My company was given a seemingly impossible task. Introduce all that Korea has to offer in 5 days to a group of 14 food professionals from Holland. Three of the members were Michelin-starred chefs: Moshik Rot, Akira Oshima and Gerrit Gerveling. I have had the opportunity to tour other star chefs in the past and I know they can be quite particular. The group was looking for a tour that would show them all the Korean food secrets the country had to offer. They wanted to meet with top chefs, they wanted to explore the farms and the food production areas and they wanted to have fun. A lot of fun. Luckily our company was up to the task. On the first few days, we explored Seoul. We went to the traditional markets and the new modern markets (SSG). They also took cooking classes at our cooking school and at the North Korean Institute for Korean food. We also had a high-end dinner at Korea's contemporary Korean restaurant: Jungsikdang where the chef prepared a special meal for the group. Y...

Here is another Guest Review. This one is written by Bigskyseoul from the blog C.R.E.A.M  . If you would like to write a guest review go here. Thanks Big Sky for the Review, Dan                                                                                       "Gangnam is full of illustrious restaurants to fit any appetite, but if you're in the mood for sushi (and come on, why wouldn't you be?) then get on the waiting list at 갓덴스시. As you take exit 12 from Gangnam station walk only a few dozen feet to find 갓덴스시 on your left, just up some stairs. You might have to put your name on a waiting list as the place has a solid following. Trust me though, it is worth the wait. Take a seat at one of the many tables adjacent to the conveyor belt and wait until you see something ta...

                  A little while ago we discovered that just across from our work in Bangbae-dong there is a cute little brunch restaurant. Although, its not so little, its actually over 3 floors with a gallery at the top! I’m always looking for new places to brunch so one Friday we decided to go to work a little early and hit this place up. The industrial style space is decorated with art and has a cool warehouse vibe. It was really busy when we ventured there at lunchtime. They have a menu of around 10 brunch options that can be purchased in a set with an americano. Perfect for those ladies that lunch, and lunch they did, this place was heaving. The food was of western style but designed to please the Korean palette. We opted for a Mandarin Salad. It was huge. The chicken was well cooked and very tasty. There was lots of fruit and it was very refreshing, although a smaller amount of salad would have been better. Overall it was very nice, a ...

                              Gourmet 494 is a gourmet cafeteria in the basement of the Galleria Department Store which you can easily get to via the new Rodeo Apgujeong Subway line. It's got an array of shopping and restaurants. You can spend the day shopping and head back to this center for every meal. I recently went there with my staff for a company meal and we got a wide arrange of different foods to try. The space is impressive. It is very luxurious and high tech as well. After you place your order, you get little electronic beacons that have GPS so servers can deliver your meal to you. The whole place is like a giant open kitchen/restaurant/cafeteria/grocery store that offers full service. Usually, I am weary of all these very mixed concepts, but I have to say that this works well. I recommend you make a visit. Here are some recommendations for breakfast lunch and dinner there with pictures. Breakfast: Get...

I have been a fan of the Dongdaemun Mutton Refectory since my very first week in Korea. I also enjoy  the name, there just aren’t enough restaurants that have the word refectory in the title. Back in my Cheongju days it was  the  restaurant to go to. Every birthday, leaving party, or visiting friend warranted a 20 strong posse descending onto our favourite restaurant. This was long before I had discovered the likes of  Ho Lee Chow  and it satisfied every craving I ever had for Chinese food. The food at the Mutton Refectory is Chinese style not Korean or Western, though the dishes we chose were always crowd-pleasers. So, after I moved away from Cheongju, I always missed it. That was until I found out that the Dongdaemun Mutton Refectory is actually a chain restaurant.  Shockingly they have one in Dongdaemun! You would have thought that the name would have been a clue, but clearly I missed that (d’oh!) Nestled in Dongdaemun, on a street practically brimming with Chinese restaurants offer...