Gamrodang Named after the first dew in the morning, which according to folklore is the food of the gods, Gamrodang offers an array of whimsical vegan dishes. The restaurant is set in a multi-story house and the staff treats each guest like they are family. The chef/owner, Young-hee Hong, studied under many monks such before putting her own spin on temple cuisine. This restaurant uses some very unusual ingredients such as cactus to flavor and color kimchi, bamboo salt that is roasted to 1500 degrees celcius, stringy algae, and sauce that is made of over 20 different ingredients. The highlights of my meal were the grilled mushroom that smelled of pine, the assorted pan-fried delicacies, and the stuffed and steamed pumpkin topped with assorted nuts. The pumpkin dish tasted like a pecan and pumpkin pie all at once. Gamrodang www.sachelfood.com 02-3210-3397 Seoul, Jongno-gu Dongweidong 35-106 Come take a cooking class or take a Culinary Tour in Seoul! h...

Vegan Bake Sale When: Saturday, September 17 ·  11:00am  -  4:00pm Location Suji's Restaurant, Noksapyeong Station, Exit 3 We will be hosting a bake sale outside of Suji's in Itaewon to raise funds for the famine in the Horn of Africa. Mipa Lee of Alien's Day Out and Kia Veselsky, along with other vegan bakers extraordinaire, will provide the baked goods. All proceeds will go to the United Nations' World Food Programme. Come early! Mipa and Kia's bake sales always sell out! You'll find us with our spread just outside of Suji's.   Sign up on our facebook page! For info on the crisis in Africa:  http://www.wfp.org/crisis/ horn-of-africa For directions:  http://sujis.net/sub2_3.ht m What kind of goodies to expect:  http://www.aliensdayout.co m/2011/01/bake-sale-succes s.html Please visit:  www.seouleats.com  &  http://www.aliensdayout.co m/2011/08/vegan-bake-sale- fundraiser-to-battle.html If you can't make it: Mak...

Alien's Day Out  Who doesn't like homemade cookies and cakes delivered to your door? (If this applies to you, please stop reading my blog and go away). These days, I have been thinking of gifts to get friends and a big hit have been Mipa's Vegan Cakes and Cookies from Alien's Bake Shop . I have ordered twice for my vegan friends and I would happily do it for my omnivore friends as well. Everything is fresh baked, creative and delicious.

      This was originally pubished in the August Issue of Seoul Magazine. Reprinted with permission. Are They Nuts? 9,500 won for a Bowl of Cold Soup In my search for the best Chilled, Soy-Bean Milk Soup (Kongguksu), I was a bit shocked to find that the best place in Seoul served it for almost double of the average price. Expectations were definitely set on high. The restaurant doesn't look like anything special, but it's big- two stores big. Once we sat down, the impatient waitress expected our order. I got the bowl of Kongguksu and my friend got the Spicy Mixed Noodles (Bibimguksu). The bibimguksu was outstanding. The flavors were balanced and the noodles were slick and chewy. Now the star of the lunch was the kongguksu. The soybean milk was thick and creamy like peanut butter. The fine noodles were the perfect carriers for this broth. I especially loved the kimchi with the noodles in soy-bean broth. I asked the owner what their secret to their peanut butter like bro...

Alien's Day Out Bake Shop I was lucky enough to meet up with Mipa Lee of Alien's Day Out today at my cooking school.   She and my friend Lilian came over to discuss a bake sale that we are planning on having soon for charity. I have had Mipa's desserts before  and they were delish so I was happy to hear about her bakeshop. Since I hang out at Balwoo Gongyang Kong all the time (I think you have noticed. Nothing funny is going on. I have become good friends with many of the staff there and I go there to hang out with the monks^^), I decided to order a mix of different vegan treats so that my monk friends can try some of Mipa's fine desserts. I placed the order today for an order of Chocolate Orange Biscotti, Pumpkin Bread, Thin Mints and...I think Snickerdoodles. I am so excited and I can't wait till they are delivered. Thanks Mipa and I'll let you know what my friends think. Cheers, Dan Come take a cooking class or take a Culinary Tour in Seoul! http:...

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...

I am editing photos for my story and here is one I am particularly proud of. Shot with a Panasonic DMC G-2 Camera with 20mm 1.7 lens with Gary Fong Puffer Diffuser. Shot in Raw and edited with iPhoto. Come take a cooking class or take a Culinary Tour in Seoul! http://www.ongofood.com Pictures are taken either with my Panasonic DMC-G2 Camera with 20mm Lens or with my iPhone 4G Join the Seoul Eats Facebook Group Page to keep to date with the latest events.

Saturday was a food photo day and I went out with my friend to a couple different places. The day started at Paul in Yeouiddo: the famous Paris boulangeries and famous for their breakfasts. It was damn good, but...they didn't have croissants and many of the breads that Paul is known for. Apparently their shipment didn't come in. I'll write more about my visit to Paul later.  Mipa of the blog, Alien's Day Out , has been baking up Vegan treats for ages. Her blog is one of the most interesting and colorful reads in the Korean blogosphere. Each post is packed with bright pictures and witty commentary.  My friend Lily remembered reading that Mipa was selling her baked goods at a cafe in Seoul, so we decided (after a lengthy time shopping for camera equipment in Namdaemun) to head over for a light afternoon snack. I didn't know what to expect because Vegan baking (sans cream and butter) doesn't sound all that delicious. Boy, was I wrong. We ordered a nice spread: C...

Hmmmm...I'm in the mood for something Vegan. I think I should check out this restaurant that my friend Chalica wrote about. Here is her take on it. Vegetarian in Seoul Presents: The Loving Hut by Chalica Pack As a vegetarian living in Korea, I have been pretty lucky thus far finding restaurants that serve non-meat dishes alongside their meat-based staples. . I've only had to walk out of one restaurant (Who knew the Turkish weren't vegetarian friendly?) after finding nothing more than a paltry side salad as my vegetarian option. Last week, I visited my first all-vegetarian restaurant in Korea. The Loving Hut is a (fairly) new vegan chain restaurant that has locations all over the world. At 6pm, the restaurant was already filling up quickly, so it was clear that Loving Hut is no secret to those looking for tasty vegan meals. Click here for the rest.