Heeyoung was a very warm and friendly guide and it was great to be led by her to have the confidence to go into an area full of locals.
We got to try a few different dishes including those specific to Busan, which I hadn't known about and also learned on the tour.
I liked the length of the tour; at two hours it was just enough to get a taste (literally!) of what's in Busan.
christinek997
27 Jan 2023
My family (2 adults and 2 teenage daughters) met up with Chef Heeyoung at the start of the Jagalchi Markets.
Straight away we were able to converse in fluent English, which really enabled our daughters to be engaged with the activity.
We took a photo at the I ❤️ Jagalchi sign first and we quickly saw the squid fishing boats, that had little white round lights on them, to attract the squid and octopus!
Our first stop was to go through the marketplace, which was a little quieter then normal, due to many vendors still being away due to the Lunar New Year. However, there were still plenty there to show us their produce of fresh (alive) fish, squid, octopus, clams and prawns. I was surprised to learn that there are around 300 different variety of squid, with the port of Busan having many of them. This enable Busan to have fresh Squid all year around!
Heeyoung also told us about the history of Busan and the reason why there is a Japanese influence in their food.
We then went and tried the Busan speciality of the Fish cakes on a skewer (as seen in many K-drama’s for those interested). It was so yummy to have this steaming hot snack accompanied by a yummy soup as well!
After this we went through to a different part of the market (the first and largest market in South Korea) and was introduced to Hotteok. This was a freshly made doughnut type that is deep fried. Once it is nice and brown and crispy, it is sliced in the middle and filled with a filling of different nuts! It was absolutely delicious!!!
We went past many fresh food vendors for making kimchi…. Starting from the basic ingredients, such as the dried chillies, the sesame oil, the dried prawns, the chilli powder, the garlic, then the vendors that sold the perfectly boiled ingredients for the various types of kimchi (radish, cabbage, stems, seaweed).
One of the street food vendors sold us some chive pancakes and a spicy squid salad….eaten separately or together, it was delicious!!!! Our only regret, was not being able to finish all the food, as we were trying to try so many different foods! It was interesting that her price sign was in both korean & mandarin.
We then went into the seafood section of the Jagalchi Markets, where Chef Heeyoung picked us a fresh yellow tailed tuna, octopus, absolute and oysters for the merchant to prepare for us. We had steamed oysters, butter abalone, sashimi tuna and sashimi octopus. We went to the designated “eating” section for the vendor where we waited for our freshly prepared food and was also able to order drinks.
I was surprised by how much I loved the fresh squirming octopus sashimi! The octopus was prepared with sesame oil and sesame seeds. The texture of the freshly made Tuna sashimi was also amazing! Firm in texture and delicious when eating with lettuce, chilli paste and garlic, or just as sashimi with wasabi and soy sauce.
We also learnt how to do the right quantities for soju and beer bombs! Good to learn from a chef, then from a k-drama! We will go home with new drinking skills!!!!
Overall, we had a fantastic tour, as Heeyoung was very knowledgeable and engaging for all of us! I look toward to seeing her in more food documentaries and in the vlogs! Thanks!!!