Photo Issue!

Here are some of the photos I've taken and and around the city of Seoul over the last few weeks.

Restaurant Review!

Marche l Jamsil l Seoul

It’s great. I love the fact that Seoulites have this love affair with Germanic foods. They seem to have the same love of hearty meals and beer; a similar roughhousing affection for drink and laughter. It reminds me a bit of Asterix to tell you the truth. I also love the fact that the food never really suffers for it. That is, it’s not too far off from the real thing and any differences are purely accidental.

Take Marche for example. It’s this hilarious cafeteria style restaurant with various cooking stations where you choose want you want and get a stamp on a card depending on how much it costs. The inside looks like a cross between a Hoffbrau and Boulangerie and the hostesses are dressed like Heidi. I had a chicken cordon bleu with a rosti while my friend had a rib eye steak with thick cut potatoes. It wasn’t too bad at all. My chicken was nicely fried with a good amount of ham and cheese but my rosti was on the soggy side. The steak was beautifully charbroiled and bloody as hell. Perfect.

The restaurant is attached to COEX mall which is supposed to be the largest underground mall in Asia. It’s not that big compared to North American malls but the choices you have are pretty good. Especially since it’s attached to Hyundai Department store which has a great food hall in its basement. There are quite a few choices for you here and all are reasonably priced. But if it’s an alpinesque meal that you want, you know where to go.

Restaurant Review!

Gubbi l Aogae l Seoul

One of my favorite Korean dishes is pork spine soup. Its sounds awful but the spine has the most delicious meat and a good spicy broth that is wonderfully warming. I remember when I was a kid, my mom would be the martyr and eat all the ribs and bone attached pieces of meat. Then as I got older, I realized that these were the most succulent, flavorful cuts of meat and maybe she wasn’t doing me such a favor after all.

So, I was looking forward to Gubbi which was well known for its pork spine soup and seemed busy, especially at our early dinner time of 6 pm on a weeknight. We sat down and ordered a big pot to share and prepared ourselves for something fairly hearty.
Out came the huge pot, sitting on a burner and big enough to feed 4, crammed with meat and spicy broth. We dug in and were surprised by the blandness of the meal. The soup lacked complexity and the meat seemed listless. Mind you, it helps to be hungry and by the time we got to the end of the meal, the soup had gained some flavor from its long cooking and yielded a decent broth for our meal ending rice.

On the TV was one of my favorite Korean shows which I have dubbed, “Let’s randomly film things with a high speed camera.” Somehow they’ve crafted it into a game show and have shown a man slicing cucumbers by throwing playing cards, a house with a cat, dog and rooster, and bacon frying in a high temperature kiln. I hope Gubbi gets the message and realizes that unlike the TV show, pork spine soup should take its own sweet time.

Restaurant Review!

??? l Sinchon l Seoul

Sorry again. I thought I had taken a picture of the restaurant’s sign but it didn’t turn out so once again, this Japanese restaurant will remain nameless. Anyways, I finally got to have one of those legendary dishes that are synonymous with certain cuisines. Well, maybe infamous might be a better term for sannakji or live octopus.

We started off with a series of starters such as some fantastic raw oysters. They were so incredibly sweet and this was the perfect time of year for them as the waters off of Korea are cold. The poached skate in spicy red pepper sauce was also good. Next, there was a spicy skate salad served with sesame leaves with tobiko and mayonnaise. With the usual sides and slices of sashimi, I was feeling pretty full after the shoju (rice wine) I had consumed to wash this all down. Then, I was informed that we had only completed our starters.

Out came the biggest plate of sashimi I have ever seen. In Korea, sashimi is never frozen so they tend to use smaller fish which have a much smaller chance of parasites and you could taste the difference. The fish have a much firmer texture and I knew that my hosts knew what they were talking about when they offered me the best part of the fish…the flesh around the fins. Then a small plate of wriggling tentacles arrived. I was speechless. The octopus is covered in sesame oil to keep them from grabbing onto your throat and choking you as those tentacles are really going. I carefully picked up a piece, dipped it in red chili sauce and popped it into my mouth, being sure to chew every bit of life out of it. I have to say, for someone who despises shellfish sushi, this was pretty good. It obviously wasn’t mushy and it had a slightly sweet seawater taste to it. It was pretty impressive I have to say but really, you need to get past that wriggling. Have a look yourself…

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Restaurant Review!

