gwanghwamun jjambbong (광화문짬뽕)

gwanghwamun jjambbong (광화문짬뽕)
서울특별시 종로구 종로 19 르메이에르종로타운; also at 서울특별시 종로구 종로1가 24
tel: 02-2075-7565

what was consumed: jjambbong! and sweet and sour pork

language partner ehy and i head out for a lunch of k-chit-chat, gossip, and some good food ... at gwanghwamun jjambbong! apparently, they opened a new branch and before the lines got too long, we raced over.

we ordered a spicy bowl of noodle soup along with some sweet and spicy pork (my usual combination). the noodles were chewy, the broth rich and spicy (with lots of seafood), and the sweet and sour pork was lightly fried (just the way i like it) despite the syrup-y sauce (which was pretty delish on this day). nom nom nom nom nom!!!

han wa dam (한와담)

han wa dam (한와담)
서울특별시 용산구 독서당로 67 1층; also at 서울특별시 용산구 한남동 261-6 1층
tel: 02-749-1105

what was consumed: meat! and grilled cheese. and fried rice.

were we at han wa dam? or we were at han wa dam black? i don't know. either way, whichever of the two we were at, it was super delicious.

so, we walked in, ready to eat some delicious grilled meat. of course, at han wa dam, we don't grill our own; each table has a dedicated dude (usually dude) who will cook your meal at your table (if i recall correctly, one of the draws for ladies is that the dudes are handsome. hahahaha. i don't know why i remember that). anyway, the quality of the meat is so delicious (but you pay for it. expensive!), so be sure to save up and head over to han wa dam! and take me with you!

be sure to also order the grilled cheese at han wa dam. slices of halloumi cheese (which i love. love the salty cheeses!), grilled at your table, enjoyed when they are still warm:

after the meat and the cheese, we of course had to enjoy the fried rice (i think i was looking forward most to this):

seoga & cook

seoga & cook
서울 종로구 동숭길 55 대학빌딩; also at 서울 종로구 동숭동 1-145 2층

tel: 02-6465-5080

what was consumed: steak salad, spicy seafood pasta, risotto ... YUM.

seoga & cook! while there are quite a few locations, i've only been to the one near hye-hwa station. with my family. after church. where our huge group would gather and stuff our bellies.

korean fusion american/italian food is sometimes not my favorite. but the fare at seoga & cook is pretty delish. the pasta is cooked well, the risotto is rich and creamy, the steak salad is ample is its portions (and with fries! though, really, you pay for it). so when you have a hungry crowd (or just a couple of growing teens), seoga & cook will def meet your needs.

seoga & cook is also good for bigger groups (we always had a table of at least 10 people. yes. i have a big family) and all of their dishes are served family style. but be sure to nab your share because for sure it'll be all gone by the time the plate comes back to you! YUM.

online: www.seogaandcook.com

myung-dong gyoza (명동교자)

myung-dong gyoza (명동교자)
서울특별시 중구 명동10길 29; also at 서울특별시 중구 명동2가 25-2
tel: 02-776-5348

what was consumed: mandoo! aka gyoza. and spicy noodles.

in myung-dong, the food options are oh so overwhelming. but in the midst of all of the street food and all of the shopping is myung-dong gyoza. 

go for some simple mandoo (steamed is my preference) as a light snack as you engage in some retail therapy. the delicious flavors in the center of each mandoo will be a nice pop of flavor and give you energy to head out to your next retail location. or sit down for a noodle meal (and i recommend going half-sies with a spicy one and a brothy one); either way, ask for some broth to accompany your noodles because it's really yummy. 

for some reason, the first time we tried to visit myung-dong gyoza, we couldn't find it. and then we felt pretty dumb (because it's sort of right off the main drag with a huge sign) and were enthralled to find that we had made it just in time (i.e., they were open). mandoo for all! YUM.

online: http://www.mdkj.co.kr/en/

hyo-ja bah-beh (효자바베)

hyo-ja bah-beh (효자바베)
서울 종로구 자하문로1길 42; also at ; also at 서울 종로구 체부동 210-3
tel: 070-8749-0019

what was consumed: bbq! cooked on a weber grill, on charcoal, inside of the restaurant (yes, it gets a little smoky). and a spicy italian inspired tomato soup. both are a must.

