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#StreetFoodAdventure
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Short filmTranscript
00:00Right now, I'm holding Korea's most expensive bowl of noodles.
00:03A bowl of noodles that costs over $500.
00:06And soon, I'll compare it to Korea's most famous noodle.
00:09They said, we don't need advertising because you're just going to slow us down, baby.
00:13Then to a bowl from the oldest noodle shop in the country.
00:16It tastes like farts in your mouth a little bit.
00:19But first, we have come to our cheapest noodle location of the day.
00:23Behind me, a place known as Ramyon Pyuneejum or Ramen Convenience Store.
00:27The cheapest noodles you can find here are under $3.
00:30But there's a catch.
00:31When you come here, you are the one who is making your own noodles.
00:34Let's go inside now to see more about how it works.
00:37Right here, we have the wall-o ramen.
00:40They have 67 types of ramen, all of them available on this wall.
00:45It's not just about typical Shin ramen noodles like what you see here.
00:48This is the classic.
00:50It's a nice, thick, hearty noodle with a very spicy broth.
00:53But in Korea, there's so much more to noodles than that, including something like this.
00:57This right here is jajangmyeon.
00:59It's a fusion noodle, somewhere between Korean and Chinese.
01:02Then we have the old-school noodles.
01:04These are some of the first noodles to ever come out here in South Korea.
01:07They even have vegan noodles.
01:09Cool?
01:11Right here, we have the sogogi ramyon.
01:13This would be beef-flavored and definitely not vegan.
01:16Oh my fucking god!
01:17Another fun thing to point out is the way this shop is laid out.
01:20Right here, this is the mild zone.
01:23If you don't like a lot of spice, you're going to be safe right here.
01:26Here's an example of a mild noodle right here.
01:28This is called gamja-myon.
01:29It literally means potato noodles.
01:31I've never even heard of this, but why not?
01:33So here, creating a good bowl of noodles isn't just about the noodle.
01:36It's also about the toppings.
01:37And over here, this is all stuff that you can put on your noodles for free when you order.
01:42First of all, kimchi.
01:43Carrots.
01:44Pounded rice cakes.
01:45Chives.
01:45Pickled radish.
01:46Green onions.
01:47Also, there's this right here.
01:49Bean sprouts.
01:49So those are all free, but there is one topping I should mention that you do have to pay for,
01:53and that is qi-ju.
01:54And then, of course, we have our water station right here.
01:59But before we can build our bowl, we have to order and pay at the kiosk.
02:03What I find most intriguing about this place is that everything works on the honor system.
02:07This can only work in a high-trust society.
02:09Could somebody come in here, take a bunch of noodles, and run like they're in California?
02:13Yes.
02:13But we're not in California, so that doesn't happen here.
02:15Now, here's what I'm going to go for.
02:16This is a ojinga jjampong.
02:18$3.50.
02:20This is going to be a squid-flavored ramen, but I'm going to have to add some cheese.
02:23Beyond that, I can actually get beverages here, too.
02:26Since I want to go 100% Korean today, banana milk.
02:28Let's move.
02:29So I have ordered, but now I need to find the squid noodles somewhere on this wall of ramen.
02:34One hour later.
02:37Ah, let's go make our noodles.
02:39They have trays for both putting the noodles into and for putting some side dishes into.
02:44Let's start with the side dishes.
02:45First, kimchi and some of this pickled radish.
02:47Side dishes complete.
02:48Time to construct our noodles.
02:50Technically, there is no wrong way to do this, but actually, there is a wrong way to do it.
02:53Let's see what happens.
02:53Step one, open the noodles.
02:55From here, I want to empty out our delicious toppings.
02:58Dried vegetables and mushrooms.
03:00And perhaps even a little bit of squid.
03:02It's definitely smelling like seafood.
03:04From here, we have our seasoning packet.
03:06Full of MSG and other seasonings.
03:08From here, we kind of mix and match to our heart's desire.
03:11Pounded rice cake.
03:12Can't believe this is free.
03:13Green onions.
03:14Give it a little bit of color and some texture.
03:17Finally, there is nothing better on ramen than some cheese.
03:20So I'm going to place on two slices of cheese.