Mapongalpi l Ahyeon l Seoul

Do you like Korean BBQ? Me too! Do I like the way I eat it? Well, I was wrong. You know all that sliced garlic at the side of the table? You’re supposed to grill that first before you put it in your wrap. I learned that when I went to this fantastic BBQ restaurant specializing in fatty pork.

Thankfully, Koreans still care more about taste than their weight so we get to have 3 layered fatty pork for dinner. The 3 layers stand for the 3 layers of fat. In fact, they have a 5 layer variant as well from new improved breeds of pigs. The first thing you do is you take a piece of lard and you rub it on the grill to keep things from burning. Then you plaster on that fatty pork, liberally sprinkled with kosher salt. It came up juicy, succulent and tasting like actual pork. In our desire for more healthy pork, we’ve bred all semblance of flavor out of them. Wrapped in lettuce, sesame leaves and grilled garlic, it was so warming in the rapidly cooling evening.

Restaurant Review!

Chilgapsan l Jonggak l Seoul

This was the first time I actually had some unfamiliar food here in Korea. This hard to find restaurant sports no English I’m afraid, but is readily recognizable by its vine covered frontage. There is an incredibly warm wood feel that many Korean restaurants have but the added touch of tables made from uneven cross cut pieces of wood gave it an old/new feel that was refreshing. In the same regard, the food was also traditional with a slight twist.

To start, our neobiani, a large hamburger patty in a sweet marinade served sizzling on a hotplate, was extraordinary. It wasn’t overly sweet like many other beef dishes here but it had an intense meatiness to it that was perfect for a cold November evening. The accompaniments of spicy green salad kept the dish from becoming overwhelming. Following this was a more traditional Pajeon pancake filled with green onions and squid. Pan-fried and served piping hot, it had just the right balance of greens, seafood and eggy dough. Finally, we had doenjang bibimbap, a red rice dish served on a bed of mountain greens with a soybean curd sauce. The sauce was spicy and the tofu was slightly fermented in a way that gave it a hint of the sharp feta cheese flavor. Fantastic.

In Korea you have to really get use to the fact that you’re going to have to figure out some Korean to get around. Luckily, the staff was really helpful when they saw me fumbling with a phrase book. An adventurous attitude will help you get far here and sometimes, you might even discover a gem like this.

Restaurant Review!

??? l Aeogae l Seoul

Yes. I know. My Korean skills are useless at this stage. I should be able to make out the name of this place but to be honest, it was early in the morning and I was still pretty sleepy. This local noodle house seemed to get steady business all throughout the day so I thought it would be a good place to try out.

And since I was trying things out, I thought why not go for the ramen with cheese. Seriously, what the heck could it taste like? I have to say that it was a pretty unique with the noodles and the melting slice of cheese mixing itself in. this could only work with processed cheese as it seemed work with the broth too. I Rounded out the meal with a Korean sushi roll wrapped in an omelet. My breakfast of champions.

Restaurant Review!

Cabin Oak l Hongik l Seoul

In Seoul, pubs are often called Hofs. I have a theory that it’s named after a good old German Hoffbrau. I love hoffbraus and I love pubs so that makes it a pretty good combination. The common food at these places is fried chicken and beer. Cabin Oak, which is located in the fashionable university district of Hongik, serves barbequed chicken for a change of pace.

The chicken is cut into pieces and then smothered in a sweet, spicy sauce with rice cakes, macaroni, and squid. It’s not your typical sauce as it has raisins and has the more complex sweetness you might get out of something like baked beans. The heat though, was all Korean. It was good though because nothing gets you drinking beer like heat.

Hongik itself is a really interesting neighborhood with a real university feel and lots of bars with live musical acts. The one thing I do know is that whenever I go back, I’ll be sure to hit Cabin Oak.

Restaurant Review!

Good Restaurant l Yeouido l Seoul

The other day, I had a complimentary sauna session and lunch at a complex in the “Manhattan” of Seoul; Yeouido. The public bath was inexpensive and relaxing. You first sat down on a little stool and scrubbed yourself down. You could then sit and soak in a hot bath or heat lamp dry sauna. It was full of men just coming down for an hour or so just to unwind. Afterwards, you put on a robe and headed to tidy yourself up and relaxed by a big screen TV.

