Korean food is hot(fig.+ lit.).  Everything to do with Korean food, David Chang, MomoEmpire, BaoEmpire, Korean food trucks, are hot across the country. Even Paris thinks its hot, so it must be true. So whats the word from the motherland? Well, they don’t really pay attention to us, maybe in the north.  But if you like the Korean food stateside, no surprise you’ll love it there.

One of the highlights of a trip to Seoul is the Noryangjin fish market.  Not as big or famous as Tsukiji(Tokyo), its vast array of seafood is still mind-and-tongue-numbing.  And one definite upside, lack of tourists.  Tsukiji was great, but I felt I saw more white people with digital cameras than fish.  At Noryangjin, this is not a problem.  The market is on the ground floor and is circled by small restaurants upstairs.   Bring cash, as many do not accept credit cards.

Again, unlike Tsukiji, there is no mad dash at 4:30 in the morning to see the auctioning(which is impressive), things are bit more low key here.  I arrived around  9am, respectable, but still maybe too early for most western taste buds. I walked around the market for a bit, checked out the local, abundant seafood available, kicked myself over the prices and got a couple evil eyes and scowls over some pictures I took.  Another clear sign, this is not a major tourist stop.  No more, time to eat!

The restaurant I was suggested to by a local friend was small, with only a few tables and definitely no menu in english.  I made it simple, I told the waitress what dishes I wanted to try and bring whatever else.  I was on a mission to eat sannakji, live octopus.  Its actually dead, but due to leftover kinetic energy, the arms are still writheing around the plate.  The only way to keep the tentacles from attaching themselves to the roof or side of your mouth is to dip them in sesame-oil based sauce that comes with the dish.  There have been rumors of people choking from the tentacles getting stuck in their throats but sounds more like a urban legend, or someone very drunk off soju.  The sannakji was served with thin slices of garlic and chile, it was excellent.

The other dish I was seeking to consume was jeonbokjuk, abalone rice porridge, a very traditional and highly-prized dish of Korea.  Anything with abalone in it is highly valued to me.  The porridge is made with white rice, soaked in water over several hours and added to abalone after it has been stir-fried with sesame oil.  It was very light and actually a perfect dish for breakfast.

To accompany these dishes, I was served some sashimi, no question about freshness, cold tofu with chili paste, quail eggss, a delicious clam soup and of course kimchi. Mashisoyo!

To get to the Noryangjin fish market, take Line 1 to Noryangjin, exit 1.