Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Destination Seoul solely for food

A fusion of traditional values with modern fervor makes Seoul an irresistible place to visit. Here you can see deep-rooted historic icons like pagodas coexisting with glass and steel skyscrapers dominating the skyline. Seoul’s dining scene too offers royal traditional Korean dishes as well as the latest in fast food.

Now that we can get airline tickets for cheap, booking cheap flights to Seoul just to discover the gastronomic delights this city has to offer is easier. You can get cheap tickets to Seoul by just booking well in advance after checking out the available deals. When your flights to Seoul land at the Incheon International Airport; start your culinary journey at the Food hall in Level 3 of the departure lounge with a warm Ginseng Chicken Soup.

What to Expect

While most cities boast multi-cuisine restaurants, Seoul is proud of its specialty restaurants. Don’t enter a restaurant expecting a lengthy menu; most of Seoul’s restaurants specialize in a few particular dishes and serve only those. If you want variety, try a han jong sheik, a typical Korean banquet in restaurants offering this option. This is the kind of food served to Korean royalty; so you can expect as many as 30 different dishes in one meal.

If you want to experiment with local cuisine, you may have to develop a taste for the famous Kimchi first. This picked vegetable dish is usually served in many forms in all Korean restaurants.

Where to Eat

If you are on a budget, Seoul is a generous city to visit with plenty of cheap street food and several inexpensive restaurants. The department store food courts here have plenty of variety of dishes at very affordable rates. The Migabon, Gecko’s and Sinseon Seolnongtang offer cheap but delicious food. Of course, Seoul also has its Burger King, KFC and Pizza Hand if you want food on the go. Paris Baguettes and Holly’s Coffee are chain stores that offer nice sandwiches and salads.

If budget is not a constraint, the Braai Republic in Seoul is a must visit for food as well as fun. If you want a taste of Korean culture along with food, make a trip to the Korea House in Mt Namsan. The Shabu Shabu experience in Seoul is yet another interesting one where you can have a hand in preparing your food in hotpots. Several restaurants offer this experience, notable among which is Hanwoori. Yongsusan and Tosokchon are recommended for their typical Korean and Asian cuisine. You can also get European, Indian, Japanese and Chinese food in Seoul.

So when you book your flights to Seoul, make sure you have enough time in this lovely city to taste all the culinary delights it has to offer. Check out Korean Air Flight deals or British Airways reservations and see if you can get cheap tickets to Seoul. This is definitely a journey worth taking.