When UnTour first came up with the idea to create a Koreatown Food Tour in Shanghai, we knew we needed to reach out to the local Korean expat community to make this as local and legit as all of our Chinese food tours. Luckily, our Korean and ABK friends and guides were ready to show us the ropes in the sprawling Koreatown in Minhang, and literally design the tour route to make sure it is as authentically Korean as possible. Scroll down to meet our Korean guides for the Beyond Bulgogi: Shanghai’s Koreatown Tour!
And we’re thrilled to see how excited you guys are to join our K-Town Tour! We have almost sold out of our first round of tours, so we have opened new dates, including one during October Holiday! See below for new dates and how to book.
Upcoming Public K-Town Tours
- Sept 7 @ 6:30pm – 1 spot left
Sept 10 @ 6:30pm– SOLD OUT- Sept 15 @ 6:30pm – 1 spot left!
- Sept 22 @ 6:30pm
- Sept 24 @ 6:30pm
- Sept 29 @ 6:30pm
- Oct 6 @ 3:30pm
To book those dates, click here or scan the QR code below.
If you’d like to book a private tour or have a specific date in mind not listed above, please contact us by scanning the QR code below or adding our Customer Service WeChat (ID: UnTour) or emailing us at info@untourfoodtours.com
Meet the K-Town Guides: Brian Sanghee Lee
Brian Sanghee Lee is the tour route designer and lead guide on the Beyond Bulgogi: Shanghai’s Koreatown Food Tour. We sat down with him to talk about his favorite Korean foods, why food runs in his family, and what he’s most excited about for our new K-Town tours.
Where are you from?
I was born and educated in the US, but have since lived in six other countries before landing in China seven years ago! My family’s split between NYC and Seoul, and with Seoul being so close to China, I end up spending 1-2 months a year there.
Being in the food world kinda runs in your family, right?
That’s right! My mom is an excellent home cook and used to make 5-10 banchan every week. We have four refrigerators at home, with one designed for preserving kimchi (which is not uncommon among Korean families).
I have an uncle in Brooklyn who runs a few restaurants and grocery stores.
And my auntie in Korea is a well-known celebrity chef named Big Mama! I call her the Martha Stewart or Paula Deen (minus the racism) of Korea, since she’s got a big personality and has had a TV presence for the past 20 years or so.
She has a gourmet banchan store in Seoul and has her own line of kimchi which is sold in 11kg bags and delivered straight to homes all over Korea. Every time I visit, she’s fermenting or pickling something new in her garden, whether it’s green plums or mountain vegetables.
Kimchi Ad for Brian’s Auntie – Big Mama. Translation “Delicious kimchi borne out of Big Mama’s 40 years of know-how”
How long have you been in Shanghai? What brought you here?
I’ve been in Shanghai and guiding with UnTour since 2016, with a year stint in Shenzhen in between. I’ve been working in global startups ever since I graduated from my masters program in Hangzhou, where I learned Chinese and traveled through rural China.
What’s your favorite Korean food?
It’s hard to pick a single food, but I have a favorite ingredient: Kkaennip 깻잎 or Korean Perilla leaves. In the same family as mint or shiso, I used to hate the bitter, pungent flavor of perilla when I was kid.
It was hard to find in the states, but my mom’s friend starting growing it in their garden and gifting us leaves every month. My parents started eating them raw with barbecue, or pickled with rice. It’s a unique herbal flavor that compliments other bold Korean flavors that tend to be spicy, sweet, or sour, and it’s an intense flavor that is hard to find in other cuisines. It was a nostalgic flavor that made my parents think of their hometowns in Korea, which meant a lot for them after spending 30 years in the States. Now that I live in China, I’ve learned to love perilla and it helps cure homesickness anytime I have it, especially the type you find in Koreatown.
What’s a typical dinner like with your family?
Nine times out of ten, a family meal centers around rice and a soup or stew, say a fermented soybean paste soup with vegetables. Then we’d have a protein, oftentimes a braised or grilled fish. This is all accompanied by 4-5 different banchan, including a few types of kimchi and various pickles. Every person has their own bowl of rice, soup, and small plate for sharing the big dishes, in addition to the iconic flat metal spoon and chopsticks that Korea is known for (I’ll tell the full story behind that during our tour!).
What are you most excited about for the K-Town Food Tour?
