Korean Archives - Page 4 of 8

In Chinese

Bu Chun Sung Chinese Restaurant 부천성: Lunch in Pohang, Korea

March 8, 2014

Bu Chun Sung Chinese Restaurant 부천성 is located in Pohang. We came here for lunch and what I always find interesting is that no matter where you find Chinese food in Korea, it’s never authentic. They always have their own version of Chinese food.

I actually don’t mind it. In my mind, I will always think its Korean food. Just wait till the Koreans discover dim sum, they will be mind blown.

The inner decor was simple. Nothing fancy. There was a good amount of people here for lunch.

Complimentary side dishes arrived – kimchi, pickled radish, onions and bean paste. You dip the onion into the bean paste and it magically counteracts the intensity of the onion. It’s weird, but it works.

Honey Almond Shrimp has deep-fried prawns smothered in a mayo mixture and topped with almond slices.

Noodles with Black bean Sauce (Jajangmyeon) was ordered by everyone. There is the noodle underneath and the black bean sauce on top.

Fried Rice with Seafood comes with a bit of black bean sauce on the side and a light soup. This is an item I always order. Black bean sauce is really good and when you add it to the fried rice, it’s pretty damn good. Too bad I didn’t really like how they made the fried rice.

At the end of the meal, we got these sticky sweet potatoes as a complimentary dessert. We all thought this was pretty meh.

We also got coffee at the end of the meal. Wasn’t very good either.

Overall, the restaurant was decent, but we all agreed Taesan Chinese Restaurant is still better for Korean Chinese food.

We rate Bu Chun Sung Chinese Restaurant:

Website:
http://xn--or3bo1es8m.kr/skin15/index.php

Address:
656-13 I-dong, Nam-Gu, Pohang-si,
Gyeongsangbuk-do, South Korea

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=%EB%B6%80%EC%B2%9C%EC%84%B1&ie=UTF8&ll=36.028486,129.337449&spn=0.010221,0.021136&sll=36.0282921,129.3374541&sspn=0.0066637,0.0109864&t=m&cid=0xa41eb0cf2b3d3dd3&hq=%EB%B6%80%EC%B2%9C%EC%84%B1&z=16&iwloc=A “]

In Japanese

Kamamarui Ramen: Korean-Style Ramen

March 4, 2014

My sister and another friend highly recommended Kamamarui in South Burnaby for some delicious eats. They opened up near the end of last year and is know for their ramen and their “bomb”. The pictures looked great online, so I went with M for dinner.

I’ve always be wary coming here after the tragic incident 2 years ago.

The interior is simplistic and modern. You will see grey concrete walls, with wooden furniture. We assumed this place was Japanese-run, but once we walked into the door, we realized it was Korean-run. M knew obviously cause he’s Korean. We don’t see many Korean-run ramen joints in town. A lot of Korean-run Sushi places, but not ramen.

I’m not sure what the connection is but there is also a Kamamarui Ramen in Seoul, Korea too. Similar items but not exactly the same.

They even have the rear end of dogs as cute coat hangers.

Their menu is quite simple, they offer ramen, dons and a few side dishes.

Bomb ($3) is a rice ball seasoned with seaweed and teriyaki sauce. It is also topped with some sesame seeds. It’s a very popular item to be ordered, but I thought it lacked much flavour. There’s no filling inside, so its just the rice and seaweed.

Miso Ramen ($9) has a miso and pork soup base seasoned with miso flavour, green onions, bean sprout, and 2 slabs of chashu. The flavour of the broth really lacked depth and was very light. The pork was lean cut, so you don’t get the fatty delicious bits. Still…those are huge pieces of meat.

If you get the ramen and bomb combo, it’s $10.50, so you save $1.50.

Chicken Mini Don had the rice on the bottom, with flavourful chicken on top with some teriyaki sauce and a bit of peas.

Tonkotsu Ramen ($9) has a pork soup base with soy flavour, green onions, bean sprouts, and chashu. It’s similar to the Miso ramen but just with a different broth. I found a similar problem with the broth, it also lacked depth and was light in flavour.

You can get the mini don and the ramen for $14.50 as a combo.

The service was atrocious! Thats what pissed M off more than the food. They seemed like they are understaffed or inexperienced. We waited by the door to be seated, but no one acknowledged us there. The empty tables all had dishes still piled on top and seemed neglected. It took them a long time to take our order since all the staff seemed to have disappeared to the kitchen for some time. We also asked for more tea and water but none came back. They seemed quite frazzled and the whole experience just declined from there. They also mixed up our orders too.

