Seoul Eats

What makes a perfect burger? It should have a bit of pork, but mostly beef. Beef should be a bit marbled. I mean it doesn’t make sense to get a very expensive filet mignon or a sirloin to make a burger because it’s too lean. You need fat and marbling for flavor. The meat can be a bit grisly. You don’t want to have something too soft because then there is no body and it’s just like eating baby food.

Seasoning. You should use salt and pepper. Onion and Garlic add savory accents to the meat.

If you want to get fancy, you can add some other herbs. I like a bit of rosemary at times, if I am feeling exotic. It is a strong herb and it can mask the flavor of the meat that you spent so most of your money on. I recommend using rosemary if you are making a lamb burger. Lamb is a bit musky in flavor so rosemary pairs well with it.

Ground lamb and beef works well together especially with a yogurt, cucumber dressing.

Now back to burgers. You will probably need a binder- something to stick everything together. For this I recommend you use bread crumbs or crustless white bread. You need something to hold the meat together or you’ll just have a sloppy joe. And that’s probably how it was invented- some guy just messed up.

You need more of a binder if you are grilling over flame then pan or griddle cooked burgers. The heat will start to pull the beef apart.

Then the bun. I think the perfect burger buns are butter milk buns. They are light and with a bit of sponginess to sop up the juicy goodness of the burger. Sesame buns are good also, but make sure that they are fresh. You don’t want to have an amazing burger served on a cardboard bun.

Wheat buns work well as well.

Toppings. They are endless, but I think the best topping is sautéed mushrooms and swiss cheese. Thin sliced mushrooms with a bit of garlic is perfect. If not, the classic pickle, mustard, ketchup, lettuce, and tomato. No, I did not say onion because it makes burger too slippery to eat.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

The best burgers.

See this is a difference in preference. I like charcoal grilled burger. I’m not a huge fan of something that is cooked on a griddle, I think it’s too greasy, but I think this is because those are the burgers I grew up on.

The best burger I’ve had in Korea was a burger that had at a rooftop party. It was a burger that had barley added to the meat as a binder. I really liked the nutty, sweet accent it added to the meat.

My friend Lunalil has the biggest heart in Korea. Yesterday as she was walking past a park she noticed that someone had just abandoned their hamsters! I mean who does that! geez. Anyway, now I'm not sure how many of you would actually do this, but she rescued the hamster and took them home.

The one problem is that she is leaving in a month, so she needs someone to adopt these hamsters. Anyone? Anyone?

Here's her post and hit the link for more:

or a very fuzzy morning! ㅋㅋㅋ

I haven’t been sleeping well lately. I’ve been having insomnia and really struggling with stress. I’m kind of in meltdown mode.

As a result, I got a later start than normal this morning. I dropped by Paris Baguette for a very unhealthy breakfast snack and orange juice. Snarfed it all down, hopped on my bus and headed to school while still half-asleep.

When I got to my bus-stop and crossed the street towards my school I saw something that shocked me awake. There was a little pink cage with a black bag on top sitting on a park bench, all alone. I looked more closely and there were two hamsters running around inside the cage.

It’s not everyday you see a fully accessorized hamster cage just sitting on a park bench.

http://lunalil.com/?p=328

This plate was on sale for 1000 won??? Look Closely. ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

Look! Even Soju bottles get drunk off of Soju!

Blast from the Past. People in Soju Costumes always make me laugh.

kkkk....
Me Engrish so good. It be much more gooder than you.

One thing you might not know about me is that I have a bit of a sweet tooth. I mean it’s not like I need sweets all the time, but I do enjoy a nice slice of cake or piece of candy. Now one thing I can’t stand is something that’s just poorly made or if it’s made with corn syrup. Oh, and I can’t stand cakes that have shortening and sugar icing. It’s just gross. And no cherry tomatoes. For some odd reason, in Korea they have decided that a cherry tomato is a good substitute for a Cherry. Let me tell you now, it's not and it never will be. So...you're probably wondering where you can get a good dessert in Seoul. Let me help you out.

