Crave__February_2018

K-pop and great shopping aside,
Seoulshouldbeoneverygastrotourist’s
list of culinary destinations. Here’s why.
Words and Photos Iris Wong
Illustrations Tim Cheng
Seoulhasneverbeenonmytravelbucketlist.I
don’t follow any K-pop groups. I can hardly afford
regular waxing sessions, let alone plastic surgery,
and(somewhatblasphemousasafoodwriter)I’mquite
happy just taking bites of kimchi pancakes with some
makgeolli on Kimberley Street. But never say never. As
Idiscoveredonarecenttrip,there’smoretoSeoulthan
meetstheeye,especiallywhenitcomestogastrotravel.
Dividing the city in two is the Han River, or Hangang,
which has 27 bridges connecting the north and south
banks. North of the river are historical landmarks such
as old villages and palaces, while on the south is the
city’s most affluent district, Gangnam-gu (the name may
be familiar from Psy’s 2012 international hit, Gangnam
Style). One of Seoul’s least-developed areas until the
80s, it now has the city’s most expensive real estate, the
South Korean headquarters of global tech giants such
as Google and IBM, and Asia’s largest underground
shopping centre, COEX Mall. Not only is Gangnam
the epitome of luxury living, it is also the powerhouse
of medical tourism. Apgujeong-dong, also known as
the “beauty belt”, is flanked with plastic surgery clinics,
with the most common procedures being double-eyelid
treatment (not considered cosmetic surgery in Korea),
rhinoplasty and chin augmentation.
Iris Wong
The main strip seems to have an unfeasible number
of big-chain coffee shops, many of which are open 24
hours, with more around every corner. People saunter
through the streets carrying takeaway coffee and
the hearty aroma of roasted beans permeates the air.
According an article in The Korea Herald, SouthKorea
ranks fourth in the world for the most Starbucks outlets
per capita, with more than 1,000 branches nationwide.
Coffee has become a symbol of luxury: imagine a