First Taste of Korea

    Thanks to June, Kenny, Chinkuang and Yichang who came all the way to KLIA just to send us off. I shall see you guys on 23rd June at my place again.

    The plane ride was unbearably long eventhough it takes only 7 hours because it is impossible for me to get my beauty sleep. It felt very claustrophobic because I was surrounded by screaming and crying babies.

    Upon arrival at Incheon Airport, we were so happy to see Nahee and Eunji. They lead us to our first guest house which was a tragic (another ‘what you see on the webpage is different from the real thing’ case). I’m so glad that Eunji got us to Holiday@Korea Hostel which is much more better and affordable.
    Me and Hup on a cab. I couldn’t help but notice the nutty Korean-style of driving on the freeway. Getting honked is nothing unusual to the taxi drivers. The taxi drivers are so used to change lanes unexpectedly that I thought I was going to have a heart-attack. Bus drivers love to speed on their own bus lane too, they brake and accelerate unexpectedly that I have to get hold onto the pole all the time.

    Our first meal and also last meal (because it tastes soooo good) at Seoul would be this Jjim Dak place. At exit 4 – Hyehwa Station, we walked over to this place for Jjim Dak. The dish in question is a specialty of the Andong region. I promised you that this is probably the best dish you can find in Korea.

    “It’s only braised chicken afterall”. Set aside your poultry skepticism because this is a real good stuff.

    The menu list only one main dish, which is Jjim Dak. The larger portion costs 30,000 won which is about rm 120 while the smaller portion costs 22,000 won which is about rm 88.


    Nothing beats a bowl of steamy hot rice when we are abroad. Only difference is the red coloured grain. Does anyone know what is this called?

    Kimchi is an acquired taste with very tangy, potent, startling taste. Koreans have kimchi in every single meal that I have to politely swallow it down. I liking for kimchi is slowly accumulated that I nolonger find it unbearable.
    Jjim Dak is served with a bowl of acidic taste white liquid with some raddish crunch. The koreans told us that a sip of the sour cold soup could relieve spiciness and yes, it does help.

    It arrives on an enormous platter in an autumnal colour tune. Jjim Dak is a mixture of marinated chicken, glass noodles, vegetables, and spicy soy sauce. We enjoyed it immensely. The translucent glass noodles is made of sweet potatoes. Surrounding the chicken meat is a gaggle of carrots, potatoes, onions, zucchini, and dried chilies. The gravy has a perfect hint of sweetness and spiciness that goes very well with the rice.

    Two enormous plate of Jjim Dak for 10 pax resulted in food wastage. Korean Version of Sprite is also our favourite drink in Korea. It tasted and looked like Sprite but there is something special about it.

    12 Comments

    • boo_licious says:

      The chicken looks good and yes the radish is meant to relieve spiciness. Get it all the time at Bonjuk.

    • wmw says:

      Only one main dish available in this restaurant….must be very good, enough to sustain its business!

    • jason says:

      So you’re back to KL? Great that you had a nice trip there

    • "Joe" who is constantly craving says:

      i cant tahan that clear radish liquid..its like no matter how much i try to swallow..i feel like spitting it out haha rather tahan the spiciness..where was kampung boy? taking photos only isit

    • Big Boys Kitchen says:

      Cool, Korean food is always on top of my list. Very unique and refreshing.

    • Precious Pea says:

      Boo, that radish soup also made me think of..err, ermm, Bonjuk. LOL!

      Citygal, this place sounds interesting..must try if i ever go back to Korea again.

    • Xiu Long Bao says:

      LOL at ur unpleasant flying experience. I hate long hours flight too…still recall the horrible 8 hours flight to melbourne twice a year…wondered y i always fly with crying babies @_@”

    • fookiat says:

      looks nice.. glad that you’re back.. more post.. more post..

    • Tummythoz says:

      Any idea where to find this dish in KL? Is it available at any Korean restaurant here?
      How much was the guest house there? Conveniently located?

    • MeiyeN says:

      oo… looks like brown rice to me though.. my parents eat this type of rice back at home cause it’s healthy and am not too sure if it’s da same that you tastes in this rest 🙂

    • KampungboyCitygal says:

      boolicious: yeah the chicken has a very strong aftertaste..the spiciness is burning our tongue

      wmw: yeah..so envy..fuss free and yet they are earning like nobody’s business..u bring it into msia will ya?

      jason: still at iph now..enjoying my life b4 work

      joe: is it that horrible? haha..i ditched him and go there with my other frens..no la..he started working dy

      big boys kitchen: yeah..its really special and a healthy option too..

      precious pea: yeah u must go there..the chicken is to die for

      xiu long bao: yeah..and we cant like complain to the air stewardess..they are babies afterall..have to tolerate it

      fookiat: hehe sure sure..hope that the korean fd wont bored u

      tummythoz: im not really sure..i wish to try this at KL too..the 4 bed dorm costs 15000 won per head (about rm 60) per nite..yeah its just 10 min walking distance fr myeong dong, dong dae mun and nam dae moon, and 5 min walking distance from the subway station..they have free laundry free internet and free breakfast

      meiyen: yeah my family eat something like that too but the korean version is a bit sticky..it makes me confused

    • teckiee says:

      wahh like in the Korean movies! Esp the last picture.

    Leave a Reply