Let’s start up north. In Samcheongdong there is Beans Bin and they make excellent waffles with ice cream. It’s like a Valentine’s day hot spot and there is always a huge line. Also in Samcheongdong there is J’s Cakes. The Cake Chef uses all natural ingredients and her cakes are beautiful works of art. I had a very delicate carrot cake there and I really like their chocolate banana cake.

Also, that area is Café de Coin. It’s like up the street to Samcheongdong as you pass the Artsonje Museum. They have excellent Patbingsu there. I really like their Blackbean binsu and their Green Tea Binsu. What’s great about this place is that the blackbean binsu has black sesame seeds and coffee. Also there are sugared walnuts, coffee ice cream and whole pieces of duk. It is amazing. The Green tea one is quite good as well.

If you go to Itaewon, I’ve gotta tell you about Passion 5. It’s the headquarters to the Paris Croissant Empire and it has amazing cakes, chocolates and little pudding pots. If you ever upset a loved one, get a cake and a couple pieces of chocolate and give it to them.

Toque has great homestyle pecan pies and cakes. Also,

Tartine has great pies, ABOVE behind the Hamilton hotel as amazing chocolate muffins with oozy chocolate.

I really like the Apple pies at Tony’s Bar and Grill on top of the hill across from McDonalds.

St. Ex behind Hamilton has amazing chocolate mousse and really strong coffee.

As for commercial places. On the border has a great apple pie that comes on a sizzling hot plate and Bennigans has it's Chocolate brownies topped with vanilla ice cream...yum.

Anyone have any dessert recommendations?

Dan

I know. I haven't been blogging recently and it's because I've been a bit busy with work and with my Korean class. Last night we had a big test that I studied forever for just to find that most of the stuff that I memorized was NOT on the test. Grrrr... Anyway, I learned a lot so it's all good.

For those who know me, I'm a bit of a gadget freak. I mean my backpack is always weighed down by numerous electronic items that I probably don't need to carry around. I mean I have my laptop, my Zoom H4 audio recorder, my Canon Powershot G9 Camera, an electronic dictionary, and...I think that's it. So, when I see stuff like this on the web, I just say "Cool!"

Via Gizmodo

Also please note that our 2 for 1 fish n chips special will be discontinued. We will however continue to host our table quiz every Sunday night.

Now there are two things in the world I love, one of which is sesame oil. It's savory scent is almost as good as, if not better than, inhaling gasoline. I admit the latter's an acquired taste. But honestly, I'll put sesame oil in just about anything - in my salad dressing, on my rice, in my noodles, while I'm frying up an egg, doong doong. (On a side note, I'm considering replacing all future 'etcetera's with the much cuter sounding Korean version, 등등 doong doong. "Hobbies? I like writing, playing tennis, dining out, doong doong. Favorite food? Ice cream, roasted hazelnuts, cheese, doong doong.") The other is fresh ahi, what I'm accustomed to calling "tuna" in Hawaii, or "chamchi" in Korean.

I went to another "chamchi jib," a restaurant specializing in tuna, a while back in Suwon. This one charged a minimum 65,000 won a head, which meant we were treated to sprinkles of fancy gold flakes over our sashimi. The entire spread easily included over a dozen additional non-tuna courses, ranging from a simple salad to fresh shrimp, and by fresh I mean alive and kickin' - one of them literally jumped off the plate.



One of the most interesting things I discovered upon this visit was the fact that the tuna platter was served with not only salted kim (also known as nori, or dried seaweed), but also three types of dippings - hot sauce, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Having eaten poke all my life, I don't know why I found this so marveling. Sesame oil and tuna, you say? No... really? Yes, really. I had noticed Koreans eating it this way before, but I guess old habit or pangs of hunger had overruled curiosity as I ignored the practice and went along with my usual face-feeding ways, sans nori and sesame oil. Still, I thought it was worth sharing - how to eat your chamchi Korean style: dip, add, wrap, and repeat. : )













Happy eating,
-Cheri

Cherry Rhubarb Pie...Yummmmmm....

In the Pie eating contest, we have crazed Carol the Kentucken fork killer.

We have sweet Hubble, the virtuous Maltese Dog.

And we have kind Lily.

Who will win the pie eating contest?

Links to more articles on Tartine's

Appetizer: Sausage and Potatoes with Saurkraut.

