Eating live octopus at Noryangjin Fish Market

Bargaining for your live octopus at Noryangjin is half the fun.

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    Eating live octopus in Korea is a delightfully scary and delicious experience. The best place to experience eating raw fish (sannakji hoe), and especially raw live octopus (낙지) is none other than the famous Noryangjin Seafood Market in Seoul.
    Noryangjin is one of Korea's largest fish markets with a raw fish market operating 24 hours a day 365 days a year. After arriving at the Noryangjin market from subway line No. 1, I was overwhelmed by the amount of seafood that this enormous building houses. Just looking at the billions of pounds of sea food got me wondering if there are any fish left in the sea at all (and I am no animal rights activist)!

Huge tanks of clams are among hundreds of types of seafood at Noryangjin.

  Once at Noryangjin you will see hundreds of tanks of fresh octopus. Simply wander up to one of the stalls and ask how much (Eolmayeyo). A medium size octopus about the size of your hand should run you about 10,000 won. If you want to bargain with the fish dealer simply hesitate alot and then say gga gga ju se yo , which means discount. The "gga gga" is pretty much pronounced "ka ka" like poop, with a strong emphasize on the first "ka." The fish dealer will be very impressed that you said this, and will most likely drop their price immediately

A view of Noryangjin seafood market at 1:30 am on a cold Friday morning.

   After purchasing your octopus, head on over to one of the many hidden and often underground restaurants in the market. Sometimes the fish dealer will take you right there which happened in my case. At the restaurant, they will wash and serve up the raw and wiggling octopus with some tangy sauces and lettuce for a cheap price.

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  Gone Seoul Searching by Marie Webb is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at goneseoulsearching@gmail.com.

Enjoy pastry perfection and a weekend brunch at Amandier in Anguk-dong

Freshly made pastries and desserts are Amandier's specialty, and hudreds of macaroons are made daily.

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The pastry shop/restaurant has a lavish interior to suit its upscale menu.

    Nestled between historical Insadong, grand Gyeongbokgung palace, and cozy Samcheongdong lies a little slice of European heaven called Amandier. According to Ten Magazine, Ruben Jan Adrian is a Dutchborn 29 year old pastry chef. With experience working in locations such as Paris, Singapore, and Brussels, Adrian had plenty of experience before opening Amandier just three short months ago.
     Just looking through Amandier's upscale storefront will make your eyes grow wide. There are hundreds of colorful macaroons, decadent chocolates, and pastries so beautiful that you will truly be afraid to touch them. Of course there are fresh bakery items offered each day, and Monday-Friday you can order a lunch sandwich with a free coffee.

The eggs benedict: poached eggs, fresh ham, and sinful Hollandaise sauce.

    Although the restaurant is limited to salads and sandwiches during the week, there is a small and affordable weekend brunch menu offered on Sat-Sun from 10am - 4pm. Don't miss out on this menu! There are only four items and they're all made with perfection: the belguim waffle with maple syrup and butter, a waffle with cafe Americano, waffle with ice cream and cafe Americano, and eggs benedict. The eggs benedict has perfectly poached eggs and a sinful Hollandaise sauce. The spinach added as a layer in between, is a much needed healthy and fresh addition to the buttery concoction. And don't worry, you can get this perfect dish for only 8,000 won!

Chef and owner Ruben Jan Adrian working hard in the kitchen on a Sunday.

    The coffees and teas at Amandier are a little pricey at an average of 5,000 per cup. I recommend skipping the caffeine, and putting that money towards an extra pastry item such as the fresh raspberry macaroon, or a freshly baked carrot multi-grain muffin.

Directions: 

Walk across the street from Insadong Station Exit 6. If your looking at Gyeongbokgung Palace simply make a right on the main street and the restaurant will be a two minute walk.

If you have any questions or comments about "Enjoy pastry perfection and a weekend brunch at Amandier in Anguk-dong "  please leave them in the comment box below or email them to seoulfoodgirl@gmail.com

  Gone Seoul Searching by Marie Webb is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at goneseoulsearching@gmail.com.