I went for a quick dinner with a friend last night in Insadong and we found a new place doing spicy baby octopus.

The place is a clean, refurbished hanok and the place has a cute vibe. There are hand-drawn menus on the table and on one wall there is a sign written in calligraphy that reads: today is a good day for baby octopus (jukumi).

The food comes out in a hotpan and the sauce is flavorful. It is a bit spicy though so it is not for the weak. To balance out the spice you can add bean sprouts or ask for steamed egg (개란찜) (3,000 won).

The place is reasonably priced as well. Jukumi is 10,000 a person and 12,000 if you want to add pork belly.

Insadong Jukumi
2-stars (flavorful and reasonably priced. Service is terse, but I think it is because they are very new)
Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea

http://m.google.com/u/m/-Kc9QC

Pizzaria D'Buzza makes a dang good pie. Now I can't say it is the best I have ever had, but they make a very satisfying pie. I think the crust could be a bit crispier. The toppings are good and so is the marinara sauce.

I also got the bitz (or something like that) which are little rice balls. The one we had ha cheese inside and topped with Parmesan cheese and truffle oil.

The balls were ok, nothing special. I did appreciate that had something unique on the menu though.

The atmosphere is quaint yet loud. They insist on pumping out loud techno music while you dine in a dimly lit romantic atmosphere.

Overall, the food is good and I would go again. However, I am still looking for my perfect pizza pie. This one is close though.

Dan

Pizzaria D'Buzza
3-stars (good sauce and toppings, crust could have been a bit crispier. Loud techno is annoying.)
743-33 Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul (서울특별시용산구 한남동 743-33); +82 2 794 9474;
www.buzzapizza.com;
open daily, 11:30 a.m.-11 p.m.; closed 3 p.m.-5:30 p.m. on weekdays.

I had a great weekend traveling to Jeju for my job. I was lucky enough to go to Jeju to meet with guides and to take photographs for new tours and events we are offering in Jeju. I got to travel most of the island with the help of our new guides in Jeju. I got to try a number of great foods as well such as red chili braised fish (Calchi Jorim), raw fish, and black pork barbecue. To walk off my food, I visited sunset peak, olleh gil, the different markets, temples and I got to visit the classy Loveland. Overall, a great place to visit. I recommend you all take a trip to Jeju.

Dan
http://www.ongofood.com/private-tours/about-jeju/

So I used to go to this place when it was called Le Vert which was known for their brunch. They have refocused themselves and now focus on burgers, but they do have other items on their menu. The new place is called, Two Hands Burger.

Yep, it place is aptly named because you do need two hands to eat these burgers. At first grab the burger juices, condiments and maybe egg yolk (or chili) ooze out as you take a bite. The patties are chargrilled, the buns are whole wheat and toasted, and the fillings piled just right. I recommend their mushroom burger that has plenty of mushrooms and cheese and their Le Vert Burger which has bacon, egg, cheese, veggies and burger. Their seasoned fries make a nice accompaniment (that and a beer).

The atmosphere is quaint and service is fine. They have a decent beer selection as well. This place has good comfort food at decent prices. If you are in the neighborhood, you should check it out.

Haebangchon
Yongsan-gu Yongsan-dong-2-ga 45-10
02-6401-7705

Here is a guest post from A Fat Girl's Food Guide written and photographed by the fabulous Gemma. It has been reprinted with permission. Be sure to check our her great cooking and eating tips.

Thanks Gemma,

Dan



Another day, another gastro-pub. Just around the corner from my job is the aptly named  Gastro Pub. We spotted it quite a while ago now but didn’t really think it would be up to much, so we never investigated further. However last night we were released from work rather early. There was time before the bus came so we thought we would take a look at the menu. The place was so much bigger than I had expected and not what I had imagined at all. We’re hardly in a desolate wasteland of restaurants but I certainly wasn’t expecting anything like this.

A big industrial warehouse type space. This restaurant is very deceiving from the outside. A huge long bar greets you as you enter then a large sized restaurant is beyond, with a large terrace at the back which would be perfect for some summertime drinking. An open spaced kitchen fills one long wall. I’ve always admired these, as I like to see what I’m getting. This gastro-pub has more New York feel than English Style homeliness of Reilly’s, but is cool and sleek none the less.

A gastro-pub inspired menu awaits, printed on newspaper style menus that seem to be all the rage these days. A mix of salads, pastas, burgers and grilled meats. They also have various imported beers and a large variety of bottles.Sadly no cocktails were on the menu, but they did have a nice variety of soft drinks and smoothies. Next time I’ll be sure to bring along my trusty hip flask and make some myself. They had a taster of beers. You could choose 5 out 7. This worked really well for us, my boyfriend got to have his real beer and I got my ladies lager. It was only 14,000 for 5 but we went during happy hour and got an extra 20% off which we thought was very reasonable.



On to the food. We chose the fish and chips. I was still in the middle of taking a few pictures when this rocked up at lightning speed. There were 3 pieces on the plate and a mountain of shoe string fries (they were so thin, I probably could have tied my shoes with them). The fish was coated in a light and crispy batter. Coming from the land of fish and chips I like mine nice and thick. I’m not a huge fan of fish so for me the batter is the star attraction. However the fish here was good. The winner on this plate was the home-made tartare sauce, sharp and tasty, I could have eaten twice as much.



