Balwoo Gosang

These are some shots from my visit to Gosang. You can look for my review in the August Seoul Magazine. Now this restaurant is different from Balwoo Gongyang. The original can be found here at www.baru.or.kr

Spicy Galbijjim at Bujagalbi

My regular haunts in Korea seem to be split these days in the Jongno area and the Itaewon area because of my work and home- both areas are quite good for food. The other night I was in the mood for Kamjatang, but...one of my friends had an issue with sitting on the floor so we decided to check out this spicy galbijjim place I had been eying for a while.

Ippudo Ramen, Japan

Ippudo Ramen

Ippudo Ramen Japan

Ippudo Ramen Japan

Ippudo Ramen Japan

Cappuccino at Aa Design Museum

It is tough to survive in Korea as a cafe. Especially when a few cafes set the bar so high. Aa Design Museum started the whole trendy coffee/ furniture/ fashion space years ago in Hongdae (As seen here). Then they decided to start another one over by Samcheongdong and its concept is just as sleek and stylish as the previous one. The best new addition is the outdoor BBQ so you can have your wine or coffee with some freshly grilled meat.

Here is an e-mail I got from a guest that was in Korea to adopt a Korean baby. They had joined our food tour and they were really wonderful guests. It was great meeting you all!

Dan

Originally published in the June Edition of Seoul Magazine. Reprinted with Permission.

The Gyeongnidan area is one of the hottest places for food thanks to the rise of young entrepreneurs that are focused on taste rather than slippery dreams of franchising. If you are tired of the Itaewon food scene, head out Noksapyeong Station (Line 9) exit 2 and cross to the other side of the street. Here are a list of some of my favorite new establishments.

Stop #1: Chan Bros. Coffee
Hands down, the best cappuccino I have had in Seoul. The espresso is perfectly pulled from the precise La Marzocco Machine and the milk is gently frothed to create sweet micro-bubbles of moist foam.
Chans Bros Coffee
Price: 4,000
070-8863-6353



Stop #2: Trevia Pizza di Roma
Hand-pulled pizza dough that goes through a baking and then a toasting process to create a snappy crust. They don't skimp on the toppings here. My favorite is the cheese-less Siciliana topped with tomato sauce, fruit capers, anchovies and real green and black olives.
Trevia Pizza di Roma
Price: 5,500-6,300 a slice
02-794-6003



Stop #3 Bao
Here you’ll get properly wok'd noodles or rice with an assortment of different sauces and toppings. You first have to custom order your dish. I got the wide rice noodles, with Thai sauce, all veggies, beef and holy basil. The place has a cool hip-hop feel about it and sitting here eating a bowl of noodles makes me feel like I am in Thailand.
Bao
Price: 7,500-10,000
02-797-4769


Stop #4 Siberia 1 & 2
My days of having to go all the way to Dongdaemun to get a proper bowl of Borsch with a shot of vodka are over. Offering a variety of Russian favorites such as Pelmeni (lamb dumplings), Pirozhki (buns stuffed with onions and potato), and of course light, crepe-like blini's. Their Cherries Jublini has vanilla ice cream with triple sec, fresh orange and lit on fire with Cherry Brandy. It's a dessert and a drink.
Siberia
Price: 4-6,000
010-5349-6720

This is a class that we've had a number of requests for. After working on the recipe for a long time, we finally have one that tastes great. So on July 9th we'll have an Andong Jjimdak Cooking class.

Our Saturday Classes are designed for those looking for more interesting Korean dishes and those that are currently living in Korea. On Saturday, they are priced at only 55,000 won per session. ($50 USD). If you are interested in signing up, please contact us at ongofood@ongofood.com or fill out our reservation form here: http://www.ongofood.com/?page_id=19

July 9: Andong Jjimdak and Banchan
July 16: Kimchi Fried Rice, Korean Soy Sauce Pickles made with Cucumber and Onion
July 23: 3 Types of Panfried Pancakes: Chive, Chili Paste, Potatoe, Sujeongwa (Persimmon and Cinnamon Punch). For this class you need to bring your own bottle so you can take your drink home with you.

