What to buy at Korea’s Lotte Mart?

When I first learned from my friend that we will spend our last day in Seoul at  Lotte Mart, I got so excited (due to the fact that Korean goodies are just so yummy and irresistible) and worried (because I have limited luggage allowance, yay!).

Upon our arrival, we instantly went straight to where the food items are located. I found it hard to choose what to buy, because I want to purchase all of it. Good thing there were free tastes and I’ve got my friends who controlled the impulsive buyer in me. Anyway, I’ve listed here some of the items which I would love to recommend in case you are clueless with what to buy at Lotte Mart.

1. Wasabi Flavored Almonds – From all the products I’ve purchased this is my favorite. It doesn’t have that strong sting or kick (Don’t know how to explain it) that you usually feel when you eat wasabi. There’s a mixture of sweet, salty and wasabi taste which goes well with the crisp of the almond. This particular brand also comes in honey butter flavor and available as well in hazelnut.

   

   I’ll be honest, I bought mine from Nandaemun market which was way cheaper, but if you don’t have time to go there, then buy it at Lotte Mart.

2. Market O Real Brownies and Market O Real Cheese chips – Most of the people I’ve seen shopping in Lotte Mart have these products on their carts. What I like about the brownies is its soft and chewy texture that melts in your mouth, add to that the bits of chocolate which made it yummier. As for the cheese chips, I just can’t get over it. The savoury taste of camembert and cheddar cheese is just so perfect that I blamed myself for not buying plenty of it.
   

   

   

   I’ve seen Market O products available in S&R. So if these pictures made you want it, then you can just buy it there. 

3. Green Tea Spread – I love green tea flavored products, the reason why I bought this one. Didn’t got disappointed, as it taste so good plus it also got bits of almonds.

   

   Gentle reminder: This spread is addicting.

4. Binggrae Banana Milk – Initially, I thought that it is like yakult which have a sour yogurt taste. But it’s more like banana milk juice. I like it though, add to that the serving size which is just enough.

   

   Also comes in strawberry and melon flavor. Photo from Korea.net

5. Tteokbokki chips – When I first had a bite of this chips, I find its flavor weird. It got a sweet and spicy flavor that I can’t explain. But, after eating 4 or 5 more pieces, I got used to the taste, and eventually liked it.
6. Seasoned Bean Paste – known as Ssamjang in Korea. This spicy paste is usually eaten with grilled meat wrapped in leaf or lettuce. I brought home one just in case I fancy cooking some Korean dish. 
7. Kimchi – What’s Korea without kimchi? At Lotte Mart, you can buy it from their kimchi stall where they will arrange it in small containers or you can purchase the pre-packed ones.
   

   

   Kimchi stall

   

   

   Pre packed kimchi – this particular brand is good, however it lacks the spicy taste that I’m looking for a kimchi. 

8. Noodles – Koreans are known to be the top consumers of instant noodles in the world. The reason why they’ve got varieties of it. So, why not bring home some.

   

   Bought this spicy Ramyun noodles. I tried to cook this with egg and soft tofu, and it taste so yummy.

9. Citron Tea – Bought this product because of the free taste that they offered me at the store. It taste like lemon juice with pulp, and it can be prepared as a hot or cold drink.

   

   Each box contains 15 small pouches.

10. Seaweeds – There are plenty of varieties, they even have kimchi flavored seaweeds. But I opted for the original one. 
11. Moist Chewy Cake – Try the fish shaped cake/bread filled with chocolate and marshmallow or the Gateau French cake which comes in chocolate, white and green tea flavor.
    

    
12. Ginseng- Koreans love ginseng due to the health benefits that they get from it. This is probably the reason why you can purchase it in the form of tea, powder, liquid extracts, capsules, candies or even the actual whole roots.

    

    Kinda expensive huh.. By the way, ginseng is believed to be an aphrodisiac (wink).

13. Biscuits – There are different flavors of pocky and peppero biscuits to choose from. You can buy it in bundles or in bigger sizes. 
    
14. Dried Jeju Mandarin –  This is a crispy real orange chip which is a healthy and delicious snack. I was able to try their sample, unfortunately I found it expensive (10,000 won = Php 450), so I ended up not buying it. I regret it, that is why I included it on this list. 
15. Milk and Chocolate Candies – Loved the rich milky and rich chocolatey goodness of these candies. They are not that sweet, so once you started eating, you just can’t stop.
    

    

    Photos from ebay and from my friend Bloom.

After struggling to keep my purchases at the minimum, my final bill still amounted to around 75,000 won or Php 3,375 (It’s a lot). To my surprise, the cashier handed me a gift certificate amounting to 5,000 won (the prize of being a shopaholic, hihi) which I can use in Lotte Mart. I didn’t ask why I got it, instead I used it right away to buy some more.

Anyway, my struggle didn’t stop there, as I need to put all the items I bought in a box or I will have to buy plastic bags (1,000 won each) to keep my purchases. I chose the former, and I am so thankful that my friend did packed everything for me.

Thank you. This was not all, aside from the box I have one big plastic bag. 

We took a cab going back to our hotel to fix our luggages, then we went straight to the airport to catch our flight.

PS: By the way, because of my purchases, I ended up buying additional 5 more kilos from Cebu Pacific for my luggage which amounted to Php 170.