by Michael Jones Sorry for the hiatus, I’ve been traveling a lot lately, but it’s time to start reviewing delicious food again. For the first post of 2016 I wanted to review one of my favorite restaurants in Seoul, The Flying Chicken. The Flying Chicken (닭날다) is located near Sangsu station and serves incredibly delicious Cheese Dakgalbi (철판치즈닭갈비). One chicken costs 20,000 won and is large enough to serve 2-3 people. You can also order a half chicken or one and a half chickens. The chicken is served on a hot plate and is mixed in an incredibly delicious spicy, yet slightly sweet, red sauce. The chicken is covered in gooey, stick to your lips mozzarella, and is mixed with onions, diced sweet potato, and rice cake. This combination of ingredients makes an incredible flavor profile and I have a hard time describing this without drooling on my keyboard. They have other varieties, but the one we always order is the second one listed on the menu (the one for 20,000 for 1 chicken). I also like the Ju Meok Bap (주먹밥), which literally means fist rice. At the Flying Chicken, their Ju Mok Bap is filled with a hardboiled egg and covered in purple sticky rice and seaweed. Here at this restaurant, they call it 알밥 (al bap), instead of ju meok bap for some reason. ButI love the flavor of the salt from the seaweed mixing with the steamed rice and it’s a great thing to order, if, like me, you eat a lot of food (2,500). The atmosphere is also pretty interesting and the inside looks like a military bunker; the place is decorated in ammo canisters and military storage boxes. The beer is even served in military tin cups. This place is really cool, it's in a great location (especially if you want to explore Hongdae after), and most importantly, it serves some outstanding food. If you are hungry and want some stick to your ribs sort of grub then this place deserves a visit.
Directions: Go to Sangsu station, exit 2. Go out and walk for a bit and turn right on the diagonal street on your right named Wausan-ro 18 gil ( 와우산로18길). The restaurant will be up the street on the right. Enjoy the food :)
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Bindaetteok is a Korean pancake made from ground up mung beans and mixed with assorted vegetables and sometimes meat. This mixture is then fried in oil on an open top grill. Gwangjang Market, in Seoul, is famous for traditional Korean food and the Bindaetteok there is outstanding. My favorite restaurant is called Soonheenae Bindaetteok (순희네 빈대떡). If you go there during lunch or dinner, be prepared to wait. Although the restaurant is a good size, the demand always seems to exceed capacity. Thankfully, the wait time is usually short. Bindaetteok is often eaten quickly, think of it like an appetizer, and washed down with Makgeolli (막걸리), Korean rice wine. The atmosphere inside is snug and shoulder room is hard to come by, but the Bindaetteok is phenomenal. A group of older women patrol the restaurant constantly and they are very attentive. I recommend trying the different types of Bindaetteok and buying a bottle of Makgeolli. I usually buy the Daebak Makgeolli which literally translates to "Awesome Makgeolli." I think it tastes smoother than the Seoul Makgeolli and the drink compliments the meal. I like the set which comes with meat and vegetable Bindaetteok. The pancakes arrive on a tray covered in aluminum foil and are served with Kimchi. It also comes with a sauce, but I prefer the pancake by itself. The crust is flaky and hot, the insides are gooey, and the meat is tender. I believe eating Bindaetteok is one of the greatest food experiences you can have in Korea. Like most great foods, Bindaetteok is simple. The combination of fresh ingredients, traditional recipes, and old women who know how to cook always results in delicious food. If you have never eaten Bindaetteok, or maybe you have and you want to try a great one, then Soonheenae Bindaetteok (순희네 빈대떡) is a must visit. If you go to the center intersection of the market, look for a large orange sign and white letters. If you don't see the sign you will probably see the line. Happy eating.
