Seoul Eats

For dinner I went to Tiger Masala, a new little (tiny actually) Indian restaurant on the Gyeonidan side of the walking bridge. The food is flavorful and very reasonably priced. I had the palak paneer and a chicken curry. Both were good but a tad watery. The naan was very hot since it came right out of the oven but it was a bit dense. It was a good meal just not anything fancy. It is a good place for a comfortable and fast meal. Tiger Masala 2-stars out of 4 (comfortable atmosphere, reasonable food, good price) 070-7563-1411 Yongsan-gu, Seoul, South Korea, 47-17 Yongsan 2(i)ga-dong http://m.google.com/u/m/w_l8TF

  For Valentine’s this year I decided to let my lovely boyfriend surprise me by choosing where we would be eating. He opted for the brand spanking new 37 Bar & Grill at the Conrad Hotel in Yeouido. They had a special set menu for Valentine’s Day which was priced at 160,000 pp for 6 courses. As a Valentines special they had a His and Hers menu. The main ingredients were the same but each dish was served with different accompaniments.  A rather cute concept, I thought. They had wine pairings with each course that you could order for a set fee. However you know by now I’m a cocktail girl and ordered a few of those instead. Priced between 20,000-30,000 you will need to take your gold card to get drunk. We arrived at the 37th floor location and were shown to our beautiful window table with a panoramic view of night-time Seoul. We were presented with our His and Hers menus and a complimentary glass of champagne. I was a little concerned that there were three fish dishes on the menu when

            Whenever I go on a trip I always look on Trip Advisor to find great places to eat. However I rarely do this in my home city of Seoul. Last week I finally decided to have a gander and see what was rated as Seoul’s best restaurant. First place goes to Jyoti, an Indian place in Sinchon. Second was Pizza Peel. The reviews seemed great as it is one of the few places in Seoul with a real brick oven. We arrived on a Friday night and it wasn’t too busy, a few tables were taken. A large menu consisting of pizza and calzone options. There is a very good variety of pizzas, the hard to find Hawaiian is no doubt a popular choice. They have all the ones you miss from back home and not a sweet potato or piece of corn in site. You can also create your own if you don’t fancy any of the ones on the menu. Being a Friday we opted for a pizza each. I opted for the White, which is spinach, ricotta, mozzarella and olive oil for 15,500.  This pizza was fresh and delicious. The topping was great an

Good Morning Hanoi was a two at best. Which is sad because the one in Sorae Village is amazing. The atmosphere at the Insadong store is stylish and hip. That's about all it has going for it. Oh, and that the Jasmine tea is hot. The green curry tasted burnt yet the vegetables were fresh and well blanched. The tom yam goong rice noodle soup had good broth but a tad too spicy. I didn't appreciate the server plopping it down on the table causing it to splash all over. The noodles were over cooked as well. I think they were rushing because it was lunch time and they were packed. Still no excuse. Especially since they charge nearly 15,000 won for a bowl of Pho. Good Morning Hanoi 1 star out of 4 (poor service, rushed food and over-priced for what you get) 02-725-5320 Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea, 175 Insa-dong http://m.google.com/u/m/-wQQ49

I am at the opening party for La Taverna Italian Bistro and bar in Hannam. I was invited by Peroni Beer. The food is good and so is the atmosphere. I will have to check this place out again. Yongsan-gu, Seoul, South Korea, 657-87 Hannam-dong http://m.google.com/u/m/wjNCPp

This is a simple steak I made at home. It is a grade A++ Hanwoo seasoned with salt, pepper and coffee grinds. I pan-seared it and let it rest before eating. It was tender and softly flavored. With it I had some potatoes that I got from a food cart on my way home. I love the small potatoes because they remind me of my youth. With it I had some of my mother's fiery kimchi. I paired this with a parallele 45.

  So, I got a letter from Steve who is visting Seoul: Dan, Love the blog. Thanks so much. So I'm visiting Seoul and I need a recommendation for Kalbijim. Do you have a favorite place? S. Hi Steve, thanks for reading the blog and sure I do. Here it is. Dan Gangnam Myeonok Galbijjim has become one of those ubiquitous dishes that show up everywhere. The appearance of this at an event signified that this was truly a special occasion. It must have something to do with the slowly braised ribs in a seasoned soy/sesame marinade. One of the reason it is special is the rare and expensive ingredients: beef ribs. The second reason is the time it takes to make this dish. One of the best places to get this is at Gangnam Myeonok. Here the galbijjim is cooked so finely that it literally melts off the bone and becomes delicious savoriness in your mouth. The sauce is incredible. It is a soy-sesame beef gravy that has a hint of sweetness. This dish pairs well with their homemade kimchis and their bee

It has been a while since I have been to Lamb Land. While I was searching for it I learned that the location has changed to a much bigger location and now reservations are necessary. This place was introduced to me by my foodie friend Joe McPherson from Zenkimchi. I will tell you how it is soon. It was damn good. I love how they give you a tortilla to wrap the lamb with and top it with a olive and corn salad. The service is friendly and the atmosphere is electric. The place is a total ajossie restaurant and it is still dang fun. Dan The place changed locations. It is here : Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea, 494-6 Yonggang-dong Ph# 02-704-0223 http://m.google.com/u/m/_FWs96

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 Last weekend I decided to put my powers of eating to good use and discover where to get Itaewon’s best kebab. I like to think of myself as quite the kebab connoisseur. They all taste different depending where in the world you buy them but they are all generally the same. I have sampled every Kebab in town on numerous occasions. My record for one night was 5. Though this was over many hours in case you’re turning away in disgust at my gluttony. To make things fair I ordered the same kebab at every venue. A chicken kebab with everything, a little spicy with extra white sauce. God how I love the kebab white sauce, I could take a bath in it! I was hoping that I would have 5 venues to choose from but Pasha closed down. This was actually my least favourite kebab venue anyway, having