In the fifth installment of Metro Travel Hot Takes, Ruth Lawes pays tribute to the Asian city that changed how she eats.
One hour after landing in South Korea, I broke a pledge of more than a decade.
I’ll admit it: I was one of those vegetarians who silently judged people chowing down on pulled pork sarnies. I extolled the virtues of hummus to anyone who would listen — but all of that changed when I went to Seoul.
Travelling with my carnivorous boyfriend, I was hauled straight from the airport to a viral fried chicken joint in the Jongno District of Asia’s ‘city that never sleeps’.
In Korea, food is for the soul as well as the stomach. And, in the interest of immersing myself in the country’s most famous culinary culture, I decided to have just one tiny bite.
That morsel was enough to break me. Thoughts of childhood roast dinners washed over me, and a powerful nostalgia for rotisserie chicken left no room for guilt.
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I had been corrupted, and the only course of action for this newly lapsed veggie was to embark on a chicken-eating odyssey around the South Korean capital.
In the year since, I’ve allowed myself the occasional chicken hit. I try to stay veggie, but I’ll never be as strict as I was before.
Food trends come and go, but Korea’s cuisine will always have a place in my heart.
These are the restaurants in Seoul that will crack even the most ardent vegetarians.
The best place to eat fried chicken in Seoul
Reinstated as a card-carrying chicken-eater, we headed to Hannam Oriental Roast Chicken, a budget-friendly restaurant in bustling Myeongdong that serves only roast chicken along with banchan (traditional sides) such as kimchi.
I surprised myself by devouring a whole chicken stuffed with fragrant garlic and ginseng rice. It tasted like spit-roasted clouds.
Be prepared to wait for up to two hours, though. You can kill time by perching at one of the many trendy bars along the street; trust me, you’ll be glad you did.
Next, popular chain restaurant BB.Q Chicken was the perfect reprieve from Myeongdong, Seoul’s non-stop shopping district, where you can buy bumper packs of collagen face masks and K-Pop merchandise.
In the UK, a chain normally means limp sandwiches and underseasoned burgers, but in Korea, they do things differently.
Unlike traditional Korean Fried Chicken (KFC), this place fries wings in olive oil. You get your choice of glaze, from honey garlic to ‘secret sauce.’ We kept it simple and opted for original with sinus-clearing ‘hot spicy’ batter.
Another chain worth your time is Ddobagi Chicken, which makes KFC more palatable for anyone squeamish about meat.
Their signature dish is boneless chicken wings, so you can at least try to pretend you’re not eating an animal carcass.
I recommend ordering takeout as the restaurant is located moments from the Han River. We ate alfresco with the locals, and I felt I was getting a taste of the ‘real’ Seoul.
Seoul’s best food spots
While I could have happily existed on a chicken-only diet in Seoul, this city is a culinary paradise.
From punchy street food to refined dining, there’s a smorgasbord of delicacies to try, and one of the most memorable was my meal atKalguksu Alley, an indoor strip of stalls selling knife-cut noodles.
It’s almost a contact sport to secure a spot in front of one of the vendors, but the reward is gargantuan bowls of noodles, handmade in front of you by Korean aunties for the equivalent of less than £5.
Just a stone’s throw from Kalguksu Alley is Gamekol Son Wangmandu, a shop selling crater-sized mandu (Korean dumplings). They have meat and vegetarian options (time for me to repent for my sins), and it’s takeaway only.
We stuffed our faces on the side of the road, but the holy ratio of kimchi stuffing to pillowy dough was worth the looks of bemusement from passers-by.
You can’t visit Seoul without eating your way around one of its many food markets.
I was in awe of the juxtaposition of skyscrapers with ancient monuments, such as the former royal palace Gyeongbokgung, but markets are where you experience the city’s true flavour.
For an overload of the senses and the most authentic food, I recommend Gwangjang.
The best dish we had by far was tteokbokki, cylindrical rice cakes served in a gochugang sauce, at Kangane Tteokbokki. What makes this stall unique is the addition of radishes to the tteokbokki stew, which adds a zesty texture. Hearty and comforting, I long for it every time I have a cold.
The end of my chicken love affair?
I have travelled to nearly 50 countries, but only Korea cracked my vegetarianism.
It had stiff competition: I’ve rejected chicken tinga tacos in Mexico City and was unmoved by the famous bistecca alla fiorentina in Florence.
Seoul is my favourite city for food of all time. It’s a bold claim, but I have never visited a place with such a rich tapestry of dishes, from barbequed eels to corn dogs. For that, I left my morals at the door.
I don’t recall a single disappointing dish, not even at an American-themed sports bar. And the best part? You’ll have change from £10 for dinner with a beer.
Since returning from Seoul, I have dabbled in chicken-eating, but nothing has come close to the high of my first bite at Hyodo Chicken.
Who knows, maybe it will be beef next.
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