Lunch was even more pleasant when we sat down for Shabu Shabu. Thinly sliced beef with assorted greens, peanut sauce, soy sauce and Kimchi. Everyone had their own boiling pot of stock where they would dip the meat and veggies. First you took some veggies out of the boiling broth, dipped the cooked beef in the peanut sauce, wrapped the beef in the veggies, dipped it into the soy sauce and enjoyed. There was something really contemplative about this whole arrangement and the wide range of veggies made all the difference as it constantly afforded you a new taste. The personal hot pot gave it a dignity that contrasted sharply with the communal hot pots to which I was accustomed. A fairly different take on the hot pot but one of my favorite. In fact, I usually dislike going out for hot pot to be honest with you.

Finally, a warning: I haven’t mastered reading Korean yet and the only English I saw was a rather large sign that said “good restaurant.” In retrospect I think this might have been some sort of seal of approval. The sign is right though; this is a good restaurant.

Restaurant Review!

Wosk l Aeogae l Seoul

Today, I had the chance to have a common Korean lunch at a tiny restaurant. Nothing special. Nothing fancy. Just some pork and squid in a sweet spicy sauce, some rice, tofu soup, and salted pan fried fish.

It gave me a tiny window into an everyday meal in an everyday life. There was something charming about it as regulars and locals walked in and out through the chilly autumn air. They had gotten there by working their up winding alley ways flanked by walled courtyards and Persimmon trees heavy with festive orange fruit on leafless limbs.

teenage girl dance contest?
very good

Restaurant Review!

???? l Dongdaemun Stadium l Seoul

Do you like Korean BBQ? Me too! Do you like the way you eat it? Well, you better rethink it because it’s probably wrong. My first taste of Charcoal grilled meat was at a Korean joint in New York and it made a world of difference. The charbroiled flavor just can’t be beat and the fact that you wrap the meat with lettuce and herbs means that it is nowhere near as stomach stickingly rich as you might expect. My most recent experience was at Wooden Charcoal in San Francisco which was quite a long time ago. Not only was I itching for it, I was looking forward to the real thing.

Working our way though the craziness of the markets by Dongdaemun Stadium station, we entered a small alley and picked a good Korean BBQ spot. We sat down at a small table where they placed a selection of Kim chi in front of us. In the hole at the center of the table was placed a glowing bucket of charcoal which was then covered by a grill. The meat is cooked for you in these places and we had pork belly and pork loin all cooked to seared perfection. We wrapped the smoky meat in lettuce and sesame leaves with a bean paste and soy sauce, green onion dipping sauce. You could also place raw garlic and a spicy wild greens mixed salad into the wrap for added kick. It really does make a big difference as you end up eating way more meat and lots more vegetables. The Shoju made everything taste smoother and warmed me up just enough to watch the teenaged girl dancing contest in front of a local department store. Gamsa Hamnida.

Restaurant Review!

Felix l Tsim Sha Tsui l Kowloon

Ah yes. This is the place that’s known as one of the great bars of the world. Perched atop the swanky Peninsula Hotel is this Philippe Stark designed lookout point with its interior of contrasts and its hip crowds. The elevator ride up is an experience all its own with the lights dimming to match the interior of the bar as you exit. And the urinals. Don’t get me started on the urinals! They face outwards behind a huge glass wall that overlooks the city. It is hands down the best view I have ever had while relieving myself!

Sounding a tad cheese ball yet? Of course it’s tacky. The whole place is tacky. The drinks were decent though pricey but the service was dressed in these unfortunate MC Hammer pants with gold belts. The crowd was nothing more than a mix of drunken salacious Eurotrash tourists and wide eyed locals up for a special occasion at a “fancy” western bar. The desserts had that badly planned execution that made me think of “death by chocolate.” That same sort of faux 90’s fanciness that in the end is always meaningless. The dark and light interior was well past its prime, looking like a second hand Las Vegas stuck in the 90’s.

10,000 Golden Buddhas

There’s something strange about walking up a path towards a monastery that boasts 10,000 golden Buddhas. All along the path are life size statues of golden monks in different poses and expressions. You can’t help but feel that you are being watched and spied upon like some sort of intruder. Yet, walking through the quiet courtyard high up on the hillside, looking back down on the township of Shatin, I felt a calmness and tranquility come over me and the strange stares I felt turned into the sense I was being watched over. All because I saw a sign for the monastery by the Ikea parking lot. See, Ikea is the fount of all things good.

beef stroganoff
frosty mug
Stilton soup

Restaurant Review!

