Son of a Chef

Despite the heat, me and a friend made it over the Yesan market this last weekend. It was the hottest day of the year, I think. I had the spot on my radar for a long time, it did not disappoint.

On the verge of melting, we hit the spots in a good order. Sand cookies, food tent extravaganza and then some strawberry ddeok to finish up the day.

Going backwards, the strawberry ddeok was a nice finish to the day. It washed out the palate well and I have grown quite fond of a chewy ddeok dessert. I was warned to eat it right away due to the heat. Ha, that was no problem.

The ddeok house had a lot of cute things going on in their inventory. Yesan market has become a bit of a touristy spot ever since Paik Jong Won visited and announced it a serious destination for foodies. There seems to be a bustling demand for the takeout items now. People stocked up on these types of items and brought them home for friends or families.

Outside the ddeok house, a sign listed that they would have more at X time. It’s a nice way to mark what time to be where. Be fast, though, they do run out.

Moving backwards, we spent quite a bit of time in the food tent. Had it been an evening, I would have gotten some beer and maybe we’ve have been there quite a bit longer.

I won’t repeat what my friend said about wanting to get this ramen, but it was quite a funny pun about the stand. Crab boiled ramen had quite a rich flavor. The broth certainly borrowed from the crab staring up at us. It was not too spicy and despite the broth being the same temperature as our sweat, it was delicious.

Next came the dish that I really did love. The spicy fired bulgogi. Flame-grilled, the flavor was deep, rich, spicy and smoky. To its credit, too, these were not overly thin pieces of meat that one eats too easily. For the price, this was serious bang for its buck. When I go back, I’ll buy two of them. The plate ran about $5.

For those looking to make a meal out of the trip, this is a good way to get a bit more meat into the mix for a low price. And you really don’t sacrifice anything in terms of quality. That flavor was exquisite. Something about a smoky gojuchang just works so well.

Then we hit the thing my friend had been craving. Bul-katsu. He’s been on a fried ball kick lately. A few weeks ago we had ball-fried dumplings and those were delicious as well. This taste was next level. The combination of a crispy fried exterior with a soft, meaty juicy interior works so well. There is only one downside to the dish and it must be so incredibly unhealthy. Other than that, it was spectacular and I would definitely grab one again the next time I go.

To finish off, or to start, if you’re following me on the backwards journey, we braved the long line at Yesan Sand to get a few flavors of sand pastry. The taste was not what I was expecting and it was also quite good. Yesan area is famous for its apples, so they had an apple and a kaymak flavor to choose from. I believe soon they will add a Dubai chocolate version but for now

All in all, it was a good time. Gotta say, if you’re nearby, it’s definitely worth dropping by to Yesan Market. The food tent has some pretty spectacular eats and the costs are quite affordable for what you get. If you do go, I’d say expect to spend about 3 hours here and maybe around 30,000 per person to eat well. A bit more, if you want to drink. It was a lovely trip. I expect to return in the fall.

-Hans