03:22So this is my final build before putting the water in.
03:25But let's ask a real live Korean person what they think.
03:29Oh, it's amazing.
03:30Oh, with a rice cake.
03:31It's really two double cheese there.
03:33Yes, I like it.
03:34Wait, that guy never says anything nice about me.
03:35We're on the right track.
03:37Now that we have our noodles built, it's time to cook them up.
03:39First of all, there are three noodle options.
03:42General noodles, thick noodles, and fried noodles.
03:44And each of them has a different cooking setting.
03:46So I'm going to go with the general noodle.
03:48It sets a timer here for four minutes and 20 seconds.
03:50First, the hot water goes in.
03:52And then it uses an induction oven to make this hot so it cooks all the way through.
03:56Hot water will not be enough.
03:57We need actually more heat to soften up those noodles and especially those rice cakes.
04:02All right, folks.
04:03Our first and cheapest noodle of the day.
04:06Look at this.
04:06Just absolute beauty.
04:07The cheese is essentially melted into the broth.
04:10But it's changed the nature of the broth completely.
04:12The broth doesn't have cheese.
04:14The broth is cheese.
04:16Let's give that broth a little bit of a taste.
04:19Oh my God, it's so spicy and it's so hot.
04:21It tastes a lot like squid.
04:22It's very cheesy.
04:23It is a perfect combination.
04:24Right here, we have the rice cake.
04:26Let's give it a shot.
04:28Oh yeah, that's nice.
04:30It's just something fun to bite down on.
04:31And it gives you a variety of textures in your noodle bowl.
04:34Kimchi and Korean rice cakes, the two best innovations in this country.
04:37It's not the perfect Korean day of eating without a little bit of kimchi.
04:42Nice.
04:42From here, I want to jump into these noodles.
04:43Let's give it a shot.
04:47Mm-hmm.
04:48Oh, that's a good noodle.
04:49That cheesy broth really clings on to the noodles.
04:51It's like the ultimate junk food.
04:53It's preservatives, it's chemicals, and it's joy.
04:55And to wash that down with some Korean banana uyu.
04:57The most famous milk in all of Korea.
05:01Ah.
05:03Nice.
05:03This place is fascinating because whether you speak English or speak Korean,
05:07you can come here, you can figure out how this place works,
05:08and you can do it all by yourself.
05:10It's a brilliant idea because it's really a self-running restaurant.
05:14It all runs on the honor system.
05:15But I feel like the honor system in this case means that patrons are honored to be here.
05:20Oh, it's amazing.
05:21From here, we are heading to Korea's most famous noodle,
05:23and I'm hoping we can get a seat.
05:24Let's move.
05:25We have come to our second noodle location.
05:28Behind me is Korea's most famous noodle.
05:31Shooting Korea's most famous noodle comes with its own challenges.
05:34First of all, they don't need promotion.
05:36In fact, if you don't come here, that's completely fine with them because somebody else will.
05:40In fact, hundreds of people will.
05:41You cannot make a reservation.
05:42You have to come here and wait in line.
05:44The line could be 40 minutes.
05:46It could be two hours.
05:46So in a moment, we're going to get into the line to try these iconic noodles.
05:49But what kind of noodles are they?
05:50This is called a knife noodle.
05:52This is a noodle you can find everywhere.
05:54But for some reason, this place is the absolute most famous.
05:58So we're going to hop in line and go try it for ourselves.
06:00We are heading inside with the rest of the cattle.
06:03Somehow we're going up.
06:04Let's get in.
06:05We're sure you take the stairs.
06:06Let's beat them.
06:15We beat them.
06:16So right now, we've come to a section that's only for people who have three or more in their party.
06:20In our party, we have me, we have the camera guy, we have Calvin, and we have my local Korean guy, Joe.
06:25Hello, Joe.
06:26The plus side of having four people is we might get in faster.
06:28The downside is I have to buy noodles for all these guys.
06:32But I'll do it.
06:34All right, folks, we have been seated.
06:35Let's get into it.
06:36A simple menu.
06:37We have the galgook soup.
06:38This is the iconic food that everybody here comes for.
06:40But they also have a dumpling called mandu.
06:43All right, folks, our noodles and dumplings have arrived.