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Gyeyeolsa chicken (계열사) and Sai chicken (사이치킨) are supposedly 2 of the 3 best fried chicken restaurants in all of Seoul. They are both known for serving more traditional style Korean fried chicken, as opposed to the sometimes saucy and sweet Korean fried chicken. About 2 weeks ago, my boyfriend and my friend went to try Gyeyeolsa fried chicken off the recommendation of a food review. When we got there, we were immediately ushered downstairs. A good amount of people were eating there (mostly older Koreans), but there was still enough seating. We ordered what they were famous for, the fried chicken for 20,000. It came out after about 8 minutes piping hot with a side of a special sauce. After letting it cool a tad, we tried it, and boy was this the best fried chicken in Korea we have ever had! Each bite has some crispy breading, and then a load of delicious juicy chicken on the bone. What I liked but also found different about Gyeyeolsa fried chicken, is that they fry the whole chicken, so you get parts from the chicken that you normally wouldn't eat in America. It was all delicious, and the sweet but spicy sauce on the side was also amazing. The fries were big, chunky potato wedges and also went well with the sauce. The chicken and fry plate was plenty for 2 people, but split between 3 people it might be a little small, so we ordered 2 between 3 people (we are big eaters).
The next week, our other Korean friend wanted to try this famous Buam dong chicken as well, so we went back to the area. This time, we decided to try Sai chicken. While the atmosphere was more pleasant at Sai chicken, we were disappointed. We ordered the boneless chicken (with an extra portion of chicken as well) along with the sprout salad. When the chicken came out, we were immediately saddened by how small the portions were. Additionally, the boneless fried chicken was different than normal boneless fried chicken in Korea. This boneless fried chicken was basically small cut up strips, instead of big meaty chunks. The sprout salad was good, but the chicken came out not hot at all. The flavor was okay, but was not hot and even though we had ordered an extra portion of chicken it was such a small meal, and we left still feeling hungry. After eating there we decided to go back to Gyeyeolsa fried chicken because we knew it was really good. We ordered the same fried chicken again, and again it was delicious and amazing. Our Korean friend, a chicken snob, also claimed it was the best fried chicken she's had in Seoul. Maybe the chicken at Sai would have been better if we had ordered the regular fried chicken and it had been hot, but after that we decided we won't go back there knowing that there is Gyeyeolsa serving incredible fried chicken that we love just right next door. Have you guys had better experience at Sai? Let me know with some comments below! I highly recommend you go try the fried chicken at Gyeyeolsa. You won't regret it :) Directions: From Gyeongbokgung, take the 7022 or the 7016 bus to Buam Dong. From around Sookmyung womens university, take the 1711 or the 7016 bus (The bus also stops at places like City hall along the way). See the map above for details! Sai and Gyeyeolsa are literally 3 doors down from each other. Enjoy :) by Michael Jones Last night I ate at Tuk Tuk for the first time and it was outstanding. Tuk Tuk is a Thai restaurant in Hongdae serving some of the best, if not the best, Thai food in Seoul. The place is incredibly popular and there is always a wait. The first time I tried eating at Tuk Tuk the wait was 45 minutes long and I was far too hungry to wait. The second time I tried eating there it was around 1:45 and they go on break at 2:30, but since they already had a long wait, they stopped taking customers. I was crushed, but determined to go back. Any place that consistently has people waiting is usually doing something right. Last night I finally got my chance to indulge on some incredible Thai food. The restaurant is a decent size and the room is painted light purple and decorated with Thai memorabilia. The kitchen is open and you can hear the sizzling and popping from the Woks. The smell of fresh Thai food is intoxicating. I wanted to buy everything on the menu, but I settled on Pad Ka-Prao. This dish can be made with a variety of different meats and it’s stir-fried with basil, chilies, garlic, and a combination of soy and oyster sauce. It’s my favorite Thai dish and I always order it when I go to Thai restaurants. My friends ordered Pad Thai, Pad See Ew, Gui Tiaow Nam, and we shared a large serving of fried rice. I sampled everything and it was great. The Pad Thai was slightly sour and I really liked it compared to the sweet version served at a lot of Thai restaurants. The Pad See Ew was topped with succulent pork meat and the noodles soaked up the sauce. It was extremely flavorful. The soup was also good, but the broth was interesting. I could really taste the garlic in the broth. I might be a little biased, but my favorite dish was the Pad Ka-Prao (15,000). Most of the dishes are about 15,000, but some of the noodle dishes and soup dishes cost 9,000-11,000. The restaurant is expensive, but the food is definitely worth the price. The sauce was extremely rich and slightly sweet. I ordered mine with chicken and the meat was tender, and the chunks were large. It was nice to see actual chunks of chicken, and not the miniscule strips you get at some restaurants. The stir-fried chilies and basil added incredible flavor to the sauce and the chicken. It had just the right amount of heat and sweetness. It was the perfect combination of flavors and ingredients. I could really taste the quality of the food and I will go back soon to try more. The fried rice was also fantastic. The rice was topped with a fried egg and scallions. I scarfed down the bowl in about three minutes and nearly roasted my mouth. Be wary, the service is great and the food comes fresh off the wok. I didn’t realize this and almost lost my taste buds in the process. It would be devastating to lose your ability to taste at a restaurant this good. Thai food is known for its incredible flavors, and fresh ingredients. Tuk Tuk respects this tradition and serves some of the best Thai food I’ve ever eaten. You have to go.
