Korea Trip 2022: Seeing and Eating in Incheon, Part II

Amidst my northeast trip, my second Seoul stay, and my two-and-a-half-week-long trip through the nation’s southern regions, I spent most of my free time in Incheon with family. Knowing that it could very well be years before the next time we saw each other, they were gracious to show me around the city and accompany me for day trips whenever they had free time. I’ve written about them below, organizing them in an almost clockwise movement around the city.

This is my final post about my Korea trip. Thank you very much to those of you who have been following along and reading! Should you ever visit the country, I hope what I shared in my posts helps you.

강화도 (Ganghwado) | Naver link

After my second Seoul stay, I stayed with my older uncle on my dad’s side and his family for a few days. The day after I left Seoul, my uncle (who had the day off) and his wife took me to Ganghwado, an island off of the country’s northwestern coast that we drove to in less than a half hour.

Though I had seen North Korea during my northeastern trip, I had the chance to do so again at Ganghwado’s northern tip, where the 강화평화전망대 (Ganghwa Peace Observatory) | Naver link is located. While there’s a checkpoint on the road leading to the observatory, the military police stationed there just waved us ahead without asking to look at any documents. The observatory itself, which is modeled similarly to the one I visited in the northeast, has three floors. The first floor contains a room dedicated to reunification and an exhibition about North Korea, showcasing items that include their food and currency. For the reunification-dedicated room, visitors leave notes indicating their hopes for peace and for reunification, though not everyone treats it seriously - my uncle noticed a note saying “Die, North Korea” while I saw another that read “BTS, go join the military”. The second floor contains an exhibit about the Korean conflict and the relationship between the two countries in the decades since. Outside, there are observatory platforms with pay-to-use binoculars to look across the sea and into North Korea. The third floor, shaped in a half-circle, contains a hybrid lecture room and observatory. In the center of this room is a map that the guide interacts with while speaking, and it labels all the parts of North Korea that we could see from the observatory. Compared to the other observatory I visited, this one offers a much wider look into North Korea, as I saw farms, homes, vehicles, and even a person using the binoculars.

We started to head south, and our next stop was the 강화고인돌유적 (Ganghwa Dolmen Remains) | Naver link. These stone dolmens served as grave markers, and the most well-known ones consist of two upright megaliths supporting a large, flat horizontal capstone, and they are estimated to be from the second or first millennia BCE. The Korean peninsula contains the highest density and variety of dolmens in the world, and UNESCO designated this site - along with two others - as a World Heritage Site in 2000. Though I was essentially looking at stones on the ground, knowing that these were erected several millennia ago made viewing them a fascinating and surreal experience.

Closely located to the Dolmen Remains are the 강화자연사박물관 (Ganghwa History Museum) and the 강화자연사박물관 (Ganghwa Natural History Museum) | Naver link. While we originally intended to visit the former, we opted for the latter after seeing how the other one was occupied by nearly a hundred children on a school trip. In all honesty, the Natural History Museum is probably best suited for children, but the wealth of information and items in its exhibits fascinated me to no end, and I took my time going through each one. The exhibits cover minerals and animals and also showcases an insect collection. The first floor contains exhibits about the universe, prehistoric life, and early man, while the second floor exhibit’s are more about the various ecosystems and what life they support.

We had lunch at 강화쑥숯불갈비 (Ganghwa Mugwort Charcoal Grilled Ribs) | Naver link, where we ordered pork belly as well as 강화한우장국 (Ganghwa Hanwoo soup), which contained pieces of Hanwoo beef, glass noodles, and chopped green onions. It’s hard to go wrong with fatty chunks of meat grilled over charcoal, and in this case, the grilled pork belly was crisp, juicy, and (what else can we say) delicious. The Ganghwa Hanwoo soup was very similar to 갈비탕 (short rib soup) - not only was the broth fairly clear and tasted clean, the soup never felt heavy, with the only difference being the very lean meat.

After lunch, it was prime time for a cafe visit, so we headed over to 조양방직 (Choyang Textile) | Naver link, which remains the most interesting cafe experience I had during my Korea trip. Yes, there’s a bakery (we didn’t get anything from there) as well as a drink-making station, but this former textile factory-turned cafe is really more a museum, containing hundreds, if not thousands, of various household artifacts from as early as the ‘60s. Tables and chairs are spread out across what was the factory floor, and they are lit by a variety of lamps. I got myself a 생자두복숭아아이스티 (fresh plum peach iced tea), which cost ₩8,000 (estimated $5.59), and I sipped on this refreshing, sweet drink as I walked from room to room, all of which have so much going on that my eyes always had something to look at, from telephones and child-sized toy cars to movie posters and carousel ride horses. There are actually multiple buildings here that serve as an extension of this cafe/museum, and they’re very much worth exploring if you’d like to get an idea of what life was like several decades ago.

We next headed to 성공회강화성당 (Ganghwa Anglican Church) | Naver link, the first hanok-style cathedral to be built in Korea and is also the first one on Ganghwado. Three bishops (who were later given Korean names) oversaw its development, which took about four years and involved getting 100-year-old Korean red pine trees from 백두산 (Paektu Mountain) near the now-North Korea/China border. Though the church’s exterior certainly shows its age, its basilica-style interior is well maintained. Walking around both inside and outside, I thought the church was beautiful and quite the architectural accomplishment.

Our final stop on Ganghwado was 전등사 (Jeondeungsa) | Naver link, a Buddhist temple located within 삼랑성 (Samnangseong Fortress) and dates all the way back to the 4th Century. From the parking lot, it takes about 10 minutes of walking on an inclining path to arrive at the temple, which is home to multiple structures of historical significance. There was a series of names written into the columns and walls of the temple’s Daeungbojeon Hall, and these were left by Joseon soldiers who prayed to Buddha for good luck while fighting against the French navy during the 19th Century. I also couldn’t help but notice two figurines of the titular character from The Little Prince on the grounds here; it spoke wonders about the novella’s popularity in Korea, as I had seen similar figurines and artworks across the nation during my trip.

