In Korea, the most popular style of buckwheat noodles is naengmyeon: chewy buckwheat noodles in a clear pickled turnip soup. It is good but I sometimes miss having Japanese soba which is softer and more delicate. I am always a fan of skillfully made noodles- especially when they are made from buckwheat. Buckwheat noodles are very difficult to make because the shatter easily when rolled and cut. Korean noodles use some extra starch to bind them which makes them chewier. Mijin buckwheat noodle center (미진메밀국수전문점) makes fine noodles that are between Japanese and Korean noodles. They have an al dente bite but a silky slurp. The buckwheat flavor is not overpowering and it works well with the sauce mixed with daikon and onions. 7,000 won will get you two trays so four rounds of buckwheat noodles. You won't go hungry. Minjin Seoul Jongno-gu Jongno 1-ga 24 bonji 02-732-1954

Since I started working at O'ngo Food Communications , I have been lucky to work with amazing companies to help organize their events and incentive trips to Seoul. We have worked with numerous groups such as Yahoo!, Oracle, YPO (Young President's Organization), INSEAD, Yale Business School. LSG Sky Chefs, and many more companies. Bonuses and vacation days can only motivate an employee so much. Why not offer them an experience that they will treasure forever and ingratiate them to your company? Seoul, Korea is becoming one of the top destinations for travelers for its combination of modern and old, the lush land, rich history, palaces, pop culture and delicious food. O'ngo Food Communications has been offering high-end incentive experiences for our clients that focus on food and drinks. We offer custom tours for our clients to match their needs and agendas. We work with convention centers, transport companies, airlines, restaurants, and hotels to give you a no-fuss experienc...

The Sheraton Hotel is integrated into the D-Cube City Complex. The D-Cube city complex is one of the most innovative new constructions in the world and it is one of the vanguards of what integrated shopping and living will be in the future. Mr. Do-yoon Cha, the man behind the concept and the development of D-Cube City, is a nature lover and a foodie. This is evident in the foliage and 3 parks in the complex as well as the variety of restaurants and eateries throughout. The complex is impressive. As you enter from Sindorim Station exit 1, you’ll see glitzy storefronts, foliage, and eateries. You’ll find a three story H & M and Uniqlo stores as well as Zara, Guess, and Adidas and many more. The complex is like a biodome with real foliage around the entire construction and there is even a waterfall from the 5th floor to the bottom. Yes, there is a hotel built into D-Cube City and on the other side a modern apartment construction attached to the complex via skybridge. It’s a city so im...

I love Jeonju. I go down to Jeonju about 6 times a month now with my Jeonju food tour and I am becoming a local. I have made friends with many of the store and shop owners. In the markets, the ajummas like to give me a hard time while offering me samples of fresh fruits, kim, and more. I highly recommend you make a trip down there soon. Dan

While walking down by Hongdae I spotted a new stall that was booming loud techno music and some interesting new snacks. They are called egg balls and they are like crispy waffles with a choice of flavoring. They had peanut, chocolate chips and original. I got the chocolate chip and they were good. The balls are crisp and light and have a light egg batter. I highly recommend you get some. You can find them across from the trick eye museum in Hongdae.

11/11 or November 11th is Pepero Day in Korea and there is a very good chance that you will receive a couple of boxes of these long thin snacks on this day. The classic pepero sold by Lotte is a thin biscuit stick that is dipped in chocolate. Over time these have evolved into thin pretzel wrappers with chocolate inside (called Nude Pepero), Almond Chocolate, Strawberry, Blueberry, Nude Lemon Cheese, and then huge peperos that are the length of an adult’s arm. It is easy to get overwhelmed by the number of these strange thin snacks that swarm the Korea landscape on 11/11. So how did it start? The Lotte Confectionary Company introduced Pepero to Korea back in the 1980s. Many people believe that the company invented this day to increase their sales. If the Lotte Company did do this then it was a huge success. It sells almost two-thirds of it’s yearly total of these snacks in the two months before November 11th (Source: Lina Yoon Wall Street Journal 2006). The Lotte Company refutes this cl...

