Welcome to the Food World!

"Those who enjoy cakes have to bake cakes, and those who enjoy pasta have to cook pasta."

This is too obvious of a statement. A place that made this statement a reality opened today (July 20th) - Welcome to the CJ Food World.

CJ Food World was made to celebrate the food culture in Korea. About 200 specialty chefs cook different food at 17 different CJ brand stores/restaurants, including VIPS, Bibigo, China Factory, and Freshian Brasserie. In addition to food restaurants, Food World features Fresh Market where you can by CJ Brand groceries, Petitzel Fruity where you can enjoy fresh fruit juice and jelly made without any food coloring or preservatives, and Tous les Jours*Twosome Coffee*Cold Stone Creamery complex store where you can enjoy freshly baked bread, creamy ice cream, and coffee all in one place.



However, in today's world, a food court can't survive just by serving food. The executive director of CJ Brand, Mrs. Noh Hee Young, considered this fact and created CJ The Farm and Baksul Cooking Class.

CJ The Farm simulated nature's farm where you can observe beans, tomatoes, and other vegetables growing in the middle of the city. In order to create an atmosphere that best resembles nature, the Farm is equipped with Korea's first simulated sun ray that moves closer and further away from the crops depending on the time and humidity. In addition, there is a kitchen where you can make the food you ate at the different eateries. CJ also plans on conducting cooking classes for kids.

The underground is a place of gourmet's heaven. From nangmyun (Korean cold noodle) and bulgogi grilled on fire to fresh pasta and furnace-baked pizza, you can enjoy all kinds of cuisines.

I tried three types of curries from Loco Curry - rich brown, creamy yellow, and spicy red curries. Loco Curry uses 23 different spices and cook the curries for longer than 24 hours, so you can taste the deep savory flavors. Inside the curries were thumb-size broccoli, tomatoes, and mushroom instead of meat, which added freshness and eliminated greasiness. I couldn't taste the dull flavor of instant curry, but instead tasted the richness.

I also had Bibigo's seafood salad with chewy jellyfish, fresh vegetables and shrimp, Korean pear, and sweet wasabi dressing. The wasabi dressing was so strong that it hurt my nose a bit.

For main entree, I had dry-aged steak cooked rare. There were enough fat to add softness, and the pepper seasoning added flavor. The chewy and savory meat melted in my mouth.

After a filling meal, you can buy CJ Brand products at the Fresh Market grocery, as well as shop at Olive Young cosmetics. If you are craving for more, you can wrap up your adventure on the first floor with sweet dessert and coffee.



The concept of Food World, a place where you can eat, cook, and shop in one place, is innovative, yet the transportation to the place is quite inconvenient. Also the Food Court isn't that much different from other food courts besides the Farm and the Cooking Class. There are lots of stores and shops nearby, but not enough apartments that the place is more for office workers rather than families. An irony part is that the price range is a bit high for office workers to frequent this place.