Noryangjin Fish Market in Seoul

14450039216_67e8f464ae_o

When we were in Seoul, one of our top to-do things was to try out their famous live dancing octopus at the Noryangjin Fish Market, oh and of course their super fresh seafood!  Before travelling to South Korea, we had on many occasions watched people experience eating these wiggly octopuses on YouTube and discussed at lengths what we would do if we ever had the opportunity to try it. I remember seeing in the video clips the tentacles wrapping around the chopsticks while people would pop them in their mouths and quickly chew and swallow.  Well our time finally arrived!

Noryangjin Fish Market is easily accessible and located right next to Noryangjin Station. You can get there by taking the Metro line one and exiting at exit 1 at the station, then walk under the bridge and follow the crowd, they’ll take you straight there. The coolest thing about it is that it is open 24 hours!  The fish market is located in a massive open-air warehouse and there are just endless stalls of the freshest seafood for you to choose from. Also, because it’s a wholesale fish market, prices are considerably a lot cheaper than supermarkets too.

14286510290_15a29e2ed8_o

So after our amazement and awe of how many stalls of fresh seafood there was, we started exploring and getting lost in the huge warehouse. Almost everything was still alive and swimming or wiggling around so you are guaranteed that what you are getting is fresh. You can also bargain and haggle with the vendors for the right price and it was just fun watching people haggle. But we finally decided we wanted in on the action, so we ended up picking up the freshest king crab, assortment of sashimi and octopus.

The next best part about this market is that once you’ve purchased your items, there are many restaurants dotted around the warehouse which you can take your bag of fresh seafood to and they will cook you the most AMAZING feast! Yes you heard right! These restaurants around the warehouse are there just to cook the food that you buy. With a small fee of about $5 – $10 AUD, they’ll cook you up a storm and also serve your seafood with their side dishes like kimchi and rice. You can also buy beer and soju to go with your meal.  The king crab, which is what the market is famous for, was simply steamed, just showing of its sweet and succulent flavour. They will also make you a crab flavoured fried rice served in the crab shell which was so delicious!

14493238003_48a24b6dc5_o

Now onto the octopus. It has been a long standing tradition and is quite common in South Korea. As I’ve mentioned before, it is served really fresh! As soon as you hand it over to the staff at the restaurant, they will chop up the octopuses live and serve it on a plate still wiggling around. They give you a bowl of sesame oil and salt like sauce to dip the octopus in. Just by touching them with your chopsticks, you’ll cause a ripple of movement and wiggling around LONG after they’ve been chopped up. I have to say, it took a bit of courage to finally pop one of them into my mouth (and probably after Davin had already tried one and confirmed that he was still fine) but I finally did it, chewed really fast and got it down as fast as I could. The verdict? It was quite chewy and there wasn’t much flavour to it. I wouldn’t say it was delicious but I think it is something you just have to try if you’re ever there.

Overall the Noryangjin Fish Market is a place you must visit and experience if you’re ever in Seoul because you may not come across anything just like it. If I’m ever in Seoul again, I will definitely be back. My mouth is just watering now thinking about the delicious seafood feast I had there.

14473104825_de1a24ccec_o

Noryangjin Fish Market
Approx 33,000 KRW / $40 AUD per person
688 Nodeul-ro, Dongjak-gu, Seoul, South Korea
Phone: +82 2-814-2211

 

Spilt Milk

Spilt Milk

We discovered Spilt Milk a few weeks ago and ever since then I have been dying to go back. Located in Carnegie, Melbourne, it is a very small and cute cafe with small wooden furnishings and open windows that you can sit along and people watch while you enjoy some food and a coffee. We arrived around 2:00 pm for a very late lunch so was able to sit down straight away. Staff were very friendly and handed us the menus for our perusal which consisted of menu items named after animals. We immediately noticed the price which was a lot cheaper than other good brunch/lunch places which is always a plus.

Spilt MIlk

Spilt Milk 2

Because of my love for potatoes, I instantly zeroed in on the Rhino which was a baked jacket potato with chicken (you can also opt for tuna), avocado, corn, sour cream, chives, truffle salt and chilli jam on the side. It was delicious! It felt like a very gourmet version of a spud but all the ingredients went so well together. I tried really hard not to scoff my dish too quickly as I wanted to savour every bite. Davin ordered the Salmon which had smoked salmon, smashed avocado, fetta, capers, red onion, dill, olive oil and lemon on toasted light rye. His dish was also very nice too and the ingredients were very fresh. We both agreed however that the Rhino was the highlight. I allowed Davin to have an extra bite of mine because I could tell he was longing for mine after the first bite. I also ordered a latte which was also quite nice and the temperature was perfect.  Staff were also very friendly and efficient and were happy for a chat. They also asked us how the food was and made sure we were happy with everything when we were paying for the bill. Overall it was a very cute cafe with great quality food and prices were very reasonable. Definitey drop by if you are ever in the area, I may even see you there!

DSCF1620

Spilt Milk
Approx $20 AUD per person
288 Neerim Rd, Carnegie VIC 3163
Phone:+61 3 9571 8880

Spilt Milk Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato