I have to say, I love my job. As part of O'ngo Food Communications  I often get asked to do custom, Korea private tours for clients that are in Korea for a very short period of time but would like to see as much as possible. This could be people that are on a layover or on a business trip. Our tours are not touristy. They seek to get the traveler into Korea to see what locals would see. Private tours are customizable to I try to pick spots that are in line with the guests interests. Luckily, as a Seoulite that has lived here for 7 years, I know my the city (and other cities. I'll show you some shots about my Jeonju and Gyeongju tours later).  I like to go on cultural jaunts that include good food along the way. Here are some shots I took during my recent tour with Keith from Tennessee. He wanted a tour that focused on food, design, and insight into what the young hip Koreans are up to. In a way this was a consulting trip for him since it was similar to the field of work he was ...

I like presents. But then again who doesn't. So when I was sent an email by the Chocolate Factory to review their products I was happy to do so and I quickly sent off an order. The concept of the chocolate factory is that you can order the type of chocolate you would like: Milk, Dark, or White and then you can choose your toppings. They have a lot of toppings such as macadamia nuts, almonds, Reese's pieces, mint, m & m's, cookie dough pieces, teddy grahams and much more. You can custom design your own chocolate and then it will be delivered in a cool box. The turn around is quite fast. I placed the order on a Tuesday and I got the box on Wednesday. Inside was the chocolate I ordered. The custom one I made was a dark chocolate with mint, macadamia nuts, teddy cookies and cookie dough candy. I was going for a mint chocolate cookie concept. The look was very cool and the novelty of it made it very special. I mean it was something that I could see ordering or sending as a ...

I needed to be healthy today so I am doing temple cuisine at Balwoo Kong. Today's menu is brown rice with beans, radish greens kimchi, boiled peanuts, jeon, oak mushrooms in a mustard vinegarette, mugwort pancakes and soup. All for 7,000 won wow! My boss had the mushroom topped rice. Dan

Here are some photographs of what I am eating on a trip to Jeonju. Veteran Calguksu 063 285 9898 전복 전주시 완산구 경기전길 135 Cafe 이닥 Www.idag.com 010 5777 9669 사랑채 막걸리 전주시 완산구 삼천동 1가 624-8 063 225 5522

One of my local hangouts to get good Korean barbecue and simple meals is Sutbat Sutbul Galbi. Luckily it is right next to where I work. Here the Galbi is scored and marinated just right and cooked over charcoal for maximum flavor. The dolsot bibimbap comes out crispy on the bottom and with enough vegetables. I also like their naengmyeon . The interior is nothing special- bright florescent lights and white walls. It makes you want to eat, drink and move on to the next place. The prices are reasonable. Lunches like soup and rice start at 6,000 won and barbecues at 12,000 won. Their marinated beef is only 24,000 won. Reasonable and good quality. Sutbat Sutbul Galbi Seoul Jongno-Gu Nakwon-dong 43 02-765-3055 종로구 낙원동 43

I am on a gourmet Korean private food tour   with a guest and I am currently in yangpyeong eating at Sandang restaurant. This is the restaurant owned by Chef Im Jiho. Who I say is the Thomas Keller of Korea (but he doesn't know who Thomas Keller is.) Here are some of the dishes we enjoyed. Dan Sandang is located outside the city at Yangpyeong. Sandang Gyeonggido Yangpyeong-gun Ganghwamyeon Unshimri 104-1 031-772-3959 경기도 양평군 강화면 운심리 104-1

Here are some food specials over at Le Saint Ex in Itaewon Anyway, since you asked it to me a while ago, in case you are still interested, our specials of the week at Saint-Ex : Specials for the week / spéciaux de la semaine / 이본주 스페셜 메뉴: Soupe de petits pois English peas creamy soup 9500W 그리미 완두콩 스프 Vol au vent de fruits de mer Vol au vent pastry stuffed with creamy seafood 13500W 해산물 그림 스튜 들어간 파스츄리 Entrecôte grillée à l’echalotte et beurre vigneron, tomate grappe à la provencale et frites maison30000W Ribeye steak with shallots and red wine butter, roasted vine tomatoes and home made French fries 샬롯과 와인 버터소스 등심 스테이크, 홈메이드 프렌치 프라이 Parillada de poissons grillés, légumes verts sautés, huile d’olive bio « Clemente » 29000w Grilled fish assortment with sautéed green vegetables, cooked with “Clemente” organic olive oil 생선 모듬 구이, 클레멘테 유기농 올리브유로 구운 그린 야채

The South Korean Government has spent more than 100 million of dollars in an attempt to globalize their cuisine and make it one of the “top 10” cuisines in the world. They even started a “Korean Food Globalization Foundation” to assist in their efforts. As Korea is becoming a popular tourist destination, it would make sense to incorporate culinary tourism into their globalization endeavors. Is Korea ready to welcome tourists whose main purpose is the food? Not from what we have seen. As an operator of a cooking school and a food tour company in Seoul, there are many issues with the tourism because of outdated laws and a lack of infrastructure. Also, many local Korean restaurants are closing because of rising rents and ingredient costs. If efforts are not made to help preserve the Korean food culture, there won’t be much left to globalize nor restaurants to serve the food tourists have traveled to taste. The confusion on culinary tourism isn’t just in Korea, but worldwide as even the ma...

Yay! Our food tours were featured in one of Korea's top newspapers stating that we are helping to revitalize the traditional markets.

Korean food has become popular world wide. Galbi, bibimbap, and kimchi jjigae have become terms known by Korean food connoisseurs as well as casual fans alike. One of the reasons for the success of Korean food is that it is generally well suited for taste buds all across the globe. There’s a wide variety that most anyone will enjoy. But Korean food is more than just bibimbap and kimchi. There’s a whole range of food that most non-Korean’s have never even heard about. And there’s good reason. Here’s a list of 5 Korean foods for the brave. Whether it be because of taste, smell, texture, or spiciness, these bizarre Korean foods are on the extreme end of the spectrum, so much that even some Koreans won’t eat these! Read on to see if you’re game! Beongdegi (번데기) (photo credit: http://maskfighter23.blogspot.com/) This is by far one of the most visually weirdest foods Korea has to offer. Mostly found in markets or vendors at parks, the culture around eating this odd Korean food can be likened...

I love cockles. Especially when they are freshly streamed with a seasoned soy sauce. Here is a shot I took while at the fish market.