Most people I know in Shanghai have either visited Korea or tried Korean food in China, but oftentimes they associate Korean food with the dishes you get at a typical “Korean” restaurant: barbecue, bulgogi, bibimbap or fried chicken. On our tour, I am excited to show our guests how Korean people in Korea eat: in a given night, they pick what they want to eat (e.g. cold noodles) and then go find the best damn restaurant that specializes that dish. Then, if they have another craving for a drink and some fried food, they’ll hop over to another restaurant that specializes in that food. We’re lucky that Shanghai has a huge Korean expat community that has been here for a couple decades, and has brought a huge range of foods that you can’t find elsewhere in the city.
Meet the K-Town Guides: JooYoung Song
JooYoung Song is a guide on the Beyond Bulgogi: Shanghai’s Koreatown Food Tour. We sat down with her to talk about what an amazing cook she is, her favorite dishes to eat (and cook!), and what she’s most excited about for our new K-Town tours.
Where are you from?
I was born and raised in South Korea but I lived abroad almost half of my life. I’ve experienced living in Europe for a year, but mostly I’ve lived in the States where I went to college and worked in a documentary film company based in LA.
How long have you been in Shanghai?
I came to Shanghai in 2016 following my husband who came here 2 years ahead.
Jooyoung’s famous homemade kimbap!
What do you miss most about living in Korea?
Many people might think it would be Kimchi which actually applies to most of my Korean friends who live abroad. However, I’ve been making my own Kimchi since I was 19 and I even brought my Kimchi fridge with me from Seoul.
What I miss the most is actually the internet speed and a variety of fresh seafood I can easily get in Korea.
We’ve been lucky enough to experience your home cooking, and you’re an amazing cook. What’s your favorite Korean food to make?
It’s kind of hard to pick just one or two because I cook everyday and my family loves trying different kinds of food. The dishes my family loves and I cook the most would be Kimbap (rice rolls) and Dduckboki (spicy rice cakes).
What’s your favorite Korean food to eat?
Definitely the Nangmion (Korean cold noodle).
You spend so much time in Koreatown with your family – what’s your favorite thing to do/eat there when you go?
We do a lot of grocery shopping there to get ingredients for Korean food (and sometimes go to play screen golf), but it’s a destination for us because it has a wide range of bars and restaurants we can pick from. When we go there, it makes us feel as if we’re back in Seoul.
What are you most excited about for the K-Town Food Tour?
I’m really excited that I’ll be able to share with other people an authentic and typical Korean way of spending a night on a week day after work or on a weekend going several rounds with bunch of friends such as what we will exactly do on the tour, snacking on the street, having a proper meal with Soju, and going to a bar focusing on drinking more, then wrapping up with having some noodles or dessert.
Upcoming Public K-Town Tours
- Sept 7 @ 6:30pm – 1 spot left
Sept 10 @ 6:30pm– SOLD OUT- Sept 15 @ 6:30pm – 1 spot left!
- Sept 22 @ 6:30pm
- Sept 24 @ 6:30pm
- Sept 29 @ 6:30pm
- Oct 6 @ 6:30pm
To book those dates, click here or scan the QR code below.
If you’d like to book a private tour or have a specific date in mind not listed above, please contact us by scanning the QR code below or adding our Customer Service WeChat (ID: UnTour) or emailing us at info@untourfoodtours.com
One Comment
Eric Huffton
Hey Brian!
Amazing interview! Reading about your international journey and your profound love for food brought back memories. Your vivid description of certain flavors took me back to our college days, discussing memorable dishes from our backgrounds.
Your affinity for food traditions and family stories truly stands out. The way you narrated tales of culinary adventures and household practices paints a vibrant canvas of culture and values.
Your commitment to authenticity in all you do has always been evident. Recollecting those college days, your natural charisma, intellect, and leadership qualities were so impressive. And those dance memories? Still fresh in my mind!
Hearing about your food tour, I can sense the exciting and rich experiences awaiting attendees. Your focus on showcasing the genuine heart of dining traditions sounds truly captivating.
Thinking back to our college days, our bond remains as strong as ever. A toast to all the years of friendship and many more to come.
Best wishes with your food tour endeavors. I’m certain it’s going to be extraordinary! ✨
Warmly,
E
P.S. I can’t help but feel a hint of envy hearing about the fantastic experiences others will have on your tour. Might have to consider a visit in the future!