Seoul Eats

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

Sultan Chicken at Petra Restaurant 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). I highly recommend you check them out. And for those who have, it's a good place to revis

For those looking to learn the finer points of Korean cuisine, O'ngo Food has started Professional level cooking classes taught by the extraordinary Professor Jia Choi. Professor Choi has a PhD in food and nutrition and specializes in Korean food history, table setting, and cooking. She worked as a food stylist for many years before she started O'ngo Food Communications. I truly feel blessed to work with such a professional person. Jia is fluent in three languages: Korean, Japanese, and English so she has taught people from all over the world. Here she is with 4 chefs from Japan from the Fuji Mien Hotel in Japan and they are learning a range of different dishes. In this particular professional class they learned about the different sauces then they made several side-dishes, chicken and ginseng soup, braised beef ribs, and kimchi. These were the dishes they wished to make in order to introduce these flavors in their own hotels. The chefs were amazingly skilled and th

G izmodo is my favorite gadget blo g, 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 Time Sunday, January 30 · 4:00pm - 7:00pm Location O'ngo Culinary School in Nagwon Jongno-gu, Nagwon-dong 55-1 Nagwon-dong Zip 110-709 Created By Seoul Eats ,  Daniel Gray More Info I miss Sunday dinners so I've decided that I'm going to try to start a Sunday Night Dinner Party at my Culinary School in Myeongdong. This Sunday I'm going to make homemade spaghetti and meatballs with tomato sauce. I'm going to make everything except for the pasta. If you would like to come please let me know. As for rules, it's quite simple. If you would like to bring a dish to share or a bottle of wine it should be about cost about 12,000 won or more and your meal will be free. If you just want to come and eat then it will cost 12,000 won. I'll start cooking at the studio at 2pm or

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 My friend invited my partner and I to her birthday this past weekend, which was to be held at an Italian restaurant named Sortino’s. Needless to say that I was less than excited when she told me it was in Itaewon as it not being my favorite area and offering little more than overpriced and mediocre-grade “western” restaurants among other things. Nevertheless, we put on our winter gear and hit the streets of Itaewon, eager for some good Italian food. 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

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 Find out more in the February Issue of Seoul Magazine. You can see their online content on their revamped website here.

O'ngo Culinary School is offering Wednesday Afternoon Cooking Classes for those hoping to learn Korean cuisine and meet other foodies. You'll learn Korean favorites such as Daktoritang, Kimchi Japchae, and Sundubu throughout the 2-month course. You'll get a deep understanding of the culture and the techniques of Korean cuisine from our award-winning chefs. First, you'll see a demonstration from the chef, then you'll have a chance to make your own, and then you'll get to eat what you made. February 9th: Kimchi and Bulgogi February 16 th : Daktoritang and Vegetable Side Dishes February 23 rd : Sundubu and Seafood Pancake March 2 nd : Dumpling and Rice Cake Soup March 9 th : Sundubu and Seafood Pancake March 16 th : Japchae and Spicy Pork The classes will be offered in English at 3pm. You can sign up for 1 or all of the classes. There are 3 classes a month and classes cost 45,000 a person per session with University Student ID, but if you sign up

I love to cook and I used to do it professionally, but these days I really don't get much of a chance. Between work and all the restaurants I have to review, I don't really have an opportunity. (This might also have something to do with all the weight that i have gained.) Anyway, when I went home, I decided to do a lot of cooking for my family. My parents are retired and living in Florida so they like things simple and easy. The BBQ grill is the equipment of choice or a terracotta microwave bowl that you can roast a chicken in 25 minutes (For real, it exists and it works pretty well). I like to cook with what I have and there were lots of toys for me to play with in my parent's refrigerator. For example above is my ham-hock soup with lima beans. We had the ham bone leftover after eating our honey baked ham so I threw it in a pot with onions and carrots and stewed it until the marrow just oozed out. The soup was delicious for it had a hint of maple, smokiness from the ham.

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 Filet Mignon at Isabelles the Butcher Steakhouse in Itaewon 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.