Overall, the food is decent for Burnaby. It still doesn’t compare to the ones Downtown, but at least you don’t have to drive all the way downtown to get some ramen. M still prefers to go to Hakkaku Ramen in North Burnaby.

We Rate Kamamarui Ramen:

Address:
6514 Royal Oak Avenue
Burnaby, BC

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=6514+Royal+Oak+Ave&sll=49.2243728,-122.98879&sspn=0.0053814,0.0109864&t=m&hnear=6514+Royal+Oak+Ave,+Burnaby,+British+Columbia+V5H+3P4&z=16″]

In Airplane Meals

Korean Air: Vancouver to South Korea

February 1, 2014

Up up away! Another visit to South Korea this month. This time we decided to take Korean Air because all other flights were sold out on such short notice. We booked it a day before we departed. From Vancouver to South Korea, it took about 11 hours to fly. I always dread these flight but I found that sleeping through everything except for meals makes the ride less long.

I usually get really annoyed after 4 hours because I am sitting in the same position. I need a lot of entertainment to keep me occupied.

The configuration of this plane was 3 – 3- 3 so, it’s a packed plane. I definitely like Air Canada a bit better because they have 2-3-2.

Take off was pretty smooth, but I found the in-flight entertainment console to be a bit dated. You have new movies and games, but I generally spend more time on my laptop. As they don’t have plugs, my computer died after a few hours.

An hour after the plane takes off, we are given a beverage and a pack of Honey Roasted Peanuts. I wasn’t a fan of the peanuts since they were encrusted in sugar. I like my peanuts with salt only…so I gave the rest to M to eat.

You can choose anything for your beverage. You can even get wine or beer, but I decided not to since I find drinking alcohol on the plane gives me a headache.

Bibimbap is an iconic and popular Korean dish. Any time I ask people about Korean Air food, they rave about this dish.

It also come with pickles, fruit and seaweed soup.

You mix the rice, vegetables, gochujang (chili pepper sauce), and sesame oil. This is what you get! It’s definitely satisfying but still not as good as what you would get at a restaurant.

Another option is the beef dish with vegetables and potatoes. You also get fruit, a salad, and bread. It’s definitely not as exciting as bibimbap. If you have the choice, definitely go with the bibimbap.

For our second dish, we got a choice between beef, chicken and fish. M and I both chose chicken. It has a celery salad, cheesecake and bread on the side. It was not that interesting. The cheesecake was warm and it ruined that whole experience. My salad was also a bit warm.

Throughout the flight, they go up and down the isles offering complimentary juice or alcohol. It’s a nice touch.

As the plane made it’s final destination to Incheon Airport, I was happy I could enjoy some good Korean food. The only highlight of Korean Air’s food offerings is the bibimbap. 11 hours on the plane and my butt was already sore.

Website: koreanair.com

In Cafe

How to kill time at Incheon Airport

January 18, 2014

When M and I arrived at Incheon Airport in South Korea to head back to Vancouver, we had a lot of time on our hands after we checked in and dropped out bags off. A few hours to be exact.

There’s lots to do actually…or to be more specific, lots to buy and eat. Duty free shops filled with gifts, souvenirs, alcohol and other junk. Then there are the cool little cafes inside. The two specific ones that intrigued us was the Charlie Brown Cafe and Hello Kitty Cafe.

We already went to the Hello Kitty Cafe in HongDae and Charlie Brown Cafe in Hong Kong, but it’s always nice to stroll through. All the other cafes were quite normal like Starbucks. Why not spend some time at a café you can’t find at hone.

The first Charlie Brown café that we found was on the 3rd floor near Gate 12. It is open from 7am till 9:15pm. They have beverages, cakes, sandwiches and some toys.

You will want to get their cakes or drinks because you can’t find it anywhere else that looks like this.

Website: http://www.charliebrowncafe.net/

Hello Kitty Cafe is a cute place for a snack or just go there to take pictures on their chairs. They are open from 6:30am till 9:30pm. It’s on the 3rd floor near gate 24.

Let again just like Charlie Brown Cafe, the drinks and cakes are good signature items to get.

Website: http://www.hellokittycafe.co.kr/

Their second location is 24 hours and is near Gate 113 and serves the same stuff as the other. This is on the other side of the airport after you take the little train to the other terminal.

With the left over time, you can just sit and wait for the boarding call. The airport is quite nice.

Once time is up, just hop on the flight back home. It’ll probably be a long flight, but as long as you have a book and headphones, you’re all set.

