Day 16: Naeng Myeon @ Lotte Department Store
When I first visited Korea many, many years ago, I as well as my mom had good memories of eating 냉면 (Naeng myeon, a cold noodle dish) at a restaurant located at the top of the Lotte Department Store. As you recall, restaurants usually occupy the top floors of department stores in Korea. Naeng myeun is probably one of the few Korean dishes that I actually really like. It uses buckwheat noodles and comes in a bowl of chill beef broth. In addition to the noodles there’s usually very thinly sliced pickled radish, beef, cucumbers, Asian pear, watermelon and an egg. I usually have it at home with only cucumbers and sometimes Asian pear. I eat it most often and almost exclusively during the summer since it’s a cold dish and it’s super refreshing to consume on a hot day. Naeng Myeon is so refreshing that Jessica from Girls’ Generation and Comedian Park Myung Soo sang a awesome duet about it. Watch it, it’s funny.^^ Having good Naeng myeon is all in the soup and it usually comes with extra vinegar and wasabi oil on the side if you want to add additional flavouring to balance it to match your tastes.
Together with my mom and aunts, we decided to go to Lotte Department Store to have the naeng myeon that left a lasting impression on us even after 20 some odd years (and to do some shopping of course!^^). We took to the main Lotte Department Store in Seoul which is in Myeong-dong. It is a huuuuge department store and to me it’s really the mecca of all department stores in Seoul. If I only had time to visit one department store or if I only had to time to go shopping at one place in Seoul, it would be here. While Shinsegae is really nice, Lotte seemed to be the standard for shopping glam and elegance. There’s a Louis Vuitton and Chanel store located at Lotte also. The shopping is pricey but like my friend says, good ain’t cheap and cheap ain’t good.^^ They do have a sales section though in various parts of the store so there may be some bargains to be had, just not the same type of Namdaemun bargains though.
After browsing through most of the floors on our way to the top, we made our way to the restaurant which unfortunately for the life of me I can’t remember the name of nor find a store directory online for it. Dah! My apologies…if I find out, possibly from my aunt, I will update the post with the info. We got there in time for a late lunch and had to wait for a table, albeit briefly before being seated. We were all set to order the naeng myeon when we found that they had a mixed meal of naeng myeon in one bowl and bibim gugksu (cold spicy noodles) in another. Since two is normally better than one, my mom and I decided to go for the mixed meal to have more variety while my aunts went with just the naeng myeon. We also ordered a separate plate of steamed mandoo which are Korean style dumplings. Some people may ask what the difference is between Chinese and Korean dumplings. I’ve always found that Chinese dumplings are full of juice or liquid and they kind of explode in your mouth when you take a bite. Korean dumplings on the other hand usually don’t have that same liquid explosion happening. You can take a bit and put it down and not worry about fluid oozing out of it. That’s just my take on it though…
Here is the mixed meal of one bowl of naeng myeon and one bowl of bibim guksu. It was so yummy! After I was well in to my meal, it donned on me that I forgot to take a picture right when it was served untouched. Sorry for the messy plate and half eaten meal pic!
The naeng myeon soup was perfect and I didn’t even have to add any vinegar or wasabi oil to it. The noodles were so soft and unlike noodles I've tried in Toronto whether it be at a restaurant or at home. The bibim guksu was also very delicious. Though it looks really red and therefore spicy, it had a sweet and enjoyable taste and wasn’t too spicy at all.
I’ve said it many times before and I will say it again, Korean food is soooo tasty in Korea. I know, it sounds like the most obvious statement in history but hear me out. I don’t often go to Korean restaurants in Toronto because I usually feel let down and vow to never go again. It just never tastes as good as I think it will taste or doesn't taste as good as home made. Then after a while, I’ll be encouraged to try it once more and then be let down again. It’s a vicious cycle.^^ I'm not even referring to any of the real hardcore Korean dishes either...I usually just stick to the simple ones. Leading up to my trip to Seoul, I had naeng myeon twice in Toronto at different Korean restaurants and both times I was let down. This only went to reaffirm how much more delicious the food was in Korea…the way it should taste... If I had any regrets from my trip, one would probably be not trying more Korean food while I was there. Travelling alone and not being familiar with what places are good and being constantly on the move, I found myself resorting to fast food more than I probably would have liked. What I need is some international 배달!
Together with my mom and aunts, we decided to go to Lotte Department Store to have the naeng myeon that left a lasting impression on us even after 20 some odd years (and to do some shopping of course!^^). We took to the main Lotte Department Store in Seoul which is in Myeong-dong. It is a huuuuge department store and to me it’s really the mecca of all department stores in Seoul. If I only had time to visit one department store or if I only had to time to go shopping at one place in Seoul, it would be here. While Shinsegae is really nice, Lotte seemed to be the standard for shopping glam and elegance. There’s a Louis Vuitton and Chanel store located at Lotte also. The shopping is pricey but like my friend says, good ain’t cheap and cheap ain’t good.^^ They do have a sales section though in various parts of the store so there may be some bargains to be had, just not the same type of Namdaemun bargains though.
After browsing through most of the floors on our way to the top, we made our way to the restaurant which unfortunately for the life of me I can’t remember the name of nor find a store directory online for it. Dah! My apologies…if I find out, possibly from my aunt, I will update the post with the info. We got there in time for a late lunch and had to wait for a table, albeit briefly before being seated. We were all set to order the naeng myeon when we found that they had a mixed meal of naeng myeon in one bowl and bibim gugksu (cold spicy noodles) in another. Since two is normally better than one, my mom and I decided to go for the mixed meal to have more variety while my aunts went with just the naeng myeon. We also ordered a separate plate of steamed mandoo which are Korean style dumplings. Some people may ask what the difference is between Chinese and Korean dumplings. I’ve always found that Chinese dumplings are full of juice or liquid and they kind of explode in your mouth when you take a bite. Korean dumplings on the other hand usually don’t have that same liquid explosion happening. You can take a bit and put it down and not worry about fluid oozing out of it. That’s just my take on it though…
Here is the mixed meal of one bowl of naeng myeon and one bowl of bibim guksu. It was so yummy! After I was well in to my meal, it donned on me that I forgot to take a picture right when it was served untouched. Sorry for the messy plate and half eaten meal pic!
I’ve said it many times before and I will say it again, Korean food is soooo tasty in Korea. I know, it sounds like the most obvious statement in history but hear me out. I don’t often go to Korean restaurants in Toronto because I usually feel let down and vow to never go again. It just never tastes as good as I think it will taste or doesn't taste as good as home made. Then after a while, I’ll be encouraged to try it once more and then be let down again. It’s a vicious cycle.^^ I'm not even referring to any of the real hardcore Korean dishes either...I usually just stick to the simple ones. Leading up to my trip to Seoul, I had naeng myeon twice in Toronto at different Korean restaurants and both times I was let down. This only went to reaffirm how much more delicious the food was in Korea…the way it should taste... If I had any regrets from my trip, one would probably be not trying more Korean food while I was there. Travelling alone and not being familiar with what places are good and being constantly on the move, I found myself resorting to fast food more than I probably would have liked. What I need is some international 배달!
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