Changdeokgung Palace November 19, 2010

i'm always in awe with korean architecture...

Friends have been telling me to check out Changdeokgung Palace since I got here, and I picked the most perfect day to spend my day off…the weather was amazing!  The changing of the leaves were absolutely speechless.  Inside the palace, you can tour the ‘queen’s secret garden‘-a 2 hour tour for 8,000 won. Note-there are specific tour times, and must get there early to reserve a spot!

My group was close to 100 or more, a pretty diverse group.  A few loners like myself, with their cameras ready in one hand, and hot coffee in the other.  It was a sweet, leisurely walk throughout the palace grounds…great time to spend with your significant others, or friends in town!

the queen's secret garden grounds-absolutely beautiful!

this is where i would like to live...

gorgeous...

captivated by the colors...

cannot get over the colors of the leaves!!! perfect day...

yes, took this of myself...i went to the tour alone, and the photos that others took of me were so bad! so i decided to just take them myself...what to do...

600 year old tree below…

actual houses people live in!!!

someone lives here too. absolutely jealous. beyond words...

taking a photo of myself...so silly. so korean!

The Page November 14, 2010

the brunch menu at 'the page'

Spent a Saturday afternoon with friends to check out this fairly new brunch spot ‘The Page’ in Bangbae-dong.

Their menu-pretty straight forward with very reasonable prices…really enjoyed most of the dishes, however my friends and I came to a conclusion that the portions are smaller than it looks.  So if you do go there, I would advise getting a side of waffles (mini waffles start at 3,000 won).  My favorite was the English egg muffin (their take on eggs benedict with beef instead of Canadian bacon).

The interior is to the point.  Minimal, the way I like it.  3 floors, with private sections if you would want to hold meetings.  Wi-fi available, valet available, however they do not take reservations.  The place is quite large, so you shouldn’t have a hard time finding a table!

Location-Bangbae-dong 796-27

Number:  02-536-5961

pancakes, eggs, bacon-'the page'

english breakfast is the name of this dish...eggs, tomato, beef, english muffin. this was the best one!

croque monsieur-yum!

blueberry waffles at 'the page' brunch spot in bangbae-dong

just had a fabulous brunch at 'the page'

seoyoung and chad-just having fun!

cute cafe in bangbae-dong (didn't get to check it out, but had to take a photo of this sign!)

bargain shopping in seoul… November 10, 2010

Flea markets in Seoul? Really??????

Platoon Kunsthalle Night Flea Market is where it’s at…

The Bar that turns into a shopping meca the 1st Saturday of every month!

“The Platoon Kunsthalle concept, an aesthetic compound that has its flagship in Germany, is a place of artistic experimentation and subcultural socializing. Platoon Kunsthalle hosts art for patrons who are interested in creating and displaying their work, from urban art and contemporary photography to funky music and modish dance. It is an ideal place for people to find an outlet for artistic expression.” (Courtesy of 10 magazine).

My friends and I had tons of fun stopping at this flea mkt-although I didn’t end up getting anything…but eating German sausages, listening to live Dj’s, and checking out the edgy fashionista’s making their statement- a nice way to spend a Saturday evening.

If you are interested in reserving a spot and selling your stuff at the flea market than you can sign up on the Bling website (Korean language) thebling.co.kr or contact Platoon Kunsthalle for an English sign-up form (mail@kunsthalle.com). The registration fee is W10,000.

The flea market is on the first Saturday of every month from 8 pm – 12 am. kunsthalle.com 02-3447-1191

Location-Hakdong Stn. (line 7, ex. 10) and head toward Dosan Park. Platoon is a 10-minute walk away, just across from Nanumi Hospital.

crazy lines…

start of the big rush

i think i liked the men's stuff better...

some vendors selling the most random things...

me and ry being dorks...

check out the crazy crowd!

doota shopping center in dongdaemun

Another great bargain shopping area-must shop at Dongdaemun (Great East Gate)  at night! Seoul’s largest wholesale and retail shopping district with 26 plus shopping malls, 30,000 specialty shops, and 50,000 manufacturers.  Hitting dongdaemun at night is where the fun is at!.

Exit 14 at Dongdaemun Cultural and History Center-off of line 2 or line 5

‘Doota’ is one of the more nicer but pricier shopping centers…and a bit more tough to bargain!

outdoor shopping at dongdaemun

the mandoo guy by exit 10 in dongdaemun. he gave us an extra mandoo after some serious pleading with our smiles! eating snacks while shopping is a must. otherwise you won't have enough energy to shop!

watching this guy prepare our mandoo

you'll see a bunch of these kinds of stands in dongdaemun

sally and i excited to eat these chicken skewers

you have to cut the skewer stick as you eat it...otherwise you won't be able to eat the chicken!

