This was sent by a reader^^ I'm always so happy when people send me mai l. She said that she found a great Fish N Chips place over by Sangsu Station exit 1. Thanks M for the email! Great Pictures! Here's the message: Hello Dan. I've been enjoying your blog and was looking for a fish & chips place aside from the Irish pub in Itaewon until I stumbled on this post http://www.seouleats.com/2009/ 09/2-for-1-fish-n-chips-again- at-wolfhound.html . We decided to check out Small Dish. I've never been to Wolfhound but the fish & chips at Small Dish were wonderful. Big portion (at least for me) at very reasonable prize. The place is also very small but cozy. To go there get out at Exit 1 Sangsu Station, turn left & walk straight (walk towards Hongdae University not Hapjeong Station, my friend got confused). Turn left when you see a cozy restaurant (forgot it's name). It's before you get to a book cafe and Snob coffee house on your left. The gu...

I don't know how I missed this one. I know not food related, so eat something while watching this.

Hmmm...I haven't been there for a while (over a year) and I've heard from some people that the experience has gone kind-of south. A friend called me yesterday asking me for a brunch recommendation in Itaewon and I said the Flying Pan, but with cautionary comments such as: "I haven't been there in a while; It's expensive; It's super busy; and For about the same amount of money you could just go to the Hyatt (35,000 per person). Well, I heard back from my friend after the meal and he said the service was awful, the food was bland, and the pancakes were burnt and uncooked at the same time. Burnt and uncooked at the same time? How does that happen? It happens when you try and take shortcuts while cooking pancakes. If you pre-cook your pancakes, they tend to get dense and if you cook too many on the same cooking apparatus, then the heat won't be as hot and it'll take longer to cook. I did ask him who he saw in the kitchen. He said all Koreans. No, I...

random photo^^ I love getting questions and answering questions. Now, I try and answer all the letters I receive, but sometimes I can't get to them. There are two options. 1) There is a forum section on the Seoul Eats Facebook Group Page (Click Here)  And there is a Seoul Eat's Forum found on the tab bar above or just click here. Recently I received this letter from a reader named Daniel: Hey Daniel, I was looking at your newest post of restaurant recommendations, and you posted this twice. So it must have been a good experience. Plus I've ever had a royal court experience. I checked out the website, but not a lot of useful information unless I have my Korean friend translate it. Was it an easy place to make reservations, if they even take them. Did you pick your set beforehand? Do they have English menus?  Would you recommend Sura-on for a special occasion? Are there any other restaurants you recommend for a special occasion? Thanks. My Response They have Englis...

Has Dos Tacos expanded to Nambu Terminal? Can anyone confirm this? This is a message I got from a reader: As with most of "directions" in South Korea - I had a little trouble. The  Orange Line #3 @Nambu Bus Terminal (I think that was the one) is only about 50 Meters west of the Dos Taco's, not quite the "hike" as from the Gangnam stop on the "green line". Thanks for the recommendations - I have tried several (Wolfhound, 3Alley, Ryans, On-the-Boarder, and even a few not recommended). Thanks and keep up the good work. I mean it must be true because he did get pictures.

This arrived in my inbox today. It sounds pretty interesting. Dan Greetings;  You might find this interesting..... Chef Garrett For Immediate Release Sunday, October 18, 2009 Flu Fighting Cookies Ruby Edwards' TARTINE Bakery & Cafe 119-15 Itaewondong, Yongsangu Seoul , South Korea [Republic of] Contact: Lee, Young-Ho, Co-Owner 02-3785-3400    -  010-4186-2051 contact@tartine.co.kr Flu Fighting Cookies Kimche and Samgatong as a main course might help fight influenza, but what about dessert?  Now you can have it all. Chef D.Garrett Edwards -Executive Chef and Co-Owner of TARTINE Bakery & Café, was trying to develop a whole grain cookie that would be both healthful and delicious.  Chef Garrett wanted the texture to be just right, full bodied from the whole grains, seeds, dried cranberries and toasted pecans; and still retain enough moisture to add a softness. While researching the nutritional values of each ingredient, Chef Ga...

