coffee intro

coffee intro

강남구 논현로 164길 26, 압구정동

tel: 070-4121-9898

what was consumed: pour-over coffee

i hear korea went through a sort of coffee revolution. i mean, koreans love their coffee, but were seemingly more interested in the caffeine fix than the complex but subtle flavors of the beverage. i.e., it was all about coffee that tasted like candy.

places like coffee intro are now a regular part of the korean food industry. some deliciously roasted coffees that are prepared excellently. i prefer coffees that are not over roasted, though dark, and prepared via pour over (or aero press, i guess), something with a clean flavor anyway. the downside is that these sorts of coffee shops cost an arm and a leg. sadly.

that said, i also look at the stiff price of my cup of coffee as including the cost of admission. cafe intro included, these cafes seem to pay a lot of attention to decor and ambiance. cafe intro is comfortable, cute, and a place i can't wait to go back! maybe with friends, maybe for some alone time. but for sure for a good cup of coffee.

sushi shi-ro

sushi shi-ro

208-26 seogyo-dong, mapo-gu

tel: 02) 336-8353

what was consumed: omakase menu!

friend connie was in town with her dude and they wanted to go and eat sushi. i'm in! she did a naver search and said that one of the top suggestions was shi-ro in the hong dae area. thanks for the recommendation! one of my new favorite japanese restaurants.

when at shi-ro, i opt for the omakase menu, aka chef's choice. i like to trust the more knowledgeable (and trained, i will choose to believe) sushi chefs to tell me what is in season and what is delicious. additionally, i'm happy to try variations that come from the creative minds of the chefs.

shi-ro's omakase menu goes through a variety of different dishes, including some sashimi, tempura, and udon. at the end, they ask you which was your favorite and they bring one more of that out to you. YES! and, to top it off, they have a palate cleansing dessert, a sort of cheese tofu that is lightly sweetened. YUM.

shi-ro does 2 seatings: once at 6pm, and once at 8pm. be sure to make reservations because they will usually not be able to accommodate walk-ins (though i've gotten lucky).

can't wait to go again!

8색 삼겹살

8 색 삼겹살

multiple locations, but i visited the one near 신총 (107-111 nogosan-dong, mapo-gu)

tel: 02) 719-4848

what was consumed: 8 flavors of pork belly!

pahl-sek is a chain (for better or for worse) is probably one of our favorite korean bbq places. they take pork belly and marinate it in 8 different flavors (pine, herb, ginseng, wine, garlic, curry, miso, hot pepper). you have the option of order single servings of all 8 or ordering individual flavors 2 servings at a time. friends and i will usually order the 8 color set and then go back and pick our favorites (mine are garlic and miso, closely followed by hot pepper).

your meal is also accompanied, on your table, by korean style spicy seafood soup (more soup than seafood). be sure to leave some of this, though, so you can order rice that they will sauté with the nicely reduced soup. you can even get it with cheese! or not.

each table is also equipped with a plate of veggies. no need to conserve, though. there's a self-serve bar with all you can eat veggies for ssam, kimchee with bean sprouts, various sauces, etc. i love it.

pahl-sek is also a good place to go with larger groups. they take reservations for groups that are 6 and larger and they are pretty good about respecting your reservation (as long as you respect that they're saving seats for you. i.e., don't be too late!). larger groups also give you the opportunity to try all of the different flavors and decide on which is your favorite without having to worry about having to consumer everything. love it.

yes, there are chain locations in the US (i.e., LA). but still! i will be back at pahl-sek and i will enjoy it, gosh darn it! and let me know if you go - i will join!

burger mine

burgermine

45-9 yongsandong 2-ga, yongsan-gu

tel: 070-8263-2034

what was consumed: burgers! and chili cheese fries ... 

sometimes, all i want is a good burger. i remember the days when burger king would be my go to burger place partially because i enjoyed their burgers and partly because it was my only option.

now a days, there are ample options when it comes to burgers (perhaps i should engage in a korea burger challenge? i'll think about it). and while i fear that western food will always come out a little sweet (it frequently does, i'm not sure why), i am still on the lookout for my favorite burger in town.

per kenny's recommendation, we head to burger mine in hbc. it was a nice day, so we sat in the seats in the outdoor section of the restaurant which also gave us an opportunity to do some major people watching.

burger mine has quite a few varieties for enjoyment. i'm always a sucker for anything that has chili (such as chili cheese fries), so i definitely got an order of that. you can be sure that kenny and i devoured some major orders of regular and chili'ed fries. and the burgers were good! the patties are nicely cooked (i.e., leaning toward medium and away from well-done). yum.

i love that burger mine does the bottomless sodas. i'm trying to decrease the amount off soda i drink. but when i do drink soda, i want to drink to my heart's content (it's not a lot, but ... it's the principal of it!). they also do an all-you-can drink beer option. they did when i was there anyway.