Salad: Chicken Salad

Main Course: Chef Meili's Famous Wiener_Schnitzel

Main: Pork Loin with a truffle gravy and roasted vegetables.

Dessert from Tartine's: Wild Berry Tart

Links

Review of Chef Meili's

It's a Chef Meili Christmas

Chef Meili Food Porn

Via Brian in Jeollanamdo

Thanks Brian!

It's a Hanwoo Burger Festival. That's awesome. Hmmmm...I think I'll be making a trip. Who wants to join me?

Via The sun

INNOCENT-eyed Alfie Patten spent his first night acting as a 13-year-old dad and declared: “It was easier than I thought.”

The four-footer — who looks no more than eight — said: “I know I’m young, but I plan to be a good dad.”

As he went on the PlayStation with 15-year-old girlfriend Chantelle Steadman, he added: “I think we’ll be good parents. I’ll have to work extra hard at school.”

This is one of the most popular stories in Korea at the moment according to Naver.com

I like the kid and I wish him the best of luck. He's a media darling and I think he realizes that every move he makes is being scrutinized. I don't know how he'll deal with the stress. I guess Playstation fits the bill.

Dan

It's a cafeteria style burger that's grey and grisly, crispy krinkly fries, a Dr. Pepper to wash it down, and Reeses for dessert. How American can you get?

Hmmm...According to my friend Duane, this is because the longer you roast the coffee, the more caffeine you burn off.

This requires further investigation.

Here is my Google Search on the topic.

And here is a technical blurb from Roast Magazine:

Roast Level

Beyond selection of the green beans, the roaster is commonly thought to control one more variable in the final caffeine content of the beans: the roast level. Popular lore has always been that the darker the roast level, the lower the caffeine content. This is not really the case, as caffeine changes very little during the roasting process. Caffeine has a very stable crystalline structure with a boiling point above 600 degrees Fahrenheit, far above roasting temperatures, which rarely exceed 470 degrees Fahrenheit. This means there is very little change to the caffeine during the roasting process. The minimal amount of caffeine lost during roasting is attributable to sublimation, which is the transition of a substance directly from its solid state to its gaseous state, as commonly occurs with dry ice. Caffeine undergoes this transition at around 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Since coffee is roasted at temperatures above 350 degrees, a minimal amount of the caffeine is lost this way during the roasting process.

Although minimal caffeine is driven off or destroyed in the roasting process, the bean undergoes major changes during roasting. This can confuse the situation because the caffeine content per weight and per volume changes—not because the caffeine changes, but because the size and the weight of the bean changes. Ironically, because the bean loses weight (mostly water) during roasting, the caffeine content by weight increases, but because the bean increases in size during the roasting, the caffeine content by volume decreases.

It is fortunate that there are no requirements to label caffeine content on packages of roasted beans. So many variables contribute to the caffeine content of a single origin at a defined roast level that it is nearly impossible to predict the content without decaffeinating the bean and measuring the amount extracted. Now take differing cultivars from multiple farms and multiple countries, throw in a little robusta for an espresso blend, and you might need to put on another pot of coffee and call an organic chemist.

Here is another blurb:

Here's my completely non-scientific anecdotal answer:

When I roast beans, if I inhale the smoke that's coming off them, it gives me a caffeine buzz. That would indicate to me that at least a little bit of caffeine is being burned off the longer the beans cook. I'm sorry I don't have any hard data for you, though.

And:

I believe that in an episode of Good Eats Alton Brown said that lighter roasts retain more of their caffeine.
posted by Rhomboid at 3:44 PM on February 6, 2007

Caffeine definitely comes out in the roasting process- I used to date a coffee roaster, and if I hung out with him while he roasted, I'd be jittery for hours afterward. That being said, I don't know if you'd notice the difference in caffeine between a light and dark roast. A lot of the caffeine comes out with the the steam at the beginning of the cycle, and I'm not sure if that continues in any significant during the carmelisation process. The theory makes sense, but I'm not sure if it has real world applicability.
posted by oneirodynia at 4:46 PM on February 6, 2007

My take on it is. I really like Guatamela Peaberry and I recall that it was a lighter roasted coffee and I felt like it had a bit more caffeine, but in a calmer sort of way. It didn't make me all jittery and anxious like some darker roasts. I do like the idea of breathing in the steam from the first fermentation process. I think I should get into roasting coffee to investigate further.