I was on the bus to Hakdong station today and I was reminded of how alike we all are.  Even though I live on the opposite side of the world from many of my friends and family, people still communicate in similar ways. At 1030 AM the roads of Seoul are a twisted, tangle of fueled steel. The bus I was on was packed, but luckily I was able to get a seat near the front. In Seoul the bus lanes are in the middle of the road. They have a island where people can catch the buses. As strange as it sounds, it's very effective and makes traffic move faster and it helps pedestrians on the street. As our bus was stopped at the traffic light in the middle lane, 3 people ran across 6 lanes of highway and NOT at a pedestrian crosswalk. They were 3 older potbellied men, and one of them got his foot stuck on a chain that separated the lanes. Bus driver started to honk at the men, and started to honk more when the light changed. The man who had his leg stuck didn't panic. In fact he slo...

This video is amazing. You can see these High School Students cheering for their team and they do all the animation and signage with their clothes! Thanks Erica for the link!

This is my story on Sanchae House. It was published at Visitseoul.net. Please do me a favor and check out their site and write a comment under the story on their website. It would really help me (because they actually pay me to write for them^^). Here's the link for their website. Thanks, Dan By Daniel Gray Dolsot Bibimbap is one of Korea’s most enjoyable and distinctive dishes, and provides the chance to learn a little Korean – a dolsot is a stone pot and bibimbap means “mixed rice”, and that’s exactly what the dish is: warm rice, served in a heated stone bowl and topped with various vegetables. The latter vary according to the season and whoever’s making it – they could be throwing in cucumber, carrot, mushrooms, bean sprouts, bellflower roots, alfalfa, sprouts, egg, beef or tofu. You then add a bit of gochujang (spicy red pepper paste) to the rice and mix everything up before eating, well, almost everything. I recommend you leave a small layer of rice on the bottom of t...

A person I know named raves about Raggae Chicken and was greatly offended when I didn't include it in my Korean Fried Chicken Story.  Now I don't exactly know how I ended up there one night, but I stumbled over there with a few of my friends. So where is it? Hmmmm...I know it's on the opposite side of exit five. You go up on that side of the street and make a left down a side street. I'll try and get better directions later. It's a hippie looking chicken house and the people who work there all have that rasta thing going on. Oh, btw, I recommend you use the bathroom before you head there- it's a little closet that's pretty rancid. The disco balls are quite nice. Here is an interior shot. My friends. The one on the bottom is Sosun. I'm surprised I was able to take the picture. It was a long night of drinking before we arrived at Reggae Chicken. I believe we arrived around 2am or so. We started the evening with soju bombs (beer with shots of soju) an...

This was a random find that I came across as I was doing some research for a story I was working on. Yes, there is a soju song and it's really funny. It's got factory girls and waitresses and yes, they are cracked out on soju. So... what was I originally looking for? I was looking for the dancing girl for Socool Soju. It's a brand of soju by 처음처럼 and they have a very sexy dancing girl by the name of You-ee. You-ee is sexy and she's got an amazing body- very different from the very skinny, elegant girls you often see. Hmmm...but can she top the Queen of Soju, Lee Hyori? If you are drinking soju, have you ever had Hyori-ju? It's when you take the picture of Lee Hyori and stick it on the bottom of your shot glass. It looks like this: Here is another video with You-ee. wow.... And here is one more Soju song: Thanks Tamar !

Nestled amongst the affluent area of Sinsa Dong, Tutti Matti Resto Lounge offers a complete escape from the madness of the city. The brainchild of an Italian and an Australian, who met through their parents' shared love of wine, Tutti Matti boasts five levels of dining and drinking pleasure. The interiors are inviting with a mixture of dark wood and exposed brick, upon entering one immediately feels in the lap of luxury. The motto here (emblazoned on the back of the staffs uniform) is "Be yourself" and they certainly cater to everyone's taste, whether you want to wine and dine a special someone, treat your staff to a fancy dinner or dance all night to the fresh house grooves in the basement bar.  Seating around 100 people, the dining area is spread out over 4 floors, each with a different feel, so you can choose to enjoy your meal whilst sitting on the outside balcony or watch as the Chef (direct from Napoli, no less) works his magic in the open kitch...

Luke Martin is an illustrator that lives in Seoul.    I highly recommend you check out his website:  www.roketship.com  for more fun and laughs.