It was in the late afternoon when we left Ganghwado, and on the way back to my uncle’s place, we decided to get dinner at 청연 (Cheongyeon) | Naver link, located in the nearby city of Gimpo. This restaurant specializes in Chinese-Korean fare, and the three of us ordered 깐풍기 (spicy garlic fried chicken), 해물짬뽕 (seafood jjampong), and 발효쟁반짜장 (fermented tray jjajang), which is noodles in a black bean sauce. The chicken was crisp and packed plenty of flavor. The jjampong and the jjajang, on the other hand, were underwhelming, as both dishes weren’t seasoned as well as they should have been.

용유도 (Yongyudo) | Naver link

When my brother visited Korea back in 2013, he really wanted to eat grilled clams on the beach, and my aunt’s husband took him along with his older son to do so. Now, apparently it was my turn; my aunt and her husband had their wedding anniversary while I was with them, and they figured a good way to celebrate it was by eating grilled clams at the beach. Thus, it was on a rainy day that they, their older son and his wife, and I piled into a car to drive out to the beach that they took my brother to nearly 10 years ago.

The beach we were heading to is located in Yongyudo, an island that is home to Incheon International Airport - the construction of which conjoined this island with 영종도 (Yeongjongdo) via reclaimed land. To get there, we drove on 인천대교 (Incheon Bridge) | Naver link, one of the two bridges that connect this island to the mainland. This sleek bridge is such a marvel of engineering, and driving on it was like driving on the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.

We parked our car at the restaurant we were to eat at but decided to first check out 왕산해수욕장 (Wangsan Beach) | Naver link, which was before us. The beach was quite empty, and the sand was coarse, speckled white from various bits of seashells. Flocks of gulls peppered the beach near the water, taking flight only as we drew near and settling down again on the beach a ways away. We stayed out long enough to take some group photos, as the falling rains eventually drove us inside the restaurant.

을왕리 해송 조개구이 (Eurwangi Haesong Grilled Clams) | Naver link wasn’t the place where my brother, my uncle’s wife, and my cousin ate all those years ago, but apparently this spot was better. Outside the restaurant, coals are heated up before being inserted into the tables’ grill pits. Since there was five of us, we decided to order from the 해송스페셜 메뉴 (Haesong Special Menu); after some deliberation, we ordered the 조개구이+랍스타+왕새우구이+칼국수 (grilled clams + lobster + grilled king shrimp + kalguksu). Some obligatory banchan arrived, consisting of corn, raw carrots and onions, pickled chili peppers, and seaweed noodles. What ensued thereafter was one of the most impressive array of seafood dishes that I’ve ever had the pleasure of eating. First came some fresh scallops, still in their half shells and topped with shredded cheese and fish eggs as well as an aluminum tray containing a mixture of seafood, enoki mushrooms, onions, fish eggs, corn, and cheese. These were placed on the grill, cooking their contents and melting the cheese to make scrumptious bites of food. Next came some partly cooked shrimp on a salt bed as well as a bowl of shellfish, including assorted clams, abalone, and conches. These went on the grill whenever there was room and, when ready, tasted marvelous. The shellfish was so fresh that we could taste the slight brininess of seawater after they cooked in their shells. Then a whole lobster - baked and broken down - arrived, and its meat was tender and sweet, enhanced by the layer of corn and cheese on top. We were so stuffed that we forgot about the kalguksu, which seemed like a pool, judging by the deep bowl it came in. As refreshing as it tasted, I could only manage a few bites of it.

On the way back to the mainland, my cousin - a car enthusiast - saw that the BMW 드라이빙 센터 (BMW Driving Center) | Naver link was nearby and took a detour. We headed inside to check out some of the cars on display, ranging from sedans and SUVs to luxury cars and sports cars. For visitors who were interested, they could pay to test drive some of these cars at the tracks outside, though we chose not to do that. Despite not caring about cars all that much, I enjoyed sitting in each one (minus the luxury car, which was off limits) and getting to know its features.

차이나타운 (Chinatown) | Naver link

I had only a few days left in the country before I flew back to the U.S., and there was still one place left in my itinerary: Chinatown - the only official one in Korea. My aunt was perplexed, saying that it wasn’t as fun anymore and insisting that there were much better places to go to, but I was adamant on going. Her younger son, wanting to maximize his time with me, came along. To get to Chinatown, we took the subway and got off at 인천역 (Incheon Station - Line 1) | Naver link. One thing that surprised me about Chinatown was how hilly it is; getting there required walked on several inclining roads. But we got there, my anticipation grew as we passed by the brilliantly colored gate as well as the many restaurants and stores.

First things first, lunch. We entered 만다복 (Mandabok) | Naver link, a busy Chinese-Korean restaurant (you’re going to see plenty of these in this post, by the way). After perusing through the menu, we ordered one of the specials, which would get us six different dishes. The first to arrive was 류산슬 (seafood stir fry), a slightly sweet dish that came with sliced meat and sea cucumbers, mushrooms, and a load of other goodies that was a great start to the meal. Next was a dish of sweet and sour pork, which was as good as any that I’ve had. Then came 간소중새우 (chili shrimp), which was battered and doused in a sticky sauce with a small hint of heat. A plate of 고추잡채 (pepper steak) and 꽃빵 (Mandarin roll) soon followed - the former had a good amount of heat to it, and the rolls helped to balance it out. Finally, bowls of 하얀짜장 (white jjajangmyeon) and jjamppong arrived. I quite liked the former because I thought the lack of a thick sauce worked well, though my cousin declared that he was not a fan. We both thought the jjampong was good.