Website: http://www.airport.kr/

In Insadong

Pomodoro 뽀모도로: Spaghetti in Insadong

December 10, 2013

Our last night in Seoul, we headed to the Insadong area to have some pasta at Pomodoro. M’s sister recommended that we come have some delicious pasta here. She came here a few years ago and recall that it was good.

The space inside is small, so there isn’t a large amount of seats.

Below is their full menu. There’s English, so you won’t have a hard time ordering at all.

Complimentary Pickles and Jalapeños arrive at the table before the meal. It’s customary in Korean meals to have side dishes free of charge. These items were nothing special, but it’s something you can munch on while waiting for your meal.

Insalta mista di stagione (6,500 won) was a strange salad. It had sprouts at the top, greens, cherry tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and corn.

Spaghetti alla carbonara (14,500 won) has bacon and cream sauce.

Penne alla Fiesolana e Melanzane (13,000 won) has mozzarella cheese, eggplant and a tomato basil sauce.

Risotto alla Funghi (15,500 won) is Italian style rice with mushrooms and cream sauce. This dish was quite large and very very rich. I had a hard time eating it as it was quite salty.

Spaghetti ca carni capuliata (15,500 won) has chicken and vegetables in a tomato sauce.

Overall, all the pastas were ok. The food here was pretty expensive and you can get a lot better Korean food with that money. Perhaps something changed over the years because M’s sister also said it wasn’t as good as before.

We Rate Pomodoro:

Address:
6 Gwanhun-dong (28-1 Insadong-gil)
Jongno-gu, Seoul
South Korea

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=%EC%84%9C%EC%9A%B8%ED%8A%B9%EB%B3%84%EC%8B%9C+%EC%A2%85%EB%A1%9C%EA%B5%AC+%EA%B4%80%ED%9B%88%EB%8F%99+6+02-732-6040&ie=UTF8&t=m&hnear=6+Gwanhun-dong,+Jongno-gu,+Seoul,+South+Korea+(28-1+Insadong-gil)&z=14 “]

In American

Dunkin Donuts in South Korea

December 5, 2013

Dunkin’ Donuts in Korea is very different from the ones in North America. Everything is Korean-ized, so you will find things like sweet potato donuts, olive oil donuts, and other weird creations.

M and I were in Coex Mall and everything was under construction. We had very bad timing when coming here. Only a few shops were open and it totally sucked. We were roaming around the vast empty mall and found a Dunkin’ Donuts and we felt like it was time for a little snack.

As we were traveling in Korea near Halloween, they had some cute treats.

What is unique about Dunkin’ Donuts that drew me in was their breakfast and snack items. They look pretty decent.

When I saw their burritos I got kinda hungry. I actually have no idea if they have these in the North American Dunkin’ Donuts because I’ve never seen one. There is a Dunkin’ Donuts in Montreal but nowhere else in Canada.

Plastic food on display.

M and I shared the Spicy Chicken Burrito, Sausage Burrito and a Grapefruit slush.

Sausage Burrito (3,500 won) it’s a huge sausage with cheese, fried rice and chili sauce.

Spicy Chicken Burrito (3,500 won) has spicy chicken, fried rice and a blend of two types of cheese. It was a bit spicy.

Grapefruit Slush was really gross. It was very sweet and it was more artificial. It melted so slowly that we could of used a wider straw.

Overall Dunkin’ Donuts is ok. A bit on the mediocre side, but kinda reminds me of Tim Hortons in Canada.

Website: http://www.dunkindonuts.co.kr/

In BBQ

Yeong Yang Center (영양센터): Chicken Time in Myongdong

December 4, 2013

Yeongyang Center is a restaurant in MyeongDong known for their crispy roast chicken and samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup). It opened in 1960 and it has been roasting chickens for over 50 years.

It is a very popular place for local and tourists for yummy chicken.

Kimchi radish and pickled radishes came to the table. A definite must when having chicken.

Tongdak Gui (Grilled chicken) is very crunchy on the outside and isn’t very oily at all. The meat is still very tender. So good!

Samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup) has a boiled chicken stuffed with rice and ginseng. This dish was boiling hot and very delicious. You can add a bit of salt to add more flavour. Yum!

The chicken was very tender! No complaints. The bones and meat just fall apart.

Overall, we had a great experience here. M and I shared the two dishes and we got incredibly full. So full that it was hard to walk after.