DIRECTIONS Go to Hongdae Station exit #3 Walk out and turn around Facing the main road turn and walk left Walk up the hill and then down the hill Walk for about 5 minutes After you pass the Orange building, turn left Tuk Tuk will be on your left almost immediately after you turn It’s in the basement, so don’t miss it ENJOY by Michael Jones My relationship with chicken has improved since moving to South Korea. I used to hate the stuff, sure I enjoyed Chick-fil-A and the occasional bucket of fried chicken, but most of the chicken I ate was of the healthy kind: grilled, flavorless, slabs of white meat with the consistency of rubber. A great part of this was due to my lack of culinary skills, but when I lived in America I never craved chicken. In Seoul, however, my appetite for chicken has skyrocketed. I crave the flaky fried batter, tender meat, and the perfect assortment of dipping sauces and cheap beer. Despite my love for Korean fried chicken, sometimes I need to try different styles. Yesterday, I stumbled upon a small Jamaican themed restaurant called Zion Boat. The restaurant is located on the second floor and the interior is decorated in Bob Marley posters and reggae memorabilia. The speakers blared Bob Marley, of course, and other lesser known reggae artists. The lighting was dark, and one man cooked in a tiny kitchen. I was excited to try some Jamaican Jerk chicken. I figured it would be good, at the very least a welcome change from fried chicken, but it was far better than that. One serving of the boneless jerk chicken cost about 19,500 and was made with one whole chicken and serves two people. While waiting, you get a small wooden bowl of Korean beer snacks, an assortment of small crunchy things that I can never remember the name of. I was hungry and counting down the seconds. I didn’t have to wait long. The chicken was served on a big plate and complemented by a large house salad. It was more food than I was expecting, and it was delicious. The chicken was incredibly flavorful. The jerk seasoning was strong, spicy, and slightly sweet with just the right amount of heat. The sauce that came on the side was thick and tasted similar to the seasoning on the chicken, but slightly stronger. In a place where most chicken is deep fried, it was nice enjoying a different variety. The chicken was cooked perfectly and it was tender and moist, the polar opposite of the dry and tasteless chicken of my childhood. The whole experience was great and I would not hesitate going back. If you are in the mood for something different, I strongly recommend trying Zion Boat in Sangsu.
DIRECTIONS Go to Sangsu Station and take exit #1 Walk straight out of the exit Continue walking for 5-10 minutes Walk through the intersection @ Dokmak Ro 7 Gil Then turn right immediately before the Hyundai store At the first intersection take a left Then take the first right onto Yanghwa Ro 6 Gil (Across the street from Dessert 39) In about a minute, Zion Boat will be on your left ENJOY by Ashley Heil Linus' Bama Style BBQ is the best BBQ I've had in Seoul, and maybe, ever. Tucked away in a back street of Itaewon, when I first saw this restaurant I thought, "oh, it's just going to be another overpriced American BBQ restaurant with small portion sizes". But after seeing it mentioned as possibly the best American Southern BBQ restaurant in all of East Asia, I had to check it out for myself.
