Posts

Showing posts from May, 2009

RE: Questions which Korean restaurant has the best and most side dishes in Seoul.

Recently I received this question from, Desiree, a reader of Seoul Eats: Daniel, I found myself wondering which restaurant has the best and the most banchan/side dishes in Seoul, and then thought that you'd be qualified to answer that question....your thoughts?? Back to Desiree's question. All Korean restaurants have 반찬 (banchan: side dishes) but some will be inventive. You can go for Royal Court Cuisine which is high end and the table will be entirely covered with dishes. There is also 한정식 (hanjeongshik:Korean Full Course Meal) This style of food will be a intermediary between Royal Court and just a regular restaurant. I am just going to list some recommendations here so Desiree will a couple places she can go to. Sanchon There is Sanchon which is a Vegetarian Temple Food Place. Awesome amount of side dishes and each dish has different accents. I wouldn't say authentic temple food, but you can ask for the dishes to be made with no garlic or peppers if you are looking for

My Nemesis: Roboseyo

Image
When I woke up this morning, the sun was shining, birds chirping, and there was a cool breeze echoing through my room. And then the sweetest thought entered my wakening consciousness: how much I would like to punch Roboseyo in the face. With that happy thought in mind, I went for a jog, and I am now preparing to help cook lunch for children at an orphanage. We should all think happy thoughts, they are great motivators. Dan

Kushibo Speaks about Matt Robinson and I respond

My buddy Kushibo wrote about Matt Robinson's situation here As in, "help a brother out." It seems one Matt Robinson has encountered some serious health concerns while in Korea (temporarily) on a tourist visa. Brian has the details here , where you can read about the thrombosis and the possible amputation and the what not. Here are more details on Facebook . His bills are expected to run to about 10 million and the surgery he needs has to be paid up front or else he'll be booted out of the hospital, say the people who have put up the Facebook information page. I'm one of those there-but-for-the-grace-of-God kind of people, so I'm in for 100K won (bank account details below). Frankly, having been duped in the past by horror stories of people in desperate need, I would have liked to see a bit more confirmation of this guy's dire straits from people with whom I'm familiar, but the support network for this guy seems too complex to be a hoax, and if it is a

Please help my friend Matt Robinson

Image
Matt Robinson has been a friend of mine for a very long time and he is a person I respect as an actor, writer, and chef. He studied culinary at Johnson and Wales and he worked in restaurants before he decided to take up acting and writing. He is the man responsible for the awesome burgers over at Jacoby's Burgers in Haebangchon and he has made some amazing meals for his friends at various cooking functions. Right now, Matt is in trouble and he needs our help. He is currently in the hospital and he needs surgery. Without it, he may die and because he is uninsured and without means to pay, the hospital is threatening to force him to leave without the necessary surgery. I have made a donation to him and I would encourage you to do the same. Please help my friend. You can go to this facebook page for more information on how to send payment. Thanks, Dan Matt Robinson is an American ex-pat who has been teaching in Korea for about 3 years. Recently, due to conflicting medications and gang

Paul Ajosshi gets Jiggy with Fowl

Image
Paul Ajosshi has found another culinary gem in the wilds of Seoul. This is a roast duck restaurant in Hannamdong and the pictures look scrumptious. The place is over in Hannam dong and it is called “The Ginko Tree House” (은행나무집) and they specialize in roasting duck in their own little clay bricks. This kind of duck is called: 황토 오리 진흙구이 (Duck baked in yellow clay). Yum. Click here for the rest of the story

Please don't touch my Baby

Image
Scouring the net I ran across this blog . It is called Gyopo Wife and she went to a Budae Chiggae Restaurant (military soup) and the ajumma working their just grabbed her child. Here is what she had to say: The lesson learned while dining out was this: if you have a baby, beware of ajumas / 아주마. The waitress dropped in the ramen noodles and then walked off with my baby. We were dumbfounded and had to demand him back. My husband taught me this essential phrase: eggy manjy jimah say yo (please don’t touch the baby)…you have to say this more often than you think in Korea.

Why Korea is so cool! A video by eatyourkimchi.com

Simon and Martina are so awesome. I just love going to their site and checking out their videos, articles, and other tomfoolery that they are up to. This video goes over the cool stuff in Korea with some very interesting edits. I especially like the Mr. Freeze montage. Awesome! Check out their site here: www.eatyourkimchi.com

My Nemesis: Roboseyo

Image
Dear Readers of Seoul Eats, In this picture you will see the face of my hated foe, Roboseyo. He is my Joker, my Lex Luthor. He is a Canuck with afro-puff hair, a dry sense of humor, 7 toes on one foot (I believe 8 on the other), three hairy nipples (I have been told they are the long gnarly grampa hairs), and he is a carrier of whine flu. If you see him, kill him on sight. He is armed (two of them) and extremely dangerous. He may try to dongcheem 똥침 you (for those that don't know; it's when a person will try to insert objects up your bumhole). He is can be harmed with: MILK BUCKWHEAT FLOUR CHICKEN A BAR OF SOAP (He's kinda dirty) With your help this threat can be eliminated and the world will be a safer place for all. Go now my friends and god speed. Dan

Sorry about the Template Changes

The last template I was using had some issues, such as comments wouldn't work correctly. I'm going to go home and give it another go. Sorry about the issues. I'll fix it up soon. Dan

The 7th International Seoul Rice Cake Festival

Image
I want to thank everyone for participating in the Rice Cake festival held by the Institute of Tradtional Korean Foods on May 8th and 9th. I think it was an overwhelming success and the festival really showed Korea in a positive light all over the world. I wanted to post some media that I found on the net. First of all, I would like to thank Robyn Lee of Seriouseats.com for her coverage and for Rachel Yang for coming to the event. Secondly, I would like to thank Dr. Yoon Sook-ja, Hyang Soo-Hyang, and all the people at the Institute for Traditional Korean Food for holding the event. Also, I would like to thank Terry Rah for her help. I couldn't have done this without her. And I can't forget about Maureen O'Crowley, Chef Paul Schenks, and Chef Ciarian Hickey for their hospitality. Again, I would like to thank everyone that participated in the event. We couldn't have done it without you. Here are some links Seriouseats: http://www.seriouseats.com/2009/05/photos-from-the-

The English Teachers under Swine Flu Quarantine= my new fave blog

Image
Wow. I've been reading this blog for the last couple of days and I'm just obsessed with it. It is well written and I just can't believe that it is happening right now, right here. I mean the other night I was about 10 minutes from where they are being held. Is it prejudice? Is it racism? Or is it simply precaution. I'm just as scared about the swine flu as everyone else, but since I look Korean, people aren't concerned. For example, I've had a cough for a couple of days and I went to see a doctor for a check up and she didn't really do any tests at all. She gave some medicine and sent me on my way. Now I think the situation would have been different if I was white or "foreign" looking. I could be in the quarantine with these people right now. Hmmmm.... I should eat some kimchi. It is the cure all for everything. Dan

Menupan's Top 10 Restaurants on May 27th, 2009...or what Seoulites are eating

Image
1 ( 8) 플로렌스(구, 맛있는풍경) 양식 서대문구 10,619.00 2 ( 80) 화씨167도 한식 강남구 9,122.00 3 ( 2)