06:46I can't believe how well of a well-oiled machine this place is.
06:49You order, and within a couple of minutes, the food comes.
06:52I feel like if this isn't gone in five minutes, someone's going to be looking at me angrily.
06:55Luckily, everyone here is wearing a mask, so I can't see how they feel about me.
06:59Right here, mandu.
07:00Mandu is a Korean dumpling.
07:01This is a little bit of a different shape than the typical mandu you will find here.
07:04Usually, you're finding kind of a half circle.
07:06Let's give it a shot.
07:07These are really good.
07:10They're going to be even better with some of this.
07:11Soy sauce, a little bit of vinegar, a little bit of sesame oil, I'm told, too.
07:15Oh, kimchi.
07:16Oh, good morning.
07:17Look at us.
07:17I'm the belle of the ball.
07:18They brought us kimchi.
07:19Let's go back to the mandu.
07:23Mmm.
07:23Mmm.
07:24Delicious.
07:24Clean.
07:24Onion-y.
07:25And that wrapper has a nice bite.
07:26I like that.
07:27But listen, we're here for the noodles.
07:28This is our galgook soup.
07:29Galgook soup literally means knife-cut noodles.
07:31Gal means knife.
07:33Gook soup means noodles, even though it sounds like a slur.
07:36Sorry.
07:39It just means noodle, folks.
07:41Instead of machine-extruded noodles, the dough is hand-rolled and sliced with a knife,
07:45giving the noodles a slightly irregular, chewy texture.
07:48Just like me.
07:49Irregular.
07:49Before you get into the actual noodles, on top, at first, it looks like a flat noodle,
07:53but it actually is a compressed dumpling.
07:55And actually, you will notice that the components of this dumpling are eerily similar to what's here in this dumpling.
08:01Let's give those a bit of a dredge in the sauce.
08:03Cheers.
08:06Mmm.
08:07I don't want to say for sure, but it tastes eerily similar to the mandu wrapper.
08:11It's flat.
08:11It's got a little bit of filling.
08:12It's delicious, especially when it soaks up that broth.
08:15Galgook soup is known for having this very thick, cloudy broth.
08:19It tastes delicious, smoky, mushroomy, super savory.
08:23Also, there's some animal fat in there, too.
08:24Probably pork.
08:25Right here, we have the knife-cut noodles.
08:27Just nice, big, irregular strands soaking up all that delicious broth.
08:33Oh, wow.
08:34It is a thick, hearty noodle, but the best part is that broth.
08:37This is a simple, straightforward, hearty bowl of deliciousness.
08:40Look at the sheer massive quantity of noodles that are in this bowl.
08:43That is a meal right there, my friends.
08:46This place could easily rip you off.
08:47They could be charging people $20, $30 a bowl if they wanted to,
08:50but no, the price for these noodles, it is only $11,000.
08:54So you can come to a Michelin-recognized restaurant and get a fat full of noodles for under $8.
08:59That's a great value.
09:01From Korea's most famous noodle, we have come here to one of Korea's oldest noodle restaurants right behind me.
09:07A restaurant known as Jinju Huegwan.
09:08As you can see, this restaurant was established in 1962, making it 63 years old.
09:13This restaurant is famous for one noodle.
09:15If you look at the sign, the big word isn't the name of the restaurant.
09:18It's the name of the one food this place is famous for.
09:20Now, from our last location, we already learned that gook-su means noodle, but naeng means cold.
09:27Korea is one of the only countries I've been to that is known for its iconic cold noodles.
09:31I'm talking noodles that they add ice to.
09:33They want these puppies cold.
09:38I shouldn't say puppies.
09:39We are still in Korea.
09:41Outside the restaurant right now, there is a line forming.
09:43We are about to jump in line with those folks too, but here's the problem.
09:46We also don't have permission to shoot here, so let's see what happens.
09:49Another secret review by Sunny.
09:52Because we have four people, we've been told to go to the second floor.
09:54It is lunchtime and this place is packed.
09:56Just looking at how narrow this stairwell is, you can tell this place is old.
10:00Not to mention, once you get up here, you have to take your shoes off.
