Namdaemun Market
I hope that you guys can put up with me, as this will be my last post about Korea…Hopefully, this info will be useful to you guys, when you go over to Seoul.
Besides the Dongdaemun Markets, one of the places to visit in Seoul Korea, is Namdaemun Market.
The market is located next to Namdaemun, which means “Great South Gate,” and was the main southern gate to the old city. The location of the market is within a 10 minute walk from Seoul metropolitan station and is even closer to the subway (Hoehyeon Station, Line 4).
Namdaemun market is the largest and the oldest in Korea, and therefore you can find particularly everything here. From Luggage bags to pots and pans, this is the place where Koreans buy their daily necessities.
Parents will also find this place interesting, as this is the place where you can buy cheap clothes for your children. Yes!!! Lots of children’s clothes and shoes as well!
Being a wholesale market, this is the place to be if you are looking for affordable prices. However, as it was winter, there were not many choices for us! (If you are looking for children’s toys in Korea, head down to Dongdaemun Market)
Besides the clothes and homeware that you can find, you can also find lots of street food there.
Street food seems even more tasty in winter, as it is so cold, and the food really warms you up.
Don’t know what the hot meat is called, but it looks like “Dog meat” to me! 🙂 Jiahui loves beef, and therefore she really enjoyed the hamburger meat.
The locals seem to really love their waffles as well! We saw a lot of kids eating these waffles, as they were walking along the streets. We bought this waffle with chocolate topping at the nearby Metro (MRT) station.
One of the best food places that I visited, was this Korean Restaurant which sold Fried Chicken (Called Tongdak). I am a real lover of KFC, and therefore we really went out of way to find the restaurant. Besides Tongdak, the restaurant is also famous for Samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup).
The YeongYang Centre is situated in Myeong dong and it was established in 1960. As it is highly recommended by the locals, it was a “Must Try” restaurant for us!
We followed the directions from the website, but unfortunately we could not find the restaurant!
-Open: 10:30 am ~ 10:00 pm daily
-Closed: Chinese New Year’s holidays, Chuseok holidays
-Telephone: 02-776-2015
-Menu: Tongdak 12,000, Samgyetang 12,000
-How to Get There: From Exit 5 of Myeongdong Station (Subway Line No. 4), walk about 50 meters along Myeongdong-daero to the first intersection (near Pascucci coffee shop). Turn left and walk about 50 meters. The restaurant is next to Kaist optician’s.
We left frustrated and we went to another restaurant instead. The next day, we came back to the Myeong Dong, and this time round, though a divine stroke of luck, we found it!
It is only then that we realized that the restaurant had shifted and it was now situated about 100m away, in another alley. We were only able to find it, as they had employed guides to bring customers to the new location!
Was it worth the search?
Well, I love chicken and my wife loves soup, so it was definitely worth it!
If u are tired of eating the other local food like Kimchi and Bim Bim Bug, then give this restaurant a try!
They also serve a local favourite, where they have Ginseng Chicken Soup. The dish is a little different from the local ones found in Singapore, as rice is found within the chicken! Give this dish a try, especially during winter, as the soup really warms you up!