Dan

This is from the Joongahn Daily

Kimchi is a condiment and it shouldn't be the main dish to promote Korea. In order to popularize a country's cuisine, you need to have a dish that appeals to the masses. Kimchi isn't very universal. It alienates a great deal of people with its smell, its look, and the process in which it is made. Chef Shenks isn't trying to be arrogant, he tries very hard to promote Korean food (I know, I've met him and he is very passionate about the topic.)

Here is the article below.

	Paul Schenk, executive chef at the InterContinental Hotels in Seoul. [JoongAng Ilbo]

Paul Schenk, executive chef at the InterContinental Hotels in Seoul, is an expert on Korean food who knows that few non-Koreans understand the local cuisine better than him.

The 37-year-old Australian showcased a five-course modern Korean menu on Jan. 21 at CICI Korea 2009, an event promoting Korea hosted by the Corea Image Communication Institute.

Renowned conductor Chung Myung-hoon, who is also known for his professional cooking skills, joined him in creating the dishes.

“It was a superb reinterpretation of Korean food,” said Choi Jung-wha, president of the institute.

“Foreigners attending the event showed an enthusiastic response [to the food].”

In a recent interview with the JoongAng Ilbo, Schenk revealed his affection for Korean food and offered ideas on how to globalize it.

The interview was conducted in English but written in Korean.

For JoongAng Daily readers, it was translated again from the Korean article.

Q. How much do you know Korean food?

A. I have tasted hongeo hoe (raw fermented skate), bosintang (dog meat soup) whale meat, etc. I am really adventurous.

When I was 21 years old, back in Australia, I even tried making kimchi using a recipe that I worked really hard to get. It was, of course, not very well made kimchi.

A cook is always living under pressure to create new cuisine and is very thirsty for something new.

Unlike Japanese food and Chinese food, which have already been globalized to a large extent, Korean food is still uncharted territory, and holds many opportunities.

Galbijjim (steamed short ribs) has such a good ensemble of beef and seasonings that it could enchant people all around the world.

Gungjung tteokbbokgi (fried rice cakes), seasoned with soy sauce, also has an edge.

Suppose you assume a mission of globalizing Korean food. What would you do first?

I would stop promoting Korean food focused on kimchi. If kimchi, which is very distinct, is put out front, some foreigners could think that all Korean food is salty and spicy.

That misconception could hold foreigners back from getting to know Korean food.

If I wanted to introduce Australian food and then served kangaroo, what would people think?

When foreigners try kimchi, I always warn them that they need to be careful. I tell them that they could find it really spicy and salty.

I also serve a small quantity to them, to avoid their first encounter with Korean food being nightmarish.

What else would you do?

I would send Korean ingredients to renowned food critics and cooks across the world, teach them a recipe and let them create something new out of the ingredients.

If a famous cook says in an interview, “I love this Korean dish called galbijjim,” this would help a lot in globalizing Korean food.

It would have the same effect as having many people taste Korean food.

It is also important to encourage foreign chefs to use their creativity in dealing with Korean food.

Honestly, I think the current campaign to globalize Korean food only has resonance in Korea.

Can you give an example to back up your claim?

Recently there was an event to promote Korean hot pepper paste throughout the world in Sunchang (a South Jeolla county that is famous for hot pepper paste).

Shouldn’t that kind of event be held in New York or London?

Let’s stop shouting that Korean food is great in Korea, and go overseas to promote it.

I found a couple more cooking schools in Seoul for visitors via wikitravel. I haven't checked them out, but they sound good.

Via wiki travel

Cooking

Korea's cuisine is known the world over for being healthy and spicy. Learning how to make Korean dishes such as kimchi and bulgogi can be messy, but a lot of fun! Fortunately, there are several cooking institutes throughout Seoul catering to foreign tourists.

