Do you know what Michelin is? Michelin guide lets us know which restaurants are tasty, without getting sponsored from any restaurants in advance. According to the video from Youtube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nD1GI3QP97M), the inspectors from Michelin always take a table before 7:30. The first of a pair arrives early and has a drink at the bar. His partner arrives a half an hour later. One orders the tasting menu and the other one on the carte. Always.
Michelin Stars are awarded to restaurants with exceptional cooking, but they also consider cheap restaurants under 35000 Won. These restaurants are categorized into Bib Gourmands. So I am going to tell you some Bib gourmands in Seoul, because the places are not very burdensome due to its reasonable cost.
- Gaesong Mandu Koong (개성만두 궁)
Source: http://www.koong.co.kr/
To select the restaurant close to the Hanyang University (한양대학교), I looked up some restaurants having great geographical advantage. This restaurant is in Insadong 인사동), where most foreigners must have gone there for sightseeing.
The main cuisine served in this restaurant is dumpling. It is made of shredded bean sprouts, cabbage and meat. And, owners prepare the dumplings by hand daily with these fresh ingredients, so you can trust how tasty it is!
Source: http://www.koong.co.kr/
Not only with it, but also they sell diverse kinds of Korean-style pancakes: Potato, Seafood and green onion, Mung bean, and Seafood and Kimchi pancakes. The price range is 12000 won ~ 18000 won. The cheapest one is potato pancake, one of my favorites. Also they sell a set of assorted pancakes like the picture above at 25000 won.
Here is the short description of how MICHELIN felt while eating this food.
“Established in 1970 by an elderly Gaeseong (개성) native, this restaurant has been serving Gaeseong-style dumplings for three generations. The dumplings here are large and plump and the soup broth is made with beef brisket. The traditional Korean hanok setting is both charming and elegant.” (Source: http://guide.michelin.co.kr/)
[Restaurant Details]
Source: Naver Maps
Opening hour: 11:30 ~ 14:30 (Break Time) 18:00 ~ 21:30
Day-off: close 1st January, Lunar New Year and Korean Thanksgiving
- Bua (부아)
The main cuisine is Thai food. It means this restaurant sells the Thailand food specifically. Here are some dishes: Thai Style Depp Fried Chicken (Traditional Appetizer), Minced Pork Toast with Sweet Sour Sauce, Salad, Spicy noodle, Green Curry with Pork and Red curry with chicken. Among them, it looks like one of the popular dishes is “SomTam Set”. This set includes spicy papaya salad, chicken, and sticky rice. The price is 17000 ㅉon per person. Referring to other personal blogs, they say the scent is quite strong, because this cuisine is cooked in a traditional way.
Furthermore, the reason why this restaurant is famous is due to modern-style interior. Also, you can recognize some traditional pots and plates on bookshelves and special cages hanging from the ceiling.
Source: http://guide.michelin.co.kr/
The following is what MICHELINE inspector mentions about this restaurant.
“Meaning ‘lotus’ in Thai, Bua introduces the authentic flavors of Thailand by using the recipes certified by the Thai Royal Family. The chef, trained in Bangkok, prides herself in making the rotis, sauces, tapioca balls and ice cream from scratch. Even the curry pastes are all homemade. Currently, the menu consists of the more familiar Thai fare, but the chef says she plans to introduce the more local and authentic flavors of Thailand in the future.” (Source: http://guide.michelin.co.kr/)
[Restaurant Details]
Opening hour: 11:30 ~ 14:30 (Break Time) 18:00 ~ 21:30
Day-off: close on every Monday / opens on Sunday
- Neung Ra Do (능라도)
The main cuisine in this restaurant is Naengmyeon (냉면), which is Korean cold noodles. To be accurate, they sell Pyeongyang-style Cold noodles (평양식 냉면). In Korea, there are two representative types of cold noodles, which are Hamheung-style (함흥식) and Pyeongyang-style one. I can’t tell the difference this two by flavor, but some experts say that it depends on which ingredient is put into the delicacy. Hamheung-style is usually based on potato or sweet potato, so it makes the dish much more thin and chewy. However, the main ingredient in Pyeongyang-style is buckwheat, so the noodle itself is quite rough and thick. This is the story of how it is different from each other. The price of it is 11000 Won, and they also sell dumplings, boiled beef, and pancakes.
Here is what MICHELINE feels like when they get into such a Korean cold noodles.
“Following the success of its first location in Pangyo (판교), the Seoul location opened its doors in November, 2015. Offering Pyeongyang-style Korean cuisine, it specializes in chilled buckwheat noodles and dumplings. The restaurant’s dedication to quality is demonstrated in its choice of ingredients, using only locally-produced beef and Mongolian buckwheat. Select dishes are offered in smaller sizes. The dining space is modern, simple and spacious.” (Source: http://guide.michelin.co.kr/)
[Restaurant Details]
Source: Naver Maps
Opening hour: 11:00 ~ 21:00
Day-off: close 1st January, Lunar New Year and Korean Thanksgiving / Opens on Sunday
Article by SooJung from Korea, a Junior in Business Administration
myHUBS 
Leave a comment