Hello Daniel, You don't know me but for your background we both worked (in our own separate spheres) on the Seoul Book of Everything. I'm familiar with your work in the culinary blogging field aka "food writing." You put out a lot of good stuff; keep it up! Hey, I just wanted to ask you if you know of any decent restaurants in downtown (Jongno/Myeong-dong/Gwanghwamun areas) or Itaewon and thereabout that offer corkage-free dining (no corkage fee for bringing a bottle of wine ). I know of one that I have visited in Hongdae but I'm looking for something closer to downtown for tonight. Thanks, Joe Dear Joel, Most regular Korean Bbq places will let you bring your own wine. It's the expensive places that will charge you a corkage fee (Usually 20,000 won). These small Mom and Pop Shops won't have a corkscrew and you'll probably have to bring your own wine glasses (Or use the beer glasses).  There are many Korean Bbq places and they are ...

So while living in New York my friend Sarah and I were constantly looking for the Naengmyeon with the best broth. The simple reason being, there isn't much in a Naengmyeon, it's made of beef broth, noodles and a hard boiled egg. The simpler something is it's harder to get it right, you can't hide behind all the fuss. Being in the homeland of Naengmyeon ( actually Naengmyeon's OG homeland is the North ), I've started a collection of a few good spots... for this post it's just a comparison between two old timers. #1 Buwon myeon oak (부원면옥) 5,500 won for a bowl of Naengmyeon This is located in the hustle and bustle of the Namdaemun Market. My dad has been coming here since his college days and not much has changed, including the taste of the broth. It's cloudier and denser than most and the noodles chewier. The best thing about this place is the mung bean pancakes (녹두전) there's something about the crispy exterior and the piping hot interior that melds pe...

Dduk Galbi (떡갈비) Hodduk (호떡) and yes, everyone eats it w/ that much intensity Happy family of fried corn dogs Fried hot dog bun with loads of ketchup and mayo Bulgogi stuffed bun Roasted pig Korean style (drool) The infamous Namdaemun hodduk, deep fried(?) (남대문 호떡) The best street food, all the Korean side dishes you could ever want (반찬) My favorite way is to eat it w/ fried yaki dumpling (떡볶이랑 야끼만두) and to end this small collection, noodles underneath the escalator. Hope you've enjoyed, if you have any suggestions on new street food finds, let me know ^^* www.touchtastedesign.tumblr.com

Tang Restaurant by Shinnonhyeon Station Exit 4 It's hard to find good pho in Seoul, but it turns out Seoul has a kind of pho that's kinda hard to find back in the states.  From what I understand, the pho in America is from southern Vietnam.  Makes sense.  But recently I went to a place that had north Vietnam, specifically Hanoi, style pho. Located just out of Shinnonhyeon Station exit 4, Tang specializes in bun cha and pho.  I've had the bun cha there and it's very good, but this time I just had pho.  I believe the main difference between northern and southern style pho is that with the former, you don't really add things on your own.  You just eat it as is.  It's just noodles, broth, meat, onions, and I think green onions.  The meat at Tang was cooked separately, and the broth was cloudier.  The noodles are also thicker.  It's pretty good actually.  The broth has a nice, deep flavor and tastes very clean in spite of its cloud...

So I am taking the day off. Yay. I'm going to a Baseball game with my Girlfriend. I hope everyone enjoys their day off. Dan Image via flickr

Image via Aesookkim.com by Lindsey Huster Hop on an outbound Korean flight, and you may find yourself with one of the first tubes of in transit gochujang. The red pepper fermented paste can be now found on KLM Air Canada and Cathay Pacific flights with a course of bibimbap.   Even before this new contract, however, Gochujang has become condiment of  large (and small) proportions that’s gaining more attention. Gochujang-  a crimson paste composed of soybean, rice and red pepper- adds a unique blend of hot, sweet, salty and savory to a majority of Korean dishes. Healthy globs of this paste give many rice dishes a distinguishable rosy tint.   Gochujang is thought to have been introduced during the end of the Chosun Dynasty. With only a mere two hundred year history, this red pepper paste has expanded into a number of varieties (glutinous rice, barley, wheat, and red bean).   Distinguishable red Tupperware dress shelves (and sometimes aisles) of...

Dear Seoul Eats Readers, Thank you for messaging me and telling me that I need to do a meet-up soon. I'm sorry, but a lot of my time and energy has been going towards the cooking classes and food tours that I have been running on behalf of my company, O'ngo Food Communications. But, I can't forget about all the people who have read and have been supporting what I've been doing. Thank you so much for reading and getting involved. I'm so happy that there is such an epicurious community in Seoul. Our last couple cooking classes for pasta making and for temple cuisine were a big hit and we will be doing them again. Also, in June we'll have a brunch class, a healthy foods class, a beer making class, and a wine tasting class. I'll let you know more details soon. Here is our schedule for our cooking classes and tours can be found on our calendar page here. We have to have a minimum of 4 people to do our classes. Menus can be changed to fit what you would ...