The Chinnery l Central l Hong Kong

Years ago, I had the great fortune of walking up to the wood paneled walls of the Chinnery at the Mandarin Hotel and asking for a table. The maitre’d advised us that there was no table available at the time so we advised him we’d be heading to the bar on the top floor for drinks. A few minutes later, while sipping drinks 10 stories up, we were approached by the bartender who asked us if we were the two gentlemen who had been waiting for a table at the Chinnery. Apparently, our table would soon be ready for us. A few minutes later, the maitre’d from the Chinnery approached our table to walk us the 10 floors back down to our table! We told him we would settle the bill first and meet him at the Chinnery. This is the level of service that has made the Mandarin hotel famous. It’s not about some sort of fawning servitude. It’s a professionalism that leaves you feeling that you were taken care of with respect and courtesy.

I was eager to rekindle that magic as I sat in the deep upholstered chairs of this small dining room. Serving a streamlined menu that focuses on a certain “old boys club” dining sensibility, it took me a great deal of time to choose amongst a wide set of winners. I settled on a horrifying yet delicious stilton cheese soup with crispy fried lardons. Indulgent but surprisingly enough, not overly rich. My main course of beef stroganoff will still remain as the best I’ve ever had. The beef was perfectly seared while the egg noodles had just the right amount of bounce. The meal and room seemed to emanate a quiet perfection. And, who can say no to a beer served in a chilled sterling mug?

Sadly, this old English feel also came with the reminder of Hong Kong’s colonial past. I hate to say it but race matters in Hong Kong. The all Chinese staff definately gave me a different level of service from my Caucasian counterparts. Its somewhat engrained at times and some people here equate western people with an inherent level of culture that calls for a certain level of entitlement. I switched to English when I noticed the difference but that only helped slightly. It may have differed last time as my server was Caucasian those years before but the spell was broken. Though I still love the food and the room, I will always cringe a bit when I walk in, like I’m just not as welcome as others.

that magical deep fried fish
prawns were an exercise in richness upon richness
lotus wrapped rice, pure genius
drunken squab, almost makes you want to drink

Restaurant Review!

Dong Bo l North Point l Hong Kong

Don’t mind the owner with the severe Hitler youth haircut. Don’t mind the movie posters he has rotting on the walls because he was in some movie or TV show. Pay no attention to the fact that Jean-Claude Van Damme eats here. Try to ignore the loud table of obnoxious office worker meatheads pounding back red wine like teenagers at a kegger. Just know that this is one of the 800 lb gorillas of great Chinese food here in Hong Kong.

I’ve seen this place slowly grow over the years. Located on the top floor of a wet market on Java Street, it’s slowly expanded and taken over the spaces of other restaurants on the floor and now takes up fully half of the space. On top of that, you’re going to have to make reservations if you want a seat and you’ll have to do it in the afternoon when their not open, otherwise, they may not even answer the phone much less make reservations. After some pondering, I decided that would be an appropriate place to take my 2 aunts and uncles for their last meals in Hong Kong before heading back to Vancouver.

Our first course was a drunken squab served with white vinegar. This is always a good opener as its cold, fast, and goes great with the chilled bowls of beer that you’ll soon be ordering through the go-go dancer beer girls. Next up, one of the dishes that made this place famous, Lotus wrapped rice steamed with chicken, pork, and shitake mushrooms. I can’t even begin to describe this dish in a way that will do it justice. Wonderful floral notes and woody tones from the leaf wrapped steaming process give it an elaborate complexity that nothing else truly approaches. I think I ate half of this on my own. Following this was a course of perfectly fried prawns with salted egg yolks. Did you know that prawns have tons of cholesterol? Did you know egg yolks; much less concentrated dried salted egg yolks are also heavy in cholesterol? Did you know that this dish was worth every artery punishing lipid? Tofu with broccoli and preserved vegetables was a great way to cleanse the palate and gird ourselves for the courses to come. A juicy fried chicken with dark crispy skin was up next in all its glory. In Hong Kong, when you buy a chicken at a wet market, you just point out the live bird from the cage, continue your shopping and in 10 minutes, you’ll come back to a freshly killed and dressed bird ready for consumption. Let me tell you, this bird flu taunting freshness makes a world of difference. Then there was a course that was almost magical. A deep fried “9 stomach” fish, similar in size to a sardine, yielded flesh that was so soft and smooth; it could only be described as panne cotta. As always, the meal ends with a hot dessert soup of mouth searing ginger and sweet potatoes. My uncle regarded the dish with suspicion, stating in no uncertain terms that this dish is only edible if there a lot of ginger. After a sip, his eyes widened ever so slightly and the only words that came out of his mouth was a quiet chuckle.