Food Market Tour @ Maeil Olle Market, Seogwipo, Jeju-do

Why go for just one market tour when you can have two?

Littered all over the island, and possibly the rest of the country, food markets are a staple in Korean culture. If you have missed out on my previous visit to Dongmum Market, I recommend you click here to read more about it. 

Look at the sea of humanity!

The scene is different this time around, as unlike Dongmum where we visited in the morning, this was done in the hustle and bustle of the evening crowd. This is where the market really comes alive. Restaurateurs were shouting out their promos and shop owners were displaying their wares. And pyro. 

Burn baby burn...

Yeap, the first thing that caught my eye was fire. Not exactly an open flame, but rather a blowtorch being used to finish off a grattin of crab. The grab grattin scores in the visuals department, being served and burned in a crab shell. And taste wise was good as well. The crab mince was topped with a corn bechemel and topped with some other seafood, like prawns.  

The finished product

There were some specks of crab and you can surely taste it. However, it is not enough for you to feel its bite. Texture wise, it feels alot more sauce and a lot less crab. Still packs a punch in the flavour department though. One shell was ₩3000. 

The stall has other items in store too.

Our next entree were some peanut pork buns. Although called that, the buns are not flavoured with peanuts but rather they are shaped like peanuts. 

They do look like peanuts eh? Individually packed so they are easier to handle. 

We opted for the spicy version and it was rather good. The pork was minced up but you can still feel the meat between your teeth. I do like my meat dishes with some bite. 

Delicious filling inside. 

The chives and onions add an additional element to the buns. It is savoury and slightly smoky due to the usage of the chillies. And there were alot of chillies. Koreans really know how to turn the notch up when it comes to heat. It is possible that they can rival the Thais now. 

The place where we got the buns

A pack of 4 buns was ₩5000. A pretty good deal. Considering the fact they were well pleated and the flavour of these morsels were awesome.

Taking a break to something sweet, the store next door sold mochi ala Korean style. Covered with sesame, nuts and adzuki, prices vary based on size. For ours we had the tray of 6 pieces for ₩5000. All 3 types were filled with adzuki, which was no surprise. 

It is just next door!

Its the outer shell that takes the cake out of the rice cakes, literally. The variations do add a different dimension to each version. I personally enjoy the one coated with sunflower and pumpkin seeds. And they are so much of it, that the seeds become a crunchy shell to the mochi. 

The left is covered with sesame, the center is with salted adzuki beans and the right is the one with nuts and seeds/ 

The sesame was very good too, with a earthy flavour and a more refined crunch than the chunky seeds. The adzuki coated was my least favourite. Even though I like salted caramel and savoury doughnuts, I do not really like this particular combination of the slightly salty exterior mixing with the sweet core. Also having the beans on the outside whole feels rather odd. It is however, a popular option with the locals. 

Its crunch time...

Being half the size of my palm, each serving was substantial. With a chewy texture and soft core in the middle, there are 3 different experiences in just one rice cake ball. The sweetness is quite subtle, which some will find it to be just right. I do like to have my adzuki slightly sweeter though, but that is just my preference. The crunch factor really made up for it though. 

Are all good things worth the wait? I mean if there is a queue it must be good right?

After that chewy delight, savouries would then continue to pile up. As we traverse along the lanes, we spotted a very long queue in front of a teppan stand. With sound of pork being sizzled, the smell of marinated pork was surrounding this stall. As it turns out, there was this lady that was grilling strips of pork belly, presumably marinated in some soy sauce. On one side, an egg is being fried and a piece of ham is being grilled. 

Assembly is near completion. 

The whole cooking process was actually entertaining. It was like she was prepping an okonomiyaki and a teppanyaki at the same time. With lots of sizzling sounds and flavourful smells, I slowly became excited in trying a bit of the wrap that was about to be served. 

Not the easiest thing to eat while standing, or sitting down. 

After she is done cooking, she would then assemble it into a wrap with other ingredients and use a pharata to hold it all together. Loaded with mayo and cabbage, this is clearly not traditionally Korea. The show before the meal was alright, but was a bit disappointing, especially when the wait was 20 mins. This roll was also ₩5000. Hmm, am I seeing a trend? 

Glorious pork patty!

Luckily, what came next was a delicious treat. Tucked away in a corner was a croquette shop which sells menshi katsu, which is Japanese minced meat pies. Not Korean for sure, but it was sure tasty. The pork meat was tender and yet grainy, akin to a burger patty. The outside was elegantly fried and it was topped with a combo of sweet sauce and spicy sauce. 

The stall that I got the pork croquette. And the owner is friendly too and knows some English. 

There was a good crunch from the breaded exterior and a hint of onion was evident inside this pork patty. This glorious patty was for ₩2500, and if not for the other foodstuff that I had eaten, I would have gotten myself another one. 

Double sweet finish.

And to end off this food train, some sweets are in order. My mum got us 2 steamed adzuki buns, where one has an exterior flavoured with Jeju's trademark orange and another with mugwort in the fillings. Both were great and ₩1000 a pop. Although I think the stall is abit uncertain with its buns, as the sign said "steamed white bread" for the orange buns. Clearly not white that is for sure.

As the steams rolls on...

With appetites satiated, the market is a good place to visit and to have a sample of a bit of everything. Noisy, buzzing and full of energy, one cannot help but feel drawn into the place even if you have no intention to shop or eat. If you are ever in Seogwipo, this place is a must visit and although all signs lead to Maeil Olle Market, the address is as follows:

18, Sinhyojungang-ro 62beon-gil, 

Seogwipo-si, Jeju-do