Located across from Cheil Worldwide is Vin Vino: Wine and Tapas. They have a full cellar with a wide selection of wine. The space is very open with high ceilings. It's the perfect place to meet up with friends and enjoy a nice bottle of wine with some tapas. Here is the cheese plate. Not bad for 12,000. There are a wide selection of tapas. I really liked the cheese plate. The rest...well, not for me, but I'm sure other people would like them. What I really wanted were some nice black olives, maybe a spinach dip with warm bread... The sommeliers are knowledgeable and polite. Here is my friend Andrew with his lamb lollipop. This was a great dish because it comes with mash potatoes and gravy for dipping. Plus, you get to eat it like a lollipop. Vin Vino  02-711-9171

Not so much a meeting, but a meet up for good food and good times. This Friday at 8:30pm at Yaletown in Sinchon around or after 8:30pm. It's a great bar with the best nachos (they make their own guacamole), great burgers, and lots of beer. Go out Sinchon Station exit 2 and walk down to the Beans and Berries and make a left. It's on the third floor of the next building. Give me a call if you get lost Dan --

The military base has discontinued this service http://www.dragonhilllodge.com/main.html The rumors are true. You can order a turkey from the base and then pick it up. Here's a note I got from my friend Erica: Hey dan, Just wanted to let you know that you can order turkey on base and they will delived to the gate. Gate 10 is the south gate opposite war memorial. Gate 5 is the north gate (main gate)...for your blog I ordered two of them last year and it was enough for about 25 people. I would recommend you get some extra sides with it and have a car ready to take your bird home. Keep in mind that the cost is in DOLLARS, but they will take Korean won. You just need to convert to the right rate. Happy Eating, Dan PS. WEIRD, but every time I try to call the number it says that the number is disconnected. I think they temporarily disconnected it for now. Has anyone had any luck?  My friend just called and placed the order. I think they shut off the phone before 4pm.

Here is the article I wrote for the Seoul Tourism Website. Please go to this link and leave a comment because they are one of my sponsors. Dan Grilled Australian Beef with Garlic...ymmm... With the numerous Korean barbecue restaurants in Seoul, it might be hard to find one that stands out from the rest. One of my favorites, however, is in Seoul’s Cheongdam-dong neighborhood and they differentiate themselves by offering top quality meat, original menu choices, and dessert. Hwajang Hangogi House is a local favorite and the clientele include many local families that live close by; it’s a meet up for old friends who have been going for years, and it’s a place for foodies looking for a good meal. The restaurant’s name translates to “Beautiful Korean Barbecue House,” but the locals have shortened it to “Hwago Jip.” Rustic Interior with great food. The restaurant’s interior has a traditional feel- rustic walls and straw mats and seat cushions for floor ...

Here's a question I got on the Seoul Eats Facebook page: Erin: Any recommendation? i wanna find a place in Seoul to have proper English breakfast, sausage, bacon, baked beans.....many thanks!!!! Dan: Honestly, the best place would be the Hyatt, followed by Toque , then The Wolfhound. Anybody else have any recommendations? Oh, I have a new one. Passion 5 at Hangangjin Station. It's the big black building there. The food was quite good. Dan

And why is everyone talking about this guy? Whoever he is, he sounds awesome^^ http://www.balloonexplorersclub.com/

Currytown is where I've been getting my Saturday curry fix for the last two weeks and their buffet is great. For 15,000 won you get samosas as big as a baby's fist (mmmm...baby...), nice tandoori, a variety of curries, and chai. It's got a rustic look to it. It reminds me of the Indian places that I used to go to in college. PLUS, they play Bollywood on a big TV. Here's the Naan and they always bring it out just as you are about to ask. We ordered an extra order of Palak Paneer. It was quite good. Dan Curry Town Directions: Itaewon exit 1. Up the alley across from Outback Steakhouse. 02-749-8175

