By Kathy Pham
Though Korea has many great foods and dishes, sometimes, don’t you just miss a certain cuisine or food item? I find it quite hard to satisfy my cravings for certain cuisines, especially Vietnamese foods, as I am ethnically Vietnamese and therefore, picky on the taste. I think it is because Korea is more homogenous in their community so, finding different cuisines that is not so influenced by Korean taste is difficult. However, I have discovered some restaurants with different cuisines, that I find tastes good!
Vietnamese Cuisine
As mentioned earlier, I am ethnically Vietnamese and therefore, have grown up eating homemade Vietnamese food. By the third week of being in Korea, I was already seriously craving Vietnamese food, especially pho (beef noodle soup) and bun bo hue (spicy beef noodle soup). I have tried three places so far and all have not satisfied my cravings. However, there are two places that I actually recommend as they are close to what my home offers. The first one being “Pho Hoa” in Myeongdong. This is a chain restaurant, in which they also have locations in Canada as well. Though I find the bowl portions to be smaller, the overall taste is good. I am just especially picky with Vietnamese foods, so it was not satisfying to me. The second restaurant is “Pho Saigon” located across from Hanyang University Station Exit 1. This place had spicy beef noodle soup, however, they used flat rice noodles instead of the thick round rice noodles. For bun bo hue, it is crucial to have the thick round noodles, not the same noodles used in pho! Overall, the taste was good though.
Mexican Cuisine
Back in Canada, I also enjoyed eating Mexican foods such as tacos, tamales, and quesadillas. I am aware that you might think I am talking about fast-food chains like Taco Bell or Taco Time, but I am talking about authentic Mexican food!
I was warned by several friends not to eat at Soul Taco as this place was unfortunately not tasty and not authentic. However, I did get the chance to try a place in Itaewon called “Vatos!” I visited this place with three of my friends from Mexico and they have agreed with me that the food does taste like authentic Mexican food! There were a variety of tacos, tamales, quesadillas, and alcoholic beverages! I highly recommend this place as the food was very tasty, however, I do warn that it is quite pricey!
Italian Food
If you’re a carb lover, like me, then you may like to eat pasta as well! This was a difficult journey as many pasta places were very expensive and had a very small portion, or the pasta was sweet! However, my roommate and I discovered a place very close to Hanyang University called “Pachi!” Pachi is a combination of the words “pasta” and “chicken.” This place offers a variety of pastas and chicken ranging from creamy pasta to tomato pasta. Though the pasta is not authentically Italian, it satisfied my cravings for pasta! They had options such as tomato chicken pasta, pork belly cream pasta, bacon rose pasta, and seafood pastas! I think that the pastas here are a good size and delicious! So, if you’re craving pasta, this is the place for you!
myHUBS 
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