nak-seo pah-jeon (낙서 파전)

nak-seo pah-jeon (낙서 파전)
서울특별시 동대문구 회기로28길 11; also at 서울특별시 동대문구 휘경동 319-32 (off of hwe-gi station)
tel: 02-968-6019

what was consumed: seafood pancake! pancakes galore ...

in one of our many eating adventures, isa and i head out to hwe-gi station, near kyunghee university, in our attempt to find delicious pah-jeon (seafood pancakes). as you know, i'm not a scallion/green onion/spring onion fan, but everything else in the pancake is so dar delish, i couldn't say no.

while nak-seo pah-jeon was majorly out of the way for it, we had a fun time making the trek and finding this little hole-in-the-wall. and while we were there around lunchtime, as pah-jeon is frequently served as an ahn-ju (food accompanying booze), we were told that we had to order beverages. we got away with ordering soda (which we would have anyway), but the table next to us were definitely quite a few bottles of makgeolli in (good for them!). and then, the pah-jeon. crisp on the outside, just the right amount of chewy on the inside, chock full of seafood (mostly squid. i will take it!), and huge. one pah-jeon would definitely be large enough for a meal.

let me know if you're up for the trek. nak-seo pah-jeon it is!

kkaolli pochana

kkaolli pochana
서울 용산구 녹사평대로54길 11; also at 서울 용산구 이태원2동 706
tel: 070-8872-1995

what was consumed: pad thai, fried spring rolls, seafood curry

oh, thai food, i love you so much. all of the rice noodles, all of the fish sauce, all of the papaya salads. so, when kkaolli pochana got on our radar, we were all about it (once we could figure out when they were open, anyway).

kkaolli pochana didn't have some of my usual favorites that i associate with thai cuisine (aka papaya salad). someone told me that kkaolli pochana focuses on thai street food and while i'm not sure if that's necessarily true, i went with the story. the eatery has a sort of last minute pop-up sort of feel to it, but as long as the food is good, i'm happy to enjoy.

the highlight for me was their seafood curry. chock full of different seafoods, rich with coconut milk and curried spices that i associate with thai food. YUM. i hear that they've raised the price on this dish, but thinking about this dish makes me agree to pay the higher price. 

Yum.

street churros

street churros

170 noksapyeong-daero, yongsan-gu, seoul, korea

tel: 010-6263-0303

what was consumed: churros! with ice cream. of course. and coffee.

looking for a tasty treat while walking the streets of seoul? look no further, street churros are here! what seems to have begun as a sort of fad has turned into a regular part of korean street food (and you know how the koreans love their street food).

fried dough, sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon, made to order and served hot. and, if you so choose (and i don't know why you wouldn't), you can order chocolate dipping sauce or some ice cream (my preference). when street churros first started, as a sort of stand on the streets of noksapyeong, people would wait in line, 30, 40 people deep. the street churros folks had their act together, though, so you never waited too long. now, they have locations all over the city (and, it looks like they've expanded and they've gone international at that! locations in LA and taipei ... good job!) which just means more street churros for everyone!

online: http://streetchurros.com/

 yes, i have a churro in each hand ...

two two chicken

two two chicken
multiple locations (likely one near you). for lunch, we went to this location:
gwanghwamun location
서울 종로구 사직로8길 42
tel: 02-737-2292

what was consumed: ddukbokki! cooked at the table (their lunch special. do all of the two two chickens do this?). and an order of fried chicken. of course.

lunchtime! and when t told us that he wanted to go to one of his favorite places, especially good when it is cold, we took his word for it. when he led us to two two chicken, we first thought he was joking. now that we've eaten there, we're glad he wasn't (joking).

two two chicken is one of the most popular fried chicken places in korea (or so i've heard). but for lunch, at least the location by the office, they offer spicy rice cakes, cooked at your table, will all sorts of fixin's (i've been hankering for this as of late. our meal started with some warm fish cake soup and a big bowl of rice. a note about the rice. it looks like a big bowl of rice with a bunch of dried seaweed on top. and a plastic glove. what the ... you're supposed to put the glove on (of course), mix the rice with the dried seaweed, and make bite-sized rice balls. YES!

soon after, our server turned on our burner and plopped a large pot of spicy rice cakes accompanied by fried mandoo, ramen noodles, egg, etc. a bit salty, a bit spicy, and totally a delicious, warm, and filling lunch. we also couldn't come to two two chicken and not order chicken. the sauce is a little sweet and a little spicy. i was able to nab a few pieces that were sans sauce. they were just the right amount of crispy and seasoned so that no sauce was necessary. a great lunch!

let me know if you want to go. i will endure smelling like ddukbokki afterwards and join you. yes please!

meok shwee dohn nah (먹쉬돈나)

meok shwee dohn nah (먹쉬돈나)
multiple locations. we went to the location in sam-cheong-dong (서울 종로구 율곡로3길 66-5, tel: 02-723-8089)

what was consumed: ddukbokki! prepared at your table (of sorts) with the option for all sort of additions. we chose seafood, cheese, fried mandoo, kim ma ri (noodles rolled in seaweed then fried), ramen, chewy noodles ... 

i love ddukbokki. there's just something about the spicy rice cakes that are so delicious. and when the dish is prepared at your table with all sorts of goodies, i can't resist! i also told myself that i need to eat my heart's content of korean "street" food so that i don't crave it later. not possible! additionally, i'm back on my k-drama kick and one of them had the characters either talk about or enjoy ddukbokki on a regular basis (ok, so it was this one). and so, any chance i get to enjoy ddukbokki, and with good friends, i'm all for it!

here's what we ordered: 

YUM!

at meok shwee dohn nah, you take your seat, decide the sort of ddukbokki you're going to order, what sort of additions you'd like, and order. in a few minutes, the staff bring out a large bowl filled with all of the things you just ordered. and then, on the burner that sits on your table, the broth starts to boil and all of the ingredients just ... meld together. it's so delicious, i can't even describe. 

and once you're eaten the bulk of your meal, be sure to get at least an order of fried rice: they take the leftover sauce/broth, mix it with rice and a few other things (e.g. seaweed), and they place it back on your table's burner at a low heat. this allows the bottom layer to begin toasting, just a little bit. a great end to a fabulous snack food-turned meal :D can't wait to go again!

online: http://www.mukshidonna.com/