We went up several flights of illustrated and eye-popping stairs that led to 자유공원 (Jayu Park) | Naver link - which, funnily enough, was one place my aunt said I just had to go to. Located on the top of a hill, it’s the country’s first Western-style park, built not long after the opening of Incheon Port, which we could see from several of the park’s lookout points. The park is home to a statue of General Douglas MacArthur as well as the Korea-U.S.A. Centennial Monument, which was erected in 1982 to mark 100 years of diplomatic relations. I found the park to be a great place to take a stroll and work off our lunch.

Just south of the park is 인천개항누리길 (Incheon Open Port Nuri Path) | Naver link, a historical and cultural series of streets that were a byproduct of Korea interacting with the world beyond it. Many of the buildings here were built between the Joseon Dynasty and the Japanese occupation, and I noticed how their architecture resembled Western sensibilities. There’s a lot to see here, and I learned quite a bit about Korean history in the couple hours we spent in the area. We browsed through books at 문학소매점 (Munhak Bookstore) | Naver link. We learned about the history of some of the Open Port’s buildings at 인천개항장 근대건축전시관 (Incheon Treaty Port Modern Architecture Exhibit Hall) | Naver link and about Korea’s postal system at 인천개항박물관 (Incheon Open Port Museum) | Naver link. We visited the 대불호텔전시관 (Daebul Hotel Exhibit Hall) | Naver link, Korea’s first Western-style hotel, where we saw what the hotel’s rooms were like back in the day. Right next to it is the 중구생활사전시관 (Life History Museum) | Naver link, where we had fun finding out seeing what Incheon daily life from the ‘60s and ‘70s was like.

Our next stop was the 인천아트플랫폼 (Incheon Art Platform) | Naver link. Preserved buildings from the ‘30s and ‘40s were remodeled into the now thirteen complexes that make up the Creative Studio, the Gallery, and the Incheon Living Culture Center. One of the halls was open to the public, and we went inside to check out the exhibition named 코리안 디아스포라 한지로 접은 비행기 (Korean Diaspora - Ricepaper Airplane). Commemorating the 120th anniversary of Korean emigration, this exhibition featured works from 18 artists of Korean descent from around the world. I spent good time walking up to each artwork and observing it from different angles, and I found them to be quite creative and extraordinary.

As we made our way back to Chinatown, my cousin suggested we visit the 한중문화관 (Korean-Chinese Cultural Center) | Naver link, which facilitates and promotes mutual understanding between Korea and China via learning about each country’s culture, economy, history, and society as well as their shared culture and history. The building is also connected to the next-door 인천화교역사관 (Incheon Overseas Chinese History Museum) | Naver link, which covers the history of the overseas Chinese in Incheon. Despite this place not being on our itinerary, I was glad that we checked them out, as the exhibits treated me to many intriguing artifacts and such.

Perhaps the most unique place to visit in Chinatown for tourists is 짜장면박물관 (Jajangmyeon Museum) | Naver link. Yes, it’s a museum dedicated solely to jjajangmyeon, explaining the dish’s origins, culture, and history. Not only did this place showcase how to make this dish, it featured some interesting (if not unintentionally hilarious - I’m looking at you, wide-mouthed schoolboy whose chopsticks weren’t even in his hand) reproductions of kitchens and hospitality rooms as well as collections of packaged jjajangmyeon from over the course of several decades.

One of the many snacks sold in Chinatown is 양꼬치 (lamb skewers), and as we were about to leave the area, I slowed down at seeing a vendor stall that sold them (I couldn’t find this place on Naver Map). My cousin picked up on my curiosity and declared we should get some, so we stopped there. The owner was just about to start closing up, but she was happy to start cooking some up some skewers. We bought three, and they took only a few minutes to cook on the grill. She gave us a small dish of spices to dip them in, and let me tell you, these made excellent snacks. They were so good that we ended up ordering three more.

While we ate, the lamb skewer vendor recommended that we stay in the area for a bit longer, as Chinatown’s lights made for a beautiful sight at night. My cousin insisted that we do so, so we ordered some tea and rested for a bit at 컵오브커피 차이나타운점 (Cup of Coffee Chinatown Branch) | Naver link. Eventually, the outside lights started to turn on, and we headed back outside to see the businesses and streets burst into life in the darkness. They certainly made for lovely sights, and I was glad that these would be my last ones of Chinatown.

개항로 (Gaehang-ro) | Naver link

As my second stay in Seoul came to an end, my cousin - who’s around my age - picked me up from my Airbnb so we could hang out with his younger brother (who was driving up from Yeosu, located in the country’s southern coast) as well as my oldest cousin. They had asked me where I wanted to go, and I told them I was interested in Gaehang-ro, one of Incheon’s oldest neighborhoods. They knew it well.

After picking me up from Seoul, my middle cousin drove over to my oldest cousin’s place to pick him up as well before parking in one of Gaehang-ro’s public parking lots. While Incheon as a whole is a metropolitan and modern city, Gaehang-ro is an area (among others) that seems to keep one foot in its past, and that is what gives this neighborhood its personality and feel. Most of the architecture here have been around for a long time, and a good chunk of them show their age. Within minutes of being here, I knew I loved it. The only times my heart felt heavy here was whenever I saw a closed business - one among countless victims claimed by the pandemic, rising property costs, or both.