MaakHolic November 6, 2010

maakholic is a makkoli/champagne bar in chungdam-dong

Just had to blog about this new spot I discovered through some of my sommelier friends! Maakholic is a makkoli (Korean rice wine) and Champagne bar in Chungdam-dong…They carry specialty makoli that’s hard to find, and they make amazing makoli cocktails!

Makkoli is rice wine produced through fermenting a mixture of rice grains and boiled water.  This is what gives it it’s milky sweetness.  Its best with pajeon (Korean style pancake).

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all pottery used at maakholic is specially customized

outdoor patio at maakholic

chicken and green onions at maakholic

rice balls wrapped in seaweed-maakholic bar in chungdam-dong

first time having korean 'soondae' (vermacelli noodles wrapped in pork skin) and it was quite fancy at 'wine bar vin114' in chungdam-dong

sopexa wine tasting at the grand intercontinental hotel-seoul

a few new spots in garosugil… October 30, 2010

one of the best sangrias, ever! allo papergarden-garosugil

I have to admit…I do write a lot about garosugil…but what can I say, I love my neighborhood, and there are so many places I have yet to check out! I’m still discovering new cafes, restaurants, shops, and bars each week. The list seems endless…but I do tend to make my way to the same places.  However, I’m really making more of any effort to check out the latest and the greatest sweet spots

allo restaurant in garosugil

elbon the table restaurant

i dined in front of elbon's open kitchen, loved seeing the chefs in action

scallops and asparagus-elbon

can't remember the name of this dish at elbon!!!

amazing lamb chops at elbon

assortment of salts provided with the meal at elbon...made a huge difference!

fig, cream cake-passion 5 bakery

mont blanc dessert from passion 5 bakery/cafe...too good to share!

sad i had to share these desserts with my roommate sally, although it was her birthday dessert!

deux amis cafe-garosugil

deux amis serves wedgewood tea!

green tea, strawberry cake served with strawberry macaroon at deux amis cafe. the macaroon was delish

inside deux amis cafe

new cafe-coffee kitchen in garosugil, one of the few places that offer swiss water process-decaf coffee!

coffee kitchen-garosugil

some of my favorite late nite eateries… October 24, 2010

the best late nite eats in itaewon!!!

One of the best things about Seoul is that you can grab a bite almost any hour of the day! 3 am or even 5 am, always a spot to go…and the great thing is, you can find some of the best eats!  From Moroccan sandwich trucks on the streets of Itaewon, to sulung tang (Korean beef bone soup) in every neighborhood, and of course the pojang matchas (outdoor restaurants under tents that serve anything from soju to ramen).  The other week I had patbingsoo (Korean shaved ice with red bean dessert) at Coffee Smith in Garosugil at 2 am!

Itaewon attracts a ton of foreigners, not just for the bars and shopping, but the great late nite eateries.  Here are a few of my favs…

you'll find simon on the streets of itaewon...he'll greet you in french!

simon and his wife-cutest couple in itaewon!!!

making of the moroccan sandwich-best late nite snack on the streets of itaewon!

how good does this korean style ribs look? it tastes even better! 걸군의 왕곱창 in itaewon

grilling korean style pork ribs-itaewon

couldn't get enough of these korean style ribs!

pork skin..the best part!

soft shell crab with yellow curry-st. augistine

indonesian nasi goreng at st. augistine in garosugil. first time having this, and it was pretty darn good...

Seoul Fashion Week October 20, 2010

All things fashion-from designers to fashionista’s, came out to celebrate Seoul Fashion Week this past weekend!  The major street fair was in Garosugil, Sinsa-dong (my neighborhood)…you could find great deals on clothes, shoes, houseware, handbags, gadgets, and random things you will probably never use!

I was just happy to find 2 sweaters (15,000 won each, about $15). You just can’t beat these prices!!!

It was nice to just walk around to see the latest trends this fall, and listen to some amazing live music!

great turnout at the street fair during seoul fashion week!

new marimekko store that opened in my neighborhood-garosugil!

musicians playing at the street fair-garosugil

tina and i at coffee smith...

boutique in garosugil

Haeundae beach, Pusan September 20, 2010

haeundae beach...this was my view from the westin chosun restaurant where i had breaky and afternoon tea everyday!

sipping on banana milk on the ktx, heading to busan

Haeundae beach is at the southeast end of Busan, which is the 2nd largest city in South Korea. Haeundae, now an affluent beach community that attracts Korean tourists and foreigners,  is known as Korea’s best beach!  I could not have gone at a better time-end of august when all the tourists were gone!