• Han Jeong Hye Cooking Institute (한정혜요리학원), (Jongno 3-ga Station, Exit 5. Five minute walk), ☎ +82 2 742 3567, [16]. For class times, inquire in advance. At Han Jeong Hye Cooking Institute you can learn how to prepare Kimchi, Bulgogi, and Bibimbap. Lessons cost between 60,000 to 100,000 won. edit

• Institute of Korean Royal Cuisine(궁중음식연구원), (Anguk Station, Exit 2. 20 minute walk), ☎ +82 2 744 9092, 3673 1122, [17]. For class times, inquire in advance. As the name implies, you learn how to prepare royal cuisine, as well as rice cakes and hangwa (Korean Cookies). Lessons cost between 50,000 to 100,000 won. edit

• Son's Home(손즈홈), (Yeoksam Station, Exit 3. Five minute walk), ☎ +82 2 562 6829, [18]. 10:30 AM to 1:30 PM, and 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM (Groups of at least 5 only). Closed Wednesdays.. Son's Home specializes in teaching Kimchi preparation. Lessons are 70,000 won for adults, 60,000 for children under 15. edit

It's a great place by Dongdaemun stadium exit 5. It's down a little alley so you might want to check out their website at www.samarikant.com or call them at 2277-4261. And yes, that's the famous Fatmanseoul taking pictures. I can't wait until she posts her pics.

Dan

Could someone please tell me why the 14th is so special?

Here is a great website that I found with information on each of the 14th days.

January 14th - Diary Day
Couples are meant to give each other a diary or year planner thing, and note down all the rest of these lovely gift-giving days.

February 14th - Valentine's Day
In contrast to Western society, today is traditionally when women give chocolates to their men and confess their love.

March 14th - White Day
Men give candy to the women they love (and flowers and choc and cuddly toys....in fact, anything really!)

April 14th - Black Day
A purely Korean day, for those singletons out there, who havnt received choc or candy so far, console yourselves by eating ja jang myun - a black noodle soup - or other black foods.

May 14th - Rose Day / Yellow Day
Couples exchange roses, and those lonely hearts gather for curry and companionship. Apparently dressing in yellow is also recommended.

June 14th - Kiss Day
As one site puts it: 'Lovers confess their feelings to one another and kiss passionately.' Just another excuse to make out really!!

July 14th - Silver Day
I'm liking this idea - couples can freely ask their friends to give them money to pay for a date! (I shall call this 'free date day'!!) Couples exchange gifts made of silver, and announce their relationship to their friends.

August 14th - Green Day
Couples are supposed to dress in green, and walk outside in the woods (ooh camouflage opportunity!)
Singles drink a (green) bottle of soju to console themselves.

September 14th - Photo & Music Day (I'm really not making these up!)
Any guesses...?! Couples take photographs together, then in the evening go out with friends to noraebangs and night clubs. (Which is what we Westerners do every week, right?!)

October 24th - Apple Day
You ready to learn something? The Korean word for apple, sa-kwa, also means to apologize. On Apple Day, friends, family and couples give an apple to each other to apologize for past mistakes.

November 11th - Pepero Day (Ah yes, the choc stick day!)
A new day that has taken off in South Korea, it is named after a pencil-shaped cookie stick covered in chocolate, given mostly by young Koreans as an expression of their affection.
The 11th day of the 11th month is specifically chosen as the number looks like a Pepero stick. Students exchange the treats with one another with the thought of growing tall and thin (an obsession in Korea, tho don't think eating choc cookies is gonna help there...!)

November 14th - Movie Day & Orange Day
Ok, i'm not even gonna explain this one!

December 14th - Hug Day
We actually met people in Seoul giving out free hugs last year! Couples are meant to hug one another lovingly to stay warm in the cold winter months.

Korea for expats is a blog run by my friend Anne and they are organizing a cooking class on Valentine's Day. Go to Korea4expats for more information.

Although wonderful on any occasion, the dishes in the following two class menus were specifically chosen for Valentine's Day.

In February, Puchong is offering two separate menus on the Friday and Saturday cooking classes. You'll note that the Friday morning session is a Chinese-influenced menu, while Thai dishes reign on Saturday morning.

