K-foodie meets J-foodie : Episode 32

Ballad King Sung Si-kyung and Solitary Gourmet Yutaka Matsushige are on a grand foodie tour. Where better to start than Tokyo? Things might get spicy!

Kamakura is famous for Slam Dunk and also happens to be Matsushige’s go-to food spot. Now, where do they sell the most expensive cheesecake in Japan?

Matsushige digs in at a legendary yakiniku spot from Solitary Gourmet, and Si-kyung is enthralled. Their chopsticks are flying. Praises are soaring.

Welcome to a yakitori restaurant that is delicious and easy on the wallet. As Si-kyung guzzles and digs in, Matsushige can’t help but also take a sip.

In the second installment of Matsushige’s top dessert picks, the duo tries pudding at Mount Fuji. Prepare to be moved by the ambiance and the flavor.

Memories of hope and hunger endure in the Chinese restaurant where Matsushige once worked decades ago. A viral menu of pink fried rice awaits the duo.

The duo heads to Seoul for Si-kyung's top picks. Matsushige tears into timeless pork ribs like a black panther. The friendship deepens with each ssam.

Si-kyung is filled with childhood nostalgia at a cold noodle spot boasting decades of culinary tradition. Will Matsushige enjoy Pyeongyang naengmyeon?

Si-kyung knows the perfect place for Matsushige’s sweet tooth. Come visit the marketplace for some walnut balls, donuts, croquettes and red bean buns!

A seafood tour at Karato Market builds friendship like no other place! Matsushige and Si-kyung learn what piques their appetites by the calm seashore.

The boy from Fukuoka is now a man - with a taste for nostalgia. Matsushige brings his pal to savor manju and some udon he would pick as his last meal.

According to Si-kyung, today's place was beloved by three generations. The noodles here are but a sidekick for the suyuk and the stir-fried octopus!

With the help of Si-kyung, Matsushige is initiated into the world of premium gopchang. The savory flavor keeps the soju flowing. A decision is made.

The prelude is over, and the taste-off begins! Matsushige deals the first blow with charcoal-grilled chicken. The mood is right, but what about taste?

It’s Korea’s turn to present a charcoal-grilled dish. Si-kyung's delectable duck transports Matsushige. It's so good, a new recipe is in the works!

A savory battle of pork bone broth commences. It's tonkotsu ramen versus sundae-gukbap! Matsushige goes first, but his tastes clash with Si-kyung’s.

Following Japan's tonkotsu is Korea's sundae-gukbap. Si-kyung reveals his personal favorite as Matsushige gets creative using a secret ingredient.

The two foodies find themselves in a Korean-style Chinese restaurant. What is Matsushige's preference for eating tangsuyuk, jajangmyeon and jjamppong?

If Korea has jjajangmyeon, then Japan has yakisoba! Matsushige's favorite place in Osaka has the most magical okonomiyaki and smoky-flavored yakisoba.

The two foodies convene at the romantic Hangang Park, indulging in homemade kimbap, delicious ramyeon and takeout food. This date is going swimmingly.

For his date, Matsushige chooses an exclusive Mont Blanc shop in Kyoto. The two foodies even share a bingsu, relishing the sweetness of camaraderie.

A battle of the mollusks commences. Matsushige goes first with a double feature of tasty squid, enjoyed raw and fried! Will he win this Squid Game?

Up against Fukuoka’s live squid is Korea’s live octopus! A full-course spread of raw, grilled and boiled octopus piques Matsushige’s interest.

Matsushige picks a legendary unagi place with 152 years of history, a favorite of his father's. Invigorated, the foodies begin a friendly competition.

Matsushige heads to a traditional market and is captivated by the market's charm. He finally finds what he came for: old-fashioned fried chicken!

The foodies take a business trip to Kyoto. In this historic land, Si-kyung discovers his favorite mochi place. But will he find a favorite restaurant?

On a tasty business trip to Busan, Matsushige and Si-kyung get their fill of rice cakes. Garaetteok is good, but are they ready for spicy tteokbokki?

Sweet tooth Matsushige offers a dessert tour of Kyoto that includes the tarte tatin that changed his outlook. But what drink would pair well with it?

