Motherland #먹방
#whatkellyeats in my motherland, Seoul, South Korea.
명동 허붕 아이스크림 (Huhboong)
In the streets of 명동 (Myung-dong), you will find all types of Korean street food. You'll be instantly overwhelmed of how many different types of food, desserts, and snacks you'd want to try. Out of the many that I attempted to try, is this ice cream called 허붕 아이스크림. It is reminiscent of the Japanese "taiyaki" cake snacks where in a fish-shaped bread includes some red paste or cream custard. At this particular joint though, it's basically the fish-shaped bread that includes a wholesome amount of ice cream and honey (a whole chunk of it too from the actual honeycomb) - and then some sprinkle of matcha green-tea!
Photo of Huhboong Ice cream
좋운날 (Good Food Day)
This restaurant opened only a block away from my house in Korea, and my family couldn't be more thrilled! Owned and managed by a famous actor's aunt, this place has been buzzing all around town for their lovely Italian cuisine. So, for my cousin's birthday, we decided to dine here. All the dishes were quite lovely and rich, not too heavy or greasy (especially the Carbonara). I would definitely recommend this place to someone who is craving some Italian food in Korea (or just for good food in general).
Photos of Carbonara, Hamburger Pilaf Steak, Mushroom Salad, and Aglio Olio.
하동관 (Hadongkwan)
This particular restaurant might possibly be one of my favorite places in Korea. It's a place that my dad has taken me to try because I was craving some classic 곰탕 (Oxtail Soup). Here at 하동관 (Hadongkwan), they specialize in these Oxtail Soups (for over 70 years!) and surely, you can taste the best of its kind. The soup is perfect for a sunny day in the Summer when you want to beat out the heat with heat. It is also perfect for when you need that pick-me-up while you're sick in the the coldest of Winters.
Photo of 곰탕 (Oxtail Soup) + 깍두기 (Radish Kimchi)
I've probably had ice cream everyday while I was staying in Korea, and this was my favorite (so far) out of all them. The simple combination of vanilla ice cream with a comb honey is delicious and sweet indeed.
Photo of Ice Cream with Comb Honey
마이타이차이나 (My Thai China)
A night out with my cousins who I haven't seen in awhile led to a lot of drinks and midnight snacks. This was probably my favorite out of all of them because of it's richness in spices. It was a perfect spicy seafood dish that went with all the beers we had here.
Photo of Baked Rice Seafood
Mowmow Makgeolli
In 이태원 ("Itaewon", the "Western Village of Korea" where you can find all different types of cultural, ethnic food and shops), you can find lots of interesting restaurants and bars. This place boasts in serving many different types of Korean rice wine called "makgeolli" along with some interesting dishes like this Shrimp 떡뽂이 (Ddukbbokki). Loved how these were so chewy and soft, and the perfect bite-size! For the Makgeolli, I would recommend the 청포도 "Grape-flavored" rice wine.
Photo of Shrimp Ddukbbokki
홍대 또보겠지 떡뽂이집 (See You Again)
A super popular place in Korea. Butter. Garlic. Fries. What more can I say to this?
Photo of Butter Garlic Fries
The love for sweets that my mom and I have will probably never stop. And here's why. CHURROS. With 미숫가루 (Misutgaru: one of Korea's favorite healthy multigrain powder we like to make milkshakes with or to have toppings on desserts and other food)! We actually loved that these churros weren't so sweet though. It had the perfect amount of crispness and sweet to it.
Photo of Churros with Misutgaru
홍대 돈부리
(Hongdae Donburi)
My cousin set out to show me all of her favorite restaurants in Korea, and she has definitely set the bar! This was one of my favorite places that she took me too. We enjoyed some "donburis" over some refreshing beers here. Then we were off to get some more beers and have ramen at a nearby park (because they have parks with ready-to-be-coooked-ramen-stores in Korea!)
Photo of Chicken Katsu Don