It's a wine I got a wine shop for 15,000. It tastes like alcoholic grapes with a hit of tobacco. Not much depth of flavor here. I can't say much else else about it. Sometimes I think that Yellow Tail Shiraz is not such a bad option in Korea.
Dan

Pancake Original Story

Photographed and Written by Terri Walton 


I can’t think of a more delicious way to escape the cold winter chill than brunch and you can do so at Pancake Original Story. They have excellent versions of brunch classics such as pancakes, homemade sausage patties and waffles. Other items, like the omelettes, pale in comparison to these gems but are still decent.

Pancake Original Story is a Hannam-dong staple. As I entered the tiny restaurant I could smell the reason why. The sweet scent of pancakes hung in the air. I looked around. The restaurant was full, so my party and I decided to brave the cold—instead of escape it—on the patio. Some details I admired while waiting for my food were tire wheel lights, mix and match wooden chairs and shelves of colourful beverages. The urban rustic motif matched the made from scratch meals Pancake Original Story served up.  On the patio our coffees, which came out promptly, kept us warm.  Steam rose off the tumbler of heated milk given for them. This attention to detail was something I liked about the staff at Pancake Original Story. All these elements created a cozy atmosphere at this quirky nook of a restaurant.

Pancake Original Story

The menu offers a wide variety of pancake flavours and other ala carte selections like Eggs Benedict and French toast. On weekends the brunch combos provide the best value. They range from 12-14,000won and come with a choice of home-fried potatoes or salad.  My friend ordered The Carnavasary, the standard breakfast fare shines here:  two eggs, a sausage link, bacon strips and a homemade sausage patty with two large pancakes.

On my first visit to Pancake Original Story I tried the Uncle Tom’s (Ros Coe’s) plate, which is the star of these combos. It comes with two eggs, white sausage link, bacon strips, sausage patty and delectably smoked chicken.  Don’t be shy to use your hands to eat this tender and juicy piece of meat.  After I wiped my hands clean I still had waffles to enjoy. They tasted extra scrumptious with loads of Canadian maple syrup!  I chose the salad instead of potatoes as my side. It was a good choice as the lettuce leaves were crisp, in refreshing contrast to the heavier items on the plate. On the patio, my partner enjoyed this combo and devoured the chicken.

I had a daytime off the other day and I was thinking about where I should go eat and I remembered one of my haunts of old: Petras. It's an Arabian/ Mediterranean place that I used to go with my vegetarian friends (yes, I have vegetarian friends). I think at that time I might have been faux-vegetarian as well. Anyway, it's as good as always and they recently renovated. My go-to dish here is the Sultan Chicken: a slow roasted chicken dish with chick peas and sultana raisins in a tomatoey sauce. Really good stuff. They were even nice enough to let me substitute couscous instead of rice- not that their rice is bad. It's the buttery, olive sauce kind; but I was in the mood for couscous.

The yogurt sauce and the chili sauce they serve with the couscous is favoriffic (sorry, I don't know why I am writing like a middle schooler today LOL ROFL).

Gizmodo is my favorite gadget blog, but they do quite a bit of coverage on food. They are tech nerds with a penchant for food. I can't say that their coverage is always...delicious. Take this. It's a company that is making savory drinks. Drinks that are nutritional supplements with flavors such as grilled chicken salad, grilled thai beef salad, and even Caribbean Shrimp Salad. So would you drink these? I totally would. I mean as long as they aren't like full of fat and calories.


Come take a cooking class or take a Culinary Tour in Seoul! http://www.ongofood.com
Pictures are taken either with my Panasonic DMC-G2 Camera with 20mm Lens or with my iPhone 4G

Hi Foodies!

I am planning a dinner party on Sunday. The information is below and you can sign up by e-mailing me at seouleats at gmail dot com or you can sign up on Facebook.

Dan



Come take a cooking class or take a Culinary Tour in Seoul! http://www.ongofood.com
Pictures are taken either with my Panasonic DMC-G2 Camera with 20mm Lens or with my iPhone 4G

When I talk say Triple D, I am talking about Diner's Drive-ins and Dives: my favorite Food Network TV show. In season 10 episode 2 he made a tribute burger for the firemen of Washington DC.