Today, we have a tofu special for Jenna Ortega and Emma Myers. From pan-fried to braised, which recipe has captured the hearts of the Wednesday cast?

One would be missing out on life if they never tried simmered mackerel from Matsushige’s recommended spot. The savory omakase may topple his sobriety!

At a restaurant in Busan that specializes in clam soup, the foodies dine on hangover soup and simmered mackerel. Naturally, Si-kyung craves liquor.

Busan’s own Lee Dae-ho pulls out the works with bossam, bulgogi and whole octopus. Matsushige channels his inner Korean by being hands-on with kimchi.

The two foodies visit Hokkaido’s Asahikawa to visit Matsushige’s culinary mentor, finding joy in delicious home-style dishes and drinking snacks.

In Busan, the foodies visit a Chinese restaurant run by a huaqiao living in Korea. The ganjjajang and ulmyeon are good enough to make a foodie sing!

The foodies head to an izakaya in Osaka that Matsushige once frequented after work. Their conversation is as rich as the variety of the food served.

The foodies are off to taste the original budae-jjigae of the Songtan variety. Steak and bacon are unusual additions, but they sure pique the palate!

Si-kyung recommends a kal-guksu place in Euljiro that serves mugwort noodles in bone broth that captivates Matsushige. There's even a secret menu!

Drinking culture is explored at length in this tasty tour of local flavors. Sapporo calls for parfaits after drinking, while Korea has morning soup.

In Hokkaido, a ramen dish has a hold on Matsushige. The foodies can’t get enough of its gingery broth! But this may be their last time to enjoy it.

Just minutes from North Korea, in the Demilitarized Zone, is Jangdan Soybeans village. Its delicious, savory dishes cause tension between the foodies.

In Asahikawa, a renowned sumo family runs a Chanko Nabe restaurant that serves a tower of ingredients — the likes of which Matsushige has never seen.

Matsushige is taken by the culinary treasures that this luxurious Korean restaurant has to offer: sinseollo, yukjeon, bulgogi and buckwheat noodles.

All the taxi drivers in Busan rave about this secret spot. Si-kyung can’t stop himself from gorging on its hairtail dishes, be it grilled or stewed.

Today’s gamjatang is enough to impress Si-kyung. He offers a bite to Matsushige, who gets a full-course meal of meat, fried rice and vegetables.

At Noryangjin Fisheries Wholesale Market, the foodies scout for fresh hoe. Matsushige tries bone-in hoe for the first time. A special dish follows.

The foodies visit Namhansanseong to savor baeksuk. Between sips of savory, restorative broth, Matsushige learns about three kinds of chicken soups.

Foodies delight over famous cold desserts from Korea and Japan, such as Hokkaido soft ice cream and snowflake patbingsu drizzled in condensed milk.

The foodies meet in Busan to savor pork soup and handmade sundae. CEOs are known to sup at this delectable spot! Matsushige and Si-kyung are besotted.

In Asahikawa, the foodies discuss the joys of sharing good food over grilled morsels of shinkoyaki. For once, Matsushige joins Si-kyung with a drink.

To celebrate their first anniversary, Matsushige and Si-kyung prepare a meal for each other. Warm tonjiru and spicy jeyukbokkeum awaken good memories.

Si-kyung meets Japanese top model and actress Ayaka Miyoshi as a new dining buddy. After exchanging greetings at a cafe in Tokyo, the two head straight to a famous tsukemen restaurant. With the first bite, Si-kyung realizes that Miyoshi is a true connoisseur of taste.

A store with no signboard in the old shopping street. In this place, which is only operated by reservation only, you can enjoy a full course of teppanyaki from super-large steak, bony tataki, grilled scallops, menchikatsu, and monjayaki.

Si-kyung visits Miyoshi's hometown, Kawagoe, Saitama. He tastes juicy gyoza at a regular spot Miyoshi frequented during her school days. With spontaneous exclamations of delight, the beer flows down smoothly.

A high-end sushi restaurant in Tokyo introduced by Korean Si-kyung to Japanese Miyoshi. A seventeen-course sushi meal presented by a sushi master with 26 years of experience. Will Si-kyung be able to win over Miyoshi's palate?