoul

If you are trying to eat something good, especially different, in Seoul.

What about trying Vietnamese dish in Yeonnam-dong,Seoul.

AHN (안)

Vietnamese food in Seoul, it might sounds weird, but it could be great choice for someone who wants try to have something different food, not Korean food.

This small and half-underground restaurant will give them satisfactory experience.

I guarantee that not only food, cozy and unique interior of this place also will give impressive memories in Seoul.

Fresh vegetables for PHO

This rice noodle is so heavy with beef flavor, but the scent of lime suddenly rises up. Such harmony make this Pho more attractive.

Vietnamese style mixed noodles full of various herbs, vegetables, pork and Cha Gio (Vietnamese spring roll)

When put the sweet and sour sauce into the noodle, it turns to quite different food. No words, just try it

Cha Gio, spring roll and carrot pickle wrapped with lettuce

Rice paper roll filled with grilled chopped meats

It really familiar to Koreans, there is a Korean food called Soosoo bukumi tastes similar to it.

Rice with grilled pork

I would like to talk about the pork, it seasoned like East-southern Asia’s unique style. The scent is really unique, I guess the seasoning really has been brought from Vietnam. I’ve never been to Vietnam, this pork reminds me of the street in Thailand filled with Thai food. This port is really delicious, worth trying it.

This place is already famous online and many people visit.

I have already mentioned that this place is small. Should be aware of the normally there is queue. It would be good to visit there right after break time (2 pm~ 5 pm)

The chef is from America, English order available.