Mister Bossam, Seoul

It's rare that all of our major meals (lunch and dinner) are local food. In Bangkok, we sought relief from Four Seasons Duck Rice and Zen Japanese; in Tokyo, we had burgers and pizzas; but all of places, we managed to do Korean for lunch and dinners in Seoul. I solely attribute this to pregnancy-whacked tastebuds that crave for spicy and savoury.

After having our fair share of carbs and stews, we decided to seek out meat. One of our stops was Mister Bossam, a basement restaurant that specialised in Bossam (steamed pork belly).

There was a self service bar which you could help yourself to mixed grain rice and other side dishes. I was surprised by how much Russell loved the marinated seaweed and unpictured mixed grain rice.

Quite frankly, the pale-looking steamed meat didn't inspire much confidence but this was a classic tale of don't judge the book yada yada. It was incredibly tasty and tender backed up by a depth of smokiness. The accompanying sauces - garlic and gochujang - prevented things from getting monotonous.

It seems as if every table receives a complimentary bibim naengmyeon. To be honest, I wouldn't have ordered it, given my aversion towards cold noodle dishes, but I am glad I got to try it because this single-handedly became one of my favourite discoveries on the trip. Every bite of bibim naengmyeon posed a zesty and refreshing kick to the otherwise meaty meal.