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 the authentic experience.

Telephone: (02) 735-0312
Price: 22,000 per person

Directions:
From Exit 6 of Anguk Station (Subway Line No. 3), walk about 40 meters to Insadong-daero (between Crown Bakery and GS 25 Convenience Store). Proceed about 300 meters, and turn left at Atelier Seoul. Sanchon is located at the end of the street.

BaB
Excellent Korean restaurant that is right next to the main park in Hongdae. The side dishes are so good that the restaurant won’t give you utensils to eat them until the main course comes out. Their bulgogi, sundubu, and nokdu jeon are excellent.

Telephone: 02-334-1866.
Price: 6,000-15,000 per person

Directions go out Sangu Station Exit 1 and walk straight. You'll cross the street and head towards Hongdae Children's Park. It's right before the park on the left hand side.

Daejanggum

It's got hanjungshik, which means they give you a lot of amazing side dishes including bossam, gujeolpan (a nine section crepe dish), and many courses of milder tasting Korean food. The food will have flavor; it just won't be firey hot each time.

Style: Traditional Korean
Hours 11-10pm
Phone: 562-5972 or 568-5972

Desiree, I hope that's a start. Generally, most places will have lots of side dishes. Especially if you order hanjungshik. If the meal for one person costs around 10,000 won, then you'll get lots of great dishes. 15-20, you will get even nicer ones.

Dan

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

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. If you do donate money, consider leave a comment here saying so, or at least email me. That way if you ever end up in the hospital with massive bills that you can't pay, I won't hesitate at all to send 100K won your way either (and I hoped you'd do the same for me). That's sort of how insurance works.

And here is my response:

Matt has had a very rough year with his health and because of his ongoing struggles, he got a bit depressed. Matt would never openly ask for money or help. He called up a few of his close friends to ask for money and it was a very difficult thing for him to do. If Matt saw how so many people were asking for help on his behalf, he would be furious and embarrassed. It's a good thing he doesn't have access to the Internet.

Sure, Matt has made some wrong decisions. When he started to have these health issues, he should have gone home. There are many in Korea that dread the idea of going home because they don't know what they will return to. Imagine how he would have felt going home crippled and sick? Also, his medical bills in the states would have been 10 times what they are here.

I can assure you that the money that is raised will go to help Matt. The 10 million is not the final amount. Matt will have to stay in the hospital for an additional month after wards to heal. Then there will be costs for physical therapy and then getting him home or wherever he decides to go.

There have been people that have criticized the approach in getting money for Matt. But, it was due to the severity of the situation. It was a life and death situation and all of us had to act as soon as possible.

Thanks so much for donating and please spread the word.

Dan

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 gangrene from a previous surgery, he almost died. He was taken to a hospital in Haebonchan where he is in pain, awaiting the surgery he needs.
This hospital is threatening him. They are saying that if he does not give them 10 million won by tomorrow, they will kick him out without the surgery. This means that he will most likely need an amputation or (worse yet) he will die. He has no means to go home, nor is he physically able to get on a plane.

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

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.

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

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

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

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

1	(8)		플로렌스(구, 맛있는풍경)	양식	서대문구	10,619.00
2	(80)		화씨167도	한식	강남구	9,122.00
3	(2)		로쉐프	양식	종로구	8,181.00
4	(45)		씨푸드키친	뷔페	금천구	7,946.00
5	(1)		촛불1978	양식	중구	7,895.00
6	(8)		프리모바치오바치(홍대점)	양식	마포구	7,749.00
7	(37)		상파울루	양식	서초구	7,681.00
8	(21)		후레쉬빌스테이크	양식-스테이크전문	강남구	7,569.00
9	(575)		미차이	중식	노원구	6,820.00
10	(7)		더크랩하우스	양식	강남구	6,657.00

So this is the second week of the Menupan top 10 list. Has there been many restaurant moves? NO! Menupan: FAIL. I was hoping to update their top ten on Seoul Eats every week, but it doesn't look like they update it that often. Maybe I'll give it a try in another week or so. Sorry for the let down folks, but apparently the Seoulites are still eating at the same restaurants from the week before.

Dan

1. Florence. It's over by Ewha and it serves up heavily sauced faux Italian.
2. Hwa Ssi 167 Do. It's in Gangnam Gu Cheong Exit 3 and they serve up Korean Food.
3. Lochef. Steak and Pasta over by Hwehwa station. They have fancy steaks and pasta on their menu. It doesn't look half bad. It's expensive, but...it looks good. Also
4. Cfood Kitchen. Seafood buffet. It looks like they've got a nice spread and for 19,000, it doesn't seem bad. It is over by Doksan Station.
5. Sokbul 1978. Fancy Steak over by Myeongdong exit 3. They can dress up a minutes worth of steak to look like a million dollars...and you only have to pay W29,000 for the privilege.
6. Primo Bacio Baci. Ok. I've eaten here and it's not bad for the price. The place always has a line and they have decent pizza, salads, and they don't gauge out your eye on wine. It's in Hongdae out exit 5.
7. Sao paulo. I don't know how it sounds but it is a Brazilian Steak place over by Gyodae Station (Seoul National University of EDUCATION exit 14). It looks alright. I'd be willing to check it out.
8. Freshville. It's got foreign food and steak. It's over by Samseong Station exit 4. It looks like the serve up a lot of steak on the cheap. The interior has a very...X-mas feel to it. Feliz Navidad.
9. My Chai. It looks like a smiley face that's really expensive to eat. Lots of yellow, fancy plating, and small portions. Yeah...let's see. If you wanna give it a try head out to Gongteong Station exit 4.
10. The Crab House. I'd actually like to give this place a try. It's over by Apgujeon Station Exit 4 and it looks like good seafood. You've got whole crabs done tempura and sauce. They also have pastas that start at 12,000. Not bad...so why is it at 10? Hmmmm....Don't know.