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.

You can guarantee yourself a decent pot of kimchi jjigae, or kimchi stew, if you have decent kimchi to put in the stew. But if you’re out to create really good kimchi jjigae, there’s no limit to how far you can go. Eunjujeong is a restaurant that kimchi jjigae aficionados revere as sacred. It’s fairly difficult to find, tucked away as though hidden in the alleys of Bangsan Market. Despite this there’s a long line of patrons waiting for a taste of the savory stew. Eunjujeong kimchi jjigae has an addictive quality, and once you’ve tasted it you can never go back. It’s easy to see why the owner talks of first-time patrons and their return—they’re always bringing in some new patron. It seems 30 years of serving stew in the same location paid off; somehow Eunjujeong seems to have hit upon the optimum ratio of sweet to sour in its broth. The thick slabs of meat certainly don’t hurt, and the generous portions of vegetables provided to wrap the meat in aren’t unwelcome, either. At lunchtime the restaurant does just kimchijjigae; at dinnertime the star is samgyeopsal (grilled pork belly), with kimchi jjigae as the sidekick.

Listed on the 2017 Michelin guide, Ryunique is undoubtedly one of the best French fine dining restaurants in Seoul. Headed by chef Ryu Tae-Hwan, Ryunique offers one-of-a-kind menu items that showcase an impressive level of creativity in a refined manner. Bistro Normal by Ryunique located in Sinsa-dong is Ryu's second venture. While the atmosphere of the restaurant is definitely more casual than Ryunique with only five tables, the restaurant is far from typical. Far from “normal”, Chef Ryu’s distinct culinary style and attention to detail were clearly evident in the food, especially in the ten-course dinner tasting menu. The course starts off with the shrimp guacamole wrapped in rice paper as the amuse-bouche, then continues with a tomato salad with cucumber dressing and pumpkin cream soup as the appetizers. For the main entrees, you can choose from a roasted duck that has been aged thirty days, chicken or fish. The combination of ingredients made for a special tasting experience that may as well have been considered fine dining. Whereas Ryunique offers a course-only menu, at least you have the option to order a la carte at Normal. If you were ever curious about Chef Ryu Tae-Hwan’s culinary style but unwilling to spend the extravagant costs, the Bistro Normal by Ryunique may be well worth a visit.