It was going to take my younger cousin a couple hours to arrive in the area, so we decided to hold off on lunch and grab some drinks. Our first stop was 일광전구 라이트하우스 (Lightbulb Lighthouse) | Naver link, a former lightbulb factory turned cafe. This place was impressive - not only does it showcase a lightbulb machine that still operates (though it was adjusted to not actually make the lightbulbs), it actually consists of two separate buildings and a backyard with a persimmon tree. My middle cousin was at the time the owner and chef of an Italian restaurant that was going to close in another month, and he recognized one of the cafe’s employees as one of his part-timers, so he introduced us and chatted with her. While the baked goods certainly looked scrumptious, we decided to stick with drinks. I opted for a mug of their special coffee called 롱버터 (Long Butter), which cost ₩6,500 (estimated $4.51) and tasted quite nice. We took our drinks up to the second floor of the other building, where we sat at a table looking out at the persimmon tree. Prior to this day, I didn’t get to spend a lot of time with my cousins, so it was great just catching up with them. My oldest cousin operates a bar that was actually a few blocks away from my other cousin’s restaurant, so I enjoyed listening to them share about their respective businesses and such.

Within Gaehang-ro lies the 배다리헌책방거리 (Baedari Used Bookstore Street) | Naver link that’s home to several bookstores, so we headed there next. 아벨서점 (Abel Bookstore) | Naver link displayed a good number of its books outdoors, and we went inside. My middle cousin pointed out some old 만화 (manhwa - comics) that he used to read and then pulled out a cookbook, flipping through it to see what recipes it held. There was also 한미서점 (Hanmi Bookstore) | Naver link and a few other bookstores, but they weren’t open on this day. Also located on this street are some interesting stores, including one that sold typewriters and old film projectors, which I observed through the window.

인천당 (Incheondang) | Naver link is a snack shop that has been selling a variety of cookies and sweets for over 50 years. Apparently they make a lot of their cookies in-house, so we headed over there. My oldest cousin ordered a bag of 계피만주 (cinnamon cookies) and 땅콩과자 (peanut cookies), and we munched on these while exploring more of Gaehang-ro. The cinnamon cookies were soft and topped with sesame seeds, and the flavor of cinnamon wasn’t as heavy as I expected. The peanut cookies were essentially very crunchy crackers with whole peanuts baked into it, and these were great. My oldest cousin loved them so much that we ended up returning nearly an hour later so he could buy some more and give them out as treats to his staff and customers at his bar the very next day.

There were a couple more landmarks in Gaehang-ro that I wanted to check out. Our next stop was 애관극장 (Aegwan Movie Theater) | Naver link, which was the nation’s first theater, having opened in the 1890s. It has since been remodeled a few times, and while we didn’t go inside (we didn’t have time to watch a movie) to see what it was like, I could appreciate it as someone who values the theatrical experience. Just a short way up the street is 답동성당 (Dapdong Cathedral) | Naver link. While it finished construction in 1897, it was altered into a Romanesque style during a reconstruction in 1937. The cathedral’s interior was very beautiful, thanks in large part to the light coming in through the stained glass windows.

신포국제시장 (Sinpo International Market) | Naver link is very close by, so that became our next destination. This traditional market sells a wide variety of goods, and tons of people come here to get meals as well. My oldest cousin spotted a vendor called 산동만두 (Sandong Dumplings) | Naver link that he used to come visit with my late aunt when he was young, so he got in line to get 공갈빵 (gonggal bread). Because the vendor made the gonggal bread in small batches at a time, and some customers would sometimes buy more than one, we ended up waiting nearly 20 minutes in the line, which only seemed to get longer. Finally, when it was our turn, he paid ₩2,500 (estimated $1.73) for the gonggal bread, a seemingly thick loaf of bread that’s actually hollow, crunchy, and sweet! My cousins explained to me that it’s a common joke to give gonggal bread to non-Koreans to see their reactions, as more often than not, they would think they got enough bread to last them for several meals, when in reality, it’s just a snack.

My younger cousin finally arrived, and we decided to get lunch at 인현통닭삼계탕 동인천본점 (Inhyeon Whole Chicken and Ginseng Chicken East Incheon Main Branch) | Naver link. My oldest cousin told me that my mother’s family would come here a lot since they used to live in the area, so it holds many memories for them. We each got a ginseng chicken soup, which cost ₩15,000 (estimated $10.41). I’ve eaten this dish many times over the course of my life, and it never fails to be comforting. The one served here was prepared very well, warming me up thoroughly.

We only had a few hours left, so we drove over to 월미도 (Wolmido) | Naver link to hang out. Wolmido is an island that was connected to the mainland by a highway and later a monorail, which runs above people across the area. This area is a tourist attraction, so there was plenty of activity on the boardwalk. There’s a small amusement park and a number of arcades here, but none of us were in the mood for it, so we ended up getting drinks from a nearby coffee shop and relaxing on some benches just a stone’s away from the water, which we could even walk down to by climbing down some stairs. My youngest cousin bought a cup of 소라 (conches) from a street vendor for ₩5,000 (estimated $3.47), and we ate them by sucking the cooked snails out of their shells. Even though my cousins all lived together in the same country, they rarely got the chance to spend time together, and I was grateful to share this time with them.

송도동 (Songdo Neighborhood) | Naver link

Another part of Incheon that my aunt didn’t recommend? Songdo. Still, I wanted to go; I had read about it a good deal while planning for my trip. I did go there during my last Korea trip, but now that I was older and more excited about exploring Korea (yes, I was more insufferable back then), I wanted to experience it with a different mind and set of eyes. My cousin - the same one who accompanied me around Chinatown - went with me, and this was actually the first time we spent a day together during my trip.

We took the subway and got off at 테크노파크역 인천1호선 (Techno Park Station - Incheon Line 1) | Naver link to get to our first stop: 츠리플스트리트 (Triple Street) | Naver link, a shopping mall. I came here because a video had showcased this - in particular, an awning created from dozens of multicolored umbrellas - and I wanted to see it. Unfortunately, the umbrellas had been taken down, though the cables that once held them remained. I quickly got over my disappointment by walking around the mall and browsing through some shops for gifts. I liked how a bunch of the outdoor restaurants have distinct designs instead of being dictated by one flat look. The mall is organized into segments, and between one segment is an outdoor lounge area, which I thought was great. While we left without finding any gifts, I enjoyed my time here, and I could see myself spending a few more hours if time was on my side.

