Vegetarian Korea

Alas, I still lament my computer skills are not sufficient to make VegetarianKorea fully interactive, so others could talk between themselves, etc. I STILL TOTALLY WELCOME THE HELP OF ANYONE WHO CAN MAKE IT SO!!!

I’ve linked the Seoul Veggie Club and other community websites, but I’d also like to suggest that people who haven’t already done so, check out http://www.couchsurfing.com/ and http://www.hospitalityclub.org/. Both of these sites cater to travellers looking for like-minded folks, and have groups for vegetarians. You can even search for other veggies in your location or intended location. Another popular networking site, Facebook, also has a group for veggies in Korea!

That said, I’ll be back in Korea in March, on an extended road trip writing and researching a rock-climbing guidebook. I’ll be looking for warm floors to sleep on (I’ll be happy to cook some great veggie meals in exchange!!) as I flit around. Y’all are also welcome to join me on my mission– you don’t have to be a rock-climber! If you can belay (or want to learn!), great, but sometimes I’ll just be checking out (beautiful) areas, taking photos, counting bolts, etc. . .

E-mail me or post if you have the time and space, esp say March 12-April (I have a car, so I really just need the .67mX2m for myself to sleep, though sometimes I curl up in a ball so it’s more like 1.5mX1.5m). . . I also have lots of cooking equiptment, a fold-out grill, etc. . . unfortunately my blender died before I left Korea, but if YOU have one, great!!!

Yongdam 2 dong.

711-4081

“Honestly, I didn’t check the buses that go really close by. I remembered after a little while. I saw buses 5 and 500 going in that direction and I’d bet that these buses go there. I think bus #300 goes there also. I think that anyone could take any of these buses and get off just a few minutes from the restaurant.

“They have a menu with maybe 10 or 15 dishes described in English. This is not a veg place but they’ll do veg if you ask them to. As will just about any restaurant anywhere. The only thing that sets this place apart is that they have a menu in English. They’ve got a long list of dishes listed on their wall but only a few on the menu in English. I guess they knew someone who knows a bit of English and that person wrote them a menu.
The people were nice enough. Just couldn’t speak English. So with my little bit of Korean and their one or two words of English, plus gesturing and my dictionary, I got some food. The place was cold, even the waiter was wearing a big jacket!

If you want directions on how to get here, I jotted down a little map after leaving. It’s just off a fairly big road called Daegyoro. Take it to a three way intersection where you see a white sign above the road that says, in both Korean and English, “Yongdam 2 (i) - dong office” with an arrow pointing left to go into the side street and “50 m”. Go into that street. If you’re coming from the center of the city, you’ll go left into the street. It’s the third building on the right. There’s a vertical red sign with a Chinese style dragon on top. The vertical letters are in Korean. I don’t know what days and times they open and close.

Thanks again to Troy for all the Jeju information!

Thanks again to Troy in Jeju for the detailed information on another vegetarian option for anyone living in, visiting, honeymooning in. . .Jeju Island:

“It’s near City Hall in Jeju City.

The veg foods on the menu are as follows. I made notes of most of the veg stuff on the menu but my pen was running out of ink and a couple of things I didn’t write down.

-”Special Menu” with some vegetarian things amongst the non-veg stuff for 40,000
-two samosas for 3000
-Kuchumber [cucumber] Salad - cubes of fruit and vegetables with traditional Indian dressing for 5000
CURRIES
-Aloo Gobi - potatoes and cauliflower cooked in tomatoes and herbs for 9000 won
-Dal Makhani - slow cooked black lentils for 9000
-Palak Paneer - homemade cottage cheese cooked with fresh spices for 10,000
- Paneer Butter Masala - homemade cottage cheese cooked with tomato butter sauce and fresh herbs for 10,000

CHAWAL - plain boiled rice for 1,500
SAFFRON CHAWAL - butter boiled rice with a touch of saffron for 4000
GARLIC NAN - for 2500
LASSIS - 2 or 3 kinds (I forget now and didn’t write specifics) 4000 each

BEVERAGES
- Red Tea Chai (special Indian tea) (are the teas and coffees really only 1000 as I think I’ve written?!)
- various coffees, herbal teas, and “oriental teas” like green tea and I forget what else.
- soft drinks
- squeezed juice for 5000 each - fresh fruit juice - kiwi, tomato, banana - strawberry, apple, cabbage!
- beer for 4000 to 6000
- *beep* for 5000
- wine from 30,000 to 48,000

Their sign says “Bagdad Indian Food and Coffee Bar” but I didn’t ask why Bagdad. The place is a couple minutes walk from City Hall. Buses 1, 2, 3, 11 and I’m sure others go there, but these for sure all go to City Hall.

Directions on how to walk to the restaurant are not so difficult. With City Hall behind you, walk across the main, big road to the Family Mart directly across the street. Go into the street making sure the Family Mart is on the right side of the street that you go into. Go to the second intersection. There will be a Ramen House on the left corner. I forget what language it’s written in. Maybe Japanese! Walk left at that corner. Walk a minute or so and the Indian place is on the right. Easy to see.

They’re open every day. Monday to Saturday they open at 11:30 and close at 2am I think the lady told me. On Sunday they open from 11:30 to midnight. Last order every day is taken at 10pm.

I don’t know if everyone there speaks English but at least some of the people there speak very good English. The lady I spoke with, I think her name is Hyeon Ju-ryeong spoke good English and was pleasant to talk with. The business card she gave me has these phone numbers:
the restaurant - 064-757-8182.
Cell phone - 010-8279-0315.
email - divahyun0315@hotmail.com.

They had some not-too-popish-light jazz playing at a pretty good volume if you wanted to listen to it. Not too loud. It’s a small place but cozy. Doesn’t look or feel anything like an Indian place but it’s an okay place to sit and enjoy food and conversation. There were a few other foreigners there.

All in all, a good place for a meal and some chit chat.

No-hyong dong 571-2
064-712-5646

It’s about 500 meters from the entrance to the Halla Arboretum in Shin Jeju. Buses 46, 63, 92 go to the place or very near. Bus #100 gets pretty close. Just go on ahead a couple of kilometers if you’re coming from the E-mart area.

Troy writes: At the time I went I spoke nearly no Korean and went alone. Next time I go I’ll have more information. I had vegan bibimbap and I guess some sort of potato pancake (great) and the usual side dishes. I think it only set me back about 5000 or 6000 won. I got overly full. Brown rice. Nobody there spoke English and I didn’t see anything in English. Didn’t see any menus on the wall either. I sat down at a table that had just been vacated a moment before so there were still some plates with some leftover food on the table. I pointed to one or two things and got those. Then I spied on what some people at the table next to me had on their table and made it known that I wanted something that they had. That was the potato pancake. Have never seen another since but would sure like to find one. I’ll go back soon enough and get more information. I went on a Sunday afternoon in October. There are two rooms. One for I guess usual customers sitting on the floor. The other has a room with tables and chairs. My only memory of who was sitting in that room was a monk sitting at a table with some a couple of laypeople. Talking. I think they had been eating too.

Finally in Jeju myself, I went here with some friends and wow! Excellent soups, jeons (vegetable pancakes). . . very reasonable prices. It’s also a tea-house and there’s a yoga studio across the way.

Yongdam-Dong

064)711-4081

Reportedly not 100% vegetarian!

near Jeju City Hall

064)724-0746

Questionably not 100% vegetarian!