Kong Bol

After being abroad in Paris for a year and a half, I’m back home in Korea for the holidays. One of the best things about Seoul is the street culture and the vibrant eating culture each “borough” has to offer. A favorite hangout of mine during grade school was Edae, in front of Ewha University. Full of cute shops, street carts, and cafes, it’s the perfect place to pass the day. Although I’ve been hanging out in this area for over ten years, the streets are constantly changing and evolving, which makes me feel like there’s always more to discover. A new find this time around was Kong Bol, a cheap eat with generous portions, flavor and all the best aspects of K-food culture:

The base of Kong Bol food is a large bowl of white rice and bean sprouts with a special spicy seasoning, which they cook at your table on a hot iron pan:

In addition to the basic order, you can add squid, rice cakes, beef, fried rice, udon noodles, and extra meat:

All of this is enjoyed with complimentary pickled side dishes and some warm seaweed soup:

We of course ordered the whole nine yards. At first bite, I was surprised at how un-spicy it was, considering how red and generously seasoned it looked, but as one bite turned into three, and three into a whole bowlful, my face was burning red hot with spice!

At the end, we left a little rice and bean sprout mixture and asked the server to stir fry the two in the caramelized juices leftover in the pan. Don’t forget to do this as I thought it was the best part!

There are multiple locations throughout Seoul, so if you’re ever walking around looking for a good, cheap eat, don’t hesitate! It’s a good find.