My buddy Chad wanted to have a guys night out so we went over to (another one of) Korea's Chinatown around Daerim station exit 12. There are quite a few of these Chinese areas such as in Ansan, Dongdaemun, Myeongdong, Busan, etc. Daerim station's Chinatown has the little stalls and such but it also has many top notch Chinese restaurants for people that want real Chinese food. What I mean about that is: Koreans generally don't like a lot of typical herbs associated with the foods such as cilantro, Szechwan peppers, or star anise. So in order to get this, you really need to go where the Chinese eat. To start we had some spicy lamb stew called maratang at Bongja Maratang. According to Chad, it is the most famous place in the area. Maratang is a spicy stew with glass noodles, veggies and lots of lamb. I have to say that here it tasted really Chinese because I could taste the Szechwan peppercorns, the star anise and cilantro. It was like an oriental curry. We also had some meat ...

I was recently invited to Bulldogs which is a new British pub that is serving creative bangers and pub fare  in Itaewon. This is another restaurant addition to the street across from the Hamilton Hotel. This street is really hopping these days as restauranteurs are trying to get away from the high rents of the Main Street. Entering the place you are greeted by a giant chrome bulldog in a cage and portraits of famous Britains like the Queen and Sean Connery. The place has a urban, London feel to it and it is well lit and spacious. My friend Jason and I were greeted by the owner, Tom, who said he wanted to bring a bit of London to Seoul. We started with some beers. They have Platinum on tap here and according to my beer snob friend, ’It's not all that great. They tend to have a metallic tinge.(7,000 won)’ I was glad I went with the ginormous Pimms cocktail (12,500 won) which came in a jar too heavy to lift. The gin infused concoction had orange slices, mint, and cucumber which m...

Curry from Yum Thai Pad Thai from Yum Thai Our Meal at Wang Thai Curry from Wang Thai I love Thai food, real Thai food. Yes, I have been spoiled by my visits to Thailand because I know what real Thai food tastes like. Plus, I worked in an Asian restaurant run by a my Thai friend Winston Chinupakat. Winston! When I eat Thai, I want the harmony of sour, spicy, herbs and pungency. I want Pad Thai noodles that taste light with a hints tamarind, lime, fish sauce and peanut. This is usually not the case in Korea. When my pad Thai tastes like sweet peanut butter noodles, I put down my fork and ask for the bill. I know that complaining in Korea won't solve anything because they will tell me that is how their "Korean clients" like it. Koreans like fake Thai food? I don't agree. Thai food has become high-end cuisine in Korea and there are a number of fancy places perfect for the date-set crowds. There are also some hole-in-the wall places that ar...

When I have the time and make it into Itaewon to handout, it usually involves drinking, eating, drinking and then kebabs. Sunday night had kebab at two places: Pasha and Anakara Picnic (I had not been in Itaewon in a while so i decided to indulge. I guess you could say it is one of my last indulgences because I really have to go on a diet soon according to my doctor, but that is a story for another time. Anyway, the kebabs.  At Pasha, I had the chicken and it was good. veggies were crispy. I thought the chicken was well spiced but a tad on the dry side. The yogurt sauce at Anakara picnic is better in my opinion.  At Anakara Picnic, I had the lamb kebab. It was great. The lamb was moist and flavorful. I really like the veggie medley and pickles at Anakara. I think it just seems fresher. Also the sauce has a bit more lemon tang.  Ok, so the other places I love in Itaewon is Sultan Kebab and Mr. Kebab. Sultan is the original and still one the best. Mr. Kebab is good if none ...

There is no shortage of "gourmet" burger joints in Korea. However few truly live up to the bill. Left Coast was inspired by California, USA to make Asian-inspired soul food.  They have surprisingly gourmet accompaniments to their burgers such as homemade tater tots, kalbi fries (Korean short rib fries) and mac and cheese (mmm...mac'n cheese). On the burger front, they have three different types which are all made from freshly ground beef, handmade sauces, and served on their own homemade buns.  The tangy and robust John Wayne Burger topped with melted sharp cheddar and crunchy onion rings is a taste of the American west. My favorite was the Juicy Lucy: a burger stuffed with American Cheese and cooked till the cheese is oozy. For those looking for something a little different, I would recommend getting the Little Piggy Bao Bun which has uber-savory pork belly topped with a sweet, tart sauce and a vinegary Asian slaw. The space is clean and slick and the open kitchen elevat...

