Long Lines at Myeongdong Kyoja

Myeongdong Kyoja is an old Seoul tradition having been in the noodle business for over 40 years.

So popular is Myeongdong Kyoja that hungry customers are willing to give up their personal space just to get a table.

Some might not get what the fuss is all about though as it only has four items in its menu:

Mandu 

Tasty and filling. Reminded me of xiao long bao because of the little drops of soup I had in every bite.

Bibim Guksu

Cold noodles with vegetables and red hot pepper paste. Basically tasted like the red paste Koreans love to pair with just about everything.

Kongguksu

The cold noodles in soy milk broth was too exotic for my taste. Felt like I was eating paste. 

Kalguksu 

The most popular item in the menu is this knife-cut, handmade meat and vegetables noodles which has a deep and flavorful broth. It didn't disappoint and is the perfect way to combat Seoul's cold weather.

Myeongdong Kyoja is located at 29 Myeongdong 10-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul.

Bulgogi at a Good Restaurant

After meandering in Insadong (tourist trap alert!!!), we got hungry and ended up here:

We figured that we cannot go wrong eating at a Good Restaurant.

Shoes Need to be Removed

Another factor why we settled for this restaurant is because we wanted to have an authentic bulgogi experience.

The restaurant did live up to its name: Our meal was far from earth-shattering but overall it was GOOD.

The Tiny Restaurant Wonder

Allow me to introduce a restaurant wonder...

Consider it the 8th wonder of the world because after eating all these:

Banchan

Japanese Roll

Dumplings

Noodle with Fish Cakes

Beef Stew Soup

Vegetable Bibimbap

our bill only amounted to 15,000won or 570php!!!

The food was authentic aside from being dirt cheap. Easily the tastiest, most affordable meal I've had in my life.

Wish I could point everyone to the right direction but I have no clue how we got there. All I remember is that it's near Changdeokgung Palace and we passed by this street:

HAPPY HUNTING!

Korean Food at Ara

Ever since the Kashmir failure, I've been apprehensive to try any restaurant Murtle recommends.

I believe in second chances lol though and decided to give Ara, a Korean restaurant Murtle frequents a try.

Ara can seat a ton of people so securing a private room for our group was not a problem.

 Private Area

We Are Ready

Free Appetizers

I prefer Ye Dang's appetizer spread.

Beef Sashimi

Fresh and  tasty. Not for everyone though.

Jap Chae

I loved the consistency of the noodles.

Beef Ribs

Very flavorful. Too bad it arrived on our table a bit cold.

Pork Ribs

Again, a bit cold when  it arrived but flavors were wonderful and meat was tender.

Accommodating Server Who Cut All Our Meat Orders

Bibimbap

More vegetables than meat so I didn't care for this.

Free Dessert

Cold food notwithstanding, Murtle got it right recommending Ara for an enjoyable, reasonably priced Korean experience.

Our friend Norbert also made everyone happy at the end of the evening by announcing that dinner's on him as a VERY late birthday treat. 

Thanks Norbert!

Ara Korean Restaurant is located at 7232 Malugay St. Bel-Air. Makati. For more information, contact 8171206.

Ye Dang Minority

I’ve heard from a lot of people that Ye Dang offers good Korean food. Since its location is not really convenient to where I live, it was only recently that I was finally able to try this popular Korean restaurant in Ortigas.

Overall Look of Ye Dang

The meal started with free appetizers:

We were very hungry so I didn’t have time to take individual pictures of the appetizers. Some were good (vegetable pancakes, potatoes) but I was disappointed with the dilis as it was not as sweet and crunchy as I would have liked it to be.



Taegi Kalbi or Grilled Pork Spare Ribs (250php)

Tough to chew as it was overcooked. It was as if we were eating rubber. Such a waste as the flavors were good.

Dak-Kui or Grilled Chicken (250php)

The chicken thankfully turned out tender and had a distinct Korean taste which everyone in the table loved.

Yukgaejang or Soup of Chopped Beef w/ Various Condiments (250php)

Too spicy though we already requested for the kitchen to temper the spice level. Didn’t enjoy this at all.



Japchae or Noodle with Chopsuey (300php)

 Japchae is my favourite Korean dish and I loved the consistency of Ye Dang’s noodles. It was, however, lacking in flavor and just had a few meat pieces.



Ojing-o Bokkum or Spicy Pan Fried Squid with Vegetables (300php)

 The dish I loved the most. Squid was very fresh and the spice level was perfect.




Bolsot Bibimbap or Vegetable Hash Rice in Hot Stone Bowl (250php)

Last minute order which proved to be another favorite. Make sure to wait a few seconds before mixing the rice with the vegetables as the tutong (burnt rice) was to die for.

While Ye Dang had winners, my best bet for Korean food is still Korean Village in Malate.

Diners should also be careful as my table companions had trouble sleeping after eating at Ye Dang. They coughed non-stop later that night and suspected that the food served at Ye Dang had too much MSG.

Yedang Korean BBQ Restaurant is located at 88 Meralco Ave., Pasig City. For more information call 636-1461.