Hunting for the Affordable Value-for-Money Seoul Food

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I spent a weekend in Seoul in collaboration with CheapTickets.sg and Korea Tourism Organization. They gave me one task to complete: to explore the affordable, value-for-money restaurants in Seoul, as listed by Michelin Bib Gourmand 2017.

I was in Seoul for a very short time – three days, well… 2.5 days if you count the travel time and getting to/from the Incheon Airport. Even though there was not much time, fret not – I still managed to squeeze in enough time to visit four of the 2017 Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurants!

What is Michelin Bib Gourmand?

Like most people, I have the preconception that Michelin restaurants are expensive and out of my price range. Well, turns out there is a category for someone like me – someone who loves cheap food without sacrificing quality.

Bib Gourmand is a Michelin award given to establishments that have successfully offered high quality dishes at affordable prices – in short, these establishment are real value for money. In Seoul’s this means these eateries serve dishes that are less than ₩35,000 (US$30 or S$42) – very affordable for an expensive city like Seoul. If you are curious which restaurants made the list, here is their full selection for 2017. You can also check out CheapTickets.sg recommended list with pictures and tips for each restaurant!.

1. Myeongdong Kyoja 명동교자

We landed bright and early in Seoul via a red eye Korean Air flight. Thankfully CheapTickets had put us up in a centrally-located hotel in Myeongdong called Solaria Nishitetsu Hotel, directly opposite of Myeongdong Kyoja. When I say opposite, it wasn’t even across a street… it was across an alley. With such proximity to the hotel, of course our first order of business had to be visiting this place.

It really did pay off to come early. We arrived at 11:00AM, and the restaurant was already pretty full but the waiter managed to squeeze us in. We were immediately seated on a table for two in the corner. By the time we left at around 11:40AM, a line had formed outside of the restaurant. So if you want to come here, avoid popular meal times!

Simple interior of Myeongdong Kyoja

Most restaurants in Korea specialize in only 1 or 2 dishes. True to Korean spirit, Myeongdong Kyoja has a very thin menu – they literally have only four dishes in there, and one of them is seasonal. These dishes are: Kalguksu (handmade noodle soup), Mandu (dumplings), Bibimguksu (spicy wheat noodle) and Kongguksu (bean noodles for summer only).

Our food could barely fit the table…

I would recommend to… well, order everything in the menu since there aren’t much variety and you can share with your meal companion. Two of the noodle dishes plus an order of Mandu was just enough for 2 people. But if you’re eating by yourself, I recommend getting the Mandu and Kalguksu.

Bibimguksu – Spicy Buckwheat Noodles

Kalguksu

The famous Myeongdong Kyoja

What’s inside the Mandu / Kyoja

I have a soft spot for dumplings and these Mandus really hit the spot for me. I loved the ratio of meat to vegetable, and the hint of sesame oil which gives the dumplings that unique “korean” taste. The Kalguksu noodle is very unassuming and it looks quite plain, but packs a punch! The handmade noodle has that perfect slippery bouncy texture and the broth is very flavorful. I also liked the Bibimguksu but it may not be for everyone as it is quite spicy.

Another thing to note is their kimchi, which comes as part of the complementary banchan (korean side dishes). It is seriously the spiciest kimchi I’ve had among all four restaurants. If you like them, you can ask for more at no cost.

Total Damage: ₩26000 (S$31 or US$23) for 2 at lunch time

How to get there
Directly across Solaria Nishitetsu Hotel
Nearest Station: Myeongdong station on Line 4 (Blue)

2. Arirang Restaurant 아리랑

Arirang is located within walking distance from Myeongdong shopping street, next to Crown Park Hotel. We came here for a late-ish dinner around 8:30PM (after passing out for a long nap… the red eye flight really took a toll on us) and was pleasantly surprised to find no wait time at the restaurant.

Banchan Spread!

Thin-sliced marbled beef

Ox tongue over charcoal grill

Prime Rib Food Porn complete with flame burst

Seafood Pancake all cut up for my consumption

We ordered a portion of double-sized prime ribs (200g), thin-sliced marbled beef (150g) and ox tongue (140g) and an order of Korean seafood pancake to be shared between the two of us.

Overall, I loved the food and the very attentive waiters. The meat cuts we received was superb, especially the prime ribs. The seafood pancake was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Our table was tended to by a very friendly ahjuma (korean middle aged lady) who spoke limited english but would eagerly show us how to enjoy each cut of the meat we ordered (with which pickled vegetable, with what sauce, etc). When we were served the pancake, which needed to be cut, she came running to our table and scissor-cut them for us in our individual plates. A+ for the high quality of service and meat cuts!

But let me be honest here – perhaps it’s just me not knowing how much these things should cost, but I thought this restaurant was very expensive. All the items we ordered, plus a small bottle of Bokbunja raspberry wine (the one that is commonly sold in all Korean restaurants) and two cups of barley teas came out to be a total of S$250 (US$177) o_o. I am not sure if I would come back with these prices, because I can’t afford them! It might be a better idea (cheaper) to come here at lunch instead, as they would probably have a more economically friendly set lunch.

