Songgi Mushroom These days, I am into snacking and I love carbs. It must have something to do with the exercise that I'm doing. I try to run a couple of days a week so my metabolism is a bit quicker than it was. So...I can snack and go and not worry so much. But being busy with a couple different projects I haven't had many full meals. I eat and I go. So here are some quick bites I have had in the last couple of days. Up first is Songgi mushrooms which are considered to be the highest quality mushrooms in Korea. A box costs 100-120,000 won and I think you might get 8 or so. While I was stopping by in the morning to visit my favorite monk, Dae Ahn Sunim, she insisted that I have a few of these mushrooms. They were cooked simply -just steamed, yet they had a wonderful punch of flavor that felt like an endorphine high. Lovely stuff. I recommend you try them. Pumpkin Rice Cake Another thing I've been eating a lot of are pumpkin rice cakes. I think they are much bet...

Kongkas (Bean Cutlet with Shitake Mushroom Sauce) Food, food, food. My life revolves around it and these days it's hard to keep up with all the meals that I have had for work and for my hobby. First up, we have bean cutlet from Balwoo Gongyang Kong. No, I'm not a vegan, but Dae Ahn Sunim is a good friend of mine and she always wants to show me her new creations. Here she is making a kongkas (bean-cutlet), temple cuisine style. The meat is delicious and almost indistinguishable from meat. Honestly, I think it's a bit better. The brown sauce on it has a slight tartness and it gets its savory notes from the shitake mushrooms. You get this with a side of side dishes and soup for only 10,000 won. Balwoo Gongyang Kong  ** 2-stars Across from Jogyesa Temple near Anguk Station in Insadong Brest Bakery Just because it is funny: Brest Bakery. They couldn't spell either word correctly. Sliders at Murphy's Pub in Gyeonidan The burgers are good and have...

For those that didn't have a chance to pick up a copy of April's Seoul Magazine. Here are some of the food places I wrote about. I recommend you pick up a copy because you'll get lots of great events and the maps will show you where all of the restaurants I mention are. Let's support the good restaurants in Korea, because I am tired of them closing because people don't know they exist! Dan Quick Bites: Seoul Digested Published in the April Seoul Selection Magazin e. Reprinted with Permission By Daniel Gray The Frypan: University Project Turned Franchise Hongdae University is known as the school for aspiring artists. The scene is eclectic and energetic and many of the restaurants and eateries reflect this idea. The Frypan restaurant was started as a school project by a group of university students. Their signature dish is boneless chicken breast that is breaded and fried served over a bed of freshly fried potato chips. It is like a battleship of chicken st...

I'm going to do this blog post in 5 minutes because that's all the time I can spare today. This week, I've been spending as much time as I can with Chef Anna Kim. Last night we were invited by Chef Eric to his restaurant, Le Quartier Latin. It's in Sinchon down by the big Church. You'll see a big French Flag outside. Great food and ambiance. The mussels were humongous and very tasty. Everything has a wholesome French flavor. I also recommend the French Croissant Sandwich and the quiche. 02 333 9874. I also went to a soft opening for Vin Vino in Itaewon with Anna and there we met some people from a marketing company called Cubic Plus. At Vin Vino we shared a bottle of red and a bottle of white. The red was a Deepwood Red Zinfindel which had a oaky punch to it. The tapas were also quite nice. I recommend the Lamb Lollipops because you can dip the lamp in mash potatoes and then gravy. Good stuff. Vin Vino will open the first week of December. The night didn't...

My favorite new street is over by the Hannam UN Village. It's the street where my friend Johnny has the Naked Grill. If you come out Hangangjin station, you take a bus to Dankuk University and cross the road and go up the hill. I know not convenient to get there, but it's worth the walk. If you look at this post, it has better directions. My friend Ben went to the Naked Grill today for a cheesesteak and he said it was pretty awesome. So what else is up there? There's the Banana Grill for good hamburgers. They're not the best in Seoul, but they are decent. I had the mushroom burger and it had good (but thin) meat in a plush (but too big) bun. I also went up to the Naked Grill for a pancho burger. The Naked Grill makes good tacos, but their burgers need a bit of work. I found the meat a bit gristly, but the pico de gallo was good and the price wasn't too expensive. I recommend their tacos (you'll often find the taco truck parked at the Hard Rock in Itaewon.) ...