4,500 won at Pho Bo in Noryangjin Station area. Broth is ok, they use thick rice noodles. Not a lot of fixings but it works. And for the price you can't go wrong.  90-8 Noryangjin 1(il)-dong (27 Noryangjin-ro 16-gil) Dongjak-gu, Seoul http://goo.gl/maps/I5KZL

Brown Rice Stirfry with veggies at Bao These days I eat pretty healthy and I exercise (My mom would be proud). But I find it is hard to eat healthy outside- especially in the Haebangchon and Gyeonidan area. At home and at work, I usually eat brown rice instead of white but you can't find that at almost any Korean restaurants, so I could forgo the rice (which would make the meal less satisfying) or...I could just eat white rice (which isn't very good for you). This is why I was so happy that I found Bao. It's a great noodle shop that serves up great plates of noodles and rice with lots of veggies and meat in different Asian sauces. They'll stirfry rice, wide noodles, thin noodles, and...brown rice.  I love the texture of brown rice when it has a great sauce and stirfried, it is even better. Over the weekend I had the brown rice stirfy with the Singapore sauce- curry with a nice spicy kick. My friend, David , got the wide noodles with the Malay Sauce: Cocon...

Ssamdae Bulgogi and Noodles I don't know how this place stays in business but you get free pork bulgogi with each bowl of naengmyeon that you order. I mean the meat is overly processed and sweet and the noodles are just alright, but if you are hungry and cheap, here is the place to go. It's out Jongno-3ga exit 6 and make a left.

Here is a letter I recently recieved: Hi Dan, I'm heading to Seoul with 3 of my friends at the end of the year and need some suggestions for good food. My friends are pretty psyched about eating good authentic Korean food and have been counting on me to bring them around. Although it's gonna be my 3rd time in Seoul, it's not like I know where all the good food are. So, could you like recommend any places to try good Korean food like samgyetang, jjajjangmyeon, bibbimbap etc and street food? Since my friends and I are still in college, it'll be great if the food is affordable or cheap too haha. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thank you! Regards, Shazleen Singapore Dear Shazleen, For good cheap food, I recommend going to Kwangchang Market . They have lots of food stalls the food is very good- especially the Kalguksu and the Metdol Bindaetteok. For Samgyetang , I like going to Kuryeo Samgyetang- but this is a bit expensive at 15,000 a pers...

Hana: Japanese Cuisine from New York I have been tricked by sushi restaurants in the past in Korea. The Korean idea of sushi seems to be big rice bombs doused in mayonnaise and other sweet sauces. This isn't something common just to Korea, but something I saw in Malaysia and some places in Japan as well. I think it has to do with the reverence for rice in Korea. Rice is the most important part of the meal and the sushi reflects that. Now the one place that I found that I could get the simplicity of sushi I was searching for was at Hana (하나) Restaurant over by Seoul National University. Salmon Avocado Salad at Hana We started out with a Salmon and Avocado Sushi and it was exactly what was stated. It was chunks of Salmon tossed with ripe avocado and balanced with green onions and a tart sauce. Oh, and the popping sensation of tiny fish eggs made this dish exactly like I have eaten in NYC. Spicy Tuna Roll at Hana The Spicy Tuna Rolls were nice with the crunch of cucumb...

Dam Dam in Hongdae is owned by a friend of Hoya's. It's a little hidden away restaurant that serves well-prepared food at unbelievably low prices. I mean have you seen good Pomodoro pasta go for 7,000 won? You can get the Spicy Pescatore for only 7,000 as well (plus VAT) The place is kitchy, so it's a great place for a casual dinner or a first date for University Students. Here is my friend Hoya. She got the pasta vongole and it was a sizable portion. I got the Shrimp Tempura with Indian Curry. The curry is well spiced and thick. I was quite shocked because I expected the yellow abomination that you normally find at a 7,000 won price point. Be sure to check it out They have Pasta and Curry. If you get a set, you get salad and coffee included. There is a 10% VAT added Address: 서울시 마포구 상수동 312-4 #:  070-8848-2595 Directions: Go out Sangsu Station exit 1 and walk until you see the Hongdae Parking lot. Make a right and go down the first alley. It'll be on your...

Spit roasted beef and lamb with 2 falafel balls, crunchy vegetables, yogurt and spicy sauce, on thick ekmek bread. 5,000 won. It's a meal and a half. Phone: (02) 796-0271 Location: Noksopyeong Station, Exit No. 2, walk straight

This Cute Little Shop always has a huge line. In English it is Mamae Cup Chicken. It's 1000 for a small cup and 2000 for a large cup. I believe they recently changed the name to Lee' cup of Chicken. They mix pieces of crisp chicken and fried rice cakes in a sweet and spicy chili sauce and then layer in tater tots and top this with honey mustard. Here are the ladies hard at work assembling the Spicy Cup O' Chicken. Here is the finished cup. Just grab a toothpick and go for a walk. Location: Right down from the main entrance from Sookmyeong Woman's University.

Samarikand I was told over by the man who ran the Samarikand that there are 17 locations all over Korea and the same family runs them all. The food is authentic and portions are hearty. You can get a giant, flaky pastry bread stuffed with savory lamb (Samsa) for only 3000 won. 2000 won gets you a hearty frisbee sized sesame roll (Lepeshka) and 6,000 won gets you a big bowl of Borsch. The entrees don’t cost all that much either. You can get cabbage rolls stuffed with meat (Golubtsy) for or, my favorite, fried lamb over french fries (Chiz-Biz) for only 7. And you can wash all this down with big Russian beers labeled 3, 6, and 9. Samarikant 02-2277-4261 Directions: Go out Dongdaemun Stadium Station Exit 5 and walk until you see the 광교빌딩 and Woori bank. To the left is the A+ noraebahng, Samarakand is a few buildings before the A+ noraebahng.It is across the street and down an alley. Ask someone on the street. They all know where it is. (Thanks Paul for the update) 영진수산 (Yeong Jin Su San) ...