Hi all, My name is Irene and I'm a 20 something girl in Korea and I wanted to introduce some of my favorite eats. "Tokki Jeong" is one of the hottest restaurants in Gangnam area. Their concept is ‘Home style Japanese Food’. The whole restaurant looks like modern Japanese house which is really cool. I recommend this place as for a date since the price range is from 5,000 won to 18,000 won so it’s not that expensive but you can make your girlfriend or boyfriend happy with the good atmosphere and delicious food. I went there with my girls though.
The menu is quite diverse from Korokke, fried vegetables, fired meats (Sutbul Gui), Japanese style of soup to Cream Curry Udon. First, I recommend to try Korokke for an appetizer. Especially if you or your partner are sharing, you should order this. It’s very crispy inside and it is full of mashed potato. It is especially delicious with the white cream sauce but... the biggest reason why I'm telling you to get the app is that it takes a pretty long time to get your food. Every single main dish takes over 15 minutes to cook them.
For the main dish, Cream Curry Udon is their best seller. It’s just simple. White cream sauce is poured over the Japanese Curry Udon. It might be the smoothest Curry Udon in the world. Honestly, I was worried it could be greasy and fatty because of all the cream, but I just couldn't resist; it's just too good. All of my friends were yelling ‘yummy!’ when they tried it. Now it’s one of our favorite dishes.
I also recommend the Sutbul Gui, the grilled, fired meats. You can choose between the pork and the beef but you can also order half and half. The pork is quite spicy and the beef tastes like Bulgogi. But they are directly chargrilled so you can taste the deep taste of meat. I ordered half and half with rice topped with green onion. It’s served with soy sauce, so you could pour the sauce on your rice.
How can you get there? Go out to exit 4 of Sinnonhyon station and go straight then you will find the alley between Wooribank and Ritzcarlton Hotel. Go into the alley then just go three more blocks, finally you can find there on the right side! And one more tip. As is said it’s very popular these days, so you may see the very long line in front of the door. So if you don’t wanna be one of them, just download a restaurant reservation app ‘Sunbuni’ and make a reservation!
Trying to make some healthier life choices so I am on the Yevo Superfood diet. The food is easy, healthy and fast. I have to live long to take care of my Hazell after all. I eat one or two of these a day and then have a normal meal. It's been working so far and I have lost 3 pounds plus I have more energy and mental clarity. #yevo43korea #healthy #superfood
There is Triple Cheese Therapy which has cheddar and Gouda dusting and stuffed with cream #cheese. The double cheese therapy is without stuffing. The Autumn Sweet potato is stuffed with potato. I got an old fashioned with a red velvet and a @manhattandrip #coffee. #korea #bizarrefoods #seouleats
My wife loves them so I was lucky enough to pick some up at gyeongdong market for 1,000 won each so I made guacamole, avocado chia seed shake, and California Bibimbap with brown rice, organic greens and a red wine citrus dressing. Wife was happy. #cooking #avocado #lunch #seouleats
My wife told me something something quite revealing today. She said, "Women are expected to sacrifice for their children. They should breast feed their babies, they are expected to make the baby food. They are expected to watch and take care of their children all the time from the cradle to the grave." Growing up in America, I figured that was both of the parents jobs. She told me, "In Korea, the burden of child rearing is mainly on the mothers. Fathers are supposed to support the family financially."
On trips to the supermarket, I realized that most supermarkets do not have baby food. You know the little jars of peas, carrots, apple sauce and all the other stuff. Most women in Korea make their children's baby food themselves. My wife has a special machine (which I will have to show you later) that will steam and then mince the food into natural baby food. We are also very careful to have organic and pesticide-free products for our child.
Since my baby was about 6 months we have been starting to feed her solid food. We started with just rice. Then it was rice with some beef. Then beef with rice and broccoli. Today she had some peas (which she loved) and then we made her some apple sauce. It was simply an organic apple that we ground down and served. Simple, healthy and delicious.
I really admire this idea of child rearing and I think that it must help set the foundation for healthy eating growing up. Also, not having processed food will probably stop Hazell from having food allergies and other problems as she gets older.
Here I am with Chef Marco Züger as we go on a food adventure in Korea. He eats live octopus, top grade beef, black chicken, and...turtle soup. How can this Swiss Chef Fare? Watch to find out. SHOW MORE
Woe is me. I live a life of decadence, a quite sedentary life where I shoot food, eat and talk about it at great length. The world of a food writer is for the young and hungry. Now when I started, I had a metabolism and I could eat and not gain a pound. Now I must decline invitations in droves for dining out every night can be devastating for the waste line. When you think and live food all the time, you are inclined to eat. You are conditioned to eat past the point of satiety. This is not a good thing. Anyway, I have decided to give it up.
Just kidding. But I am making some changes. I am exercising in the morning and the evening and I walk as much as I can. I have found my tools to fight the bulge to be a kettlebell and a fitbit walking tracker. The first few days with the kettlebell were tough for I realized that I haven't used some muscles for a long time (especially in the ab and stomach region). I am finding youtube to be a good trainer and as I get stronger, I feel I will increase my time exercising. I am also taking breaks at work when I get up and stand and work or walk around.
Health is really important. Especially since now I am married and I have a daughter. I know people say guys can let themselves go once they get married, but that's not true. Although I have life insurance and all that, it won't be enough to support them and I would not want to have my wife and daughter to grow up without me.
