Light on the stomach and the wallet

There is an abundance of affordable eats around the city of Seoul, and if you're looking for something of the non-Korean variety your options are still relatively vast.

Though Japanese culture and influence can be shunned at times around these parts, due to the tumultuous history between the two nations, Japanese restaurants are the most common finds apart from the local fare. Being the sushi fiend that I am, a frequent lunch-stop of mine (3 times since in a month...nearly 1% of my lunches) has been a small Japanese spot whose name I cannot read, and likely would have trouble pronouncing if I could. One of the draws to this place and its many similar Japanese eateries is the hardened, cellophane wrapped displays of their top dishes in the window complete with prices!

This tasty Kake Udon noodle soup topped with enoki mushrooms, seaweed, green onion, tempura bits and kamaboko (a processed Japanese seafood product consisting of various ground white fishes and other additives, formed into a loaf and sliced) is a delicious way to warm up on a cold Korean afternoon. Udon noodles are a fluffy thick japanese noodles generally made out of wheat or flour (these ones are flour) and the mild soup broth is commonly concocted using dashi (the fundamental Japanese cooking stock), soy sauce, and mirin (mild Japanese rice wine consisting of 40%-50% sugar--also essential in Japanese cuisine). The soup is accompanied by four pieces of nigiri on the right: sweet shrimp, snapper and two pieces of bean curd and common side dishes: pickled yellow radish, picked cocktail onions and radish kimchi. The bill-- W4,000 (under $4).

(Kake Udon)