Seoul: Tteokbokki in Hongdae

Hongdae is a vibrant area around Hongik University. There are a lot of nice cafes and restaurants, but Hongdae is probably best known for the nightlife, which doesn’t get much better in Seoul. Crowds of students fill the streets every day of the week, and you’ll never have to walk far to find a place to grab a beer.

Around the subway station, there are several clusters of pojangmacha, which are small tent restaurants selling snacks and drinks. The menu usually only includes a few items such as tteokbokki (Korean rice cake), twigim (fried vegetables and seafood) and sundae (blood sausage). I prefer to steer clear of sundae, because blood sausage has never been my thing, but Tteokbokki is one of my favorite Korean snacks. The thick white tteokbokki has this chewy, yummy texture, and comes drenched in a red sauce, which is just as spicy as it looks. The sauce also has slices of eomuk, which is a kind of fish cake, and the more fancy versions have a boiled egg added too. Tteokbokki often comes with a little bowl of clear soup on the side, making it a cheap and filling meal.

The small tents rarely have access to running water, so to minimize the need for dish washing, the food is served on plates wrapped in plastic bags. Instead of cutlery, you use small toothpicks to get the food from the plate to your mouth. It’s the perfect snack to keep you warm on a cold day, and my oh my, it was freezing in Seoul!

Considering how hot and humid the summers in Seoul can be, it’s hard to imagine how freaking cold it gets during winter. Bring a warm coat and eat lots of tteokbokki to keep you warm.