This is the Triple D, DC, FD:

It's a double hamburger on 2 grilled cheese buns with beer battered fried pickles and jalepeno, roast bbq beef, bacon, and sauteed onions, mushrooms, and peppers topped with swiss cheese. Oh, and it has a special sauce called bonton sauce. It comes with a side of fries tossed in hot sauce.

Come take a cooking class or take a Culinary Tour in Seoul! http://www.ongofood.com
Pictures are taken either with my Panasonic DMC-G2 Camera with 20mm Lens or with my iPhone 4G

Hold the Gnocchi

Written and Photographed by Jonathan Bates


I must confess that I was doubtful of having truly great, let alone good, Italian food in Korea as I was raised in a house with my grandparents who were “Off-the-boat” Italians. I knew that my friend had good taste and a knack for the finer things in life so I was hopeful that she wouldn’t steer a group of festive partygoers into utter disaster. She didn’t.

Getting to the restaurant (which we found with ease), we told the hostess we were with “Harry Potter” (yes, my friend has a good sense of humor). The hostess offered to take our coats and we were seated right away with our party.

The entrance of the old dark-wooded stairs leading up and into the restaurant sets the tone of the restaurant immediately – rustic with a touch of elegance. The restaurant is warm and the walls are splashed in the color of classic Italian-villa stucco. Along the entire length of the restaurant runs windows overlooking the main street in Itaewon and the opposite wall plays host to a bar on one end and a giant mural of a farm vista on the other. At the end of the restaurant is the kitchen, where you can see their iconic firebrick oven and the chefs working. Wine racks and shelves sprinkle the restaurant making it feel homey and comfortable. The lights are lit perfectly as to give you and your dining companions the perfect intimate ambiance.

Looking at the menu, it’s not hard to become overwhelmed. Being at around 10 pages excluding the extensive wine list, there was everything from appetizers to risotto and pasta to fish, meat, and poultry even to season specials. If pizza is what you desire, no need to worry as they serve that as well. Vegetarians take note! They cater to you too with a plethora of dishes. I was drawn to many dishes, as it had been over 8 months since I had had any of these delicacies. I finally settled on the gnocchi dish while my partner went the safe route and got a spinach and sausage pizza. Other partygoers chose dishes such as the lasagna and spaghetti marinara with meatballs.

While waiting for our food we were brought fresh bread and a balsamic/olive oil mixture for dipping as well as our wine. The service was impeccable as they kept bringing more bread and refilling the water glasses without notice.

Finally the food came and everything looked amazing. Everyone was so hungry and eagerly began eating. Everyone was silent for the first few minutes, which as everyone knows, means that it’s good. The pizza and lasagna were very large and I’m convinced that the pizza alone could feed two if you ordered a salad with it. The other pasta dishes were quite small and I was left wondering how they advertise themselves as authentically Italian, especially since the Italians I grew up with were always ready to load your plate to the point of nausea. Nevertheless, everyone loved his or her dishes – that was clear – except for me. I was expecting gnocchi and what I got were six corn cakes bathing in a delicious cream sauce. Though delicious, it wasn’t at all what I was expecting. (I thought that maybe this was a different version of gnocchi from a different part of Italy however after some research I found that my understanding of gnocchi was correct. Apparently, the chefs of Sortino’s just have a different take on the dish.) Needless to say I was disappointed. However, the rest of the meal went off without a hitch and everyone had a really great time, especially the birthday girl.


This is the perfect restaurant to go on a date or to bring guests to when they visit Korea. The ambiance coupled with the quality of service and the dishes make this a great choice. The only draw back is that it will put a dent in your wallet. Appetizers will run you a nice 8-38,000 won, risotto and pasta 16-35,000, fish and meat entrees 32-82,000, season specials 9-32,000 and pizza 20-27,000. Deserts and coffee is also served ranging between 6 and 11,000 won. Try it; I doubt you will be disappointed.


How to get there. Line 6 to Itaewon Station, exit 3. Walk straight out of the exit about 300 meters. It will be on the right, before the Rocky Mountain Tavern and across the street from La Bocca. On the weekends, calling ahead and/or making a reservation is recommended. Phone: 02-797-0488/02-797-0489. Website: www.sortinos-seoul.com.