Being as active as my boyfriend and I are, as we walked in, we were a little skeptical about how the meal would turn out, and if we would even end up full after our whole meal without having to spend a fortune. Now we've had some good BBQ in Seoul, including Austin's BBQ in Hongdae, and Manimal in Itaewon, but were were never completely blown away. Austin's BBQ was good, as well as Manimal, but the portions were so small and expensive at Manimal we were disappointed there. So we didn't know what to expect going into Linus'. Michael and I got the "For Twos" platter (27,000), and split a side of Fried Okra with our friend (4000 won). My friend ordered the brisket sandwich (16000 won). The For Two's platter comes with your choice of 3 sides, a mound of pulled pork, and a mound of brisket. For sides we chose the potato salad, cole slaw, and the pork n' beans. When we received our food, we immediately started to dig in. The pulled pork is probably the best pulled pork I have ever had in my life. It was so tender and juicy, and melted in your mouth when you ate it. It didn't even need any bbq sauce or the slider buns that come with it, but those were delicious too. The brisket was amazing as well, but being a pork fan, it was the pulled pork that really blew me away. All of the sides were amazing as well, especially the potato salad. The fried okra was awesome, and for only 4,000 its a great side to split between a few friends. I wish I could have tried the mac n'cheese as well, because I'm sure its amazing. My friend loved his brisket sandwich, and I've heard its a must try at Linus'. Although Linus is more expensive than your typical cheap Korean meal out, this time, it was clearly worth it. We left full and extremely satisfied and happy. Linus' Bama style BBQ is definitely the place to visit if you want to satisfy your craving for some southern BBQ. Directions: Noksapyeong, line 6, go out of exit 3. Keep walking a little bit then cross the road to the left (towards Itaewon). Turn right after you've crossed the road. Turn left on the first little road, and walk down a little bit. Then, you'll see the little ally way that leads to the entrance of Linus' BBQ. Take exit 4 of Itaewon Station on Line 6. From the exit, continue on foot for about 350 meters until you see the McDonald’s on your left hand side.Immediately to the left of the McDonald’s is a door with a staircase leading downstairs. Follow these stairs down and continue through the small corridor past the custom tailor shop. When you emerge on the other side, you will see the restaurant on your right. Enjoy! Army Stew (부대찌개), pronounced Budae-jjigae, is one of my favorite Korean Dishes. Budae-jjigae is an incredibly delicious hodgepodge of ingredients, and like many great dishes, poverty was the reason for its creation. During the Korean War, food was scarce and many Korean families had to incorporate cheap foods from the local army bases into their traditional recipes. This meant utilizing foods like spam and hot dogs, and these were usually leftovers. These desperate times, however, resulted in one of South Korea’s greatest culinary gifts to the rest of the word, Budae-jjigae. When the weather starts to get frigid in Seoul, nothing makes me feel better than a steaming hot bowl of Budae-jjigae. My favorite place to have this is located in a back alley near the Dongdaemun Design Plaza. The shop is inconspicuous, just a large, average looking, white neon sign can be seen from outside. What it lacks in aesthetics, it makes up for in popularity. As dinner time approaches, the place becomes crowded with hungry people. The old women in charge of the restaurant constantly sprint back and forth between tables taking orders, refilling side dishes, and distributing copious amounts of alcohol. The stew is served in a large metal pot and cooked in the center of the table. Each serving costs 7,000 won, so between 4 people we spent 28,000. The metal bowl was huge and it was loaded to the brim with spam, hotdogs, kimchi, ramen noodles, and some other vegetables. The stew is spicy and the smoky flavor from the boiled spam and hotdogs makes a wonderful broth. I should say upfront that I was not a fan of spam and that I probably only tried it once before coming to Seoul, but in this soup it is transformed into something not only edible but delicious. I actually find myself digging through the bowl, every time I eat budae-jjigae, desperately searching for any pieces that my friends might have missed. On paper, this dish sounds like a catastrophe. How could all of those ingredients possibly combine to create such an incredibly delicious, rich, complex, and satisfying food? It beats me, but if you live in South Korea and have not had this dish yet, then you should change that as soon as possible. Your taste buds will thank you.
