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With summer temperatures in Korea often soaring over 35 degrees celsius, cooling food and drinks are a must!
One of the most popular summer dishes is cold noodles, either mixed (bibim-naengmyeon: 비빔냉면) or in a soup (Mul-naengmyeon: 물냉면), however today we went on a journey to find the ultimate summer lunch: Watermelon Naengmyeon! (수박냉면)
About 5 minutes from DongIncheon Station (동인천 역) lies the famous “naengmyeon street” – a street lined with restaurants that specialise in cold noodles.
We hit up Ilmi Hwapyeong Naengmyeon (일미화평냉면)
to try their super popular summer special. (Just a warning: I suggest going after their lunchtime rush, about 12-2pm as it can get insanely busy!)
There are 2 watermelon themed dishes on their menu: a regular mul-naengmyeon with watermelon pieces for W8,000 ($7.12 USD/£5.40 GBP) or Bibim-naengmyeon served in half a watermelon for W14,000 ($12.46USD/£9.50GBP) Both dishes are enough for 2-3 people, so don’t go crazy on the servings! (also – watermelon prices in Korea are insanely high, hence the price of the dish.)
The taste at first was a little surprising, but after a few mouthfuls the salty/spicy bibim sauce combined with the sweetness of the ice cold watermelon was a great combination! To eat the noodles first you are supposed to scoop out the watermelon flesh and put it into a separate bowl, then mix the noodles together with the soup and sauce in the watermelon rind. After, eat the leftover watermelon as a delicious refreshing desert/palette cleanser!
Let me know if you’ve also been here in the comments below!
Until next time, see you soon!
A Slice of Korea 