Little Russia: Good Food and Strong Beer

Hidden inside Seoul, near Dongdaemun, is a small neighborhood of Eastern Europeans and ethnic Koreans. These immigrants came from countries like Uzbekistan and Russia, and many are descended from Koreans who fled from Korea for one reason or another. Though the neighborhood is easy to overlook and pass by without ever even noticing, it's well worth a visit for food alone.

The first time I visited was about four years ago, when a couple of fellow ESL teachers caught me on a day I had nothing planned and invited me to go with them. It wasn't until last year I remembered my trip and felt compelled to visit what I refer to as "Little Russia", and since then I try to go a bit more often.

Personally, though I love Korean food, every now and then I need a break from kimchi, and when that time comes I make a journey to Little Russia. There are a good number of Uzbek restaurants dotting the neighborhood, and after trying a handful my favorite so far has to be Samarkand. My girlfriend and I went there this weekend (she's in love with their lamb kebabs) and we proceeded to gorge ourselves on meat. The menu offers a wide variety of Uzbek dishes, and we ordered a compliment of dishes that looked most appealing to us: samsa, bread stuffed with meat; golubsy, cabbage stuffed with meat; borscht, a beet soup (with meat); and lamb kebabs (meat). To top it off, we had a bottle of Baltika, a decent Russian pilsner.

After finishing our meal (and giving ourselves ample time to recover), we rolled down the street towards the small and modest-looking Russian Mart, the only store that I know of in Seoul where I can buy Baltika beer. Like I said before, the taste itself is decent, but what I really like about it is it's strong. Baltika comes in numbers, not flavors: Baltika 3 through 9. Baltika 9 is the strongest, while Baltika 3 is barely worth your time. Personally, I usually prefer drinking number 7, but every now and then having a 9 is fun for the novelty of drinking a beer so potent.

Our final stop was the Imperia Market and Bakery, one of my favorite places in Seoul to pick up fresh bread. The sandwich bread sold at my local market is of the starchy, white variety, so walking into Imperia and smelling all of the freshly baked bread is a divine experience. Imperia also has a small cafe in the back which I have yet to try (though I've heard their borscht is excellent), and a generous selection of imported liquors (mainly vodka and vodka varieties).

To reach Little Russia, take the metro and get off at Dongdaemun History & Culture Park Station, exit 5. Turn right and walk towards the Paris Baguette, and after crossing the street hook a left and go straight. Once you begin to see signs in Cyrillic, you'll know you're in the right place.