#hoehyeon

This place would probably be not in the list of the places-to-go to if you took the package tours from agencies. But if you’re an independent traveler who makes all of the planning, then you’ll probably see the Namdaemun Market in the must-see places to visit in Seoul (also known for good souvenir shopping). 

Just like the typical “tiangge” in the Philippines, there are lots of things to buy here and you can also haggle the price. I once bought a set of their utensils because I wanted to have metal chopsticks and a rice bowl, and that long spoon I see koreans use in the koreanovelas when they eat their bibimbap. Haha!

We also bought a lot of snacks such as biscuits, chocolates, dried seaweed, seafood, nuts, etc.

Food is also cheap here. Cheap doesn’t necessarily mean less quality. In this market, it just means it’s more authentic! By the taste of it, it’s more likely close to a home cooked korean meal rather than a typical restaurant-made meal. You’ll definitely get your money’s worth from the authentic snacks or meals in the area.

This is the first restaurant we tried during our first visit:

(images above are from google)

This place has an english menu but no food pictures! So, I just ordered what was familiar to me.

Unlimited kimchi (which my Mom really likes)

Gimbap

Fried Rice

Dolsot Bibimbap

Now, this is the second restaurant we tried during our second visit:

This restaurant was located on the second floor. I didn’t know the name of the place since it was written in korean and I also forgot to take a picture of the entrance. Haha! All I know is that we wanted some Korean BBQ and while walking around, we stumbled upon a poster of a Korean BBQ with an arrow stating that it is located on the second floor.

How authentic can this possibly be? Although the barbecue is not cooked with charcoals, the floor seating is the authentic part of it. It was also very warm inside compared to the winter weather outside.

Our go-to meals is always Dolsot Bibimbap and Korean barbecue:

This was the lady who took our orders, assisted us in cooking, prepared the bibimbap, and refill our lettuce and sides. She even wrapped up a lettuce and fed it to my Mom. Haha! She was also persistent in making me eat kimchi with my meal.