Recently on assignment I was asked to head to Bundang. The Bundang is what I whimsically refer to as the countryside. I know that it is not really. It is very modern and full of new apartments, shopping centers and parks. It's still a bit of a trek to get there so a restaurant better be dang good for me to make the trek there (sorry but cafe street in Jeonja is not worth my time.) So...I took the red bus down to the country and then I had to find Baekhyun Village in Pangyo (the name of the area always makes me laugh because it sounds like the Korean word for fart). It is not an easy place to get to- especially in the rain and taxi drivers don't even know where it is. It took me about 1.5 hours to finally get there from Insadong. It is even harder to find when apple maps (damn you apple!) can't find it. Luckily I had Olleh Navi and it pointed me in the right direction. Baekhyun Village is quaint and hip and there are cool cafes all over and a few eateries. The place seems t...

I was recently at the Incheon Regency Hotel to discuss with the management about our tour and events program and afterwards they kindly invited me to a chef's tasting menu at Restaurant 8. Restaurant 8 is their multiethnic restaurant concept that has 8 different types of world cuisine. If my meal is an indication of what guests enjoy regularly then it is truly a world class restaurant with progressive ideals about sustainable food. Cucina is their Italian concept restaurant and I was told it is their most popular venue. My meal started off with an selection of 3 appetizers: shrimp in aspic, an apple with gruyere, and seared tuna with a paprika coulee. The shrimp were succulent and melted into the aspic. The tuna was fine as well. The orange soup that came out looked like pumpkin, but it was not. It was made from yellow paprika that, I was told, was grown on the hotel's holding company's farm on Jeju Island. The soup was silky and seemed full of light. The paprika flavor was...

Silky Noodles in a Crisp, Ice Broth One thing you should not get into an argument about with Koreans is who has the best chilled buckwheat noodle soup (naengmyeon). It can turn into a heated debate since many people have strong opinions about the elasticity of the noodles, the crispness of the chilled turnip and beef broth, and of the toppings. One place that has a consensus of respect is Pyeong Yang Myeon-ok in Dongdaemun. They make their noodles, the broth, and their kimchi in house and have not changed much in the last 50 years. It is so famous that they built a parking-garage elevator to combat traffic congestion. The noodles are lively and they swim in the light, chilled, clear broth. This Seoul landmark also has North Korean style meat platters like obokjaengban and jaeok, and their fist-sized dumplings can’t be missed. Pyeongyang Myeonok Seoul Junggu Jangchungdong 1ga 26-14 Zip 100-391 Phone: 02-2267-7784 Directions: Go out Donguk University Station (Subway Line 3) E...

A food that is rich in protein and oil is perfect after a long work day (jang-oh). The eel is often killed fresh and then grilled over high heat, covered in sauce and then brought to the table. This fresh approach to preparing eel gives it a delightful crunch and a rich aroma. Over at Nakwon-dong, a famous eel place is called Gohyang and they serve the eel three ways: plain with salt or basted with chili paste or soy sauce. This is one of my favorite places to go after work. However, I try not to go too often because it is a bit high in calories. When you order, bring out a variety of different sauces, kimchis, leaves, and slivered fresh ginger. It’ll take a bit of time before your food will come out though for broiling eel takes time so while you wait they have raspberry wine (which is also believed to increase your health and stamina) or soju or beer. Making a fresh lettuce wrap filled with broiled eel, ginger, sauce and vegetables is one of Korea’s most delicious treats. Gohyang Jon...

Here is the fish market at 2am. I went there with one of my food tour guests. The auctions are pretty busy and the market is still open. If you are craving fish at 2am, this is the the place to go in Seoul.

I will admit that I was a Instagram hater at first. I had bought the hipstamatic app on my iPhone because it was so hot back then. I never understood hipstamatic but I did play around with it once or twice. These days I have been playing around with it and it seems to get quite a lot of interaction from people. It makes me want to look at my surroundings more as well. If you would like to follow me, look for Seouleats on Instagram. First picture is of "Old Town Coffee" a popular coffee drink in Malaysia. This was given to me by my guests (thanks Apxara). The beans are roasted in butter so it has a full, mellow taste. The second picture is from De Espresso Room in Haebangchon. I had a mocha cap there and it was very well made (4,000 with extra shot of espresso.) De Espresso Room 38-11 Yongsan-gu Yongsan-dong 07077744168 The third picture is from Take out Drawing. I had the Tod's Remedy tea which had a mix of ginger, orange peel, licorice and other things (7,500 won). It wa...