The are known for their fresh seafood and  ’dongnae pajun‘ amongst other good eats…I didn’t have much time to explore all the savory eats in town, but definitely made a stop at ‘halmoni pajun‘ restaurant in a town called dongnae, known to be the local favorite!

Making a trip to busan was a ‘nice break’ from the Seoul madness…a must when you need a quick getaway!

haeundae beach-busan

lounge bar at the westin chosun-haeundae beach

i couldn't stop laughing at these ajumas on the beach! they cover themselves with sand, and block out the sun completely. is this a healthy method i don't know about???

one of the local fish mkts at night...

picking out our fish...

nice piece of red snapper!

the red snapper we bought at the mkt for dinner...we had to take it the restaurant upstairs ourselves!

fresh red snapper that we picked out...

dagutang-spicy korean soup with red snapper...restaurants prepare this after you each the sashimi-yum!

it was a beautiful day in busan...

inside 'dongnae halmoni pajun' restaurant-busan

the image of halmoni (grandmother in korean) herself!

diving into the infamous pajun!

dongnae halmoni pajun-a bit doughy for me...but it was still good!

of course you have to have dong dong ju with pajun

amazing rice cakes at 'halmoni pajun'

last notes of my summer… September 2, 2010

To my fellow readers:  I have to apologize for this entry as I have posted a lot of photos of multiple events…hope you all enjoyed your summer as much as I did!  Enjoy the tidbits of my last days of this summer

More posts to follow…

seoul tower...beautiful in the evening!

caricature stand at seoul tower...

you can leave your own locks on these trees, leaving your 'mark' at seoul tower...

the painful line...we had to wait 40 minutes to get in this line, later finding out it was another 45 minutes to get on the elevator! going back down was another story...

people leave notes on ceramic tiles...on the walls inside seoul tower

getting started at yamamoto sushi in chungdamdong...one of the best in seoul!

assortment of white fish at yamamoto

seared tuna was perfect at yamamoto...

grilled white fish-yamamoto

japanese head chef/owner, sweet man who has aged gracefully...and is still filleting the fish behind the sushi bar. wow.

grilled mackeral @ yamamoto...yum!!!

EBS morning special on the 'What's up Chef' segment-with the other hosts right before we aired...

filling in for my boss edward kwon at ebs...do i look nervous???

while walking in namsan towards seoul tower, found this amazing restaurant, absolutely love the traditional architecture!

posing with good friend soo park, and chef gerrard after a fabulous cooking class at 'the spice'!

'the goods' we're going to work with for the class-how fresh and amazing!

the chefs tuning in...

fresh caught halibut

filleting snapper

chef darren shucking a scallop

shucking scallops...

scallop and mussels...still with the skirts on

chefs filleting their own fish for practice

making the final dish by sauteing celery, garlic, onions...

voila! rigatoni pasta with snapper, mackerel, halibut

Cooking with Chef Darren Vaughan at Shinsegae August 10, 2010

chef's recent debut of his newest cook book-'eddy's cafe' which details all recipes and 'know-how's' of all 4 menus

Early August, executive chef Darren Vaughan of Edward Kwon, led a series of classes for a week representing ‘Eddy’s Cafe’ at the Shinsegae department store in Gangnam.  Shinsegae academy invites up to 8 guests to partake in this free cooking class, an intuitive hands-on experience that all the ‘yummy mummy’s’ of Seoul come out to participate.

I was honored to do all the translating…which I have to say that I have never done anything like this before! Fortunately, the ladies (amongst other students) were very forgiving when I didn’t know how to explain things as well as I should.  Although I did receive many compliments on the translating, as well as my form of entertainment  I learned a whole deal of techniques from chef Darren, and the best part of course was to partake in the tastings!

chef darren filleting cured salmon-shinsegae academy cooking class

curing salmon with rock salt, sugar, spices

pan seared snapper with olive oil mash, antiboise sauce

searing snapper with olive oil, salt and pepper

cured salmon with lemon dressing, green vitamins

panna cotta with citrus fruit melody...yum!

tossed caprese salad-heirloom tomatoes, bufalo mozzarella, basil, olive oil, salt and pepper

apricot compote with white chocolate mousse, topped with mint…prepared by chef chad yamagata

squid ink pasta with mussels, calamari, clams

the table set up for the class...

the ladies enjoying what chef darren prepared

the ladies seem fascinated with how simple some of the dishes were to prepare...