[Seoul] Late Night Snacks at Kinfolk Kitchen (킨포크키친) in Myeongdong

posted on October 27, 2015 (updated on June 22, 2016)

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Have you ever been too indulged in shopping that you forgot eating, and when you realized, all nearby restaurants were already closed? Don’t be surprised. Even in a city that never sleeps like Seoul, we were wondering on the streets of Myeongdong empty-stomached. 10 pm was considered early in Seoul, but most shops and restaurants already started to close down at that hour. Kev and I desperately sought for a restaurant that was still open to provide some freshly made food, but to no avail.

Suddenly, we were lucked into Kinfolk Kitchen in an alley. When we realized it was open until 1 am, we hurried upstairs without caring much the types of food it offered.

Located on the 3rd floor, the restaurant resembled a secluded oasis in the middle of the hustle and bustle. I instantly fell in love with its romantic, European ambiance and stylish garden setting.

In this quiet atmosphere, we could finally enjoy a moment of peace 🙂 It felt like a dream to stumble upon such a lovely place in the midst of Myeongdong.

Instead of being jammed with tourists, only a table of Korean ahjussi (“middle-aged men”) were enjoying after-work beer and snacks.

Pasta, pizza, burger, french fries, fried chicken…the restaurant primarily served western food. Of course, you could find a few popular Korean snacks on the menu to satisfy your appetite for Korean food.

Since we were in Korea, we wanted to make the most of every opportunity to savour Korean dishes. A bowl of shin ramyun and a bucket of Korean fried chicken would just be enough to feed the two of us!

The delicious spicy Korean instant noodle (5,000 won) was the classic “g0-to” food for all ages. The thick, chewy noodles serving in spicy beef broth made a perfect late night snack. Cracking an egg over the noodles… it’s even more tasty!

shin ramyun

Coated in gochujang (“hot pepper paste”), the fried chicken took on a deep red color and gave a burning sensation in the mouth. Sticky and crispy outside and juicy inside, the spicy fried chicken (21,000 won) made an excellent food pairing for cold beer! (The fried-chicken-and-beer combo has become a fad after its appearance on the popular drama “My Love From The Star”) The bucket of 15+ pieces of fried chicken almost had our stomach exploded!