10:03In Korea, it's not that uncommon to go to a restaurant where you have to take your shoes off and sit down on the floor.
10:08Downstairs, it is the modern style up here.
10:10Very traditional.
10:11So, you get this traditional aroma of all these shoes mixing together.
10:16Alright folks, we have just been sat quite literally on the ground and I cannot believe how busy this place is.
10:21I don't really see any tourists.
10:23This seems like normal people just coming here to get a good solid lunch.
10:26There are no menus on the table.
10:28Rather, it's a very traditional style with the menu on the wall.
10:31You can see the handful of items available here.
10:33You tell the server, they bring it to you easy.
10:35There is no food.
10:37There is no food.
10:39Please give it to you.
10:41Give it to you four noodles.
10:43Here is the food.
10:44The food.
10:45Oh, the food. Okay, yeah, yeah.
10:46Just take as much as you want.
10:48Yes.
10:49I've ordered four noodles, one for everybody here because we're taking up a lot of space with these guys.
10:54All right.
10:56Take a look at that white milky broth.
10:59A little kimchi on the side.
11:01Mmm.
11:02That's good kimchi.
11:03A little sweet, a little spicy.
11:04That said, let's talk about this.
11:06The nang gong guksu.
11:07Nang means cold.
11:08Gong means soybean and guksu is noodles.
11:11So actually, if you take a look inside, you will notice there is no meat here.
11:15I'm accidentally eating vegetarian food.
11:17Now, the broth of this soup is unique because it's made from boiled soybeans.
11:21Then it's blended into a thick, smooth soy milk.
11:23It can be topped sometimes with cucumber or tomato slices, but ours is not topped with anything.
11:27We've got broth and we've got noodles.
11:29The main unique fact about this dish, though, is that it's served ice cold.
11:32It's very cool.
11:34Before we get into the actual noodle, I say we give the broth a shot.
11:37Cheers.
11:39Oh, okay.
11:40It has the same starchy consistency that you would find inside of a bean.
11:43It tastes cold, creamy, and starchy.
11:45This is something where if you haven't eaten for like three days because you've been throwing up,
11:48and you want to see if you can keep everything down, you might have this.
11:51All that said, let's try out these noodles.
11:52Right here, we have just a giant clump of noodles.
11:55They're extremely well coated.
12:00Mmm. Oh, I like that.
12:01This is a wheat noodle, but something special happens when you make it cold.
12:04It gets very chewy or el-dental.
12:07El-dentistry.
12:08El-dental clinic.
12:09Which just means that it's kind of chewy.
12:12It means to the dental clinic we go.
12:14Yes?
12:15Oh.
12:16This is my first time having this dish, and I gotta say, I love it.
12:19When you take a big slobbery bite like I just did, it tastes like farts in your mouth a little bit.
12:23There's kind of a sulfuriness being put off from the beans.
12:25That is not an accident.
12:26Beans are the magical fruit, and you know what they make you do.
12:29At last, we have come to our final noodle destination of this video.
12:33Our most expensive noodle at a restaurant known as Myeon Seoul.
12:36Myeon means noodle, and Seoul, well, that's the city that we're in right now, baby.
12:40Welcome to Myeon Seoul, an artisan noodle shop founded by Chef Kim Do-yoon,
12:44who spent over 17 years researching noodles.
12:47Work that led him to opening two restaurants that were both recognized by the Michelin Guide.
12:52Here, his signature creation is the perilla oil noodle.
12:55And there it is.
12:56These are the iconic noodles.
12:58On the surface, it looks very simple.
13:00You can see some seaweed on top, and then some nice thin wheat noodles underneath.
13:03It is a dry noodle, but it's served with perilla oil.
13:06Perilla is a leaf that is green on one side and purple on the other side.
13:10This is a common leaf that you will see when eating Korean barbecue.
13:13You have your lettuce or songju, and then you have the perilla leaf,
13:16which has a very fragrant, perfumey, aromatic smell to it.
13:20So here, they've taken that perilla leaf, they've turned that into an oil,
13:23and that oil has joined these famous noodles.
13:26But today, we won't be trying Chef Kim Do-yoon's signature perilla oil noodle.
13:30Instead, we'll challenge him to make an upgraded version that costs over $500.
