Shabu Shabu in Hongdae at Jayeon Shabu Shabu The best mushroom shabu shabu place is at Jayeon Shabu Shabu. Look, even if you think that you've had shabu shabu and that it is not real Korean food; Korean shabu shabu is different. You get many more sides and a ton of veggies. It feels very clean and healthy. Jayeon Shabu Shabu is one of the best. You get copious amounts of mushrooms, the broth is delicious, and it was all about their special sesame, peanutty, sauce. You many varieties of mushrooms - some of which I never knew could be eaten. Apparently they are all good for health (and none of them are of the magic variety). Oh, and for vegetarians, the broth is not meat based so it is one of my top vegetarian picks in Korea. After you eat all the veggies and meat, you finish off the meal with some buckwheat noodles. Yum! Jayeon Shabu Shabu Mapo-gu Donggyo-ro 197 대관령메밀막국수자연샤브샤브샤브샤브  서울특별시 마포구 동교로 197  NAVER MAP LINK

Had a decent burger at triple b in Yeonnamdong. Pretty tasty but the burger was a knife and fork deal since it fell apart too quickly. Good bun that was toasted and was fresh baked by a local baker down the street. The toppings were decent as well: tomato, sautéed onions, secret sauce that was like a Russian dressing and melted cheese. We also got the guacamole which was tasty but it could have used a bit more tartness. The place is tiny but service was prompt and friendly. For the price, I would totally recommend it. My burger was 8,500 won and the guacamole was 9,000. They have hand and malt and ark beer on tap. Go check it out!   Triple B.  Mapo-gu Yeonhui-ro 1gil 23  마포구 연희로 1길 23  It's across from Pencil Guest House. 

Hey all, wanted to share a local haunt that has been around for ages for all the right reasons. Daegwanryeong Shabu Shabu is one of favorite places for this dish because all of the ingredients are so fresh! They even grow the mushrooms in the fridges. Great veggies and broth that tastes like broth and not just msg (note it does have a tad too much black pepper, but I am cool with that). You get a ton of mushrooms and veggies and they have excellent buckwheat noodles as well to make soup. Definitely check it out.  It's in Hongdae down the street next to Samsung digital building and then make a right.  마포구 동교동 158-28 — at 홍대 Hongdae.

Green Enchilada with Chicken and Tomatillo Sauce Real Guacamole Interior Chorizo Tacos At B'Mucho Cantina in Yeonnamdong is the best Mexican that I have had in years in Korea. I have dealt with tasteless Mexican before and accepted it because of the lack of ingredients and what-not, but all of that has been proven wrong with my most recent visit to B'Mucho Cantina.  The flavors are bright and spot on. They have real limes. They have red onions. They have cilantro and they are not afraid to use it. The guacamole (8,000) was just a bowl of creamy sunshine with a bit of pico de gallo and chopped cilantro on the side. I wish I could just spread it over everything. The chorizo tacos (5,000 each) where big and filling. To be honest, 1 taco and sharing the guacamole would have been enough for lunch. But...no, that's not how I do things. We got the Enchilada Verde (14,000) which is the much hyped dish at this place. It's really good but...I didn...

It was a good day. I went to Hongdae to say good-bye to some friends as they left to go home overseas. I had some time to kill so I found a cafe on Hondae's main street. I decided to go to Cafe Nouveau. I ordered a espresso (4,500 won), got a cherry mille-feuille (6,500 won) and read a comic (free :). A perfect day I have to say. The coffee was rich and dark and the cherry mille-feuille had lots of fresh cherries; fresh, lush cream; flaky pastry and rich, dark coffee. The dessert was perfect for one person. I would have loved it to have been bigger, but its not really Korean style. Plus cherries are quite expensive here so I was really surprised they put so many cherries on the cake. Cafe Nouveau Phone +82 70-7743-3265 Click here to open map on your phone . Address: Mapo-gu Seogyodong 330-21 마포구 서교동 330-21 / 1층 Nouveau 커피 & 디져트 전문점 Seoul, Korea Phone +82 70-7743-3265

I know I have mentioned this place before but people keeping asking me for the location so here it is again. Hong Cup does a sweet and spicy fried chicken in a cup with some chewy rice cakes and tater tots. It's great with a beer or for just walking around. If can add cheese if you are feeling cheesy.  Hong Cup Geoloc: 37.55295,126.92159 South Korea Seoul Mapogu Seogyodong Yanghwaro16gil

Hello Seoul Eaters. Lately I've had the fortunate opportunity to photograph the moment adopting parents meet and pick up their new children here in Seoul. As you know our site founder Daniel is an adoptee so he's asked me to share my work. It's been very interesting, rewarding, and emotionally charged work. The process takes around two years and I just get the apex of a two year build up of emotion, expectation, excitement, and nervousness. All that spills out in a one hour meeting where the new parents finally meet a child they've only read about and seen pictures of, and the foster parents give up a child they've spent years caring for and getting to know. Needless to say there are tears on all sides, and thankfully I'm not in any of the pictures because I'd be embarrassing. The pictures in the small room with big windows are the initial meeting, and the outdoor shots are post-adoption family shoots. Enjoy. For more photos check out my site .

Last week I was invited to check out a new Italian Restaurant and Lounge in the heart of Hongdae. Bonbon was first started in Daejeon several years back where it quickly expanded to two locations. Building on the success enjoyed in Daejon, Bonbon Hongdae was opened in May of this year. First of all, the location is great. Located directly next to the infamous music park, it's not hard to find. In fact, it's hard to miss if you're heading over to NB, Club Naked, or many of the other clubs located near by. As you can see from the pictures the interior decorations are bright, modern, and tasteful. High ceilings, plenty of floor space, ample room between tables, and an open patio all help to open up the interior and make it feel very spacious. Have no fear though, the AC is blasting on the inside and kept us at a nice temperature. DJ Spencer was spinning tracks all night, and during the two hours I was there from 6-8 on a Friday night I noticed the rhythm distinctly quicken. Du...