Hello from Seoul!
Have you had difficulties looking for vegan or vegetarian food in Seoul? Today, I will show you a place that serves Korean vegan/vegetarian food!
What we are going to eat today is called 한정식(Hanjeongsik), which is a traditional Korean multi-course meal! Even if you are not a big fan of vegan food, you will love it!
Where to Eat
The name of this restaurant is 채근담( Chae-geun-daam ). It has two branches in Seoul. We came to the one right next to the Yeoksam station (역삼역) because it is easy to access for you guys. FYI, it is located in the basement of Gangnam finance center and the detailed address is on the bottom of this page.
The Price
We ordered 선 정식(Sun-Jeong)! It costs $58 per person and as I know, it was chosen by Michelin guide many times in the past.
What is Unique Here?
Since this place serves vegan food, they try to put less seasoning and spices so you can enjoy the natural flavor of ingredients. What is interesting here is that they use seasonal vegetables for their food so it is good to remember that the food may be served a little differently from what is on the menu. Also, the English menu is ready, so it will be very convenient for you guys!
+Kimchi(김치)
Korean food is well known for healthy food because it has plenty of veggies, but it is true that there are not many options for vegans or vegetarians in Seoul. At first glance, It seems many Korean foods are vegetarian food but it is not true at all.
For example, Kimchi looks like vegan food, but most of them have fish sauce in it. However, this place completely serves food for vegans so you don’t have to worry about it!
+Japchae(잡채)
Normally good Korean multi-course meal restaurants have very delicious Japchae, glass noodles stir-fried with vegetables, so when I consider that restaurant is good or not, the first thing I taste is this Japchae.
Here is the good news! This place’s Japchae is incredible. How is it possible to make Japchae delicious without beef? I cannot even feel lots of seasoning. It is so mysterious.
+Water Kimchi(물김치)
There are more than 300 kinds of Kimchi, and one of my favorite is this water Kimchi.
They use a lot of fruits instead of fish sauce, so it is way cleaner and delicate! Thanks to this, I don’t think I need any soda.
+Korean Pancakes(전)
Look at this beautiful Korean pancakes. I don’t want to ruin it! There is even a little bit of honey on the flower. It looks like dew on the flower.
+Ginseng(인삼)
The most impressive part of this restaurant is that they serve ginseng! Can you believe that? You can tell it is a very good quality of ginseng!
Let me tell you how to eat. You are supposed to eat entire ginseng from the roots to the leaves, so roll it and you need to dip it into the honey here! It is bitter but it is definitely good for your health and I think the bitter taste stimulates my appetite!
+Vegetable Sushi (스시)
They also provide sushi but not the usual one. Normally, we consider sushi is the raw fish on top of the rice but the sushi here is not what you think.
To be honest, I had a low expectation for these because there are veggies on it, but all of them taste amazing. I really like them!
+Grilled Wild Pine Mushrooms(송이구이)
Now, it is time for the main dish! I can say this mushroom is the finest ingredient in Korea. It is usually more expensive than Hanwoo (한우, top-quality Korean beef).
I would say there is no way to explain the scent and the flavor of this mushroom. You must try this!
+Rice with Soybean Paste Stew(된장찌개)
This stew is also different from the one that we normally have at Korean BBQ places. I mean it is not too salty or too spicy.
It brings natural flavors of each ingredient, so I can say it is so fresh and clean.
+Dutteop Tteok(두텁떡) & Cinamon Punch(수정과)
This time, let’s have desserts. Dutteop Tteok and Cinamon punch are served as desserts. This Dutteop Tteok is considered as the king’s rice cake because the process of making this is quite complicated.
Therefore, it is a very fancy dessert. It contains 유자(Yuja), which is one of Korean citrus, some nuts and red bean paste in it, so it is very sweet and tangy!
This traditional cinnamon punch(수정과, Sujeonggwa) is one of the traditional beverages in Korea and you might have Sikhye(식혜, Korean sweet rice punch) but this could be not familiar.
As its name, it is a sweet punch that has a cinnamon flavor. I think this is a very good finisher for this course meal!
Today, we showed you a vegan multi-course meal and I hope this video can help you. Even if you are not a vegetarian, if you want to experience Korean traditional course meal, this can be a good option for you!
For Your Information…
They also have “NOT vegetarian course”, so you can still have a course meal with some meat in it. It is also highly recommended!
Alright, this is for today, and we will see you next time!
o Chaegeundaam 채근담
– Address: B1, 152, Teheran-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea 서울특별시 강남구 테헤란로 152 (역삼동, 강남 파이낸스 센터)
o We had…
– Sun Jeong(선정) : $58.00 / person
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