oh, burger mine. i can't wait to go back. soon please~

online: http://www.burgermine.com/

menya sandaime

menya sandaime 

in itaewon: 서울 용산구 이태원로 206

tel: 02-790-4129

what was consumed: japanese style ramen (spicy or miso). with extra chashu. and gyoza.

it's not just the US that has had an obsession with japanese ramen. it's like that here in seoul as well. i've had ramen at a couple of different places, but friends and i revisit japanese ramen in itaewon most frequently. yes, part of it is the convenience of its location. that said, we return time and time again because it's delicious.

friends first found out about a delicious ramen place near hongik university. it was hard to find as it is in the middle of a block, totally off the regular path. on top of that, the storefront lists the restaurant's name only in japanese. and when you go in, the place seats, like, 12 people (6 at the bar and 3 2-tops. or something like that). we also loved that we could see the food being prepared - the ramen being boiled, the veggies being added, the chashu being flambéed, the bowls of deliciousness being assembled. the broth was so rich and delicious, with just the right amount of saltiness. and the chashu! be sure to order extra - you'll be glad that you did. the pork is deliciously cooked. and then they take a mini blow torch and toast the chashu pieces before they place it atop chewy ramen noodles.

and the gyoza! be sure to put in an order to share. steamed and then toasted on one side, served with some soy sauce for dipping.

we later discovered that they have a branch in itaewon. YES. similarly, it has fewer than 20 seats, but the turnover is pretty quick. sit, order, eat, be full, leave. repeat. frequently. must. nom nom nom ... 

PS double bonus is that they are open 24 hours!!

online: http://www.menyasandaime.com/

school food

school food

multiple locations (i went to the one near gwang-hwa-moon: 서울시 종로구 신문로 1가 7-1 tel: 02-722-5454)

what was consumed: 김밥! 국수!

"upscale," cafe-ified korean fast food.

school food take korean fast food (like kim-bahb and dduk-bohk-kki) and creates fusion and/or contemporary versions.

i feel i can never get enough boon-sik (korean snack foods). it's never quite the same when you try to make it at home (on top of requiring a lot of prep work) and it never tastes as good as it does in korea when you eat it elsewhere (and it's so much more expensive!). but here's the thing about school food. they took these snack-y foods and sort of fancy-fied them. delicious flavors and interesting combinations served cafe style (in terms of look and feel). it's obvious who they were targeting (the sophisticated young woman) especially as most of the decor has a feminine touch (and the ads predominately showcase cosmetics) and the food is reminiscent of snacks kids will go to eat after school. in particular, i like the kimbap that has bacon slices or the kimbap that has he marinated cooked squid. see what i mean? but totally delish.

the first time khj and i went to lunch, we went to school food. thank god for her and her taste for yummy things; i've gotten to try lots of deliciousness! khj, where are we gonna go next? i can't wait! hungry ... 

online: http://www.schoolfood.co.kr/

토속집

토속집 

what was consumed: 닭도리탕

a lunch favorite! on the days where i want to eat something spicy (and, in that special way, soothing), i will gather friends together to eat dahk-doe-rhee-tong (a spicy chicken stew) at toe-soke-jip.

the stew will be served to you, piping hot, likely still boiling. watch your hands! i like to take out all of the contents and put them on my plate so that they'll cool down and so that i can can eat the soup with my rice, separately, and toward the end of the meal. in addition to about a quarter chicken that has been stewed in the spicy soup made with a lot of goh-choo-jang (spicy red bean paste), the stew has chunks of potatoes and onions.

the stew is served with rice (of course) and a plate of bon-chon (side dished). don't forget to order more if there is something on that plate that you particularly enjoy (mine is usually the soy bean sprouts. can't get enough!) 

be sure to quickly select toe-soke-jip if you decide to go. the first seating fills up soon after 11:30 and it's a popular destination for the koreans. i've seen people make reservations, so be sure you do if you have a large group. that way, you can be ensured that you'll get to enjoy their delicious spicy chicken stew!

i can't even describe this place, just that it's near work. let me know if you wanna go and i'll take you! happily ^^

만족 오향족발

만족 오향족발

102 Seosomun-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul

tel: 02-753-4755

what was consumed: regular and spicy 족발 aka 반반족발, prepared with the special 5 spices.

back to sik-kek-chon!

after work, while dad was in town (and i was still relatively new to seoul, again), dad met me around work to grab a bite to eat before heading home. i had gone to sik-kek-chon before and found this a good opportunity to check out another eatery in the area.

mahn-jok oh-hyang jok-bahl serves a small selection of things, but specializes in particularly prepared ... pig's feet. now, come come. i know you might have images of piglets running through your head, but it's nothing like that. rather, the meat is deboned and compressed (... ??? something like that) and then prepared as the eatery desires. in teh case of oh-hyang, they take 5 special spices that are supposed to go in to this dish (i forget what they are). point is, oh-hyang jok-bahl does a good job of preparing the jok-bahl so that it's not too fatty and with the appropriate amount of the 5 spices so that you don't smell (or taste) any of the possible game-i-ness of he dish. rather, the meat is tender and exudes just a bit of the spices. delish. 