The other main thing I have been doing is cutting down the drinking. I read that your liver can completely regenerate in two weeks if you let it rest. I did that and now I rarely drink at home and I try not to overdo it. This has been the best thing to lose weight because when I drink, I want to eat.
So...we all need balance in our lives. Too much of a good thing becomes normal after all.
Seoul Food Scene in the Destination of the World Magazine
Here's an article I wrote for the Destination of the World Magazine. I would like to thank Michelle for this opportunity.
From kimchi to barbecue and bibimbap, Korean food is having a moment. We went to Seoul, the hottest new foodie destination, to discover the must-eat establishments
The love affair with Korean cuisine has gripped the world – and nowhere more so than Seoul. It’s suddenly in vogue to be a foodie in Korea and they do it with style, passion and excess. Overweight celebrities are now endorsing products with “proud to be fat” routines on comedy shows, much to the country’s amusement. And chefs are stars, too – ironic when you consider that many have spoken publicly about being disowned by their families for pursuing such a “menial” career.
It seems every television channel has a food discovery show such as Tasty Road, which has transformed two B-list divas into bona-fide stars. The concept of the show is simple: They stuff their faces with delicious food, leaving long queues of hungry followers in their wake. Then there’s Please Take Care of My Refrigerator, a South Korean cooking variety show where chefs create creative dishes from leftovers in people’s fridges.
In Seoul, there are two-hour queues for craft beer, 40-minute waits for churros, restaurants booked out months in advance and food delivery services for every type of available grub. It’s the same story in Jeonju, a city around two hours south of Seoul. On weekends, culinary connoisseurs swarm the city for authentic bibimbap, kettles of chilled, cloudy rice beer served with side dishes, blood-pudding stew, shaved-ice desserts and more – devouring the food like locusts and disappearing without a trace come Sunday night.
In Korea, the food keywords are: organic 유기, local 국산, and sustainable 자속가능성. Organic grocery stores were a novelty a few years ago are now everywhere. Even large department stores have a section dedicated to organic, local, and sustainable foods. Koreans are more curious about the sourcing and the means of production of foods these days. You’ll see more Koreans reading labels at the grocery stores and reading up on brands on the Internet. Koreans will scrutinize what sort of oil is used, if there are artificial flavoring agents and if GMO ingredients are used. Consumers are smarter now and want better ingredients that are produced in a healthy fashion. Just offering “bigger” or adding the moniker “Well-Being” to the label is not enough.
There is an emphasis on farms as people want to know the farming practices and there is more pressure on farmers to go pesticide free. Over in Yangpyeong country, local government is supporting farmers by helping them become organic farmers and have created a “Special Zone for Environmentally Friendly Agriculture.” They offer incentives and education for farmers to become organic. The Mayor, Kim Sun-kyo says in his Mayor’s Message that Yangpyeong is, “an eco-city where there is a harmony of nature and people! A rich farming land that produces safe, eco-friendly agricultural products that result in high income for the hard working farmers!” Other places in the city are also putting an emphasis on becoming eco-friendly. There are urban farms such as at the Incheon Urban Agriculture Network (IUAN) also the rooftop gardens by Marche in Hongdae.
Here is a list of some of the leading organic companies in Korea.
Orga Whole Food and Pulmuone Orga is the premium, organic storefront for the Pulmuone corporation. Pulmuone was has a long history of being one of the first organic food corporations in Korea. They started their company in 1981 as Pulmuone Chemical-free Product Market in Apgujeong (풀무원 농산물 직판장). The founder Kyung-sun Won has strong ethics and principles on creating healthy, clean food. Because of this his company has grown to nine different branches with an annual income of over 1 trillion won (1 billion USD). Founder Won was one of the first to show transparency in the sourcing and creation of food products. They introduced LOHAS (Lifestyle of Health and Sustainability) standards to Korea and their aim is to become a global company.
Their signature products include their healthy and clean tofu, pesticide-free bean sprouts and their organic line for babies.
Hansalim Hansalim began in 1986 and it has more than 2,500 producers and near to one million consumer members. Hansalim is among the world’s biggest and successful farming cooperatives. They created an alternative economy that supports organic farmers and local agriculture that produces healthy food while simultaneously protecting the environment. At Hansalim, customers and producers meet every year to choose what and the amount of product they will deliver. Then they mutually decide on price of goods for the accompanying season. These prices are locked in and even if, let’s say a disaster occurs, such as the kimchi crisis in 2010 which raised the prices of cabbage to prohibitive levels. Non-Hansalim members were looking at paying close to 10,000 won ($9USD) per head of cabbage retail, Hansalim members paid the price that was locked in the year previous at about 1,500 won ($1.3 USD). Hansalim also runs the only livestock-feed factory in Korea that uses only local feed sources from nearby farmers. Unlike the majority of livestock farmers, Hansalim livestock is therefore not dependent on feed imports that make up the majority of South Korean grain imports.
It’s signature products include their local vegetables and grains, their barley pork and local beef.
Daniel Gray is a Korean-American Adoptee that returned to Korea in 2005 to rediscover his roots. He is a Korean food expert that has appeared on Bizarre Foods, Parts Unknown with Anthony Bourdain and more. He does food tours, events, and consulting in Seoul and owns two restaurants: Brew 3.14 and Brew 3.15 in Seoul.
