Hostelbookers City Guides South-East Asia Seoul

Seoul Nightlife

Introduction

Nightlife and Eating and Drinking

Eating out in Seoul is an absolute delight if you are an adventurous restaurant goer, with a variety of Chinese, Japanese and local dishes to choose from. In recent times, increasing numbers of restaurants with western menus have emerged, meaning those who cannot learn to love the local fare will not go hungry.

Korean food has obvious influences from both China and Japan but is unique in its love of chillies and large amounts of garlic. Rice and soup are the staples of most meals and are usually accompanied by a range of side dishes, or bachan, which typically take the form of bean sprouts, fishcakes and pickled cucumbers. Kimchi, which is a highly spiced cabbage, also accompanies many meals. Steel chopsticks are popular in Korea, and are more difficult to master than the wooden variety, so best to get some practice in before you turn up.

Those doing things on the cheap can dine well in Seoul. On of the top places to try is Bongchu Jjimdak, which serves up good, local fare. This is one of few places that will not offer side dishes, as the main portions are so vast. A typical dish here consists of masses of noodles accompanied by chicken, onion and potatoes with a spicy sauce.

Dolkemaeul Tofu House on Insadonggil is another cheap place to try. The sundubu is the speciality, which consists of tofu, soup and six side dishes, which will include fish and egg.

For a unique porky evening meal, head to Hyangnamusegeuru. Here you can have a large slab of pork, wrapped in leaves, barbecued at your table. Scissors are provided to cut off the fat. Once cooked, enjoy with a variety of side dishes and sauces ? all for a very decent price.

Although it is fairly easy for the vegetarian to get by in the city, there are a good number of solely vegetarian outlets in Seoul. Dimibang on Jongno-gu offers a variety of leafy herbs that are said to do wonders for you and they come in various guises, such as foods, teas and alcoholic beverages. This place offers the visitor the opportunity to eat while sat on bamboo mats on the floor and is a big favourite with the locals.

Singing after supper is all the rage in Seoul and there are a huge number of karaoke bars to try, and with western songs especially popular, you are unlikely to be short of something to perform. It is important to have a few drinks first however, everyone else does, and the city has plenty of places to try.

Those after a decent bar-come-club should try out King Club on Sobangseo-gil. This well-known establishment can get busy on the weekends despite its large size and caters mostly to the hip-hop crowd.

Jazz fans must head to the Live Jazz club, where visitors will get the chance to see three different groups play every night of the week except Saturday, when special events take place.

For a night at the theatre, try the Chongdong Theatre on the corresponding street. It puts on a variety of traditional musical and theatrical productions and has a screen on which English subtitles appear ? giving the game away that this place is geared towards tourists.