January 19, 2018
Seoul
FEAST
After my trip up the Lotte World Tower, I walked around the mall's two floors of restaurants and decided to give this joint a try. It was a very good meal, overall. I just think I'm missing out on some Korean staples, like their barbecued meats that you cook at your table, because you usually order those family-style, and I wouldn't be able to eat much else besides a dish like that. Just like not seating a party of one, I think this family-style stuff is totally discriminatory!
Seorae Naengmyeon
Myeongdong Kyoja
There's a ton of places to eat near my hotel, and I ducked into this place because it seemed authentic, whatever that means. The menu made mention of chopped noodles being an authentic Korean dish, so I gave them a try. The noodles were served with fried garlic in a soup with chicken as its base and a small side of kimchi. Maybe "chopped noodles" is the same thing as "pulled noodles" in Chinese cuisine. Anyway, it was an OK dish. It just felt kind of empty.
Chopped noodles in chicken broth:
I have to admit, I'm really not a fan of Korean dumplings because they're too large, and they're filled with glass noodles that give them an empty taste. The pork is minced and barely present.
Dumplings:
My main was a wonderful short rib soup with glass noodles and a side of rice mixed with red beans. There was also some kimchi served. The clear soup was dynamite, and the short rib was tender and fell off the bone.
Short rib rice soup w/glass noodles:
