@chocolatesuze The abalone was insane #noryangjin #noryangjinfishmarket #seoul #koreanseafood #korea ♬ original sound – ChocolateSuze

I love visiting markets whenever I’m travelling and the Noryangin Fish Market in Seoul was high on my bucket list. I booked a tour on Klook for $180 AUD per person which is defs on the pricey side but I was worried we wouldn’t be able to communicate with vendors when purchasing seafood. Honestly next time I would chance it and use a translator app, yes the vendors do get a little pushy and try to direct you to buy from their stall but just walk faster or embrace the hustle. Our tour guide took our group quickly through the market before stopping at her preferred stall when she purchased a variety of seafood and then we were led upstairs to a restaurant who would cook our bounty.

All the seafood was of course super fresh, the raw fish sashimi plate had olive flounder, red snapper and amberjack which I loved eating on perilla leaves.

I tried a super small piece of the live octopus but probably wouldn’t eat again, I loved the perfectly cooked clams and scallops and the abalone in particular were incredibly tender.
A plate of simply grilled salmon belly with a sprinkle of salt was beautifully fatty and the restaurant used the bones and offcuts in a spicy soup with hand torn noodles. Last but not least was the abalone congee which was so deeply flavourful and rich and dessert was fresh pineapple and a pineapple sorbet.

@chocolatesuze Clam bbq #myeongdong #seoul #jogabi #clam #kbbq #korea #koreanrestaurant ♬ original sound – ChocolateSuze

So we’ve all heard of Korean bbq but I was very excited for seafood bbq at Jogabi in Myeongdong. We ordered the seafood tower for about $70 aud and luckily the staff cook for you because we would’ve hated to overcook the seafood! The tower comes with scallops, clams and a giant tairagai also known as a pen shell clam. We picked at our banchan and drank soju while everything was cooking and everything was perfectly juicy and tender. There’s also a foil tray holding molten stretchy cheese but actually the seafood was delicious just in its own juices.
I also couldn’t resist ordering the Shin Ramen filled with mussels, calamari and prawns because I’ve just become so used to having some kinda soup with my meals.

@chocolatesuze Dinner and a show! #hanmiok #seoul #koreanfood #seoulfood ♬ original sound – ChocolateSuze

I love dinner and a show so I booked the viral Hanmiok restaurant in Yeoido, where the Hanmiok set for 2-3 people was about S140AUD. Banchan arrives quickly as soon as you’re seated and then out comes the beef brisket sushi that was blow torched at the table and topped with pickled onion.

Next was the steak combo plate, the steak was surprisingly tender and marbled but the highlight is of course the Chadol Gujeolpan. The presentation is immaculate!

The thinly sliced brisket is first blowtorched before an assortment of vegetables and kimchi are added and cooked in the beef fat and then carefully arranged to the side. Then a kettle holding an egg mixture is poured in the middle where it absorbs all the juices of everything and becomes the most magical tasting omelette

Finally triangles of buckwheat noodles are placed on top and our awesome waiter Bobbae demonstrates how to take a bit of everything to create that perfect balanced bite.

We were getting pretty full but Bobbae convinced us that we had to end the meal with fried rice and we were so glad we did, he cut our leftovers into small pieces before adding the rice, spreading it out thinly in the pan and leaving it to develop a beautiful crispy crust.

Overall I loved Hapmlok, yes it’s a little pricey and gimmicky but worth it for the fun experience.