Total Damage: ₩201000 (S$250 or US$177) for 2 at dinner time

How to get there
Next to Crown Park Hotel
Nearest Station: Euljiro-1-ga station on Line 2 (Green)

3. Hanilkwan 한일관

Hanilkwan is a traditional Korean restaurant located south of the Han River, in what feels like a more upscale, cleaner part of Seoul. It’s been around since 1939 and has survived the Korean war. The location is pretty close to Garusu-gil and Gangnam area, in a very nice building, and when we came for lunch there were expensive cars parked outside and people dressed up in dress shirts, heels and Hanbok (korean traditional wear). I did read online that most patrons come here when for special occasions such as a birthday or graduation.

Minimalist Decor of Hanilkwan

The menu was a bit confusing for me here – there was a lady who spoke a little bit of english, but we still didn’t quite get the difference between the set menu and a la carte menu because they both seem to come with extra dishes. In the end, we ordered a la carte – the marinated grill beef ribs and bulgogi (korean beef barbecue), each came with a choice of ‘tang’ aka soup – we opted to get dumpling soup and doenjang-chigae (fermented soybean soup).

The appetizers – pumpkin soup, and some noodle salads

I personally loved the grilled ribs. Both dishes came in sizzling hot metal bowls, which took some time to “cook”. We left the meat to simmer for a few minutes and the grilled beef came out with a nice burnt part on it – I love that part! The doenjang-chigae also had a delicious, strong flavor to it.

Our main dishes with the accompanying soups

The a la carte dishes come with a selection of banchan side dishes like porridge and salad. I especially loved the spicy oyster side dish, which contains fresh oysters in spicy gochujang sauce. It was a nice surprise since I did not expect to have such juicy fresh oysters (I love oysters!).

Total Damage: ₩86000 (S$103 or US$76) for 2 at lunch time

How to get there
Nearest Station: Apgujeong station on Line 3 (Brown)

4. Yukjeon Hoekwan 역전회관

Yukjeon Hoekwan is located on the west part of Seoul, closer to Hongik and Ewha university. The area seems like more of a business district (with tall buildings) and when we visited on Sunday for lunch, most shops seem to be closed.

Michelin Bib Gourmand Banner outside Yukjeon Hoekwan

The restaurant was located in an unassuming row of 2-story shops. When we came in, we were immediately seated and shown a menu, which is also very lean with only a few dishes on it. It’s pretty obvious their special dish is Bassak Bulgogi. Bassak means “dry”, and sure enough, this Bassak Bulgogi is a very dry dish – a contrast from the other Bulgogi dishes i’ve had, which tend to be more “wet” with slight broth. You eat the meat wrapped in lettuce, or in this restaurant, wrapped in Korean perilla leaf.

So happy and ready to eat!!

We sat next to two korean couples – our table was pretty much neck-to-neck to each other, save the 1-2 inches space between the table, so we can see what they were doing and sort of just copied how they eat. We saw that they wrapped the bulgogi in the perilla leaf with rice, garlic, and some kimchi so we copied them, and experimented to our taste along the way by wrapping them with different combinations of banchan.

I really really enjoyed Bassak Bulgogi. By itself, I loved the crispy texture of the Bulgogi. But wrapped in the fragrant perilla leaf with rice, raw garlic, gochujang paste and kimchi – it makes for a very flavorful feast with every bite and also a different experience. I ate a bit too much raw garlic by the end of it that I could still smell garlic in my breath well until midnight, but it was all worth it!

Bassak Bulgogi with garlic, rice and kimchi

The spread with Bossam in the middle. I love how the cutlery is always hidden in a drawer in Korean restaurants!

And because we were hungry we also ordered a portion of Bossam (boiled pork wrap). When we got to the Bossam though, we were at loss of what to do, staring and poking and the slices of boiled pork with our chopsticks. Seeing this, the guy next to us immediately stepped in to help and let us know (in limited english) how to eat the dish, which was to wrap the pork in salted cabbage, add the pickled vegetable and some chili sauce. His lady companion even helped us cut pieces of the vegetable with scissors when we found that it was too big for us! Such friendly people :D

Total Damage: ₩64000 (S$76 or US$56) for 2 at lunch time

How to get there
Nearest Station: Mapo or Gongdeok station on Line 5 (Purple)

Final Words

Out of the four restaurants we tried, my favorites are actually the cheapest ones – I love Myeongdong Kyoja because I have a soft spot for dumplings, and Yukjeon Hoekwan because the Bassak Bulgogi was a quite memorable dish. I feel that these two places truly embodied the value-for-money spirit Bib Gourmand is promoting. I definitely would come back again for these two next time I am in Seoul!

And that’s all the restaurants I managed to visit on this trip! Have you tried any other Michelin Bib Gourman restaurants from the list? Which one would you recommend?

Lastly, if this post has inspired you to visit South Korea, be sure to check out CheapTickets.sg for travel deals including a $30 off coupon for return flights from Singapore!