The Hungry Bunny

A week-long obsession with Hanwoo beef at just about every restaurant in Seoul meant that we were due for a change of protein. I wanted something-chicken and didn't want anything-fried...so we headed to Andong Jjimdak  for braised chicken. An insanely popular chain restaurant with multiple outlets all over Seoul, Andong Jjimdak is tremendously accessible as there's a branch in every district. Service is choppy but quick, detached but efficient. Like a fast-food restaurant, without the ensuing oil-laden guilt of fast food. So even if there's a queue, especially during peak dining hours, it moves real fast. Because we're lazy AF, we opted for the Boneless Jjim Dak (30,000KRW), which is nearly twice the price of the bone-in version. This passed muster: the chicken was juicy, the sauce was robust, and there was a comforting rustic quality to it...but I would have liked a stronger spice to this. And tbh, a competent homecook would easily muck out a better rendition. ...

I don't like Insadong: it's touristy and gimmicky AF, and lined with price-gouging souvenir shops galore. Think Singapore's Chinatown, but several times larger and with even more artifice. The fact that foreign visitors outnumber locals wandering around Insadong says a lot about its trite attractions. BUT, we heard (from the wonderful concierge at the Four Seasons ) that there was an awesome bibimbap shop, "the best bibimbap in Seoul" they'd said, so we thought to do our "foodie" rep justice and brave the hordes. Located in the bowels of Ssamzie-gil, a distinctive mall right smack in the heart of Insa-dong, Jeonju Traditional Bibimbap Shop is so hidden away (it's located behind a bunch of children's art workshops), you would have to be looking for it to actually find it. There's hardly any foot traffic, but still the restaurant packs a full crowd, largely locals, during lunch. I suppose that's why Seoulites go to Insadong: just to ...

Bon Juk is a major household name for porridge, and as ubiquitous a breakfast stop as Ya Kun in Singapore. With dozens of branches spread out all over the city, Bonjuk is insanely popular with Seoulites. The Four Seasons concierge had recommended us the one within strolling distance from the hotel, and so we checked it out one mid-afternoon. Unfortunately, they'd run out of the crab porridge by breakfast time, which was a real pity, because the juks we ended up having were middling and entirely forgettable. The silver lining, and highlight of the meal, turned out to be the jangjorim banchan. The soy braised pulled beef brisket was superb, its salty and slightly sweet flavour added a much-needed spark to the plain, staid gruel. The Beef Bone Porridge (8,500KRW), studded with tiny vegetable cubes of carrots, sliced shitakes and spring onions, was so incredibly light I dumped the whole saucer of jang-jorim into the bowl just so it had some taste. The Mushroom Oyster Porrid...

Porridge, or 'juk' as the Koreans call it, is another thing on my to-eat list whenever we return to Seoul for our yearly visits. And although the Koreans generally eat this for breakfast, I typically eat this for a late lunch or dinner. I'm staunchly in the brinner camp, and also, erm, I'm rarely awake before noon. Migabon is situated just upstairs from Sinseon Seolnongtang (I swear that piece of real estate has the best fengshui), and while it draws a healthy tourist crowd (seeing as it's ranked pretty high on tripadvisor, which may be in part due to its convenient locale in the shopping district of Myeongdong), the porridge here is outstanding. Korean juk is like a cross between Cantonese congee and Japanese zousui. It's loaded with ingredients a-plenty, but thick and smooth and mild. Most would order the abalone version, but I would steer you to the King Crab Porridge (10,000KRW) instead. Barring any seafood allergies, this was far superior a choice t...

Two Plus is our other favourite Korean barbecue restaurant in Seoul (the other being Han Wa Dam ). A new-ish contemporary Korean BBQ joint that's recently become popular in Korea, it's got about the same number of branches as Han Wa Dam. A big plus, it's also walkable from the Four Seasons . And like Han Wa Dam, Two Plus specializes in 1++-rated Korean Hanwoo beef. For background: Hanwoo beef, like Japanese wagyu, has different grades: namely 1++, 1+, 1, 2, and 3, in descending order. And therein lies the backstory of the restaurant's moniker, Two Plus , because it exclusively serves 1++ Hanwoo beef that's graded one with two pluses, geddit?? A second plus (pun intended): the prices here are a smidge cheaper than at Han Wa Dam. The Aged Ribeye (44,000KRW for 150gm) balanced heft and fatty sumptuousness. This was simply seasoned with salt and pepper, and char of the coal rounded this off with an intoxicatingly smoky aroma. The Aged Striploin Diamond (...

Sinseon Seolnongtang stood out for the most unexpected reason, they made the most delicious kimchi. Well, second-best since we discovered Han Wa Dam anyway. We were picking up our yearly supply of face masks in Myeong-dong, and looking for a place to park our fannies. It was close to our dinner reservations at Two Plus but we thought, a light snack of soup and dumplings couldn't hurt. (famous last words really, we struggled to finish dinner and practically waddled back to the hotel, tummies a-budging and belts unbuckled) The specialty here is Seolnong-tang, or Seolleongtang, an ox bone soup that's stewed so long the collagen is leeched out those bones. That's what gives the soup its characteristic milky appearance. It's light and delicate, almost plain, and totally unlike the typical robustness of galbi-tang or any of our local beef soups. We had the Baekse Seolnongtang (11,000KRW) which was like a jacked-up ox bone stew, with ginseng, dates, licorice, chestnu...

Dukkam will forever be remembered for where we first fell in love with gamja-tang. The thin, spicy soup is our number one Korean must-eatl, and the consummate soul food. Laden with potatoes and the spine of pork, and distinct with crushed perilla seeds and perilla leaves; there's an anise-like, somewhat minty herbaceous aftertaste to the robust heat of the stew, resulting in a hearty, fiery yet refreshing broth. Surprisingly though, it's delicate and light, and not at all oily. You know how it is with bak kut teh, you feel weighted down with that heavy oily feeling after drinking the soup? It's not ever like that with gamjatang. For rustic fare rooted in peasant provenance, it's incredibly exquisite. Duckkam is a short stroll from the Four Seasons Seoul , and because it's open 24/7, our supper go-to de rigueur during our annual sojourn to Seoul. The Gamjatang (6,500KRW) at Duck Kam, generously stocked with a massive hunk of pork spine, was potent and lively. ...

Han Wa Dam is one of our two favourite (together with Two Plus) Korean barbecue restaurants in Seoul. Serving only Korean Hanwoo beef known for its rich marbling and full-bodied flavour (think Australian wagyu), Han Wa Dam is also distinguished for having the best kimchi I've ever eaten in my life. Really, if you were looking to introduce kimchi to someone with a pre-disposed aversion to kimchi, just bring them to Han Wa Dam . I promise you, the kimchi here will make a lover out of even the most hardened of kimchi-haters. The beef at Han Wa Dam weren't marinated, and it need not be. It was delicious on its own. Recommended specialties were the Sirloin (42,000KRW for 150gm) and Tenderloin (43,000KRW for 150gm), juicy and sumptuous and insanely good simply burnished with a heap of beef fat.  The Pollack Roe Steamed Egg (5,000KRW) fluffy like a souffle, and dotted with sweet diced carrots and spring onions, was scrumptious. Another must-try, the Sirloin Kimchi Ste...