While I was planning my trip to Seoul, I came across a TikTok post about a Michelin Guide restaurant in Myeongdong. It's called Mokmyeoksanbang and it specializes in bibimbap, which is a famous Korean rice dish. It's a bowl of rice topped with seasoned sautéed vegetables, finished with a sprinkle of sesame and a generous dollop of a sweet-spicy-savoury bibimbap sauce. It can also come with marinated meat and fried eggs.
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I looked up the restaurant and read a lot of great reviews about it, and some people even said that it had a Michelin Star at one point but I can't confirm it. Regardless, it must've been really good so I knew that I had to try it out and that's what I did on my first day in the city.
After checking in to my Airbnb, I headed to Myeongdong to find this restaurant. It was actually quite easy to find as long as you have Naver Map on your phone. It's in this hilly neighborhood in Jung-gu. The neighborhood offers stunning views of the Namsan Tower and has a hip vibe with many of the buildings having wall art on them.
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| head straight down this road and turn left at the end to find the restaurant |
I got to the restaurant around 4pm which meant that it wasn't crowded. It was still too early for dinner but I was already starving by then so my timing was perfect. At the entrance, there were a couple of machines for placing your order and making a payment by card. They do accept cash but you have to order at the counter.
I ordered the bulgogi bibimbap. Bulgogi is basically thin, marinated slices of meat, most commonly beef, cooked on a grill or stove-top griddle. It's also another famous Korean dish and one of my favorites. What I love about Mokmyeoksanbang is that they serve all the vegetables separately so you can add the toppings as you like. You can also choose how much bibimbap sauce to put on it, which is great if you have a low tolerance for spicy food. After putting everything in your bowl, you mix it as the term "bibim" literally means "mixing", letting all the flavors come together nicely.
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| bulgogi bibimbap at Mokmyeoksanbang |
Overall, the bulgogi bibimbap was really good and I understood why this place was on the Michelin Guide. And if it's true that it used to have a Michelin Star, I wouldn't be surprised. It was that good. The serving was generous and it was all very filling. Plus, it was surprisingly affordable! I paid KRW11,000 or around PHP465.
I would highly recommend this restaurant if you want to try authentic Korean food while in Seoul. I did post a video review of it and you can check it out here.
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