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.

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.

This is one of the most famous sashimi places in Seoul. Their specialty is bangeo (yellowtail fish), which is in season during the winter and is caught in Jeju (especially near Moseulpo). During the winter, the bangeo is at its largest. The larger the fish is, the better it tastes and if it weighs more than 5kg, it’s considered to be big. Bangeo has a lot of fat and thicker slices are chewier with a thicker consistency. Like tuna, each part of the fish tastes different. The best way to eat it is to dip a slice of bangeo sashimi in sesame oil, wrap it in a piece of dried seaweed and add kimchi. It’s quite common in Jeju to have bangeo with kimchi and top it off with a shot of Hallasan soju. Beware, the line to get in is out the door by 5pm. They don’t take reservations so make sure you arrive there before 6pm.