Dates: Friday 13 and Saturday 14 February
Time: 11:00AM to ~2:00PM

Place: Itaewon - between the Post Office on the Itaewon high street and the Hyatt
Directions will be giving to the participants

Cost: W55,000 (confirmed RSVP by 9 February ) and W65,000 (Confirmed RSVP by 12 February) for each class. (Package price for the two classes W100,000 and W120,000)
Includes: cooking class with recipies, lunch served with wine

Menus:

Friday 13 February – Chinese- style Menu
Oysters Hot & Sour Soup [creamy, sexy & spicy]
Red Roast Pork - Thai style [power & strength]
Peppers & Cashew-nut Chickens [more fun & spices]
Trio Mushrooms with Beets in Ginger Wasabi dressing [health & longevity]

Saturday 14 February – Thai Menu
Nam Ya Gai [Light curry chicken soup with tapioca]
Haw Mok Pla. [Thai fish curry Soufflé]
Sukiyaki, [Thai version of bean thread noodles with shrimps & squids in red pickle garlic spice sauce]

To sign up for one or both of these classes, please contact events@korea4expats.com

Wow. I wants an Canon 5D. T-won is a nice Chinese place near Yonsei University. Cupbokki is dukbokki in a cup with a mustard sauce and tater tots! And my good friend Lunalil helped me make pitas!

She's classy, she has grace, and she works hard. She has a sweet demeanor and I think an excellent role model for the youth of Korea.

Thank you Roboseyo for the afternoon distraction. Go here for his post on Yuna Kim.

Heya, so I work for TBS eFM radio station on the show: Soul of Asia with Sara Kim. Recently we have recieved some foodie related questions so I wanted to share the questions and the responses with you. And if you ever have any questions for living in seoul, or foodie related things just e-mail us at tbsefm@gmail.com or post a message on our message board. Sara and I will work hard to answer your questions.

Oh, and if you have any special events you would like for us to announce on the radio, just let us know as well.

Dan
Writer for Soul of Asia
101.3 eFM
Listen online at http://tbsefm.seoul.kr

Frank wrote: Are there any cooking courses or academies in Seoul conducted in English?

Why, yes there is.

Now if you are looking to take a cooking class, there are lots of different cooking classes around Seoul. You can take short 1-day classes or you can take a fully accredited course. And since you are in Korea, you should probably learn how to make Korean food. One I found to be very interesting is called “Han Cooking.” You can find them at www.hancooking.co.kr. They have 1 day courses either in the morning or in the afternoon and you can learn how to make kimchi, bulgogi, rice cake, bean sprout soup and other dishes. Again that is at www.hancooking.co.kr

The Seoul Global Center has cooking classes from time to time. I believe they had one last month to learn how to make rice cake and they had one the month before to make japchae and bulgogi. Frank, you should contact them at global.seoul.go.kr or at 02-120 for more information.

If you are really serious you can take intensive courses at the Institute of Traditional Korea Food- go to www.kfr.or.kr or you can go to Yejiwon at www.yejiwon.or.kr These accredited courses range from 1 to 3 months. These courses are taught entirely in Korean.

Another question we got was, written by Troll. That’s a very interesting name…Troll. The title is:

Valentine's Day, White Day, Black Day???

And the question:
What are all these different days? Can you explain them?

Troll, I would be happy to explain them:
February 14th is Valentines Day and girls are supposed to give their boyfriends chocolate.

March 14th is White Day and the boys are supposed to give gifts of hard candy to the girls that gave them chocolate the previous month. They are supposed to give three times the amount that they received. So…if a girl gave a boy piece of chocolate on Valentine’s day, then the boy is supposed to give three pieces of hard candy in return.

April 14th is Black Day and it is the day for the lonely and disenchanted. Single people who are did not give or receive chocolates for either day are supposed to sulk around, dress in black, and get together to eat white noodles topped with a black sauce to commiserate their singledom. These famous black noodles are called Ja Ja myeong.

The origin of Korean women giving gifts of chocolate to their boyfriends on Valentine’s Day has its roots in Japan. On February 14th, the girls would give gifts of handmade chocolates, (“giri choko,” which translates to “obligatory chocolate”), to their beloved . On March 14, which has been designated “White Day,” the men are to give their girlfriends “sanbai gneshi” or “triple return” of the chocolates given to them on the previous month.

