Seoul Food｜압구정하루 Apgujeong Haru】A small cultural shock to your taste buds

During this trip to Seoul, my husband and I decided to try Apgujeong Haru, a sukiyaki cold noodle specialty restaurant that had good reviews online. This restaurant is well-known locally. Its clean interior, friendly service, and location in a prime location in Jiangnan attract many locals to dine there. We ordered a set meal of pork chop and cold buckwheat noodles, which is said to be their popular combination. When the cold noodles are served, they look very textured. The pork chops are fried until golden and crispy, and paired with a special sauce, they look very tempting. But... to be honest, there are some subtle "cultural differences" in taste for us. Cold noodles are not the type we are used to. Interestingly, while we were still savoring the food, the three Chinese tourists at the next table also seemed a bit uncomfortable with the food. They ordered three bowls of almost identical cold noodle sets, and after taking a few bites, they quietly left, leaving a table full of food, which looked a bit regrettable. We looked at each other and understood in our hearts that it wasn’t that it “didn’t taste good”, it was just that our habits were different. In fact, Apgujeong Haru is a very well-known restaurant among the locals, but for outsiders like us, it may take some time to understand and accept the taste. At least, we tried it, experienced it, and remembered that bowl of cool and clear cold water. noodle #MarchGoodPlaces2025