Tteokbokki Pilgrimage: A Foodie's Trip to Gwangjang Market in Seoul
This blog owner made a special trip to Seoul during the holiday just to eat tteokbokki!
Even though I've never lived in Seoul...
...as someone who worked in Seoul for over 10 years...
Seoul is crowded, traffic is awful...
It used to be the kind of city where, after work, I had to escape as quickly as possible!
It was a city that sucked the life out of me, haha.
But now that I've quit my job, why are all the best restaurants in Seoul?!?!?
Why do I miss the tteokbokki near my old office?!?!?
Oh, my contrary heart!
Whew, haha.
It feels like it's been ages since I've been to Seoul.
I finally made my pilgrimage to Gwangjang Market to try that radish tteokbokki I'd been craving since last year!
It felt so good to be in Seoul again! haha
First Stop: Ganggane Tteokbokki at Gwangjang Market
Closed every Monday
Hours: 11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Chewy garaetteok (rice cake) + red sauce with plenty of radish – the perfect tteokbokki combination.
I ordered:
Tteokbokki (3 pieces): 6,000 won
Fried snacks (3 pieces): 6,000 won
I considered getting sikhye (sweet rice drink) but decided against it.
They also sell the tteokbokki sauce for 15,000 won per kg, so I briefly considered buying some...
But I think tteokbokki tastes best when someone else makes it for you!
(If I buy the sauce and make it myself, it just doesn't taste the same, sob sob)
So, no sauce for me.
The line was long, but it moved quickly.
There are a few tables right next to the tteokbokki line where you can quickly eat, but you have to stand and it's super crowded.
I didn't want to be crammed in and eat in a rush, so we decided to get it to-go!
Here's our turn!
One serving of fried snacks (pumpkin, shrimp, and fish cake, one of each) to go, and one serving of radish tteokbokki to go!
They filled a container with the tteokbokki sauce,
and mixed in the radish from the side.
Then, a heaping scoop of radish + a ladleful of sauce +
3 pieces of garaetteok (cut in half) were added to the container.
Ooh, the unique Ganggane tteokbokki was fun to watch being made.
The visuals are definitely different from the tteokbokki I'm used to...
My expectations are rising!
On the way out, I saw the garaetteok and sikhye.
I don't know if they sell the garaetteok separately, or if it was just on display.
But if they do sell it separately...
...then you could just buy both the garaetteok and the sauce and just boil it at home!?
That might be worth it!
After getting the tteokbokki, we moved right next door!
Next Stop: Gwangjang Market Chapssal Kkwabaegi (Twisted Korean Doughnuts)
Closed the first Sunday of every month
Closed on Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving)
Hours: 10:00 AM - 10:00 PM
This Gwangjang Market chapssal kkwabaegi place wasn't originally on my list, but it's a famous place in Gwangjang Market,
and it was right next to the radish tteokbokki place, so I joined the line.
The line was really long here too, so I hesitated for a moment,
but the line moved really quickly because they were constantly packaging the doughnuts.
I recommend waiting in line even if it's a little long...
A bread lover, a chapssal donut enthusiast...
...it was AMAZING! So delicious!
Perfect as a snack! The best.
I didn't have to wait too long before it was my turn.
I even got to watch them make the doughnut dough!
Chapssal Kkwabaegi: 1,000 won
Red Bean Donut: 1,500 won
Black Rice Chapssal Donut: 1,000 won
Sweet Potato Chapssal Donut: 1,500 won
There are four kinds of donuts,
and we ordered two of each,
for a total of 8!
The red bean donuts were being fried, so I had to wait a bit.
Watching the donuts being fried!
I was happy that the oil they were frying the donuts in was clean!
Then they were rolled in cinnamon sugar and packaged!
That oily smell was irresistible!
On the way to Cheonggyecheon Stream with our takeout,
my husband spotted a fresh fruit shop!
They put various fruits in cups,
and if you choose the cup you want, they immediately put it in a blender and make juice!
They add sugar syrup, but it's still freshly blended fruit,
so I'm happy!
We went down to Cheonggyecheon Stream right in front of us,
found a nice spot, and enjoyed our tteokbokki!
I had been waiting for this Ganggane tteokbokki!
I put a lot of the radish sauce on top of the rice cake and took a big bite!
The color was so red...I wondered if someone with a low spice tolerance like me could eat it,
but even I could handle the spiciness, and the sweet, crunchy radish was a great combination!
It was a unique and delicious tteokbokki...
And the fried snacks!
We ordered three types: shrimp, pumpkin, and fish cake.
All three were crispy and plump, making them worth the 6,000 won!
Dipping them in the tteokbokki sauce was so satisfying!
If I had to rank the fried snacks...
1st Place: Shrimp Tempura / 2nd Place: Pumpkin Tempura / 3rd Place: Fishcake Tempura
I cut the big fish cake in half and shared it with my husband.
I already like pumpkin, but the combination of the thick-cut, sweet pumpkin and the tteokbokki sauce was so good.
I ate the shrimp tempura right away, so I don't have a picture of it, haha.
But it was plump and long and really delicious.
Even after piling radish on top of the rice cake and dipping the fried snacks in the sauce,
there was still sauce left over.
Honestly, I felt bad throwing away the tteokbokki sauce.
Tteokbokki cleared, time for chapssal kkwabaegi!
Warm, sweet, sugar-coated chapssal kkwabaegi.
First, the original.
It was soft and chewy,
so delicious.
It was like a version of Jeju's green onion kkwabaegi, but without the green onions, haha.
Anyway, it was delicious!
Next, the sweet potato chapssal donut.
Chewy chapssal with a soft sweet potato filling...
It couldn't *not* be good!
After eating this much, I started to get full, so we brought the remaining donuts home.
We cleaned up the spot where we enjoyed our snacks while enjoying Cheonggyecheon Stream,
and then we took a walk along the stream to help with digestion.
The next day, I put the remaining donuts in the air fryer for 5 minutes,
and they were so crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside...delicious!
The red bean and sweet potato fillings were also the perfect amount,
making them a satisfying snack.
I don't know when I'll be back in Seoul... I should have bought more!
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