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Showing posts from January, 2010

Seoul Menu: Yaletown, a great place for burgers and poutine in Sinchon

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Here's another addition to the Restaurant Menu Series. Yaletown has a great array of bar and comfort foods. Everything is made in house by Chef Jason. It's a great place to chillax with friends over a cold pint or a shot of Russian Vodka. Drinks Menu Russian Vodka for 35,000 a bottle! Wow! Cass is only 3,000 a pint. The Yaletown Nachos are phenomenal. The Mushroom Burger is great as well.   Nightly Specials. We've got wings on Monday, Tuesday is Mexican Night-get your bottle of tequila.

iWant: Apple iPad in Seoul, Korea

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I am an Apple Fanboy. I mean I've only used Apple computers while I have lived in Korea. They simply fit me. They are elegant, the operating system is visual and stable, and they are powerful enough to do all the multimedia things that I have always wanted to do. Now I really want the iPad. I think that it will really be great for all the work that I do. Most of my work involves working with clients, writing, and creating. Even though I would love to be able to pull out my laptop and just work anywhere, I feel that a laptop needs a desk. I feel like with the iPad, I could walk around and work. With all the food that I eat, I think this great for my health. I love to walk and work. I know this sounds weird, but I like to walk while reading books. Anyway, I think that this product will be useful for cooks and restaurants as well. At this price point, I could see these products becoming the ordering consoles for restaurants and even menus. I could see chefs using these in the kitc

Deemed the "best" cupcakes (so far) in Seoul by.... my sister(?)

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Agreed it's no Cake Man Raven 's red velvet cream cheese frosting cake (I cry at night dreaming of that heavenly cream cheese frosting) in Clinton Hill OR sugar sweet sunshine cupcakes in the LES... but hey, "Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas any more." So with that said, I present to you goodovening cupcake in Shinsa, Garosugil (신사 가로수길). Everything on the menu = 4,500won. Not sure if that's a good thing or bad? shrug. Earl grey cake and frosting, love love love any dessert items infused with earl grey tea, so this deserves a mighty tasty in my book. The red velvet cupcake, was surprisingly yum! No cream cheese frosting here, but with a smooth cup of americano in hand it was a pleasant surprise. Banana chocolate cupcake Strawberry cake and raspberry frosting Pumpkin cake and peanut butter frosting Chocolate cake and vanilla frosting Chocolate cake and dark chocolate frosting Cupcake catwalk.... devoured!!!!! MUHAHAHA!!!! (sugar

Pain de papa, when you simply want good bread in Seoul

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Good morning! As a newbie in Seoul one of my biggest fear was not being able to find goo d bread. When I say good, I don't mean the fancy, complicated, stuffed with ketchup (eh!, that's fancy on a whole nother level) kind. I'm talking extremely simple bread, bread so simple it allows you to meet and greet the subtle flavors of each of the ingredients. I'm no connoisseur of bread, but I know what makes my taste buds itch with joy. The crunch vs. the soft (the scratch marks inside your mouth nourished by the fluffy chew of the bread). That color! The joy of cracking that initial shell of crunch and watching it pull apart into millions of beautiful layers and layers and layers.... bring a foolish smile to your face, good . Well... I found mine at Pain de papa (one tear drop). hello beautiful! The pretsel baguette was one of my favorites with just the right amount of sea salt specs and crunch to ... be drooling right now. Just a tad flavor with yuzu bits hiding in th

On Thursday nights the best place to hang out in itaewon is...

B(one) if you want loud fashionable music. Wolfhound if you want a chill cheers- like atmosphere. Roofers if you want freestyle hiphop. Naked Bar and Grill if you want cheap drinks for ladies and good bar food. Helios is dead. - Posted from my iPhone

Valentine Times Day Restaurant Guide 2010

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Guys, picking the right restaurant for Valentine's Day is very important to your romantic wellbeing. Be sure to make a reservation. If you don't have a reserved, this is the equivalent of forgetting her anniversary, birthday, or name. You don't want to be that guy. It is not enough to just pick the right restaurant. The café or bar afterwards is just as important. And girls, it's 2010. You are more than welcome to make reservations and give hints on the places you would like to go. If you would like, you can have this page opened to this article and just strategically circle the restaurants, bars, cafes, you would like to go. A heart or a star would be a good hint. The restaurants on this list have a good mix of atmosphere and taste. In general, I am staying away from franchise places. I am staying away from hotels as well, but I have to say the hotel restaurants are perfect for Valentine's day. My main criteria are that I'm focusing on places that have

How to buy cuts of beef or pork in Korea?

