cockles The other night my friend Ben took me to a new hidden little Makgeolli place that I didn't know before. It is hidden in the basement along Insadong Street And it has Makgeolli (Korean Rice Wine) and well prepared Korean Anju (pub food).  The food and Makgeolli are not as good as my favorite Makgeolli places such as Pub of the Blue Star, H-Makgeolli or Chin Chin- but I feel that makgeolli food should be rustic. Also, the price is quite high for what you get (Jeons start at 15,000 and Makgeolli starts at 5,000 a bottle for Seoul Makgeolli). The service is alright but nothing to write home about so... why should you go there? The atmosphere of the place and the vibe is cool. The place has a hipster feel to it and even the name, Yeojaman is a play on words. Yeoja is girl and man is only, so..".Women Only." But it could also be seen as girl/man (Korean for girl plus Man). It's witty and funny and the place has a whole tongue-cheek feel to it. We want...

Sadong Myeonok Good restaurants are places you want to go to again and again and introduce to your friends. Sadong Myeonok is exactly that type of restaurant. It's famous for their giant dumplings that they make hotpots with it with beef, noodles, and veggies in a rich broth. There is also an egg yolk that they put in an onion and you mix the yolk into the broth. The dumplings are great and so is the seafood pancake. It is so crisp that it is mouthwatering. The restaurant has been around for over 25 years and the owner said that many famous politicians including Lee Myeong-bak has been there. I can see why. The place has great food. Here is the original post I wrote on the place with contact information and directions Giant Dumplings Joseph and his Hot Pot Mandu Jeongol Yummy Dumpling Banchan Seafood Pancake Me and the owner Sadong Myeonok

Today I had a family of 7 people do the street food tour and we tried 8 different snacks at different stalls around Insadong. It was a good day and I was surprised to find that the little kids aged 2 and 5 ate and enjoyed almost all the different types of food. They especially liked the fresh steamed dumplings and the kimbap. Korea's street food scene is quite exceptional and you can get a varied and filling meal at almost any place you visit. I highly recommend you try it out. 

                  When some friends that work in the restaurant industry asked me to show them around, I had was excited to do so. Although, I regularly do food tours, with people in the restaurant industry, I am able to go a bit more extreme and go to places where I really enjoy going. One of my favorite makgeolli places in Insadong is Yeojaman which is known for their excellent seafood and their rice wine. It is an old place that has been around for over 10 years and the first restaurant is in the basement along the main drag (sorry, I know where it is but I can't describe it because it would sound like gibberish. Let me say this: it is near the hotteok shop on the corner that also sells the walnut red bean desserts). The restaurant has another restaurant on the Insadong main drag as well, but I like the rustic feel of the first restaurant. The food here is not cheap, but it is expertly cooked. We had the 꼬막무침 which is a plate of  marinate...

Cockles at Yeojaman When some friends that work in the restaurant industry asked me to show them around, I had was excited to do so. Although, I regularly do food tours, with people in the restaurant industry, I am able to go a bit more extreme and go to places where I really enjoy going. One of my favorite makgeolli places in Insadong is Yeojaman which is known for their excellent seafood and their rice wine. It is an old place that has been around for over 10 years and the first restaurant is in the basement along the main drag (sorry, I know where it is but I can't describe it because it would sound like gibberish. Let me say this: it is near the hotteok shop on the corner that also sells the walnut red bean desserts). The restaurant has another restaurant on the Insadong main drag as well, but I like the rustic feel of the first restaurant. The food here is not cheap, but it is expertly cooked. We had the 꼬막무침 which is a plate of  marinated cockles. The soy-based marina...

Min's Club in Insadong Salmon Gravlax at Min's Club Min's Club is a historical house that used to be the home of nobles. Built in the 1930 it has a Korean traditional exterior but with a modern interior. The space has higher ceilings and larger rooms than most regular Korean houses so it is a comfortable place to have a meal. The rooms are cosy. The wood framing is easily seen from the inside. The place is well lit as well with numerous windows around each room. The must have been a bit drafty because the windows are covered with unobtrusive clear plastic. As traditional as this place looks, they serve contemporary European food with Korean flair. Here you can get Salmon gravlax with a bit of dill cream or a bed of acorn and mung bean jellies with seasoned beef and salad, they have neobiani (a marinated Korean beef) as well; but here it is on a single plate accompanied by a dollop of mashed potatoes and a ray of deodeok (bellflower roots). The main dish comes with a...

I need a break of writing so I am...writing. Anyway, this is one of the better franchises to open in Korea. I mean how many coffee shops and tteokbokki (or is it tobokki) places do we need? Bukchon Son Mandu are monsterous dumplings that are stuffed with pork, crushed tofu, and sweet potato noodles. The best part about this place is that they will deep fry them so they are crispy and fricken hot. They are the perfect thing to fight the fridgid cold these days. You can find them all over, but this location is right before Samziegil on Insadong Street. Bukchon Handmade Dumplings Bukchon Handmade (Son) Dumplings Bukchon Fried Dumplings

Poong Worl in Sinsadong With the holidays coming up, I have been catching up with a number of friends and guests. Since I am known to be a foodies, we have been checking out some of my favorite places and new places. One of my new favorite places is Poong Worl in Sinsadong. It's off one of the side streets of Garusugil (Sinsadong 02-547-9923).  It's a nice little izakaya that has a variety of grilled dishes, sashimi, and more. My favorite dish there is their natto omelet. I love natto and when it is in an omelet it is fabulous. They top it here with bonito flakes so it is kinda like an okonamiyaki. We also had some great grilled fish there and some seafood ramen. The staff is friendly and the portions are big. The place is not cheap (but no place on garusgil is). The average check here will be about 25-30,000 a person with alcohol. Poong Worl in Sinsadong I think I posted a picture of hotteok from W.e. last week but I was going through my pictures and I found this ...