The idea that a decent non-Korean restaurant to exist on the traditional area of Insadong seems like a paradox. You go to Insadong to eat Korean food after all. There is a terrible Indian place on the main drag which I despise to this day. It is the worst. Anyway... Recently Indoro restaurant has opened near the main drag down from McDonalds.  The place has a modern, festive interior and it offers a sanctuary in its 2nd floor local. The festa colored tables go with the Indian music and the Bollywood videos playing.  The menu is extensive and moderately priced. You can get a palak paneer for 12,000 won or a lamb vindaloo for 15,000 won.  The last time I came, I thought the dishes to be flavorful but a bit salty. So how was it this time?  Very good and well balance.  My wife and I ordered the Vegetable Thali for 14,000 won and a Mutton Rogan Josh for 15,000 won. The vegetable had 3 different curries, a naan, a roti, rice and mango chutney. Surprisingly, all were t...

Oh, Korea, you know that I love you. I love the down-home, authentic Korean food you serve. I love how you will share the whole gamut of flavors and cooking techniques in a single meal.  When you make Korean Food.  Yeah. Korean food in Korea is great. I mean really great. Sometimes other cuisines, not so much.  Korea, I would like to talk about the abomination of the meal that I had at Kofoo food. I should have suspected it as going to be bad when I discovered that the name of the place meant, "Korean Food" yet they served Italian. Korea, I would also like to state that I wanted to eat soup and rice like a good Korean, but my wife wanted Italian (in retrospect, I will try to make the dish at home because I don't need to pay 20,000 for a pasta unless it is fresh made and has gold flakes and stuff).  Anyway, so my wife ordered the vongole that was overly salty but did have nice clams (I think they over salted the water and then added more salt before service). I ordere...

I am with my wife over by Cheolsan station having a coffee break with my wife and we found a decent cake shop. The interior is clean and the cake is tasty. I know the name says New York cheesecake but it is more Asian-style. What I mean is that it is lighter. Luckily it does taste cheesecake-esque. My wife wanted the crepe cake so we got that. It was OK. A tad dry. The chocolate-layered cheesecake was really good. It was light and fluffy with creamy cheese cake icing. It's nice to know you can get decent cheesecake outside of Seoul. New York cheesecake Gyeonggi-do Gwangmyeong cheolsandong 526 [네이버 지도] 경기도 광명시 철산동 526, <a href="http://me2.do/Ft6P4JcH">http://me2.do/Ft6P4JcH</a>

Last night the wife and I went out to Itaewon for a date night. So we did a little food crawl through Itaewon. First stop was Hummus Kitchen. We planned on going to a few more places so we got their signature salad platter which was a gaudy 21,000 won.  It had a sampling of their signature dishes like Hummus, yogurt, falafel, and salad and (wtf) a peach-like chutney.  First of all the hummus was quite good: smooth and balanced with garlic and lemon.  Their spicy hummus was too spicy to enjoy the texture of the hummus. Their yogurt were thick and the falafel were amazing. I will have to come back to get a falafel in the future. This would been a great starter of it weren't for the salad. It was a green salad with balsamic dressing. It just didn't go with the dish. It was a bit overpowering. I mean a tabouli or a simple lemon and oil salad would have worked but the sticky sweet dressing didn't jive.  Also the chutney was too sweet. Finally pita were too small and thin ...

Churros are so hot right now. They are last season's Bubble Tea and the season's before's lemonade. They are essentially hotteok that is a stick that is easy to eat on the go. Churros will have a thousand copycats and only one or two will survive. The survivors might even franchise.  The guys at Street Churros have the stuff to make it and let me tell you why. They are: 1. Young and hungry 2. They understand social media 3. They differentiate enough to make themselves stand out.  4. They have good sauces 5. They seem to offer lots of free "service" but they aren't really.  Let me explain.  1. Being Young and hungry makes young people want to come. Most Koreans I know all dream of owning their own place and this is a way of living vicariously through others while secretly thinking of copying them and starting their own venture. Old people want to feel young so they will also stop in as well. Plus, in Korea, a crowd always draws a crowd.  2. Social media: They a...

Julios is a popular Mexican-themed restaurant in Korea. They have 4 locations that I know of and they were one of the Mexican food-trend leaders here like 5 years ago. I remember going to their first location by Gangnam Station and being pleasantly impressed. It tasted "authenticish." These days Mexican food has upped their game with restaurants such as Vatos, Coreanos, and Gusto Taco. Julios is no longer leading the trend, but following, and they are trying to maintain the flavor profile their Korean clientele expect.  The results are a train wreck-mishmash that is Korean/Mexican-esque with a bit of Cajun and a bit of Italian. Yeah, they need a chef to come in and right this ship.  Let me explain There was a Cajun hot sauce at the table and Italian dressing on my salad that had shredded cheddar and Reggiano? Cheese. My pork tacos were dry and the pork was flavorless. My wife's enchilada was more of a rice roll smothered in tangy tomato sauce and cheese. The enchilada was...