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This is a question I often get from readers and I wanted to repost it.  It's best to find a local butcher. You'll find them around in each neighborhood, but it really depends on the kind of meat that you would want and the cut. You would go to the chicken guy to get chicken. Most of the fish you can get fairly fresh at a market or you can go to noryrangjin: the fish market. For pork and beef, you'll find a separate shop and it's just important you know what cut you are looking for. Here's a list of cuts of beef and they are applicable to pork as well. 갈비 Short Rib/Plate 갈비본살 Boneless Chuck Short Rib 갈비심 Rib Eye Roll 곱창 Small Intestine 긴 혀 Tongue Long Cut 꼬리 Ox Tail 꾸리살(전각살) Chuck Tender 대창 Large Intestine 도가니 Leg Cartiledge 뒷사태 Hind Shank 등갈비 Back Rib 목갈비 Chuck Short Rib 목심 Chuck Roll 보섭살 Rump Round 볼살 Cheek Meat 부채살(서대살) Top Blade(Flat Iron) 뼈사태 Bone-in Shin Shank 사분도체 Quarter 사태 Shin Shank 살치살 Chuck Flap 설깃 Outside Round 설도상 Top Sirloin Butt 설도하(도가니살) Knuckle 소

Where to Watch the Superbowl in Seoul 2010

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Go Saints and Colts! (that's who are playing right?) I received this message from my buddy James: Hi Daniel, Before I ask google, I was hoping you can help me with something. I was wondering if there are places in Seoul that will be showing the Superbowl live. It would be a Monday morning for us here in Korea (about 8~9am) so I'm not getting my hopes up... just a spot where I can possibly get a coffee and nurse a short stack of pancakes for 4 hours while I watch the entire game. HA! Thanks, James So, I decided to send out a couple of e-mails and the first person to respond was the Wolfhound. Yes, they will be celebrating the Superbowl and kickoff is at 8:25am and they'll be serving their entire menu. Here's Wayne from the Wolfhound: We are planning on being open for it.  This will be our third year in a row showing it.  It kicks off at 8:25am Monday morning if I am correct.  Our full menu will be open however most people order the breakfast.  If th

How non-Koreans pronounce Makgeolli (Korea's Rice Alcohol)

Part of my work involves doing research on the perceptions of Korean food by non-Koreans. There was a controversy about the spelling of Makgeolli and how the spelling could lead to mispronunciation. Watch the video to see how people pronounce the suggested spellings of makgeolli. My position is that the current, standard spelling is fine and that the Korean government shouldn't spend money on changing the spelling. Instead, they should work to get the drink overseas and to have people try it.

Information Coming Soon

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Hey Aussies! It's Australia Day. Better head to Tony's Aussie Bar

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Here's Tony:  A U S T R A L I A  D A Y Tuesday 26th Jan. 8pm @ my place of course! See you here!! http://www.tonysitaewon.com/ 

Blast from the Past: Authentic Russian food over at Gostiny Dvor

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Russian Gostiny Dvor is a Russian Restaurant that was recommended by my Russian friend Elena. Now she says that this is one of the few authentic Russian Restaurants in Korea. It’s over by  Dongdaemun Stadium Station Ex it 7 (Sorry my mistake.) [The name of the station has been changed to  Dongdaemun History & Culture Park]  and this area is like little Russia. Most of the stores have Russian signs. There are Russian Groceries nearby too. Russian food is very hearty and the taste ranges from sour to wholesome. I wouldn’t say the stuff that I ate was really spicy. It’s excellent food for winter. We started out with some pelmeni which are little dumplings made with lamb meat. Selyodka pod shuboj is like a layered smoked salmon and lox dish. It has beets on top and then a layer of mayonnaisse, potatoes, I believe onions and then a smoked fish on the bottom. The flavors all together merge into a very pleasant medley of flavors. The subtle potatoes are sweetened with the tart beets an

Black Garlic Bread at Bread & Co.

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I am a big fan of this bakery chain. You can find them in many subway stations including Hakdong Station. They bake some of the breads there. An intersting bread that I found was a black garlic roll and a raspberry wine bread I got one of the black garlic ones and a black coffee. The bread tasted like sweet garlic (yuck) and the filling tasted like sweet garlic (yuck again). I can't say that I would recommend it. Their other offerings are quite good. I really am a fan of their sandwiches. They make a decent pastrami and mozzerella cheese sandwich. Here is a Broccoli Sausage Pastry. Their Morning Toast is pretty cool as well. It looks like an Eggy in a Window.