August 13: Marinated Galbi and Chive Salad
August 20: Vegan Doenjang Chiggae and Pan-fried Burdak with Chili sauce
August 27: Samgyetang

Here is an interesting post my friend sent me over. It was published in the Joongahn a while back. The gist of the story is that single men tend to hang out at nice restaurants, instead you'll find them at your regular, greasy BBQ house.

Dan

Greasy ribs and soju: Food for shy men November 03, 2005

When a group of single women get together in Korea, the conversation naturally boils down to one thing ― where do the nice single men hang out? A friend once noted that the only handsome single men she glimpses are in cars, driving away. This is true in a sense. The traffic lanes for single men and women in Korea don’t always merge. For example, you don’t see men and their buddies hanging out in the posh restaurants where women hang out with their girlfriends. And they never go to movies with other men either. I took an informal survey of male friends, and most agreed that they would never do so, even to see a great film. They would rather download it online and watch it at home alone. Okay. So most single men don’t dine at posh restaurants and they watch movies at home. But where do they eat? And why don’t they eat where the women are? While I was searching for a plausible answer, another male friend of mine told me something interesting. He said that most Korean men end up eating at gogitjip, or smoky barbecue-soju joints, because they find it intimidating to go to posh restaurants with male friends. But why? His answer was that going out to nice restaurants without a woman seemed for many Korean men to seriously compromise their masculinity. If you go to a restaurant just for a good meal, and you don’t have a date, you must be desperate. Maybe for men, if it’s not a gogitjip, it smells like a date ― like going to the movies. Go here for the rest : http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2638301

Sosun and Jihyun

The other night I was at Beodul Yeeyagee in Itaewon to have some spicy seafood tteokbokki to celebrate my friend, Sosun, passing her CPA exam.  To celebrate we had shots of soju mixed with peach and pineapple juice. It was a good time with good friends.

Tomato Cheese Tart

Catherine at from Women and Wine

Two things I really like: Women and Wine resumed their meetups after a long hiatus. Led by the ebullient, Catherine, the meeting on Wednesday night was attended by about 20 people. Everyone brought bottles of wine to share- some brought 2 or 3 (thank you Cidi). The food was excellent as we ordered almost everything off the Macaroni Market menu. 

Cheonggukjang for Breakfast

I am at O'mori Kimchi Chiggae and I am having cheonggukjang for breakfast. The beans in the soup are a bit pungent like natto. It tastes like navy bean soup that has some bleu cheese melted in. With all the side dishes it is the breakfast of champions.

Balsamic Brushetta at TAF

Foodie Meetup at TAF with Joe Mcpherson and Sarah Lee

Warmed Spinach Dip

My life is pretty good most of the time- especially when I get invited by restaurants to come eat. TAF or Total Art Festival is a nice little cafe with good food over by Sinchon Station. I was invited to come by the owner Dori Lee and when I arrived I was surprised to see a few other food bloggers. Sarah Lee of Seoulinthecity.com and the Might Joe McPherson of Zenkimchi.com were already there. As we talked about our foodie lives, Dori and her staff prepared a tasting of their menu. 

Daechu Tomatoes

Halmoni Calguksu

My adopted granny over at Halmoni Calguksu knows how to cool me off in the summer time. As you might know, one of my favorite dishes in Korea is Kongguksu. Here they only make it when it turns summer. The noodles are chewy, the cucumbers crisp, but the star of the show is the freshly ground soy milk that is slightly and luscious like liquid velvet. It has a hint of ground peanuts and sesame seeds. Sprinkle a bit of salt on your dish to bring out the flavor.The place is located in the alleys outside of Jongno 3-ga (Line 5) exit 6.

Hyatt Regency Summertime Barbecue

The last LTB (Les Toques Blanc, Korea's International Chef's Association) was at the Incheon Hyatt Regency Hotel at Incheon. It was a famous meeting with amazing food. We had a tasting of their summertime garden barbecue. It was a variety of barbecued ribs, salmon, steaks, chicken and much more. There was also a smoker that made some smoked sea bass. They also had an assortment of sauces such as demi-glaces, mustards, salsas, and gravies to dress your meat. Inside they had salads and cheeses (I totally pigged out on all their cheeses).