We got back back on the subway, heading west before getting off at 센트럴파크역 인천1호선 (Central Park Station - Incheon Line 1) | Naver link. Right outside subway exit 3 is 트라이보울 (Tri Bowl) | Naver link, a superstructure comprised of three conjoined bowl-shaped buildings seemingly floating above water. This is a culture and arts center, and after heading inside, we saw that there was an art exhibition being held, so we stayed for a bit to look at some of the impressive works on display.

My cousin knew of a prime spot to get great views of Songdo and beyond, so he led me over to G타워 (G-Tower) | Naver link. The observatory is located on the tower’s 33rd floor, and it was only open on certain days, usually from the late morning to the late afternoon. There is an elevator solely for this observatory, and it had only four buttons: one for the ground floor, two for the 32nd and 33rd floors, and the last one for emergencies. After a quick trip up, we walked around the 33rd floor’s perimeter for some eye-popping views for miles around. Also on this floor was an exhibition about the Incheon Free Economic Zone (IFEZ) as well as several virtual reality booths.

After exiting the tower, we took a stroll through 송도 센트럴파크 (Songdo Central Park) | Naver link. The park’s grounds are quite large, and in many ways, it reminded me of Incheon’s Cheongna Lake Park when I visited early on during my trip, as both are located in (relatively) newly developed areas and are centered around a lake. The park is home to a number of interesting art pieces (one is a fountain depicting three boys urinating into the lake - you can guess where the water spouts from), and there was plenty of activity out on the water, as many visitors go for a spin on the mini ferries as well as small boats.

The park also contains a small hanok village! I didn’t think it was as impressive as those in Seoul nor Jeonju, but 송도 한옥마을 (Songdo Hanok Village) | Naver link was worth checking out. Since Songdo is a smart city that was built on reclaimed land, these hanok-style buildings were built from scratch less than 20 years ago, which explains why they look so “clean” compared to their counterparts that have been standing for decades, if not hundreds of years.

We got dinner at 팔진향 한옥마을점 (Paljinhyang Hanok Village Branch) | Naver link, a Chinese-Korean restaurant in the village. Located on the second floor of one of hanok buildings, it was quite large and had a decent number of customers inside. Looking through the menu, I couldn’t help but note that it was a pricier compared to some of the other Chinese-Korean restaurants I went to. I ordered the 소갈비살 마늘볶음밥 (beef short rib garlic fried rice), which cost ₩15,000 (estimated $10.53). I would have thought that the strips of beef would be fried with the rice, but it actually came more as an accompaniment to it, though I thought I could taste the beef’s marinade in the rice itself. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the meat overshadowed the fried rice, which was otherwise pretty solid.

We made our way to the southeast end of the park, where we decided to get drinks at a lakefront cafe called 빵쌤 센트럴파크점 (Bbang Ssaem Central Park Branch) | Naver link. I bought a mug of 자몽차 (grapefruit tea), which cost ₩6,000 ($4.21). From the patio (the cafe is located on the second floor), we had a great view of the lake, and as the sky darkened, we watched people get on small boats in which their lights changed periodically, from red to green to blue. To my delight, the grapefruit flavor in my tea was much stronger than I anticipated thanks to the fruit’s pulp.

구월동 (Guwol Neighborhood) | Naver link

My paternal grandmother eats the same dish every day: incredibly salty braised fish, kimchi, and steamed rice. I stayed at her place for three nights, and because that’s all she ate, I had to eat that as well. I love my grandmother very much, and I’ll just say that eating that meal once was enough; unfortunately, I had to eat it four separate times during my stay. On my second day at her place, my older uncle - who was aware of my situation - invited me to lunch with him and two of his old friends. I gladly accepted the invitation.

I met my uncle and his friends at 시골밴댕이회무침구이 (Countryside Japanese Sardinella Raw Fish, Salad, and Grill) | Naver link. This restaurant, located in 구월동문예길 음식거리 (Guwol Neighborhood Munyegil Food Street) | Naver link, specializes in dishes involving Japanese sardinella - a species of sardine. We each ordered 밴댕이덮밥 (Japanese sardinella over rice), which consisted of marinated raw Japanese sardinella with spices, cabbage, and perilla leaves, all of which we could mix with shredded lettuce and rice, making it very much like hoedeopbap. We also ordered 아구탕 (monkfish stew) for the table. My uncle and his friends were worried about my spice tolerance, so they requested that the stew be on the milder side. As someone who loves hoedeopbap, the Japanese sardinella over rice was a winner in my book, as the fish had good chew and absorbed the marinade well. While I would have preferred the monkfish stew to be spicier, it was a good palate cleanser and was a great follow-up to the Japanese sardinella over rice.

After my uncle showed me around the office he works at, I returned to this general area and walked around the 구월로데오음식문화거리 (Guwol Rodeo Food Culture Street) | Naver link. I could tell some of these buildings had been here for a long time, so it was interesting to contrast its age with the more recent businesses that were its tenants. I came to this street because there was a food vendor selling some interesting-looking 김밥 (gimbap), a Korean dish consisting of cooked rice, meat or fish, and vegetables wrapped in dried seaweed. This vendor was 까치네떡볶이 (Magpie Tteokbokki), which doesn’t show up on Naver Map, but I can say that it was located in front of freemario | Naver link. The dish I came for was 계란마리 김밥 (rolled omelette gimbap), which cost ₩3,000 (estimated $2.14) for one serving. Their gimbap was itself rolled into an omelette before being doused in 떡볶이 (tteokbokki) - which typically consists of rice cakes seasoned with gochujang - sauce. Even though the gimbap I’ve grown up eating always had egg inside, I liked that this gimbap had more egg and came with essentially a dipping sauce. This was a considerable amount of food for one person, but I still managed to finish it even though only a few hours had passed after lunch.