We Rate Yeong Yang Center:

Address:
52, Myeongdong 2-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul (Chungmuro 1-ga)
서울특별시 중구 명동2길 52 (충무로1가)

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=52,+Myeongdong+2-gil,+Jung-gu,+Seoul&t=m&hnear=52+Myeongdong+2-gil,+Jung-gu,+Seoul,+South+Korea+(25-32+Chungmuro+1(il)-ga)&z=14″]

In Bakery

Bread and Croquette 오군수제고로케: Huge Croquettes in Korea

December 3, 2013

There is a little hidden gem in Hondgae. M and I wanted to go for some croquettes at Chilli cha cha but it was closed. His cousin told us there was a better and more famous place, so we headed there. We tried going at 2pm to see if they had any croquettes left, but unfortunately, they sold out.

I’m not exactly sure why Koreans go crazy over these croquettes, but they must be good to have 10+ people line up prior to them opening.

They open at 12pm and 4pm. They close when they sell out. Usually they sell out 30 minutes after they open. We came back at 3:45 and these was already a huge line up. As we were told it was the best, we just had to come eat the best. I clearly have an addiction to food when travelling.

The interior is really small, so there is no room to sit especially when there is a huge line of people waiting to get to the counter.

Duck Jin Oh has a certificate from the American Institute of Baking.

They have a ton of different croquette flavours:

Kimchi
Curry
Red Bean with walnuts
Cream cheese
Plain Potato

They also have other items like hot dogs and twist bread. Everything is fried in grape seed oil and the oil is changed daily to keep everything fresh and delicious.

The croquettes are the most popular item and you can see people leave with bags and bags of these.

We ordered a bunch as we wanted to try all the flavours, but we couldn’t finish them in one day. The first flavour that we tried was the curry.

It’s nicely fried on the outside.

The inside was packed with the potato and curry mixture. Really good! I had one and I was full. It’s not exactly authentic to Japanese croquettes, but they have their Korean twist to their croquettes.

All of the flavours were good, but I would come back for the curry and kimchi flavours.

We Rate Bread and Croquette 오군수제고로케:

Address:
566-6 Yeonnam-dong (62 Donggyo-ro 27-gil)
Mapo-gu, Seoul
South Korea

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=%EB%A7%88%ED%8F%AC%EA%B5%AC+%EC%97%B0%EB%82%A8%EB%8F%99+566-6,+%EC%84%9C%EC%9A%B8%ED%8A%B9%EB%B3%84%EC%8B%9C&ie=UTF8&ll=37.547572,126.90033&spn=0.160327,0.335083&t=m&hnear=566-6+Yeonnam-dong,+Mapo-gu,+Seoul,+South+Korea+(62+Donggyo-ro+27-gil)&z=12″]

In Cafe

Tom’s Cat Cafe: Purr-fect Afternoon in Hongdae

December 2, 2013

Tom’s Cat Cafe in HongDae has the most cats compared to some of the other cat cafe’s in the area. About 33 cats to be exact. The cafe was opened by the owner to share his love of cats. M and his sister really wanted to go find a cat cafe to all the cute little cats.

There’s no official fee to enter, but you just need to purchase a drink.

Before you enter, you must change into slippers and sanitize your hands. You also put your purses in a bag to protect it from the cat hair and then playing with it.

You then have to review the rules of the cafe.

Don’t disturb the cat if it doesn’t want attention
Don’t pick up any cats

The drinks are 8,000 won.

I got a green tea latte. The drinks were ok, but what you are really coming into the cafe is to play with the cats.

The cats roam around everywhere, so you better not be afraid.

The cafe is surprisingly clean, but it does smell a bit like litter.

nom nom nom the cats get to eat too.

In the middle of the day, a few of them are just chilling and taking a nap.

Totally didn’t know cats could sit like that on benches. This one was a bit camera shy.

This little guy was cute.

M really got into playing with the cats.

It’s great when some of the cats come to you and wants some attention.

This was the crazy two colored eye cat.

Overall, the cafe is a great place to go if you love cats. The drinks are ok, but it’s more about the cats. If you spend an hour or so here, you’ll definitely be sneezing because of all the cat dander. I’m usually not allergic to cats, but coming here affecting my sinuses.

We Rate Tom’s Cat Cafe:

Address:
3F, 358-125, Seogyo-dong,
Mapo-gu, Seoul-si

Website:
http://www.tomscat.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=3F,+358-125,+Seogyo-dong,+Mapo-gu,+Seoul&t=m&hnear=358-125+Seogyo-dong,+Mapo-gu,+Seoul,+South+Korea+(26+Wausan-ro+21-gil)&z=15 “]

In Four Beakers

Curry House CoCo Ichibanya: Omurice in Seoul

December 1, 2013

M was on a mission for omurice, which is rice covered in an omelette. It’s very hard to find in Vancouver, so when we came to Seoul, it was on the top of our list. We didn’t know which place had the best omurice, so we enlisted the help of his cousin to find us a place for lunch.

