Myeongdong Gogung 고궁 (古宮) Restaurant Review

Myeongdong Gogung 고궁 (古宮) is a restaurant in Seoul famous for its jeonju bibimbap 전주비빔밥. Because of all the good reviews, I came here for lunch after a morning visit to N Seoul Tower.

The restaurant itself isn't too hard to find, but it's nestled away from the hustle and bustle that is the middle of Myeongdong.

Myeongdong Gogung Restaurant

I ordered dolsot bibimbap instead of the jeonju bibimbap because I wanted something hot. However, as it goes with most Korean food I've eaten while there, the temperature wasn't as hot as I would have liked it to be. I also ordered pajeon and japchae, both of which were delicious. All the food came in huge bowls, but the actual amount of food was not that much. I guess I'm too used to Texas-sized portions!

Myeongdong Gogung dolsot bibimbap 

Myeongdong Gyoja 명동교자 Restaurant Review

Myeongdong Gyoja is a restaurant in Myeongdong known for its kalguksu (knife sliced noodles 칼국수). This place is so popular, there are actually 2 branches in Myeondong within 90 meters of one another.

Myeongdong Gyoja map

I went to branch no. 1, the one across from Missha, on a Thursday night and the place was jam packed. I'm not sure if I was being overly sensitive, but I noticed that when the host realized I was a foreigner, I was escorted upstairs. The restaurant is pretty small on the inside, with the tables crammed closely together, but everything looked fairly clean.

Inside Myeongdong Gyoja

As soon as you sit down, a waitress comes to take your order. Staying true to my online research at wingbus, I ordered kalguksu (knife sliced noodle soup 칼국수), bibimguksu (cold noodles with sauce 비빔국수), and mandu (steamed dumplings 만두). Everything is served with a small bowl of rice and their specially made kimchi. You can ask for free refills for both, but the ajummas are quite vigilant and refill your kimchi almost as soon as you finish.

Kimchi at Myeongdong Gyoja

Now, this was no ordinary kimchi. It looks like a small, innocent lump of fermented goodness, but the kimchi at Myeongdong Gyoja was like a hot fireball fuming with garlic gas. It was seriously spicy, yet strangely addictive. I had three refills before my nose started running non-stop from the heat. 
 
I didn't wait long at all for my food to come:

Jirisan Restaurant 지리산 (智異山) Review

Jirisan Restaurant 지리산 (智異山) in Insadong 인사동 (仁寺洞) is known for its good, traditional Korean food. It got lots of good reviews on blogs and on wingbus, so before I left for Korea, I made my mind to dine here.

However, it can be a little confusing to find. As you enter Insadong-gil, walk down a bit and look to your left for this street sign. You can see Jirisan at the bottom right corner.

Insadong street sign

Follow the sign and walk down the narrow alley. It will look something like this:

Walking through Insadong alleys to Jirisan

Walk all the way down and if you see this sign, you are on the right path:

Jirisan Restaurant sign

Make a left and you should see Jirisan Restaurant on your right. Getting closer!

Jirisan Restaurant

The outside of Jirisan looks like a traditional wooden building. There is a huge menu on one of the walls and some trees in the yard.

Outside Jirisan

The Second Best in Seoul 서울서 둘째로 잘하는집 Review

My travel guidebook could not stop raving about this must-eat place, so I decided I had to give it a try. The Second Best in Seoul (Seoureseo Duljjaero Jalhaneunjip 서울서 둘째로 잘하는집) is known for its velvety patjuk (red bean soup 팥죽 紅豆粥).

After walking around Samcheongdong, I arrived at this little hole in the wall place. It looked small on the outside and felt even smaller on the inside.

The Second Best in Seoul

The owner speaks Chinese, which came in handy when I ordered some patjuk and shigye (cold sweet rice drink 식혜). Unfortunately, they did not live up to the hype.

Shigye (left) and Patjuk (right)

Patjuk at The Second Best in Seoul

They came in small bowls and cost 9500 won total. The patjuk was topped with cinnamon, chestnuts, and moji. It had a nice texture, but the red bean juk itself was too sweet. As far as the shigye goes, I have nothing good to say about it. It tasted light, but it was not what I was expecting at all. I don't think I will be visiting this place a second time nor do I think it lives up to its name as the "second best" in Seoul. The patjuk definitely isn't worth a making a special trip to try, but other people must love it because I wasn't the only customer at the restaurant and it got some good reviews at wingbus.

For more information if you're interested: 

The Second Best in Seoul (Seoureseo Duljjaero Jalhaneunjip 서울서 둘째로 잘하는집)
Address: South Korea Seoul Jongno-gu Samcheong-dong 28-21 서울시 종로구 삼청동 28-21
Telephone: 02-734-5302
Hours: 11:00 AM to 8:00 PM
Budget: < 10,000 won
Top Menu Items: patjuk (red bean porridge 단팥죽) 5,500 won; shigye (sweet rice drink 식혜) 4,000 won
Directions: Go out of Exit 1 of Anguk Station (Line 3). Take a taxi to KBI (KOREA BANKING INSTITUTE). It usually costs only the basic fare of 3000 won, but it could vary if there is traffic. Alternatively, you can walk for 30 minutes from Anguk Station.