After I arrived back at my grandmother’s place, I was quick to tell her that I didn’t need to eat dinner. Though she tried to change my mind, I held firm, so she relented. I had survived, so I had the the next day to look forward to (or worry about, depending on how you see it).

부평구 (Bupyeong District) | Naver link

I visited Bupyeong District a couple times during my trip, and the writeup below covers two of those occasions: one evening with my cousin after visiting Songdo Neighborhood that same day, and another occasion when I met with my cousin (the chef and restaurant owner) for lunch.

From Songdo, my cousin and I decided to pay our oldest cousin a visit at his bar, since neither of us had been there during its business hours. My cousin wanted to do whatever he could to help me find gifts for friends, so we first dropped by 부평문화의거리 (Bupyeong Culture Street) | Naver link to check out some of the stores there. While the night life here doesn’t compare to that in Seoul, there was still quite a lot of people, eating at restaurants, hanging out in cafes, and browsing through stores. Below ground, there’s a large shopping area for those who wish to shop for clothes, though almost all the vendors there seemed to have closed early. While I didn’t find the gifts I wanted, I enjoyed seeing the blaring neon lights.

The bar that my oldest cousin owns is 소담주택 (Sodam House) | Naver link. On our way there, we bought a couple iced coffees for him and his staff. The bar seats less than a dozen people at a time, so it’s recommended that interested patrons make reservations well ahead of time. On this night, there was a handful of people already inside, sipping on spirits and eating 안주 (anju), which is referred to food served with alcohol - here, it ranges from cream cheese and walnut-stuffed persimmons and grilled ginkgo nuts and to raw seafood platters and soup. My oldest cousin came out to greet us, thanked us for the coffees, and then headed back inside so he could continue working. Unfortunately, I never had the chance to sit inside and partake in its activities, but there’s no doubt that it looks fun and relaxing - and the bar itself seems to be a local hit. Considering that the bar has been open for just a little over a year, it made me happy to see it thrive. For those who are interested, you can browse through the photos and videos on the bar’s Instagram page and even contact my oldest cousin directly through it should you wish to make reservations. I’m for sure making one the next time I return to Korea! Update (08/29/2023): My oldest cousin has since sold this bar and now operates another one, also in Bupyeong District, called 소하 다이닝 바 | (Soha Dining Bar) | Naver link.

I had hoped to eat at my cousin’s Italian restaurant one last time before it closed (I had eaten there once shortly after my first Seoul trip), but by the time I arrived, my cousin and his staff were already on their afternoon break. Being a business owner in Bupyeong, he was intimately familiar with what the area had to offer. After quickly discussing what we were craving, he ushered me into 복화루 (Bokhwaru) | Naver link, a Chinese-Korean restaurant. He warmly greeted the hostess, and they briefly chatted about how things were going with their respective restaurants. We ordered sweet and sour pork and two orders of 간짜장 (noodles with dry bean sauce), which came out to a total of ₩35,000 ($24.97). The noodles with black bean sauce came with an egg, which I had never seen before. These two dishes are comfort food to me, and this restaurant cooked both of them very well. When the time came for us to make our leave, I quickly got to the counter first to pay for our meal over his protests; my family always insisted on paying for everything when I was with them (much to my annoyance), so yes, this was a big deal for me.

You know what comes after a meal in Korea: a cafe. My cousin knew of a good one near his restaurant, so after a short walk over, we headed inside 이너피스 (Inner Peace) | Naver link, a modest and comfortable spot. After my cousin introduced me to the owner and vice versa, I ordered a 카페라떼 (cafe latte). The drink was a nice one to sip on, and it was great to just relax, exchange stories with my cousin, and hear him talk about his future plans after he would close his restaurant.

계산4동 (Gyesan Neighborhood 4) | Naver link and 가좌동 (Gajwa Neighborhood) | Naver link

As my Korea trip was coming to an end, I wanted to spend one last day with my cousins whom I hung out with in Gaehang-ro. Thankfully, we managed to select a day when they could all be free.

We decided to first start with lunch at 계양닭갈비 계양1호점 (Gyeyang Spicy Stir-Fried Chicken Gyeyang 1st Branch) | Naver link, which was owned and operated by my middle and younger cousins’ mother. After we all arrived, all three cousins and I helped her set up a table and bring out a steel platter full of chicken, rice cakes, potatoes, cabbage, onions, and green onions, all doused with the spicy marinade. We placed this on the gas grill and mixed everything together as they started to cook. This dish was delicious, and it was great to share it among family. I’ve since heard that while my cousins’ mother still owns and operates this restaurant, it has since shifted its specialty dish from spicy stir-fried chicken to raw beef. Update (10/11/2023): My middle and younger cousins’ mother has since closed this restaurant.

My younger cousin had suggested that we do something active, so we went over to 더스트라이크볼링장 (The Strike Bowling Alley) | Naver link, which is a former swimming pool turned bowling alley. My middle cousin - having now closed his Italian restaurant - mentioned that he came here a few times back when it was a pool. The four of us paired up (me and my middle cousin on one team, and my oldest and younger cousins on the other) and bowled for two games, and my middle cousin and I lost both. We then switched over to a game of darts, which was fun. We essentially had the whole place to ourselves, so it was great to play and chat without having the constant sounds of other people’s chatter and games in the background.

