What to eat in Jeonju?! There is no question. Jeonju is famous for its cuisine, and what a cuisine it is. Not only does it offer unique flavours different from Seoul and Busan, it also uses the freshest of local ingredients. In fact, the vegetables in Jeonju were so fresh that we couldn't find the same taste anywhere else. Even for those who are turned off by spicy food, i.e. my kids, will come home raving about the food, as there are plenty of non-spicy options just as tasty. It makes my mouth water just writing about it!
Bibimbap
Jeonju is the birthplace of bibimbap. So, it's no surprise that you can find the best bibimbap of all Korea here. If you dar to, you can also order bibimbap with raw beef (there are cooked beef version, of course). Together with the fresh vegetables and the barely fried egg, the entire dish is a combination of raw flavours.
Every bibimbap restaurant in Jeonju would claim they are the best. For me, no one beats Hanguggwan. The owner gets fresh ingredients every day from the market and you can really tell the difference. The staffs are well adjusted to foreigners and explain the menu with patience.
Veteran Noodle (베테랑)
Kalguksu is hand cut noodles. It's served in a bro of egg white, seaweed powder, perilla powder, and chilli powder.
The best Kalguksu in town can be found in Veteran. It is always packed with hungry people. The menu is simple, noodle soup, noodle without soup, and dumplings. Just order them all. They are all delicious. The noodles is a bit more chewy than the average and its broth is tasty. I didn't have the pictures of its dumplings because it tasted so good that they were gone before I had time to do it. So, trust my words, they are grest. You can ask them to skip the chilli power if you cannot eat spicy food.
SOBOK ice cream
Who sould have thought you can mke ice cream with grain flour and maintain the traditional ice cream texture. SOBOK make this a reality. They literally take ice cream to a different level in terms of flavour and healthiness. It's located right inside the Hanok Village and it's easy to find. [Google Maps]
Sundae (Korean blood sausage)
The Korean blood sausage is a popular street food in Korea. Inside the intestinal casing, you will find pork blood, glutinous rice, and other herbs. If you eat blood sausae in a restaurant, you can also order a separate bowl of broth to go with it.
To be honest, when I tried the Korean blood sausage in Canada, I wasn't too impressed. But once I tried the one in Jeonju in 조점례남문피순대, it completed changed my mind. The restaurant is located inside the Nambu market. The blood sauage there was full of flavor and a bit garlicy. When it was put into the steaming spicy broth with freshly chopped chives, it was a match made in heaven.
BBQ beef
For BBQ beef, our Korean friends in Canada recommended 교동석갈비. We tried it and were not disappointed. In fact, we were very impressed. The beef was served on a sizzling stone bowl and it was tender and juicy. You can use the accompanying lettuce to wrap the meat with other ingredients to give it a much fresher taste.
Bean sprout soup
Bean sprout soup doesn't sound like much but to make a tasty soup out of such a simple ingredient is not a easy task. The so-called hangover soup is supposed to help you recover from an all nighter.
A popular place to try the bean sprout soup is 전주왱이콩나물국밥전문점. The bean sprout soup is served with a separate bowl of raw egg yolk and some seaweeds. You can first put the seaweeds into the egg yolk. When you are ready to eat, put a few spoonful of the soup into the egg yolk mixture and stir them together. Don't put the egg yolk into the entire bowl.