13:35All right, folks, I am at the noodle-making station with Chef Kim right by my side.
13:39We are about to make the noodles for this very expensive noodle dish.
13:42This is easily going to be the most expensive noodle you will find in this city.
13:46Right here, in this KitchenAid, we have some wheat flour.
13:49Now, that is going to join this in just a moment to make our noodle base.
13:53Inside this cup, he has simmered a broth with oxtail, black garlic, and various dried seafood.
13:58All of that has been simmering for two days, and that is going to be the wet agent
14:02that binds with our dried flour.
14:04Sir, take it away.
14:05Step one, turn on the mixer.
14:08Step two, slowly drip in gobs and gobs of that yummy flavor.
14:12From here, he is saying the dough is finished, which is remarkable because it looks very dry
14:18and like it's falling apart and not cohesive.
14:20Is this noodles?
14:21When do you become noodles?
14:25The first step of noodle-dough making has finished, so his next move right here is to remove any lumps from the dough.
14:31So far, it is just a noodle test.
14:33When will you noodle?
14:35Now, all of that gets shoved over here to the noodle sheeter.
14:39Power on.
14:40And slowly, the giant cylinder begins to turn.
14:43Oh, and down here, take a look.
14:45A sheet is being pressed out.
14:47What a beauty.
14:48I wasn't sure how we were going to go to kind of a dry crumble to something like this.
14:52All the noodle required was some extreme pressure being sifted through a $20,000 noodle sheeter.
14:57Cool.
14:58This is the noodle conception, and this is the noodle baby.
15:00From here, he's going to feed the noodles through the sheeter three more times.
15:04One, two, four.
15:05And there you go.
15:06The final noodle scroll.
15:08The noodles of destiny.
15:10It's so thin, it's so gorgeous, and it's so perplexing because it started out so dry that I didn't see how it could ever become something like this.
15:16And here it is.
15:17And that's why this man is the noodle master.
15:19Do you ever get your hair stuck in there?
15:21No.
15:22In...
15:23Yeah.
15:24A couple times.
15:25Alright folks, now that we have our noodle roll, it is time to slice our noodles up.
15:28So between here and down here, there is some kind of a noodle cutting device within this machine.
15:33All this man has to do down here is collect each bunch of noodles, and they're ready to go.
15:38Alright folks, we are getting dangerously close to doing our noodle build.
15:41But first, I want to explain why this noodle is so expensive.
15:44Let's go through some of the ingredients.
15:46First of all, right here we have the noodles which you already saw being made, and then over here we have the expensive stuff.
15:51This is lobster meat, the lobster skin.
15:54The red part that you would find on the outside of the lobster, you just peel that off and we have a pile of just that.
16:00Meanwhile, right here we have a julienne abalone.
16:03Now, that is not even the most expensive part of this.
16:05This is the most expensive part of this noodle.
16:07Caviar.
16:08This tin right here costs over $1,000.
16:11Let's get into the noodle build.
16:13Step one right here, we have the noodles and they are about to head into the water.
16:17Boom.
16:18He puts the noodles into a noodle net, and they're going to blanch for a little bit in this steaming hot water.
16:23From here, the noodles join a bath of perilla oil, and they're handed off to the big guy.
16:28From here, the chef mixes the noodles about, making sure they're fully covered with that perilla oil.
16:33And from there, they descend into their final destination, the noodle bowl.
16:37Now, let's move on to the toppings.
16:39The chef begins with the lobster meat.
16:41From there, the lobster skin.
16:43The next step, a massive portion of abalone joins the bowl.
16:46Now, it is time to unveil the caviar.
16:49Ho, ho, ho, ho!
16:50It is a lot of caviar.
16:52So, from here, he is going to scoop a giant dollop of caviar and put that on top of the noodles.
16:57He comes back for a second dollop.
16:59Even more caviar.
17:01This is now half noodles, half fish eggs.
17:03Even more caviar joins the chat.
17:08Oh, my God.
17:09What is he doing?
17:10I've never seen a chef this daring, this unhinged, this borderline irresponsible.
17:14What is happening?
17:15Chef Kim is committed, and he's taken the challenge of making Korea's most expensive bowl of noodles to heart.
