Dae-Ahn Sunim I feel quite lucky these days because my good friend, Monk Dae-Ahn is an amazing person and amazing chef. She is a creative and logical person that is pushing the envelope of what is considered Vegan Cuisine. She is like Thomas Keller for she takes Korean favorites and adds her own spin on the dishes. She transformed pork cutlets into Kongkas: bean cutlets and the bean meat is absolutely...meaty. I mean I couldn't believe it wasn't meat. Her mushroom sauce on top is exquisite as well. Last week she started making kimbap: Korean vegetable rice rolls and these were the best rice rolls I have ever had. The vegetables were all delicious (and organic) and the rice she uses is a mix of brown rice, barley, and other grains (so it is healthy). It is a delicious snack and one that I will have to get the next time I need a snack.  Here is a mix of different rice rolls she has made. Balwoo Gongyang Kong (Located on the 2nd Floor of the Templestay building a...

I recently revisited Zelen and it was a great meal. I am so happy that it is still doing well. On the Thursday afternoon I was there, the restaurant was full. I had the bean salad which was an excellent starter along with many other dishes. The yogurt was outstanding as expected. The star of the meal was the stuffed peppers. I am a sucker for stuffed pappers and they are top notch here. The pepper skin just melts off and the rice is fluffy with the savory meat. We also had an stew dish. I forget the name of it but it had potatoes and pork and cheese. Also excellent. The food here is great. The service can be a bit slow, but the place is so busy that it is understandable. I also wish they had a bread basket or something because there were so many sauces that needed a bit of sopping up. Finally...the place isn't cheap. I recommend you get the couple sets (the coursed meals) or call in advance to order a whole shank of lamb, roast salmon, or rabbit. zelen Zelen: Fine Bulga...

Cafe Jeje Here is another picture taken with my new wide lense attachment.

Cafe Jeje Cafe Jeje is my new favorite cafe and since it is just up the road from me, I'm very happy. The best thing about this place are the beans. They are all roasted in house by Kim Gwang-seon. I am not one to trust certificates and awards, but she knows how to make a cup of joe or a latte or a cappuccino or any number of great drinks. She has several award winning drinks on her menu such as her Polar Snow, but I just go in for her rich, flavorful hand drip coffee. I love the Guatemala and the Mandheling. The Ethiopia is fine as well and at 3,000 won for a great cup of coffee is a bargain (in Korea, 3,000 won is a bargain for coffee). It's a great place to relax after work and catchup on reading or just for relaxing. They have free wifi as well. The cafe has lots of freshly roasted coffee in house and I often buy a bag or two for home and for work. Each bag is only 10,000 won for 250grams and for the quality it is incredible. Overall, this place is one of the best...

Here is a preview of my next month's story for Seoul Magazine . It is a saucy and delicious lamb rib with rice. Yum. Find out about all the other delicious food in next month's issue out in reputable places on August 20th. Dakhan Seoul, Jung-gu, Gwanghuidong 1-ga 188-5 02-2278-4633 Mongolian and Korean Menus Only. Korean spoken. Directions: Go out Exit 5 of Dongdaemun History and Culture Park and make a right. Cross the road and you’ll find it on the second floor.

Here is my good friend and business partner, Jia Choi and she is making Dakgalbi, which is one of my favorite Korean dishes. She has lots of great tricks on how to make this a very delicious tasting dish.   Dakgalbi (pt. 1/2) Spicy Chicken Stir Fry {Food Culture w/ Chef J. Choi} from PS8 on Vimeo . Dakgalbi (pt. 2/2) Spicy Chicken Stir Fry {Food Culture w/ Chef J. Choi} from PS8 on Vimeo . The video was shot by John and David from the new online video service, PSeight. You can see their website here  http://www.pseight.com/ . If you see the video bigger on their website. There will be more videos coming up featuring Chef Jia Choi PhD. You can take classes with Jia at our cooking school at www.ongofood.com Come take a cooking class or take a Culinary Tour in Seoul! http://www.ongofood.com Pictures are taken either with my Panasonic DMC-G2 Camera with 20mm Lens or with my iPhone 4G Join the Seoul Eats Facebook Group Page to keep to date with the latest even...

