Samsami-ne 삼삼이네 in Sangsu/Hongdae (상수/홍대)

A good, cosy barbecue place with lots of personality.

Please, please SHUT THE BLOODY DOOR BEHIND YOU.

Samsami-ne is a Korean barbecue joint near Sangsu station, which in turn isn't too far from Hongik University station. This is my number one favourite barbecue place in Seoul for a few reasons.

1. The meat is delicious and the method of cooking is my favourite for barbecue (titled drip tray)
2. The price is great. Meat for 7,500원/150g, fried rice for 2,000원, soup for 1,000원 and more for less! Sides are self service after the first lot is given to you. Pay an extra 2000원 for lettuce and sesame leaves (enough for two people)
3. The all female staff are sassy in the best and warmest way. They're no nonsense but kind hearted and professional. If you prove yourself to be unworthy of meat cooking, they will let you know and take over - they want you to have the tastiest meat!
4. The atmosphere is great. Writing on the wall and long rows of tables give it a community feeling.

T.O.P. bridges the gap in style.

Sizzle sizzle...

Getting the rice all crispy like. Yummedy yum.

Ready for the first step in the digestive adventure.

You've GOTTA go here!

bellyQUEST

How to get there: From Sangsu station exit 1, walk straight and turn right when you reach the big wide part-pedestrianised road leading to Hongik University. Walk up there and you will find this restaurant on the left hand side. It tends to just pop out of nowhere, so keep your eyes open!

Manbbo 만뽀 Sangsu 상수

Cosy and warm Japanese restaurant

ManBbo is a Japanese restaurant near to Sangsu station. The menu is big and the staff are accommodating, helpful and chatty. 

I ordered the Gyudong, which is rice and meat with vegetables, tempura and egg. This came in at 8000원 which is great. Other offerings are the pork cutlet, Japanese ramen, seafood soup, and many more. They're all reasonably priced. If there's a group of you  (or if you're just feeling hungry) then you can go for one of the bigger dishes. They also have a few fried chicken options, but those are more suited to groups rather than a solo man on a bellyQUEST.

It came to me in a wooden lunch box which was a nice touch.

With miso soup, kimchi and a slice of sour radish.

Pickled onions, egg, hot peppers, mushrooms and onions complete it.

You can mix it all up and gobble it all down (and enjoy it at the same time). It might seem obvious and something that you can't go wrong with... but the rice here was really good. The whole dish was really tasty and I left with a belly that was pleased with my choice of dinner.

Mixy mixy SMASHY SMASHY

Let me know in the comments if you enjoyed it as much as I did!


감사합니다 for reading,


bellyQUEST


How to get there: Sangsu Station Exit 1. Walk back on yourself out of the station and turn the corner on the left. Just after the turn there will be a little alleyway on your left. Follow it around and look for the first picture of this post. Voila and enjoy.

Tosokchon 토속촌

A whole chicken, just for YOU!

Pretty.

Tosokchon (토속촌) is a restaurant near Gyeongbokgung Palace in Jongno, Seoul. Here, they serve up one thing only, the Samgyetang (삼계탕), which is a typical summer soup. It consists of a whole small chicken stuffed with rice, ginseng and a jujube, bathing in a broth which has been boiled for many hours, and is full of medicinal herbs and spices. It might seem strange that something so hot is eaten in the summer (Where's the ice cream!?) but it is supposedly so that you can replenish the good vitamins you lose in a summer sweat.

All that's missing for this chicken is some candles and a glass of wine. Bliss.

Here, the kimchi comes spicy in little pots next to your table (help yourself) and with your dinner you will also get a small cup of ginseng alcohol. Not many can bear the taste, but give it a go!

Top tip: Once you've got a meatless bone, stick it in the metal bin on your table. If you don't do this, your bowl will quickly fill up with bones (because it is a whole chicken in case you missed that earlier) and it will be difficult to eat.

bellyQUEST

How to get there: Gyeongbokgung Station, exit 2. Go straight for 170m and turn left at the GS25 on the corner. Tada!

Red Grill at 상암동

Good burgers, reasonably priced and a nice atmosphere.

Red Grill is a cosy little restaurant in Sangam Dong, near Digital Media City station in Seoul. It's decorated like a boutique pub and they've dressed up little corners too adding to the cosiness.

The menu is basic but good, with four burgers on offer (Beef, Chicken, Bulgogi and Chilli) all priced under 10,000원. I ordered the beef burger and it came with cheese and bacon too, so watch out for that if you're not a porky or dairy person. It was well made and well tasty (not a grammatical error... British slang). On the menu are also pizzas, sausage platters and wraps.

They also have four different draft beers, priced 3000원 and up, as well as a selection of cocktails. I ordered a Bombay Tonic and delightfully it came in a big class with plenty of gin - great for 6500원.

Overall, a burger full of yum!

bellyQUEST

How to get there: Digital Media City station, exit 9. Take the first left after you walk out of the station and walk down that street. Take the fourth right (including the small alleyway like road) and Red Grill is on your left a little way up the street. Less than a five minute walk from the station.