Next up, cafe time. However, there was one stop I wanted to make. Right next to the cafe we were to go to, there’s another cafe and store called 선챔버소사이어티 (Sun Chamber Society) | Naver link. While we certainly weren’t going to get drinks or baked goods here, I did want to see what kind of items they had for sale. Even though I was to leave the country in a few days, I still needed to find gifts for some of my friends back stateside. They were selling things like books, dinnerware, trinkets, and various articles of clothes. After some quick browsing, I saw it - specialty European teas. My middle cousin and I took whiffs of the tea samples, and I chose the two that I figured would be the most palatable for my friends. I purchased these as well as some pairs of socks. On another day, we probably could have got drinks and hung out here, as their menu certainly looked enticing.

The cafe we went to was 코스모40 (Cosmo40) | Naver link, a former chemical factory. I had come to love repurposed spaces, and this place was absolutely impressive. We took the elevator up to the third floor, where we put in our drink orders and perused the eye-popping bakery. I got the 부드러운 풍미의 블랙커피 (soft zest black coffee), while my cousins got cold drinks that included the 배치 브르 (batch brew), 바닐라 라떼 (vanilla latte), and 아몬드 멜로우 밀크티 (almond mellow milk tea). The soft zest black coffee and the batch brew were made using the Bean Brothers’ 에티오피아 이디도 (Ethiopia Idido) blend, which has hints of plums, grapes, and lavender. For the baked goods, we purchased a 황 치즈 타르트 (sulfur cheese tart), 퀸아망 (kouign-amman), and 먹물&체다 치아바타 (cephalopod ink & cheddar ciabatta). The seating areas on the third floor is just massive, but imagine my surprise when we took the stairs down to the second floor, a slightly darkened area that holds not only more tables, but also ping pong tables (to my younger cousin’s utter delight)! The first floor was an empty space when we went, though I heard that they sometimes host art exhibitions, so I imagine that’s what the space is typically used for. The soft zest black coffee was very nice, and my cousins enjoyed their drinks. We split the baked goods into pieces, and they all tasted magnificent, with the cephalopod ink & cheddar ciabatta being of particular excellence. This cafe was simply a tremendous place to just hang out at, and I watched my cousins get in a few games of ping pong (I don’t like playing it).

We returned to the area where we had lunch, and we decided to play some billiards while waiting for my oldest cousin’s wife as well as my middle cousin’s wife and son. There were already a decent amount of people inside when we arrived at 매니아당구클럽 (Mania Billiards Club) | Naver link, but we managed to get two tables with ease. We broke off into the same pairs from the bowling alley earlier, with my oldest and younger cousins wanting to play 사구 (four-ball billiards) while my middle cousin and I played a traditional game of billiards. After my middle cousin and I finished playing our game, we mosied over to my oldest and younger cousins to watch them play, just as my middle cousin’s wife and son arrived. My oldest cousin was incredibly good at four-ball billiards, making seemingly difficult shots with little effort and leaving me in awe. I tried my hand at it too, but I was (and remain) an amateur.

I had yet to try 족발 (jokbal - pig’s feet) during my Korea trip, and when planning out this day, my cousins had asked me what I wanted to eat, so I requested that. As it turned out, the restaurant next to my cousins’ mother’s restaurant specialized in jokbal, so 서울장충동왕족발 (Seoul Jangchungdong King Pig’s Feet) | Naver link was where we had dinner. My oldest cousin’s wife joined us shortly after we got seated, and soon the hostess brought out a platter of 콩나물무침 (seasoned soybean sprouts) as well as a massive serving of jokbal. The soybean sprouts were perfectly seasoned, and the jokbal was supple, fatty, and savory - everything any jokbal should strive to be. I never had the soybean sprouts with jokbal before, but this was a winning combination. We ordered some beer and soju (no, my middle cousin’s son didn’t have any, though he did pour some out for us), and we spent the rest of dinnertime chatting and laughing. It was bittersweet, knowing that it would be some time before I see any of them again, but I was beyond grateful for the time we shared.

Taken from my younger cousin's Instagram (@kh__920).

A few weeks after I returned to the U.S., my middle and younger cousins together opened a new restaurant in Gyesan Neighborhood 4! They took a space that was a former restaurant of their mother’s and converted it into a Korean BBQ restaurant, specializing in pork belly and 목살 (pork shoulder). They named their restaurant after mother, 은심 (Eunsim) | Naver link. What’s more, they concocted a dipping sauce for the grilled meat that’s apparently very tasty. While they were originally open from the late afternoon to midnight, they have since adjusted their hours of operation so they could have lunch service. Even if pork belly and pork shoulder aren’t in your wheelhouse, they offer a bunch of other dishes that are proving to be winners according to the reviews I’ve read, such as the 고추장찌개 (gochujang stew) and 바질냉면 (basil naengmyeon). I’m looking forward to going here when I return to Korea! Update (10/11/2023): This restaurant closed down back in August of this year, with my middle and younger cousins’ mother now operating an eel restaurant named 국산대물장어 (Domestic Large Eel) | Naver link in that space. My middle cousin has since reopened his beloved Italian restaurant, 당신과 나의 식탁 (Yours and Mine Table) | Naver link around the same vicinity!

계산3동 (Gyesan Neighborhood 3) | Naver link and 계양2동 (Gyeyang Neighborhood 2) | Naver link

While staying with my maternal grandmother and my uncle, I ate at some of the local restaurants nearby.

My younger cousin (the same one I hung out with in Gaehang-ro, Gyesan Neighborhood 4, and Gajwa Neighborhood) was in town for a few days, and my uncle decided we should get lunch with him and his mother. We headed over to 통큰손쭈꾸미마을 계산본점 (Tongkeunson Webfoot Octopus Village Gyesan Main Branch) | Naver link, a very packed restaurant known for serving 쭈꾸미비빔밥 (webfoot octopus bibimbap), which cost ₩11,000 (estimated $7.64) apiece. We each ordered one, and we could request that the spice level be adjusted (I opted for medium). The spicy cooked octopus arrived in one large bowl, and we portioned it between us for our bibimbap, mixing it in with rice and various vegetables. Simply put, this was a fantastic dish; the octopus was cooked very well, and the vegetables did well to complement the good amount of spice.

