Buddhist Temple Food in Sanchon, Insadong!

산촌 - Sanchon

서울특별시 종로구 관훈동 14

14 Gwanhun-dong,

Jongno-gu, Seoul, SOUTH KOREA

google map// naver map

www.sanchon.com

Open from 11:30am - 10:00PM

Lunch Set: 33,000 won 

After my computer breaking down twice in a row... I fell behind in posting photos for things I've done in Seoul, that and life was rather hectic for a while. Although now that I have my mac back, I should dig through the photos and post the ones that did matter (like paragliding and my very first lunar new year in Seoul!).

Anyhow, last weekend I met up with my friend in Seoul to go try "Buddhist Temple Food" after listening to him moan about lack of vegetarian/healthy food options in Seoul. The restaurant is hidden within the maze that is Insadong... so I highly recommend making sure where it is before visiting.

They have fixed lunch sets and dinner sets. It is definitely not cheap but the whole atmosphere and the food is worth it for a special occasion. I think the dinner set was around 60,000 - 70,000 won and the dinner set includes a traditional dance performance (free of charge).

 I wish the lighting had been better so that I can take better photos (I really need to get a move on to buy a camera...) but you can at least get a glimpse of these lovely lotus shaped lanterns and the simple wooden furnitures. The best part (that you can't see through the photos) are the heated floors! They are simply divine.... who would've thought having warm butt whilst eating could be such a delight :)

Unlike other restaurants in Seoul, the ambiance is really relaxed here and the food/service is slow so if you are in need of a quick lunch this is DEFINITELY not the place. I on the other hand, enjoyed the lack of attention given to us, and the slow paced serving that helped us digest the enormous amount of food that was coming.

 Always start light with a cup of tea ;)

Then came the entrée of non-translatable food.. (note: the english translation of Korean food leaves most of the people more confused and slightly disturbed to try them...) Lots of it were Korean roots, vegetables and a bowl of sweet pumpkin porridge.

 Then came the Korean Pancakes and what I think was dduk (korean rice cake), which was rather tasty but a little oil for my liking.

After our pancakes we were already starting to feel quite full... when we were told that now our "main meal" will be served. To our delight/horror, our server began to lay out literally 20 or so dishes filling the tables completely with food... as if we were just "starting" our lunch. 

None of the dishes themselves specially 'stand out' or is 'extra-ordinary'. But I guess that is besides the point of Buddhist Temple food. All the food in their simplicity and 'humbleness' came together to form a great representation of what Korean food is about. Aside from the bold flavours that seem to dominate the korean food and culture, there is also an alternate side to Korean food that should also be embraced and remembered!

Overall, it was a delight spending 2 hours or so slowly making our way through Korean Buddhist Temple food. It's definitely a place to take someone new to the country to let them sample some of the less famous Korean food that are traditionally eaten at home. All the while getting enough peace and quiet to finally have a long chat without disruptions in this busy busy busy city. 

 After finishing our meal, we were so stuffed that we could barely keep our eyes open... talk about a food coma. ... so as a last minute plan to at least attempt to keep our figures -we decided to take advantage of the first blue sky in weeks and take a walk up to the Namsan Tower!

What a city eh?