Hi Dan, Was looking around the net for information on Seoul eats and dos and found yours for my coming trip, 1st trip. It was very informative. Thanks for all the suggestions and reviews. Should be going to a few of your recommended restaurants. Also saw this little post on 1-day cooking classes conducted in English. Think it was a schedule of cooking classes through to the end of November conducted by Institute of Korean Royal Cuisine, unfortunately i'll only be arriving on the day the last class starts. Went on to the Institute's site but was all in Korean and my random clicks didnt bring up any course information. Wonder if you know of any other Korean food cooking classes also conducted in English that would be conducted in the week starting 30 November? Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance. Have a happy gastronomic weekend! Regards, Gwen  Dear Gwen, Thank you so much for your comments. I'm sure that you can sign up for classes on that day. ...

dessert from OK2 Kitchen Here is a letter I received from a reader. Remember, always feel free to send letters. I'll try and answer them as fast as I can. As for this case, I have no idea so I'm hoping one of you might be able to help. The reader is looking for Maison du chocolat and Artisan du Chocolat. They are also looking for Maron Glaces and Medool dates. If anyone knows if you've seen these around, I'd really appreciate it. Here's the letter. Good afternoon Seoul Eats, I was wondering if you could help me. I am starting to think about my Christmas shopping list and would appreciate your help in tracking down some items. In return I can inform you what I have found so far..... To the list... Chocolates. In Britain I am a big fan of Maison du chocolat and Artisan du Chocolat. Unfortunately, Tokyo has an Artisan du Chocolat but Seoul does not. Where are the best chocolates in Korea? I have hunted down the Fauchon chocolates at Lotte department store and th...

Here are some tips on how you can play with your food according to Chef Anna Kim. Focus on Playful Deconstructions of Korean dishes. The elements and the textures should be looked alike but in different ways. For example, omija can be used as a mixer for drinks or as a dressing on barbecue meat. I think that the taste is similar to cranberries in a way so it would go well with roast duck and turkey as well. Persimmons can be mashed with sweet potatoes to add a bit of mellow sweetness and it would accent the color. Kimchi can be chopped up super fine and used as a relish on hotdogs or chili or even tacos Korean pork belly is amazing and if you just slice it thin and throw it in a pressure cooker with sour kimchi and apples, it makes an amazing Kimchi sloppy joe. Korean beef, Massimo Botturo and Chef Pierre Gagnaire went on and on about the quality of the meat, so Koreans should use it with their amazing aptitude for pickling and make great corned beef or pastrami- now this ...

Hello everyone, This is Daniel Gray and I wanted to invite you to a dinner meet up. There is a nice new French Bistro in Sinchon called Le Quartier Latin and I was planning on heading there tonight around 7:30 for dinner. The bistro has rustic French favorites like mussels, quiches, croque monsieurs, and raclettes. The prices are very reasonable too (4,000 to 15,000). If you are interested, then respond to this message or send me an e-mail at this link to RSVP. Let's meet at Sinchon Exit 3 in front of McDonalds at 7:20. Here are the directions:     Go out Sinchon Exit 3 and walk straight until you get to the big church and make a right. Walk about about 500 meters and you'll see it on the second floor. It's marked with a big French Flag. And the phone number to the restaurant is 02-333-9874.

Here is the story that I wrote for the Seoul Tourism Site. You can go to the link to view more amazing pictures. Please leave a comment on their site because they are one of my sponsors and it helps me. Here's the link: http://english.visitseoul.net/visit2007en/aboutseoul/whyseoul/whyseoul.jsp?cid=46&sid=2511 Dan High-End Italian food made by Chef Eh-Oh Written and Photographed by Daniel Gray Sometimes I have to bite my tongue and eat my own words. It is no great secret that I've had disdain toward restaurants in Cheongdam. In the past, when people have asked me to recommend restaurants in this area, I have tried to persuade them to go elsewhere. My belief was that these restaurants - although glitzy - just had overpriced, bad food. Maybe I was just looking in the wrong spots or maybe I didn't notice a new trends taking place. The interiors are still beautiful, but now the food actually tastes good. Also, there are quite a few restaurants with owner/chefs. T...