Directions Go to Dongdaemun History and Culture Park Take Exit 12 Immediately take a left and walk straight (away from DDP, AKA the thing that looks like a spaceship) Walk two streets down and turn left The restaurant will be the second one on your right Enjoy by Ashley Heil If you're craving breakfast south of the river, Butterfingers in Gangnam is not to be missed. It's my favorite breakfast place (so far) in Seoul, and I happily make the 30 minute subway ride on a relaxing Sunday morning to go get me some delicious breakfast at Butterfingers. Butterfingers in Gangnam is a large restaurant with 2 floors. So, even if there is a wait for brunch on the weekend, the lines always move fast. There is also another location in Apgujeong, but my experience there wasn't as good. But I've yet to have a bad meal at the location in Gangnam. It's easy to find, and they are open from 7am to 3am (for the midnight snack after a night of partying). In addition to breakfast/brunch items, there are also some dishes more suitable for dinner, such as burgers and sandwiches, and some dessert items (crepes and triple chocolate pancakes).
I've gone to Butterfingers several times now and I usually get the pancakes. I lived in Denver last year, a city known for having fabulous breakfast joints (Snooze, Syrup, Breakfast on Broadway...), but Butterfingers' pancakes are on par with all of the pancakes I ate back home. Additionally, they have everything else related to breakfast: fantastic french toast, waffles, sausage, ham, bacon, eggs, potatoes, and breakfast drinks. Everything is done well. What I love about Butterfingers is really the size of their menu. There are so many different items and combinations of items you can choose. I love that they have a cheap side menu (with eggs, bacon, sausage, potatoes), so you can just pick a choose a few sides if you want, or add a few sides to whatever meal you want to get. Yesterday when I went with my boyfriend, we chose the Split Decision Plate (22,000 won), so we could try a little bit of everything. It was great because it was really easy to split (hence the name), with 2 pancakes (we upgraded to banana pancakes), 2 french toast pieces, 2 pieces of sausage, and 2 pieces of bacon, along with eggs any way you want and potatoes. We thought we might want a little more food so we ordered an extra side of bacon. It was a lot of food, and both of us were full after. For about 28,000 won for 2 people for all that food, it was a good deal. However, what's great about Butterfingers is if you want to be cheaper you can just order one order of pancakes (4900-7200) and an extra side or two of something else, or you can splurge and order combination places like the Split Decision Plate or the Waffle Lover's special all for yourself. Previously, I've also tried the Morning After plate (10,600), which is a waffle with eggs, bacon, caramelized onions, and tomatoes. At first I thought it would be weird to have onions and tomatoes on a sweet waffle, but the combination of sweet and savory was fantastic. There are items available for every budget. Although I've never tried them, there are also coffee drinks, smoothies, ades, juices, and soda pops to quench your thirst. Though, I find their drinks to be a bit pricey. Directions: From Gangnam Station exit 10, walk straight down the street and turn left between The Body Shop and Café Bene. Butterfingers will be on the left right after Burger King. by Michael Jones On Saturday night I went to Casablanca for the second time. Casablanca is a small sandwich shop located in the booming neighborhood of Haebongchon, not far from Noksapyeong station. The shop was packed, it always is, but for good reason. The sandwiches at Casablanca are the best I've had in Korea. The line was to the door, but we waited anyway. Last time I ordered the Moroccan Chicken and it blew me away, but I heard rumors that the Lamb Chili was even better and I had to investigate. We ordered two Lamb Chili sandwiches and one lentil soup. The Lentil soup was good and had a nice spicy after taste. The sandwiches came out shortly after and were outstanding. There is nothing pretentious about Casablanca, and I mean that as a compliment. Just 5 guys working in a small kitchen, using quality ingredients, and great bread to make delicious sandwiches. The Lamb Chili sandwich is served on flaky french-style bread and topped with fresh lamb chili, lettuce, tomatoes, and a thick serving of mayonnaise. The sandwich was simple, but the most delicious foods usually are. I had a cold this weekend so I was originally worried about doing this review. Eating with a severe cold is kind of like hearing sounds underwater, your senses are dulled. The lamb chili was so perfectly cooked and spiced, however, that even with the cold I could taste every bite. The sandwich was greasy, in the best way, and I devoured it in about two minutes. The sandwich was so good it's hard to do justice with words. For a good review of the delicious Moroccan chicken sandwich, check out our first Casablanca review. For 7,000 won you can't go wrong with a sandwich from Casablanca.
DIRECTIONS From Noksapyeong station exit #2 Walk down the hill till the split in the road Then turn left and pass the kimchi pots Walk up the hill for 5-10 minutes Casablanca will be on your left ENJOY |
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