Unlike the Japanese, Korean men give gifts of hard candy to their girlfriends on March 14th. Hard Candy! How unjust! Hard candy is not a fair exchange for chocolate. I believe this is why April 14th has been dubbed “Black Day” in Korea, because the girls break up with the boys because they recieved hard candy in return for chocolate.

Guys, if you don’t want to wear black and eat jja-ja myeong alone on “Black Day,” I suggest you buy chocolates for your girlfriend. And ladies, do not settle for a “Hershey Kiss” or “ABC Chocolate”- demand the good stuff (because you’re worth it.) Here are some of the best artisan chocolate places that I have found in Seoul.

il Cacao

Choi Young-kyoung’s chocolate cafe in Gangnam has a whimsical edge- evidenced by the cute horse blinds covering her storefront. As soon as you step inside you’ll be wooed by the giant chocolate fountain and various chocolate memorabilia- my favorite being a photo of a man injecting himself with a chocolate bar. Obviously, this is a person that is obsessed with chocolate. Young-kyoung specializes in Italian chocolates and her dark chocolate bars are famed for their high cacao content. Some of her more adventurous truffles waltz with such intriguing ingredients such as orange peel, cognac, and balsamico. But wait, she also offers chocolate classes and there is cute upstairs parlor for sipping on a strong cup of Italian espresso.

Gangnam exit 7 take the first right. Go up the hill towards the Children’s Library.
555-8362
www.ilcacao.co.kr

Cacaoboom

Remember the scene in the movie “Chocolat” when the cankerous old woman takes a sip of hot chocolate and her whole demeanor and outlook on life changes? If not, you can relive this experience at Cacaoboom by drinking a cup of their “strong” hot chocolate. This velvety cup of zen is an epiphany- it’s like drinking Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy.” And when that is finished I suggest truffles, truffles, truffles and pralines, pralines, pralines! Cacaoboom approaches chocolates with Belgian expertise and prides itself on using only the finest and freshest ingredients. A box of their pralines can warm the coldest of hearts and it would be wise to keep a box of their fresh truffles on hand- just in case you have a bad day.

Hongdae exit 4- see map on website.
3141-4663
www.cacaoboom.com

Passion 5

Right next to Hangangin station exit 3 is the headquarters for the Paris Croissant, Paris Baguette empire. The stylish black building has an eye opening chandelier and inside is a cafe, bakery, patisserie, and chocolat store. The products inside Passion 5 seem like to be the harbinger of trends that will come to the Korean confectionary and bakery industry. The chocolates are unique with such exotic ingredients such as rose and earl grey tea. Passion 5’s chocolates are beautiful works of art and should be displayed rather than eaten- but alas, that is the sole purpose of a chocolat’s existence. The flavor of their truffles are complex, rich, and sophisticated- it is like a fine wine. It is very pleasurable to taste an entire box or two or three.

Hangangin station exit 3
2071-9505
Posted by Daniel Gray at 3:48 PM 3 comments
Labels: Food

This is Brian. He is currently in the Korean Army. When he had a couple days of leave, he came to visit me so I took him out to get a steak before he had to rejoin the ranks. We went to Outback because that was the only place around where I work. Next time I'll have to take him to a nicer place.

Chicken Chili from Gecko's Terrace. It was quite good.

Caesar Salad from Gecko's Terrace. Eh. It was alright.

Pastrami Sandwich from Gecko's Terrace. The bread was good. One of these days, I'm going to have to do a sandwich review in Korea. Where are all the good sandwiches at?

Darts at Geckos. I won! This was my last throw. I'm totally serious. Sara is my witness. You can ask her^^

Market O's real Brownie. You can get these at most convenience stores these days. Market O is promoting themselves as a all natural, "real" snack alternative. This box had about 5? brownies and it cost about 3,000won. They were a tad small to be real brownies, but they were moist and chocolatey. They were alright, but I could get 3 times the number of choco-pies for the same amount of cash.

Jason Lindley with his famous chocolat stout. He brews his own beer and this stout was awesome. Awesome!