Although Baedari has been brewing makgeolli (rice wine), jukyoju (a clearer and more potent rice wine) and soju (Korean fire-water) for almost 90 years, the museum has only been open since 2004. While this particular wine museum / brewery offers no taste tests or samples, plenty of offerings exist in the restaurant. Now in its fifth-generation of ownership, Baedari continues to produce alcohol for the masses. (more…)

What: “Lazy Lime”  ready-made lime juice.

Where: Lotte Department Store, Miasamgeori Station (Line 4), Exit 1. (Mia-dong, Gangbuk-gu)

Why:  Actual limes are difficult to find outside of select international supermarkets.

Thanks to chrisinsouthkorea for sending us this week’s Spotted!. If you spot something hard to find in Korea send a photo and details to info@theoneonefour.com and we’ll post it on The One One Four.

Unless you live in Seoul and you have lots of money to blow dill pickles are probably off the menu in Korea. But they certainly don’t have to be. It turns out that making your own is dead simple and takes less than a week and you don’t even need any canning equipment. All you need is a big jar, some fresh cucs, a dash of spice and some salt. Dill, of course, is one of those spices and can be hard to find here. The best solution is to grow your own or bring some dried dill with you. You can of course just skip the dill and just leave it out. (more…)

Over the Chuseok holidays I managed to score some wild boar meat from a hunter. Since the extinction of most of the wild boar’s predators the wild boar population has exploded. The result is an unbalanced ecosystem and the boars clashing with the human population; tearing up garbage bags and getting into yards and even into homes and shops. As a result they are hunted in Korea by licensed hunters with strict quotas and only in certain seasons. Real wild boar is not usually sold in stores and if it is it will cost you an arm and a leg. You best hope is to befriend a Korean hunter and ply him with Armagnac. (more…)

Style: Chinese
Location: Busan, Nampo-dong, PIFF Square
Price: approx. 14,000 won for two people
Contact: 051 245 0018

Just a few steps away from the Busan theater in PIFF square is one of Korea’s oldest and most celebrated hand-made wonton restaurants. Since 1948, 18 Byeon (named after square now know as PIFF Square) has been turning out simple Chinese style cuisine to line-ups of eager fans. The menu is tiny, only nine dishes, and focus on the hand-made wheat flour dough and a select few ingredients like, pork, scallion and ginger to go with it. The flavors are subtle and complex without any red pepper and garlic. Despite the kimchi and damoogi at 18 Byeon, the wontons (spelled wang-tang on the menu) are distinctly Chinese. (more…)

What: Agave syrup
Where: Shinsaegae Department Store, Hae-undae-gu, Busan
How Much: w9000 to w12000
Why: Agave syrup is the best sweetener for tea or coffee because of its neutral taste, its mostly fructose and it dissolves quickly in iced tea and coffee.

What: Primo Smallgoods Salami, imported from Australia, 250g

Where: Mancheon Emart, Daegu

How Much: W8200

For a country so in love with pizza, it’s surprising how difficult it is to find pepperoni, or any kind of affordable salami for that matter. Mancheon Emart carries four varieties of Primo Salami – Spicy Pepperoni, Hungarian, Danish, and Hot Spanish. Look for them in the dairy cooler by the escalator, rather than with the other prepackaged meats.

If you spot something hard to find in Korea send us an email at info@theoneonefour.com and we’ll post it on The One One Four.