Mini Slider's at Maloney's Pub The burgers at Maloney's pub are simply classic pub fare. The atmosphere has all the fixtures of an Irish bar (without a belligerent yet friendly Irishman). They have Guiness and Erdinger Beer on draft as well as bottles of good Rogue Stout. It seems to be a local handout because I saw quite a few regulars both times that I went. The burgers are a bit grissly but they are moist and flavorful. The first time I went I got the mini sliders. These were good and actually quite filling. They reminded me a bit of White Castle Burgers because the bun is toasted.  And at 10,000 won with fries, it was pretty good value. The second time I went I got the Mushroom and Swiss Cheeseburger. Also, very good. The bun was toasted and the mushrooms were sauteed and there was real, melted swiss cheese on the burger.  The one thing I think they could improve are the fries. I mean they aren't crispy. The pub uses real potatoes to make them and...

Cuttng Kimchi at Home Looks like Murder I made kimchi chiggae for dinner tonight but before I could, I had to cut some kimchi. My mother's kimchi is quite sour and spicy so it leaves a dark trail of red in my sink. My favorite instrument to use to cut kimchi is my butcher's knife and because I don't want to get all the stuff on my hands, I wear pink rubber gloves. Don't worry folks, nothing Sweeny Todd-esque went on in the kitchen.  Dan

      This was originally pubished in the August Issue of Seoul Magazine. Reprinted with permission. Are They Nuts? 9,500 won for a Bowl of Cold Soup In my search for the best Chilled, Soy-Bean Milk Soup (Kongguksu), I was a bit shocked to find that the best place in Seoul served it for almost double of the average price. Expectations were definitely set on high. The restaurant doesn't look like anything special, but it's big- two stores big. Once we sat down, the impatient waitress expected our order. I got the bowl of Kongguksu and my friend got the Spicy Mixed Noodles (Bibimguksu). The bibimguksu was outstanding. The flavors were balanced and the noodles were slick and chewy. Now the star of the lunch was the kongguksu. The soybean milk was thick and creamy like peanut butter. The fine noodles were the perfect carriers for this broth. I especially loved the kimchi with the noodles in soy-bean broth. I asked the owner what their secret to their peanut butter like bro...

Skinny House in Itaewon Behind Itaewon's main street is really redeveloping. There are a number of boutique clothing shops and most of the buildings are being gutted and redone. The speed and progress they have made in the last few months have been incredible. Right before this picture of a skinny house, there used to be a building. Once that building was knocked down and a road put through, the development really took off. Now the road that connects the Wolfhound all the way to Suji's is connected. Two cafes, a barbecue place, a sausage shop, and many boutique clothing shops have already opened. I see it becoming the new Garusugil (without the trees and the fashionable people ...or parking or...maybe not.)  It's going to be a new Itaewon. Dan The front of the skinny house Skinny Cafe

UZBEKI FOOD- VERY NICE! It was raining when we tried to find it. No surprise there. But finally we did, out of exit 8 at Dongdaemun Cultural Centre station, straight ahead about 50 metres and then left, down the first alley you hit on the left hand side. The whole alley is littered with Russian lettering, passport services, phone cards, and then the tastier words like 'shashlik' and 'somsa' in welcoming neon lettering.  My friend and I chose a place called Tabassum. It's non-descript, a few tables inside a fluorescent room, us and a table of Korean men the only inhabitants. The waiter, speaking perfect English and Korean (and undoubtedly Uzbeki and Russian) quickly navigated us through the menu. Prices are good, nothing really exceeding 8,000. We ordered somsa, shashlik, palmeni, and qozon kebab. We also ordered a few 5,000 won bottles of 9% Russian beer. Good stuff. The first thing to arrive was the somsa, a savory pastry stuffed with minced ...

seouleats I am trying to post process my photos more so this is my first attempt with Adobe Lightroom 3. I don't really know how to use it yet, but I think with time I'll get better. This is a Vegan rice ball from Balwoo Kong. Dan

Patbingsu and Revolutionary Tteok at Haap I have raved about this place for a while now. They say that pictures say more than words. Enjoy. Dan Tteok, Baesuk and Patbingsu at Haap Haap Patbingsu Tteok Patbingsu Tteok Revolutionary Tteok View Larger Map