I was keen to try the prime burger. I am a burger girl through and through and would probably choose this for my last meal on earth. This one looked pretty damn good when it rocked up, slathered with cheese and caramelized onions but sadly didn’t make me go “Mmm” when I bit into it. It was fine and I certainly could have eaten another one but it didn’t really live up to its 20,000 won price tag. I would rather pay the extra 5,000 and get the burger at Reilly’s, or go toBurger B and eat 2! Another point to mention is that this burger was very rare, the blood was actually seeping out on to  the plate. Personally I like my meat still mooing but I know for a lot of people this can pose a problem, especially since the waiter didn’t ask us how we would like it cooked. The burger too came with a mountain of fries. I loved these chips but after a while I still couldn’t see the mountain going down. They gave a choice while ordering of salad or fries but I think a little of both would have been preferable.



The majority of these dishes available are around the 15,000 – 20,000 mark but they also have a 1kg steak available for 150,000 or a 750g rack of lamb for a mere 120,000.  The people at the next table had the steak and I have to say it was pretty large but I don’t know if I would pay that much for a steak and have to share it. I think this restaurant is more of a Korean style with the larger dishes that are good for sharing. They also had a few desserts on the menu but I couldn’t partake as I had eaten too many chips!

Gastro Pub is located at 810-2 Bangbae-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul. To get there take a train to Naebang station(line number 7) and come out exit 7. Walk straight until you pass the BMW dealership and make a right. Directly in front of you should be Gastro Pub. The nearest bus stop is 22-222. You can call them on 02-537-17222. Or check out their website.

See more great pictures here: http://afatgirlsfoodguide.wordpress.com/2013/01/26/gastro-pub/

Oh, Cheese, how I love to cut you.
The stinker and riper the better.

Oh, Cheese, how I love to pair you.
Dried fruits, hard nuts, and cured meats are your perfect bedfellows (a cracker just seems so plebeian)

Oh, Cheese, how I love to wine you.
You are so cosmopolitan and you are fine mingling with Italians, Australians, Africans, French, and Americans.

Oh, Cheese, lets stay together forever.
Lets see each other at every meal and every snack time. Lets make little cheese babies and help them mature into pillars of modern society.

Cheese, thank you for showing me a new world.
Thank you for just being cheese.
You complete me.

Dan

Our night dining tourswere featured in Seoul Newspaper as a positive example of The Korean Food Globalization movement. We are very proud of what we have accomplished in the last 3 years and we would like to thank everyone that has supported us since we have started.

Experience Exciting Korea with Us
O'ngo Food Communications

This has been another fun week in food. I have eaten too much, met too many interesting people and ate quite a bit of red chili in the form of powder and paste. Our food tours are still running these days despite the cold. I have met fun groups from Australia, Canada and Singapore this week. We took them to Mount Seoraksan and to see the show Nanta.

So what have I been eating? One of the best places this week has been my revisit to grandmother's Nakji. They serve up some very spicy squid. It is an endorphin kick on a plate. Once you start eating you'll feel a slight burn that will build and build.

I went to Saemaul Sikdang for some barbecue as part of our Gangam-style tour. This was pretty kickass. They have great sauce for their chadol (sliced pork).

Noryangjin was also fun because we had a seafood feast with various seafoods, live octopus, broiled fish, fried oysters and more.

A good food week. Now I just need to exercise.

Dan

This is a cute cafe that offers a range f healthy drinks and snacks made from green tea. They have coffee as well for those they would like it. The red bean latte is a ok if you like red bean and milk and the green tea is good quality.

Jung-gu, Seoul, South Korea, 1 Myeongdong 2(i)-ga
02-745-0705

http://m.google.com/u/m/-0ZVE5

Chez Simon is still good but don't expect much change from the past. If you are looking for a decent coursed meal that stays true to form then visit Chez Simon. The Creme Brûlée is still top notch and so is the steak.

The pictures can be found on my Instagram page. Follow me there for Seoul Food tips. http://instagram.com/seouleats/

Here is a past review: http://www.seouleats.com/2010/10/chez-simon-french-cuisine-done-right/

And another: http://www.seouleats.com/2010/11/chez-simon-redux/

Back before Samcheongdong became the date hotspot, the street was famous for restaurants. These days the trend seems to be on turn and burn establishments and too, too many cafes. My favorite bouillabaisse went defunct and became another cafe. Just when I thought all was lost, I happened to find Chez Simon. For years they have been turning out great homemade cuisine in a 20 seat, reservation-only restaurant.

Chez Simon’s menu changes regularly depending on local ingredients that are available. The secret to the restaurant’s success is the ability of the chef to transform these ingredients into works of art. Each plate is adorned with mini fireworks of flavor. The crispy ravioli first course was served over tomato and bean sauce, accented with oregano. The potato foam soup was frothy like a perfect cappuccino. The pasta was cooked al dente and the anchovy, mushroom sauce was just right. My steak was cooked medium rare- the outside crispy and the center cool-almost raw.

The creme bulee was how creme bulee should be. The specks of vanilla bean in the suspended cream mixture crackled with the caramel bulee. A perfect creme bulee stands out- this one does and will.

Our chef-slash-waiter was a charming guy that worked speedily to cook our food, dress the plates, and serve everything piping hot. I don’t know how this one guy would have been able to handle everything if there were more than 3 tables, but he didn’t miss a beat with us.

Chez Simon
Address: Seoul, Jongro-gu Samcheong-dong 63-10
Phone: 02-730-1045 Reservations recommended.
Directions: Go out Anguk Station exit 1 and make the first right and walk about 10 minutes until you get to Samcheongdong. Walk on the elevated walkway and you’ll see it up on a hill.