Seoul’s global kitchens: Where foreign residents can find comfort food during Lunar New Year

Filipino snacks are sold at the Hyehwa Philippine Market on Feb. 8. [LEE TAE-HEE]

 
The Lunar New Year holiday is a time for family gatherings, but for international students and foreign residents who have made Korea a home away from home, the holiday can feel a bit different.
 
While many Koreans spend the break with relatives and festive meals, others find themselves missing the comforts and flavors of home.
 
For those seeking familiar dishes, the Korea JoongAng Daily explored three areas in Seoul where restaurants offer a taste of home.
 
 
Hyehwa Philippine Market
 

Filipino snacks are sold at the Hyehwa Philippine Market on Feb. 8. [LEE TAE-HEE]

Hyehwa-dong in Jongno District, central Seoul, is an area known to be packed with small theaters. But every Sunday, it also becomes a vibrant marketplace for Filipinos in Seoul.  
 
A Philippine Market opens in the area every Sunday, on the sides of a walkway that spans across Dongsung Middle School and the Hyehwa Catholic Church. The market is just around a minute or two walk from Exit 1 of Hyehwa Station, with rows of green canopy tents and the smell of street food making it hard to go unnoticed.  
 
Various Filipino food and snacks can be found inside the stalls, such as the instant Pancit Canton noodles and packets of chicharon, or deep-fried pork rinds.  
 
Visitors can also try some food on the spot, such as cassava cakes wrapped in banana leaves or sapin sapin, a dessert made from glutinous rice and coconut milk. A buffet-style meal is also offered at one of the vendors, allowing visitors to fill a lunch plate with various Filipino food such as adobo (braised pork), longganisa sausages and sinigang soup for 10,000 won ($7).  
 
For those who want to purchase ingredients to make their own food at home, sinigang mixes used to make the Philippines' sour and savory soup dish and small packs of calamansi (Philippine lime) to add that tangy taste are available at the stalls.  
 
Most vendors only take cash, although there's also the option to transfer money via banking apps if you don't happen to have cash on you.  
 
The market opens on Sundays between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., although being a market, operating hours can be flexible.  
 
 
Wangsimni neighbourhood
 

Pho Little Vietnam's pho [LEE TAE-HEE]

It's not difficult to find Vietnamese food in Seoul, or even in other cities.
 
But the Wangsimni area in Seongdong District, eastern Seoul, is one place where many Vietnamese have settled down and opened restaurants to recreate the flavors of home themselves. 
 
One of them is Pho Little Vietnam, a small restaurant located in an apartment complex's shopping arcade that's around 10 minutes on foot from the Wangsimni subway station. The restaurant isn't the fanciest place and can be found along with other restaurants in a food court-style establishment, but the dishes offer great taste.  
 
Run by a Vietnamese lady, Pho Little Vietnam offers the classic beef pho that features a clear yet rich broth with layers of savory, fragrant flavor. A generous amount of coriander and bird's eye chilies comes with the dish, allowing customers to add a bit of heat.
 

Pho Pham Thi Chinh in Seongdong District, eastern Seoul [LEE TAE-HEE]

Apart from pho, the restaurant also has dishes such as banh uot, steamed rice sheets with pork, or hu tieu, another type of noodles with pork-based broth, that can be hard to find in many Vietnamese restaurants in Seoul.  
 
Dishes are on the affordable side, with most things priced at 8,000 won, except the cha gio (spring rolls), which sell for 6,000 won. The restaurant opens every day except Monday, between noon and 8 p.m.
 
Pho Pham Thi Chinh is another Vietnamese restaurant that used to be located in the same apartment complex. However, the restaurant has now moved in front of Exit 1 of the Seoul Forest Station, which is around a 20-minute bus ride from its original location.  
 
The restaurant is run by a couple, with the Korean husband tending the dining area and the Vietnamese wife leading the kitchen.
 
Its pho also comes with a flavorful and hearty broth, served with chilies, and customers can ask for coriander to add to their dish. The restaurant also carries banh mi bo kho, a combination of the banh mi sandwiches and the bo kho, a spicy soup with carrot, potato and thick chunks of beef. 
 
Pho Pham Thi Chinh opens every day between 10 a.m. and 10:30 p.m.
 
 
Taste of Indonesia in Hongdae
 

Nasi padang sold at Nusantaraku [LEE TAE-HEE]

Nusantaraku is a restaurant in Mapo District, western Seoul, that offers a variety of Asian cuisine with a primary focus on Indonesian food.  
 
While located in the busy Hongdae area, near Exit 8 of the Hongik University Station, the restaurant is a place where hearing Korean can be surprisingly rare, as international students and tourists frequently gather there for a meal.
 
The restaurant has a variety of nasi goreng (Indonesian fried rice), allowing customers to choose accompaniments such as fried or grilled chicken, beef, lamb and egg. Each plate arrives in generous portions, complemented by fresh vegetables and crackers.
 
Apart from the classic nasi goreng, the restaurant’s nasi padang (a steamed rice dish) stands out as another highlight. The dish is served with rendang, or chunks of beef marinated in coconut milk, which has a spicy and slightly tangy flavor. The Teh Botol ice tea is also available at the store, giving customers a refreshing drink to finish off the meal.  
 
Being an Indonesian restaurant, all ingredients used in its dishes are halal. There's also a small prayer room that customers can use if needed.  
 
Nusantaraku opens every day between 11 a.m. and 11 p.m. 

BY LEE TAE-HEE [lee.taehee2@joongang.co.kr]