Damyang is located about 3.5 hours drive from Seoul and about 1 hour from Jeonju. It is well known for bamboo. There is a bamboo forest/park which you can walk through, and has various places to take pictures.
Here are some pictures of the beautiful scenery in the park:
Across the street from the park, there is this one of a kind statue made entirely of bamboo.
Foodwise, the thing to eat here is rice steamed in bamboo. Our driver recommended this place:
…with the English name on the napkin below (Hansanggeun):
The meal started with some barley tea, pumpkin puree, and of course, tons of banchan.
As usual in Korea, the banchan were delicious. However, the main courses were not that great. While they were decent, they were not mind blowing.
First the rice which was served with a bean paste soup. The rice was flavorless and not that great. By the way, each bamboo cup is only used once so you can take it home if you want.
Next, some grilled fish which was good, and bbq patties which the restaurant is also known for. They did not have that nice charcoal taste and were just ok also.
To me, other than the unique cooking and serving vessel of the bamboo, and the fact that you are eating it in a region known for bamboo, there was nothing outstanding about the meal. The banchan were definitely the highlights. 7/10