in the cute area near gyungbok palace (aka seo-chon), there is a strip of restaurants that we'd frequent after work (just a short walk from the office). hyo-ja bah-beh because one of my favorites. order the bbq platter and you won't be disappointed. beef, chicken, pork, seafood ... there's a little bit of each on your platter, sitting on top of some steamed cabbage (got to have some veggies, right?). everything is cooked on what looks like a weber grill, on charcoal. yes, you will leave the place sort of stinking, but it's totally worth it.

and be sure to order the spicy seafood stew. it's a cross between a soupy spicy spaghetti (literally. there are spaghetti noodles in the dish) and jjambbong. it's a little on the spicy (and tomato-y) side, but definitely delish and a nice part ii of a delicious meal.

yay for hyo-jah bah-beh!

bbongsin (뽕신)

bbongsin (뽕신)
서울특별시 종로구 동숭길 62; also at 서울특별시 종로구 동숭동 130-27
tel: 010-9779-0936

what was consumed: jjam-bbong! and its variations ...

noodles. YUM. always up for noodles. when cousins and i would go to lunch after church, i was frequently intrigued by bbong sin. the restaurant was always packed (i imagine we didn't frequent it as much as we would have liked because it was always so crowded) and steamy from all of the hot soup. but one day, neice sarah insisted (and they had a table available), so bbong sin it was!

bbong sin specializes in noodles. to be more specific, they specialize in the korean-ized version of chinese noodles in spicy seafood stew (my favorite when i go to korean chinese restaurants). bbong sin then takes those noodles and uses them in a series of other soups and sauces, of course along the lines of the korean palette (like the korean-ized version of a soupy seafood cream sauce. still delish). 

their portions are a bit small (major downside!) and noodles digest so quickly (for me, anyway) that we also ordered a ... pizza. or what sort of looked like a pizza. with, yes, a square of american cheese melted o the top (in addition to inside of it). out of the ordinary as it was, it didn't prevent us from devouring it and enjoying every last bite.

bbong sin FTW!

online: http://www.bbongsin.co.kr

midnight bistro season 2 (시야식당 season 2)

midnight bistro season 2 (시야식당 season 2)
서울특별시 용산구 이태원로20길 2-10; aka 서울특별시 용산구 이태원동 64-15 5층tel: 02) 3785-3385

what was consumed: itaewon stew, sauteed pork with onions, chef's chili ... and beers!

looking for a late night meal? look for midnight bistro (aka shimya-shikdang). i understand that this eatery is named after the japanese movie/korean tv show, or, at the very least, in that vein. they welcome solo diners up to small groups (they don't have -too- much seating; keep that in mind), but you're in for a treat when you visit.

once seated, one of midnight bistro's servers will greet you and give you a lay of the land, including an ipad with the menu, and invites you to take a look at their beverage selection for your perusal and selection. you pick what you like, drink as you will, and pay for your selection at the end. easy peasy! and for food: they specialize in world cuisine, so have all sorts of different tasty treats (they also have cocktails, but i believe this should be ordered with the server. actually, not sure. i just see cocktails on the menu). our meal started off with a bit of chili. our server said that the flavors were supposed to be reminiscent of the chef's home country (not korea) and it served as a little appetizer that whet our appetites.

we opted to go with a seasonal option (the pork) as well as one of their specialties (the itaewon stew) as we were looking to grab a bite to eat after the big bang concert :D (note: they have a seasonal/rotating menu). 

i want to go back! YUM.

online: https://www.facebook.com/worldsoulfood

grill 5 (aka grill 5 taco)

grill 5 (aka grill 5 taco)
on the ground floor of the gran seoul building
서울 종로구 청진동 119-1 그랑서울 1층; also at 서울 종로구 종로 33 그랑서울 1층
tel: 02) 2158-7924

what was consumed: spicy pork burrito (they also have tacos and burrito bowls. sounds similar to some other texmex/mexican favs from home, eh?)

in my many visits to the gran seoul building for tasty treats, i frequently passed grill 5. it reminded me a little of chipotle (which i missed so much while in seoul), but it wasn't until pretty recently that i got to try it out. and i'm glad i did!

tacos? burrito? burrito bowl? i couldn't make up my mind! the gentleman behind the counter recommended the spicy pork, a grilled, korean-flavor marinated spicy pork that, along with some black beans, serve as the protein for my burrito. this version included a bit of pineapple that, while sweet, worked with the combo.

and grill 5 has french fries. oh man. that's the best. i've also heard they have chips for those who dine in. where was that when i visited?! must go again to check it out for myself.

and so, no matter what people say, give grill 5 a try! i wish i had, and sooner! who knows? you might love it!

