On February 1, Koreans celebrate Seollal, the lunar new year. It is a good opportunity to discover its gastronomy in some restaurants in Madrid. In Sarang Bang the first surprise comes when they fill the table with small plates with different specialties as an appetizer. They call it
banchan
and thanks to this practice you can taste their tofu, mushroom omelette or some pickled and fermented vegetables such as
kimchi.
In this place it is normal to meet Korean clients who do not need to look at the photographs of each reference that appears on the menu.
As in most Korean restaurants, they have a section dedicated to soups and here they offer more than a dozen.
The spicy beef and vegetables
Yuk-Gue-Chang
(15 euros) and the
kimchi
with meat and tofu (15 euros) stand out.
In addition, they offer
bibimbap
(15 euros), one of the typical preparations of Korean cuisine based on rice, beef, vegetables and eggs.
Yuk-gue-chang is a spicy beef and vegetable soup that is eaten in Sarang Bang.Almudena Ávalos
new year's dish
To inaugurate the year, tradition dictates that you drink
Tteokguk
or
Tteok-mandu guk
soup and they say that if you do it you will be celebrating another year.
This dish consists of a beef broth with laminated rice cakes, egg and vegetables.
In the Seoul restaurant they serve it all year round under the name of
Tokmanduguk
and include meat and vegetable dumplings (15 euros).
In this establishment, most of its customers go looking for meats such as Bulgogui, marinated beef in soy sauce (14 euros) and many of them end up on plates that are placed on the tables.
In Seoul there is also a menu of the day for 10, 90 euros.
Rice soup, vegetables, beef, dumplings and egg at the Seoul restaurant.Almudena Ávalos
in markets
On the second floor of the Barceló food market is Mama Uma, a stall specializing in
kimbap
: rice rolls wrapped in nori seaweed, similar to Japanese
makis
with pickled vegetables such as cucumber, turnip, carrots, etc.
Don't miss the
shiitake
mushrooms on the fire with a touch of soy and homemade
kimchi
for 9.90 euros.
The owners of this place, the Korean Jiwoo and the Spanish Gonzo, met in Korea.
When they settled in Madrid, they organized meals at home and seeing the success that Jiwoo's dishes had among their friends, they were encouraged to share them by opening Mama Uma in 2020. In their bar they not only have
organic algae
kimbap .
There are other delicacies such as fried free-range chicken with different sauces made by them (13.50 euros),
fried
kimchi
, zucchini and
shiitake mushroom
dumpling
according to a North Korean recipe (4.90 euros) and for dessert Hodduk, a rice flour pancake stuffed with cocoa, cinnamon and nuts with vanilla ice cream (6.50 euros).
If someone wants to learn how to make some of their preparations, pay attention to their Instagram because they teach courses.
Next Thursday the 3rd they will serve their New Year's soup and they have the option of home delivery with Glovo.
On the ground floor of the San Ildefonso market, Akma's stall specializes in Korean street dishes such as fried chicken with garlic and honey sauce accompanied by rice (11.50 euros) or fried seaweed rolls stuffed with noodles. sweet potato and vegetables with sweet sauce (10 euros). They can be taken at their tables or on the open patio upstairs. And their
kimchi
is so successful that they sell it in industrial quantities in an Asian products supermarket on Calle Leganitos, 11.
But when it comes to
kimchi,
mention must be made of chef Luke Jang who ferments it for months at his restaurant Luke.
In his gastronomic proposal, Luke fuses Korean cuisine with all the knowledge acquired during his time at Mugaritz or elBulli and has an à la carte tapas format, a tasting menu (98 euros) and a
delivery
at Glovo.
Akma's kimchi is also sold in Asian supermarkets. Almudena Ávalos
Another essential Korean in the city is the Korea restaurant.
It has been open for more than three decades and it is advisable to book by phone on 915 542 034 if you want to enjoy the most welcoming room at the entrance.
Its menu is divided into salads, appetizers, broths, meats, fish and plates.
This last section includes dishes that end up on fire at the table, such as
Kimchi Samkyup
, a pork belly with
kimchi
, vegetables and spicy noodles (11.90 euros).
A whole world of flavors to discover without leaving Madrid.
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