My grade: A-

Come take a cooking class or take a Culinary Tour in Seoul! http://www.ongofood.com

You can find out my recommended eats for February in the current issue of Seoul Magazine. You can find the magazine at local bookstores and at many eateries and bars in Seoul. They are also given out on Korean Air and are at visitor centers of Seoul.

Here is a taste of what is in the book: Steamed and Grilled Shellfish, Vegan Chocolate and Tofu Desserts, Hot soups, chicken in a cup, and the best bread in the city. Pick up a copy today to find out more.

Dan

Come take a cooking class or take a Culinary Tour in Seoul! http://www.ongofood.com
Pictures are taken either with my Panasonic DMC-G2 Camera with 20mm Lens or with my iPhone 4G

Pizza Fruit Tart

Next up is my pizza fruit tart. I made a crust from flour, sugar and butter and baked it up. Then I made a sweetened cheese filling with cream cheese and topped it with fruit they had in the fridge- oh, wait. I had to borrow the strawberries from a neighbor. On top is a orange glaze I made from orange juice, sugar and corn starch.

This is the full, unedited review on Isabelles The Butcher Steakhouse story that was originally published in the January Issue of Seoul Magazine. It has been reprinted by permission.-Dan
Steak is more than just beef. It is symbol of a job well done, a special occasion, or a celebration. Now it can’t just be any steak- for a subpar steak can ruin an occasion. The cut, the aging, the sauces, and the quality of the sides represent your level of success. And the name is also important. A steakhouse should have a personality and exude some clout. When you say you are going to, let’s say, Peter Luger’s; it lets everyone know where you stand in the world.

Isabelles the Butcher knows steak. The restaurant in Itaewon, although small, it is regally lit by candles and chandeliers. Although outside, there is the mad rush of the nightlife, Isabelles is refined and hushed- the perfect atmosphere to connect with your dinner guests.

The menu has classic starters such as French Onion Soup and Crab Cakes- you can even get sizzling bacon, but I was here for steak.

There are a variety of different cuts of steaks- each are priced by 50 grams (about 1.8 ounces). All of the steaks in the dry-aged section are aged for over 21 days and are Korean prime beef. The filet mignon and the chateaubriand are Grade 1++: the top grade of beef you can get. They also have American beef such as New York Strip, T-bone, and Prime Porterhouse in their wet-aged section (beef aged with seasonings in a vacuumed sealed bag).

I decided to go with their Filet Mignon cooked rare, with an extra emphasis on rare, accompanied with sautéed onions and mushrooms and creamed spinach. Twenty-five minutes later, it arrived at my table right off the grill- the char on the beef was exquisite and it had a carnal smell to it that went straight to my hypothalamus. When I sliced it, I discovered it was rare- like I had asked- and it had been properly rested so the juices didn’t all flood out. The filet migon was so tender that the knife barely had to do any work to get through the lush, red flesh. I even enjoyed the sauces that accompanied it: fresh horseradish and whole grain mustard.

The sides that came with the steak were portioned for two, so there was a bit too much for just me. The mushrooms and onions were grilled just right and flavored with garlic. The creamed spinach was the star of the two; the fresh spinach had been blanched and finely minced and mixed with fresh cream.
I am not sure if they had dessert (I wouldn’t have had room for it anyway). The house red, the Wirra Scrubby Rise 2007 was a nice pairing. They had other great wines on wine list as well.

The place was almost perfect, except for a few things. The place is small, so reservations are highly recommended. Also, the bathroom is not on premise but in another building- not uncommon in Korea. Finally, service. There were a couple tables around me that just enjoyed very expensive meals and they were sitting and finishing their wine, yet they were asked to leave for it was near closing time. It would have been better for the servers to simply wait till their guests were ready to leave instead of having them cork their unfinished wine and rush them out the door. Now Isabelles has brought the high-end steak restaurant to Korea, but they need to bring the level of service as well.

Isabelles the Butcher
Itaewon 119-17 Itaewon-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul
02-749-9827
Directions: Go out Itaewon Station exit 1 and make a right after the KFC. Make a left at the top of the hill.