December's things to do

Salmon sashimi lovers, here’s one for you. Mibbeudong is famed for its tomato salmon noodles – a refreshing, cold tomato broth packed with vegetables and long strands of salmon sashimi cut lengthways to resemble noodles. If you’re a little less excited over this, another popular item on the menu here is the Mibbeudong itself, a rice moat topped with a tower of mixed sashimi, uni and ikura.

Sometimes, getting Korean food with friends can be a hassle—one person wants to get bibimbap, another wants to get meat, and yet another wants savory pancakes and makgeolli. And if you’re in Hongdae, where decent Korean food is hard to find, you may be tempted to call it a night. Enter Chawoongga, which serves individually-sized portions of Korean food on trays and has a fairly diverse menu that ranges from bulgogi to kimchi-jjim. The recipes come from the owner’s mother, Mrs. Cha, a woman well over seventy who still comes in and brings her magic to the kitchen. Her nickname was “Bear Grandmother,” which lent itself to the name of the original restaurant a few minutes away (Hongdae old-timers may recall Bear Who Eats Greens). The new restaurant is housed in a beautiful 90-year-old hanok with vintage doors and windows, and a small courtyard garden (yes, in the middle of Hongdae—it’s a miracle). With this atmosphere, it’s a wonder that they’ve been able to keep prices as reasonable as they are—many of the lunch sets are under 10,000 won.  

While restaurants housed in an impressive hanok building are easily found in Seoul, one with a beautiful garden is indeed a rarity. Seated on a hill of Buam-dong, Seokparang offers an impressive scenery letting the visitors feel as if they're far out of the city. Its name comes from Seokpajeong, the once vacation home of Heungseon Daewongun, who was the regent to King Gojong during Joseon Dynasty. With an important part of the estate relocated to its compound, Seokparang showcases authentic Korean royal cuisine including ginseng-steamed bossam (pork), neobiani (grilled beef), jeonyuhwa (seasonal flower pancakes), songitang (pine mushroom stew), eomandu (fish dumplings) and and jeonbok galbijim (steamed abalone and ribs). In fact, the recipes of these exact dishes have been passed down through palace kitchens over the years. Its Korean table d'hôte, which has catered to a number of local and international dignitaries, also includes desserts such as fried ginseng and jujubes which were only served in the dynastic courts. With a quaint and luscious garden complete with all kinds of greenery including the 150-year-old persimmon offering a gorgeous stroll, May especially is a great time to visit Seokparang, one of the city's most historic dining spaces.