dad said he wasn't particularly a fan of joke-bahl, but that didn't prevent him from eating at least half (if not more) of our meal! hahaha. 

the meal is accompanied by the standard cabbage salad as well as some mandoo soup that is heated right at your table.

oh-hyang jok-bahl also has a separate lunch selection. i'll have to go back and try! so yummy ... 

online: http://www.manjok.net/

mr. pizza

mr. pizza

various locations

what was consumed: potato pizza!

when i think of pizza in korea, i think of the salad bar at pizza hut and potato pizza from mr. pizza. oh, the nostalgia.

with dad in town, i wanted to show him parts of korea that were my own, which includes mr. pizza. so, on our way home from a day of extended family time, we put in a take-out order of mr. pizza and took our fare home to eat in the comfort of home. great idea!

my favorite at mr. pizza is the potato pizza, which features potato wedges as the main topping (this pizza also has onions, bacon, and cheese. i have to remember to order it without onions next time. or i will pick them out), on a regular crust (thin crust, here, usually ends up being cracker-like). and while it becomes slice after slice of carb-overload, i will continue to believe that potatoes are de-licious.

mr. pizza is also home of the bacon pizza. and there is nothing wrong with that. mr. pizza will always have a special place in my heart. more potato pizza please!

online: http://www.mrpizza.co.kr/

jonny dumpling

jonny dumpling

130-3 itaewon-dong, yongsan-gu, seoul

tel: +82-2-790-8830

what was consumed: steamed dumplings, fried dumplings, and mussels soup

chinese style dumplings ... in seoul! with dad in town, i wanted to make sure we got to enjoy some tasty treats. i had heard about johnny dumpling and had seen the long lines of patrons waiting outside. i wanted to try! 

johnny dumpling serves chinese style dumplings. ie, thick, (in this case) hand-rolled dumpling wrapper filled with mean, usually just shrimp or pork. the dumplings come either steamed or pan fried. we tried both. the wrapper is a little thick for my liking, but it's in the chinese style, so i knew what i was getting in to and it was de-lish. and the mussels soup! a nice addition to the dumplings. there isn't anything extravagant about the soup - a simple broth, seasoned with salt and pepper (for the most part), in which the mussels are steamed. but it offered seafood-y goodness that paired so well with the dumplings. and the broth helped wash down the delicious dumplings.

YUM. let's go wait in line for some dumplings now! 

dong cheon hong

dong cheon hong

5 dangju-dong, jongno-gu, seoul

tel: +82-2-72506887

what was consumed: 친구들은 짜장면, 난 짬뽕. 항상! 그리고 탕수욕.

yay korean-style chinese food!

i was looking forward to getting korean-style chinese food delivered straight to my residence once i returned to seoul; food delivery is awesome in korea. but my current living situation makes it a challenge and the options are limited. no matter - if the food doesn't come to me (sadly), i will go out for the food!

of all the korean-style chinese food restaurants near work, our local staff tell me this is their preferred. it will, then, be my preferred as well. done! 

when visiting a korean-style chinese restaurant for the first time, i measure how much i will like a location based on their jjam-bbong, the spicy seafood noodle dish. and dong cheon hong does it right! the soup is spicy, chock full of seafood, and the noodles have just the right amount of chewiness. i will usually de-shell the shellfish and cut up the small squid after allowing it to finish cooking in the soup before digging in. scissors are always placed on the table, per korean "custom" when noodles are served (i like to think it's a modern and practical custom, anyway - haha). i then try to create bites that have a bit of everything - noodles, seafood, maybe a veggie (usually cabbage or onion) in some soup. but let's face it. i will more frequently slurp the noodles, shovel some seafood/veggies, and gulp the spicy broth. mix up the order perhaps, and definitely repeat. 

every time i visit dong cheon hong, i say that i'm going to try something different. but there's just something about their jjam-bbong that i can't get enough of. let's go, right now!

online: http://www.dongchunhong.com/

le saigon

le saigon

서울특별시 용산구, 녹사평대로 230
tel: +82 2-790-0336

what was consumed: pho! and fresh spring rolls

i've never been to vietnam. the closest i've gotten is the cultural enclaves in the u.s. (little saigon in westminster, ca, eden center in falls church, va), so i may not know what authentic authentic pho and other vietnamese cuisine should taste like. what i do know is that i like what i've had and want more! so, when i see vietnamese cuisine options around town, especially those that are not a part of a chain, i'm wont to indulge.

in our weak attempt to explore our neighborhood, m and i walked in to le saigon for some vietnamese treats:

online: http://www.lesaigon.co.kr/