17:21Surely, this is something the internet has never seen before.
17:24Soon, I'll find out if you can really have too much of a good thing when it comes to one of the world's most precious ingredients.
17:31This dish is not about balance, it's about decadence.
17:33It's over the top.
17:34It is the most expensive bowl of noodles I have ever seen.
17:37Let's give it a shot.
17:38All right, folks, I am told that this meal right here costs $578.
17:42That is so expensive that the wine I'm going to be drinking with this is known as water.
17:47Now, people complain about these types of videos sometimes, saying that the chefs who make the expensive meals,
17:52they only make it expensive by adding a bunch of expensive ingredients like caviar.
17:55Okay, those people have a point this time, especially.
17:58I'm not sure what happened here.
17:59I mean, there are noodles.
18:00The noodles are in here somewhere, but all you really see from the top are these glistening, beautiful, big chunks of caviar.
18:07That's a lot of caviar.
18:08Here's my first step.
18:09Kimchi.
18:10Kimchi is a very humble ingredient.
18:11I want to see what happens if I take some of this caviar and mix it with kimchi.
18:17Oh, yeah.
18:18This takes the caviar to the next level, not the kimchi.
18:20The kimchi was already perfect.
18:22Really trying to get Korean subscribers right now.
18:24Anybody?
18:25No?
18:26Still nobody?
18:27Okay.
18:28From here, I want to go deeper into these noodles.
18:29When I pull on the noodles, it's revealing not just the noodles, but all that meat that was on top.
18:34I think I got to try all these toppings together.
18:36I want a little bit of noodles.
18:37I want lobster.
18:38I want abalone.
18:39And I want caviar all together in one delicious bite.
18:42Let's give it a shot.
18:47Oh, wow.
18:48That is a lot of expensive stuff all at once.
18:49I like the taste of the lobster.
18:50Slightly chilled.
18:51The caviar is very salty.
18:52When you have that much caviar surrounded by this much other intense rich seafood, it is a lot to handle.
18:58A lot of people might ask, is it possible to have too much of a good thing?
19:01The answer is subtle and nuanced.
19:03Yes.
19:04You know, I think the issue here is that maybe these noodles need to be mixed.
19:08You have to take the noodles, split them apart, and make sure they all get drenched with that broth.
19:12The broth, in this case, is $500 worth of caviar.
19:15Let's give it a shot.
19:16So, in general, the noodles are very unique.
19:23I've never seen noodles made in this way, and they were kind of a miracle how they went from basically a dust to an actual noodle.
19:29I can really taste the perilla oil.
19:31It's an interesting and unique flavor.
19:32It's refreshing, and it's something sharp in a bowl full of super rich seafoods.
19:36Beyond that, what do I think?
19:37Well, I think the chef should try his own creation.
19:40Give it a taste.
19:41So, the chef is here.
19:42He's taking a little bitty bite.
19:44I feel this man's face cannot lie.
19:46So, only the taste of caviar.
19:48Yeah, I think you nailed the flavor profile there.
19:50That was dream, to use that amount of caviar on the noodle, because he's the noodle master.
19:56Well, chef, thank you so much.
19:58Kamsamda.
19:59Guys, listen.
20:00A one-of-a-kind experience, an experience that will never be had again by anybody, nor should it.
20:04I feel bad, because it's kind of just like a big, grotesque mess of expensive ingredients at this point.
20:09In the end, is it delicious?
20:11Well, that would depend on your definition of the word is.
20:14So, guys, today we tried four different types of iconic Korean noodles.
20:17I want to know between the cheapest, the most famous, the oldest, and the most expensive, which is going to go on your Korean noodle bucket list.
20:24Otherwise, that is it for this video.
20:26Thank you so much for watching.
20:27I will see you next time.
20:28Peace.
20:29Before we go, I want to say a huge thank you to my friend and local guide, Joe.
20:32Thanks, Joe.
20:33Thank you, man.
20:34Joe was instrumental in helping us find all of these locations for this video.
20:37He is a guide.
20:38He puts on food tours and custom tours, too.
20:40So, if you're interested in doing a tour with my friend Joe, you can find his information downstairs in the description box.
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