Helen's Kitchen Helen’s Kitchen : Korean Cloudy Rice Wine Bar Makgeolli is called farmer’s alcohol because it is a simple alcohol made from ground rice, water and yeast (nuruk). Served chilled, this drink has a crisp taste and it is slightly carbonated so it goes well with greasy dishes such as onion or potato pancake or spicy dishes as sauteed pork in chili paste or kimchi and tofu. Makgeolli can differ from city to city and the taste can be altered by the use of different rice or by adding bean, corn, herbs, and even fruit like raspberry. Helen’s Kitchen offers a wide range of artisan makgeollis served with traditional dishes such as savory seafood and onion pancakes, tofu with kimchi, acorn jelly with chive salad, and grilled garlic octopus that are a fine match with the drink. They have seasonal makgeolli's and specials on most nights. At Helen's Kitchen you can taste a wide range of different makgeolli's. They have makgeolli's at different price points...

CT Bakery Fresh Roasted Coffee Big, I mean Big cookies CT Bakery This multi-function space does a little bit of everything. They daily roast their own coffee, they bake bread, they offer lunch, they have wine and beer, they cook some food, a reading room, and a gallery space full of designer furniture and antiques. It is a big place with multilevel. There is indoor and outdoor seating along with a terrace and a basement you can go to sit and relax. At CT Bakery, the coffee roasters are skilled in their craft so you can always get a good cup of coffee. They roast a variety of beans from Brazil, Ethiopia, Peru and other parts of the world. They offer hand-drip, espresso-style drinks, and even Dutch Coffee. The bakery churns out a variety of cakes and breads. They are most famous for their giant “Big Cookies” which is almost a meal by itself. This is also one of the only places outside of the hotels that you can get a brunch on Saturday or Sunday. You can also get sandwiches o...

Are you a buyer coming to Korea on November 7th to the 11th for Korea Food Expo? If you are we have a special Night Dining, Business Networking Dinner for guests, courtesy of the Korea Food Expo. The cost of the tour is free and you'll be able to able to enjoy a wide variety of Korean foods and Korean alcohol while meeting other buyers and exhibitors at the Korea Food Expo. Instead of going to a stuffy, business dinner this is a way to meet people in person in a fun and exciting environment. See the sign-up sheet below. For an overview of our night dining tour, you can see the video (note: the COEX tour is a little different because of the location). Daniel Gray O'ngo Food Communications View thi...

Cow with Boy Lantern at Bongeunsa Temple  Yesterday, I had a city tour and we went to Bongeunsa Temple. The temple is perfectly laid out and it is especially beautiful these days because the lanterns are still up from Buddha's Birthday. Here are some pictures I took. I recommend you check it out in person. It's right across from the COEX near Samsung Station. Dan Bongeunsa Temple                                             Tea at Bongeunsa Temple

The other day, I was invited by Sunafood's Sean Han to visit Red Pepper Republic. First of all, great name for a restaurant. The concept of the restaurant is spicy szechwan style food done in a sleek, seductive way. It doesn't look like one of those Chinese joints with gaudy red lanterns hanging from the ceiling. The space is modern, yet secretive. I imagine that games of high stakes poker were being played in the nooks and corners- it has the Chinese club vibe from Indiana Jones going for it. Anyway, I got to interview Stanley Choo, one of the heads of marketing and he's going to tell you about this restaurant. You can find it across from the City Air Terminal near Samsung Station (COEX). 02 508 1320. The shrimp dish was very different than what I had before. The addition of green peppercorns and other spices gave it almost an Indian spin to the szechwan dish. Dan

Exterior Shot. Across from the Airport City Terminal at Coex. Cold Chicken with Peanut Sauce. It was a refreshing dish, but I found the peanut sauce a bit sweet. I wish they would have used fresh crushed peanuts. Overall, for Seoul, this is a dish with a unique taste. Sliced Duck with Hoisin Sauce and Chinese Crepes. The Crepes were a tad dry, but the duck had excellent flavor. The Red Pepper King Prawn was impressive. I loved the presentation and the flavor of the shrimp: they weren't greasy and there was an exciting bouquet of flavors. Tan Tan Noodles. Yum. I really enjoyed this with the cold noodles and the peanut sauce. I reminded me a bit of Thailand. The Mango Pudding. Beautiful and delicious with the pearls of tapioca and coconut milk. Yum. I leave you with a big bowl of Chili's Dan You can find Red Pepper Republic across from the City Air Terminal at COEX. It's open from 11:30-midnight and the number is 02-508-1320

This is a homage post to the mighty Robyn Lee Aka Robyn Lee. Robyn came to Korea back in May to cover the Rice Cake festival. She took so many amazing pictures while she was here that I was just utterly blown away. I am a regular visitor of Robyn's Blog, The Girl Who Ate Everything and of her posts on Serious Eats Her pictures make me want to throw my camera away and chop off my trigger finger. I wonder how she makes them all so shiny and luscious. If you want to see more of her picks, I recommend her FLICKR page as well. All Hail the mighty Roboppy! ****From the Campaign to have Robyn Lee Friend me on her homepage^^**** Pumpkin Juk Yukhwae: Korean Carpaccio with pine nut and sesame. Japchae Chef Shin from Asia Live in the Intercontinental Hotel in COEX Sinseollo: Korean Royal Hot Pot Dolsot Bibimbap Korean pressed sweet Chef Rachel Yang of Joule Restaurant and Chef Paul Schenks of the COEX Intercontinental Hotel Oh, How I wish I was a better photographer like her.

It is a sad day my friends. One of my favorite places to get kimchi chiggae has sold out to the dark side. For those who don't know Omoro is a famous place for using aged, ripened kimchi in their stew. Today that familiar champagne-like taste was not present. Also, in the past, the robust taste of their kimchi was calmed by age-so their kimchi chiggae had a mature note to it. It wasn't sour and pungent, but fragrant. Before, their stew was like a 2005 bourdeux, but now it tastes more like a 2009. At least the rice was nice and the place was air conditioned. ㅠㅠ Sent from my iPod