I told my grandmother one morning that I wanted to do a bit of shopping (I was still looking for gifts), and she encouraged me to get lunch for myself while I was at it. 신선수제돈까스 (Fresh Homemade Katsu) | Naver link was the highest rated restaurant in the nearby area, and it piqued my interest because I was yet to have katsu during my trip. The restaurant is located on the second floor of its building, and I was quickly seated. I ordered the 모듬돈까스 (assorted katsu), which cost ₩8,000 ($5.60). To start the meal, I received a bowl of cream soup, which was seasoned well. The katsu, consisting of pork, chicken, and steak, were thin but incredibly crisp, and they all tasted quite solid. Between them, the pork was my clear favorite.

소래포구 (Soraepogu) | Naver link

On the third day that I spent at my paternal grandmother’s place, I told her - after eating that meal of salty braised fish, kimchi, and rice for breakfast, of course - that I wanted to go out and explore a bit. She seemed relieved that I wouldn’t be bored from just staying at her place, so she saw me to the door. From there, I took a taxi over to Soraepogu, which is located in a port on the southeast part of Incheon.

I wanted to attend a weekly virtual gathering with some friends from church, so my first stop was at a cafe called 아떼로프 (Atterolf) | Naver link. The cafe’s blue and white interiors reminded me of Santorini, Greece, and it had a pretty inviting atmosphere. I ordered the 바다라떼 (ocean latte), mainly because part of the drink was blue, and it cost ₩5,500 ($3.94). Sure enough, when the drink came out, the bottom part was a very deep blue, and when I mixed the drinks’ contents, it just looked like a regular latte. As for the taste, it was very similar to that of latte as well. There was only one other person in the cafe, and it was fairly quiet, which was perfect as I got on the video call and spent the next hour with my friends back home.

Because Soraepogu is a port, it’s quite the scene for seafood enthusiasts. I first went to 소래포구 종합어시장 (Soraepogu Fish Market) | Naver link, which is housed in a building that’s quite similar to the seafood markets I visited in both Seoul and Busan. It’s laid out in a similar manner as well, and I saw a lot of the usual suspects when looking through their seafood selection. 소래포구 전통 어시장 (Soraepogu Traditional Fish Market) | Naver link is a mostly outdoor market, and as I walked down its alleys, the intoxicating and overwhelming scent of fish, shellfish, and cephalopods filled my nostrils. Both of these markets were bustling with customers, and trying to figure out where to eat was difficult because there was such a wealth of options available in this area.

Eventually, after walking around quite a bit and searching through Naver Map, I settled on 무진장숯불꼼장어구이 (Mujinjang Charcoal Grilled Eel) | Naver link for lunch. I had yet to eat eel during my trip, and this seemed like a good opportunity to do so. I ordered the 왕꼼장어소금구이 (salt grilled king eel), which cost ₩32,000 ($22.91). I received one serving of par-cooked eel that I finished on the grill, banchan, materials for ssam, and maeuntang. The eel became crispy within minutes, and wrapping it up in lettuce leaves with grilled garlic, ssamjang, and some banchan (mainly the pickles) made for some well balanced bites. The maeuntang was nice to have on the side whenever I wanted something spicy.

There are a ton of vendor stalls selling fried seafood, and despite having just had lunch, I felt compelled to get some just as a snack. The items they sold were pretty consistent, and I found myself at 독도왕새우튀김 (Dokdo Fried King Shrimp) | Naver link to order 꽃게튀김 (fried baby crabs), which cost ₩7,000 (estimated $4.96). I took these over to the nearby 소래포구 해오름광장 (Soraepogu Rising Sun Plaza) | Naver link, which looks out over the port, sat down on a bench, and snacked on these deliciously fried critters.

The last thing on my Soraepogu itinerary was 소래습지 생태공원 (Sorae Marsh Ecological Park) | Naver link, which took about a twenty-minute walk from the plaza. Yes, I had seen my fair share of salt marshes during my Korea trip, but this park sets itself apart with its landscape (which included seas of pink-red plants), extensive trails, and of course, its signature windmills. The salt farm here was the nation’s first natural evaporation salt farm, and it was the largest salt producer in the ‘70s before being shut down in 1996. I realized that I would be losing light soon, so for the next hour and a half, I quickly walked on the trails, checked out the birdwatching decks, saw several bird nests, climbed the observation tower, and of course, approached and took photos of the windmills, their vanes moving very lackadaisically. I tried to experience as much of the park as I could, but I only got to go through about half of it.

인천대공원 (Incheon Grand Park) | Naver link

My aunt kept saying that while I was in Korea, I ought to check out the Incheon Grand Park, so early one fine morning, her husband decided to take me there on his motorbike.

My aunt’s husband parked his motorbike on the sidewalk near the park’s southern entrance, and we walked in from there. The park certainly lives up to its name in that it’s quite large; we only got to see about half of it during our time spent here. It took us about twenty minutes to get to the lake garden located at its center, and we walked on the road of Japanese zelkova trees that loops around the lake. There were plenty of brightly colored and fascinating-looking flowers, art pieces, and recreational facilities all around the park. It also contains an arboretum and a children’s zoo (which apparently has fennec foxes), though they weren’t open that early in the morning. We did walk on a network of trails leading into a nearby forest, and it was on these trails that I saw the forest floor just carpeted with chestnut husks. There are homes located around the park, and judging from the number of middle-aged people we saw walking about and hiking, I knew this place was a popular exercise joint.