pizzeria'o

pizzeria'o

서울 종로구 동숭동 31-19

tel: 02) 3673-5005

what was consumed: pizza! and spicy pasta

during my second year in seoul, i opted to move churches and join my extended family to attend our "family" church (aka the church my family has been attending for decades). in addition to the spiritual feeding, i looked forward to sunday lunches with my cousins. when craving pizza, we head to pizzeria'o on the regular.

while pizzeria'o has a variety of pastas and salads on their menu, pizzeria'o specializes in the thin crust, wood fired, pizzas. and delicious ones at that. the pizza dough is tasty just by itself and when you couple it with a bit of the sauce and/or cheese that has fallen off of an already consumed pizza slice, well, there are few things that are better. 

one of my favorite non-pizza dishes is their spicy pasta. it's served in a bowl that has been covered with some dough (and that passes through the wood fire oven). your server brings the dish to your table and, in a sort of performance (which, we'd been told, is a part of the service), will slice the crust off the top of your bowl with instructions on enjoying the bread with the ample amounts of sauce in the pasta dish. under the dough cover, there certainly is ample (spicy!) sauce, covered in cheese, and rigatoni that is just waiting for your consumption. YUM.

per their website, their fresh ingredients (specifically the basil and arugula) come form their organic farm on a daily basis. what? even better! 

i usually visit pizzeria'o on sundays for lunch. but when we plan for pizza, we definitely make a beeline right after church services in order to ensure a seat, despite their ample seating options (they have an upstairs area as well). yes, pizzeria'o is located in the ever popular daehak-no area, off of hyehwa station, but i can see why pizzeria'o is so popular. let's go, let's go, let's go! nom nom nom ...

online: http://mpizzeriao.fordining.kr/

pansteak 2046

pansteak 2046

서울특별시 종로구 북촌로4길 20 연화빌딩; also 서울특별시 종로구 계동 102-1

tel: 070-4686-9198

what was consumed: steak! cooked in a pan, at your table

team building aka forced fun. but sometimes team building is fun and actually successful (in team building). on this particular team building day, we took the opportunity to enjoy some good eats for lunch. team building by eating, part i.

team lead, j, mentioned that she had had a delicious meal at pansteak 2046. as we were team building in the area, no reason why we couldn't try it for ourselves!

we got to pansteak 2046 right when it opened. good thing, too, because despite its distance from the office, it filled up quickly. we took a quick look at the menu and quickly ordered.

what makes pansteak 2046 special is that the servers bring your order to your table in a searing hot cast iron pan, allowing your meal to cook/toast right in front of your eyes. and then, depending on how you like your steak, you can either keep in on longer for more well done pieces or remove the meat earlier for more rare pieces (my preferred, of course).

i'm never quite sure how much food comes out when restaurants tell me the weight of what i've ordered (i.e., how much steak is 100g?). the answer, though, is "enough." and with a few veggie sides, it was a perfect lunch portion. others at the table ordered the rice dish (cooked rice sautéed with beef rib portions) and going split-sies was the best option. YUM. 

it gets a little smokey in pansteak 2046 after a little while because everyone's steaks are cooking at their table. but leaving, smelling of cooking meat, just reminded me of how delicious the meal was. yay!

online: http://www.2046pansteak.com/ or https://www.facebook.com/2046pansteak

joong shim (중심)

joong shim (중심)
서울 용산구 녹사평대로 32길 14
tel: 02) 2235-0707

what was consumed: "salad" kahl-gook-soo, kko-ma kimbap, jjambbong kahl-gook-soo

noodles! i love noodles. and this great little place in itaewon specializes in korean flour noodles, cut with a knife (and so, appropriately, named "knife noodles"). 

in our attempt to fill our empty bellies post-work, a and i head over to joong shim. we'd heard about this place and even tried to visit at a previous time (it was closed. turns out, they close early AND they have weird-ish hours). but on this day, we were successful - they were open, serving food, and we were hungry.

we ordered the recommended fare - salad noodles, noodles served in spicy seafood stew, and mini kimbap in both regular and spicy. YUM.

some highlights: the noodles are so chewy and delicious! the dressing on the salad is such a delicious way to use black sesame! the spicy seafood stew was made with a bit of tomato sauce for a delicious rendition of "east meets west." the spicy kimbap had just a little bit of spice in the tuna, just enough to let you know it was there and just enough for you to want more.

a and i definitely left more full than we had intended, filled with delicious noodles and kimbap. go and enjoy!