Korea Stories - Part 2 - The Best Buddhist Temple Food

One of the big tourist attractions in Korea is a Buddhist Temple stay. It is a way to immerse yourself in the life of a monk for a few hours or a few days. While I did not do this, I did the second best thing - had the most sumptuous Buddhist temple food at Sanchon (http://www.sanchon.com/home/index.php)

Travelling and eating in Korea for a vegetarian is difficult. So, to find Sanchon was a blessing. It is tucked away in a by-lane off Insadong main market street. Our taxi driver had to call the restaurant and someone came to the market street to escort us. Here is a map to help you find the place (Red marks the spot, green is Insadong market street)

Inside, the first thing I was asked to do was wash my hands. I spent more time looking at the sink and porcelain figures, absorbing the feel of green vegetation shadows thru gentle sunlight and inhaling deeply the pure smell of rice cooking and less time on washing my hands in cold clear water.

Sanchon has a fixed 4 course vegetarian meal for lunch. Each course has a minimum of 5 items. Starting with pine tea that tasted more like wine :-)

and ending with cinnamon tea and 4 types of fritters.

This meal for 2 is sumptuous and way too much to eat in one sitting, so be ready to loosen your belt in the middle of the meal. Also, walking down Insadong street for a couple of hours after the meal helps a bit! Here are some photos of the dishes. 

There is also a hot soup that comes bubbling to the table.

Sanchon's ambience is calming - obviously an aid to tasting flavours, experiencing textures, appreciating the temperature differences of the dishes, taking in the vibrant colors, and not to forget, digestion.

Even the restroom is beautiful, filled with original art.

There is a little store on the side, where you can buy some of the dry foods you just ate - fritters, chips, seaweed, etc. And bowls, chopsticks, local artifacts.

Sanchon is owned by a former 

Buddhist monk Jungsan Kim Yun-sik, who was a monk for 17 years. As a monk he learned to cook temple food and has curated the best temple cusines from accross Korean monestries to create the menu.

Note: This meal is expensive, but so worth every penny, cent, paise, won or any other currency you may be familier with.