Overview
On a hunt for the finest chimaek in Seoul's university district, our guide made the prediction that Korea will soon overtake Japan as the hot new destination for travellers. If his ability to sniff out the foolproof combo of fried chicken and beer is anything to go by, he'll be bang on. The Korean capital is already positively thriving; the nightlife has no bounds, the food can be as glorious or as oddball as you desire, and there's an entire museum dedicated to the human digestive system. Veering away from the beaten path and usual tourist gaff, this is a less obvious guide to Seoul.
Thalesego
EAT AND DRINK
A base in Myeong-dong will open you up to an array of shopping pleasures — whether you're in the market for either apparel or food. Come for the food. Literally translating to 'bright lights district', the suburb is an assault on the senses after dark. Here you'll witness video game competitions held on the back of trucks, multiple offers for free face cream, oversized mascots promoting local cat cafés and smoke-engulfed food carts shifting things you've never imagined on a stick. You can find culture-clash delights like perfectly cube-shaped ice cream, hand-sized dumplings, whole squid on a stick, lobster tails and cheese-filled everything. The summer humidity is outrageous to be chowing down on fiery ddeokgalbi meatballs, but you can find quick relief inside any of the air-conditioned stores or by grabbing an insanely refreshing cold drip green tea.
The neighbourhood will also open you up to sit-down restaurants like Kyoja. The establishment is so popular with locals that they were forced to open another one around the corner. Both are well-known for their queues, and by 11.30am there was already a line down the stairs and out the door. There are only four items on the menu, though the main attraction is the knife-cut noodles that come with gyoza dumplings in a rich meaty soup. My table-mate interrupted mid-slurp to proclaim that Kyoja is her favourite place due to the endless supply of kimchi, broth and noodles for no extra charge. Key advice.
Korean cuisine is best enjoyed in a group — some traditional eateries won't actually serve solo diners, as I discovered. This is where a small group Korean food tour comes in handy. Korean barbecue is a staple to try in the motherland. At your very own grill you'll be supplied with the sliced meat of your choice and an entire table's worth of accompaniments: bean paste, woodear mushrooms, tofu, kimchi, daikon and charcoal-smoked rice. We learned from our guide that the aim is to wrap up small portions of meat in leaves to create a one-bite morsel. The combination of sides is also entirely in the hands of the diner.
The royal rice cake soup is another traditional favourite. The cylindrical rice cakes have an addictive chewy texture and can be found on nearly every menu. In the royal soup — traditionally eaten to mark the new year — they come in a deep pan with noodles, vegetables and a piping hot broth made from unexpected ingredients like apple, kiwi, lemon and pear. Heartwarming soul food — if you can pick anything up with the stainless steel chopsticks.
A visit to Seoul wouldn't be complete without experiencing chimaek. When it comes to the Korean marriage of fried chicken and beer every establishment has their own different style. With plastic meal recreations outside nearly every restaurant, the biggest dilemma is choosing where to feast. On Seoul's very own chicken and beer crawl, we sampled three generations of the chimaek craze, all spanning different stages of the '90s. With a self-proclaimed "chimaek god", we visited a classic student joint offering potato starch-coated fried chicken with cinnamon and five spice, a sticky variation doused in "yum yum" sauce, and the highly potent stewed garlic. Onward, there was a snapshot of "millennial chimaek" movement at Hongdae's military-themed eatery The Flying Chicken. The progressive eatery hawks fried chicken submerged in mozzarella. Perfect drinking food.
You won't find craft beer on a chimaek experience; hopped-up brews apparently weaken the flavour of the chicken. Drinking games are a rite of passage with any meal, especially when soju is involved — be sure to ask about Titanic and Sweet Before Bitter.
Jirka Matousek
SEE AND DO
While most visitors would make the day-long journey to catch a glimpse of the border, there's more than enough to tick off in the inner city. The underground rail system is a convenient and easy way to get around the suburbs. Alternatively, an overground hop-on hop-off bus tour will give you an idea of the real spread of the city. In the comfort of air conditioning you'll witness stacked houses established after the Korea war to the lavish Gangnam neighbourhood which is likened to a miniature New York.
It will also lead you to treasures like the Norianygi Fish Market. The age-old fish market is in the middle of an evolution, currently split between a weathered warehouse and a shiny three-story complex that they call the biggest fish market in the nation. A visit to either is an intriguing intro to the seafood industry, likely to put some off eating fish — whether it be the 1000s of crabs in tanks, giant octopi on ice or mysterious squirming buckets. You can sample live squid sashimi that will fight until the very end and witness the catch of your choice being speared and sliced before your eyes. Fish brokers are on hand and will lead you and your freshly purchased fish to a restaurant to enjoy the goods as fresh as possible.
For something more playful, there's the infamous Poopoo Land. Located in the art and antique district, Insadong, the attraction is a museum dedicated to the science of the human digestive system. It's the epitome of weird and wonderful Korea. Before entering the building you'll be welcomed by overhanging buttocks and an entry fart door buzzer. From there, it only gets weirder as you make your way through the museum as the life of a poo. To a soundtrack of flatulence, you navigate narrow corridors filled with swiss balls, pitch black rooms with swinging bollards, and hundreds of elastic bands stretched from wall to wall — all before hurtling down the exit slide and posing with a toilet. The journey can take anywhere between 15 to 40 minutes if you intend on reading all the facts.
Ha Jeong Jeong
Come nightfall, Hongdae is the place to rub shoulder with the young and reckless. The student suburb comes to life after dark with openair markets, pavement loitering and a specially-curated buskers program that attracts a brood of hungry fans. On any given night you'll find K pop groups competing with rappers and acoustic soloists — all side by side in one brilliant mash of noise. To make your own racket, head to luxury karaoke spot Noraebang which overlooks the bursting streets below.