Best spots to buy variety of alcohol?

emart traders in changdong has a huge liquor section with plenty of japanese sake and foreign whiskey, way more than the regular emarts. the import tax on bringing bottles into canada is gonna sting but the prices here are still lower than what you'd pay at the lcbo for the same stuff. if you're up near hongdae, the lottemart in yeonnam has a decent sake shelf too but it's pricier

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honestly the sool market gunja branch is great for traditional stuff but if you want japanese sake and premium whiskey, try the wine & liquor section at shinsegae department store in gangnam. their basement food hall has a dedicated import section with stuff like hakushu and yamazaki that youd never find at the lcbo. prices are higher than emart but the selection is way better for rare bottles

for a more casual spot, the lottemart in seoul station has a solid sake shelf too, i snagged a bottle of junmai daiginjo there for like 30k won last year. just check the duty-free limits at the airport before you go ham, customs will hit u with like 50% tax on anything over 800 cad worth

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for foreign stuff like japanese sake and premium whiskey, check out the big emart or costco stores outside central seoul - they've got surprisingly good selections and way better prices than tourist spots. the one in magok especially has a solid import section

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the whispering thing is real but its not about the sauce lol. that guy runs a 2am handoff with the chicken supplier, they drop off fresh birds from a farm near Chuncheon three times a week instead of using the frozen stuff most hongdae spots rely on. thats why the texture hits different, not the sauce itself. if u go back ask for the neck & wing combo off menu, its cheaper & honestly the best cut they do

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the thing nobody mentions is that Dogdogdog's sauce gets its body from cheong, the Korean rice syrup, not sugar. thats why it coats the wing so thick and stays glossy instead of going sticky. i asked a guy who worked there and he said they also add a splash of maesil (plum) extract at the end off the heat. that fruity tang under the garlic is what you're tasting. go on a weekday before 6, weekends the wait hits 40 min easy.

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honestly the "secret sauce" thing is prob just marketing. every fried chicken place in Seoul has a version of that story. the real difference at Dogdogdog is they double fry in rice bran oil and toss the wings in the sauce twice, once right out of the fryer and again after a 30 sec rest. thats where the crunch comes from, not some mystery ingredient. if u wanna taste the actual base, order the banban half plain half spicy and dip the plain one in the spicy sauce yourself.

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