As we approached Curry House CoCo Ichibanya, I had no idea what this place served except for curry.

This particular location is inside Y’ZPark just outside of Honkik University station. It opens at 11am till 10pm.

There’s lots of seats but as we came here a a few hours past noon, it wasn’t too busy. There’s also other restaurants located in the floor of the mall too.

Creamy Mushroom Omelette Curry (9,300 won)

Comes with the rice covered in yummy omelette and smothered with their curry sauce and creamy mushroom sauce. It was really good! One of the best omurices I’ve had. The sauces were amazing a smothered every inch of the rice.

I also have a secret love for mushrooms, so this was music to my tastebuds.

Pork Cutlet Omelette Curry (10,800 won) has a panko crusted pork cutlet that is just crunchy and so delicious. M said this was very good!

Beef Omelette Curry (9,300 won) has the same curry sauce as the others but with shreds of beef.

Tomato and Asparagus Omelette Curry (8,900 won) similar sauce with with vegetables.

You can also upgrade to a combo with a drink and a salad.

In Hongdae, the Curry House CoCo Ichibanya is located inside Y’ZPARK. There’s a few shops like Uniqlo inside as well as other restaurants.

Overall, the food was very good! There are a few locations around Seoul. If you happen to pass by one, definitely go have some omurice there!

We Rate Curry House CoCo Ichibanya:

Address:
166-15 Donggyo-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea ‎

Website:
http://www.cocoichibanya.co.kr/main.jsp

In Hongdae

Hello Kitty Cafe in Seoul, South Korea

November 30, 2013

Hongdae is filled with a variety of speciality cafes and independent shops. There was one place that sparked an interest and that place was the Hello Kitty Cafe. It’s big, pink and has a huge bow. It’s very popular among tourists, so you will see tons of people taking picture in front of it. Sometimes even in huge tourist groups.

We came on weekday in the morning, so it wasn’t too busy. They open at 11am till midnight.

They have hot coffee, iced coffee, yogurt, cake and other hot beverages on their menu.

All their drinks are cute but the prices can be a bit expensive. Ranges from $3 to $5.

Many types of lattes with many types of characters on top. It’s made by sprinkling coco powder.

Yummy waffles shaped like Hello Kitty’s face.

Cakes with Hello Kitty’s face on it.

The shop has 2 floors and there are a bunch of seating areas.

Adjacent to the ordering counter is a bunch of loungy seats.

Huge Hello Kitty seats.

This area is a second area on the bottom floor.

The second floor is much brighter and open compared to downstairs. It’s better for large groups.

Every little girl’s fantasy.

When we ordered at the counter, they give you an electronic device with a number. When it begins buzzing, you know your order is ready. Just bring it up to the counter and grab your food and drinks.

Yogurt Ice Cream with Mango Syrup (4,500 won) M thought it was ok, but the mango syrup was artificial and very sweet.

Earl Grey Latte (4,500 won) had the cute hello kitty image on the top. The latte was very sweet and not very good.

We also had the Hello Kitty Mousse cake, but it was decent.

One thing you have to know about the cafe before ordering everything is that the food and drinks suck! The cafe is a great place to take photos and chill with friends, but you will probably not love the over-priced food. It’s still a great place to visit if you are in the Hongdae area. Lots to see in the area and

We Rate Hello Kitty Cafe:

Address:
358-112, Seogyo-dong, Mapo-gu,
Seoul, South Korea

Website:
hellokittycafe.co.kr

In Bakery

Paris Baguette Cafe: Bakery in South Korea

November 24, 2013

Paris Baguette can be found all over South Korea. You are 100% guaranteed to bump into this place somewhere on the street as there are over 2,900 locations. They have sandwiches, cakes, buns, drinks, and pastries. While I was in Korea, I probably came here almost everyday to get some breakfast or snack. It’s just convenient and sometimes open 24 hours.

They even have a few locations in North America, specifically in California, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.

All the tables are filled with bread. There is even a little seating area too for you to enjoy your baked goods here.

Bread, bread, bread.

More bread.

Cheesy Pizza Bread was heated and sliced into 4 pieces. It was cheesy and a hint of sweetness to it.

English Muffin with ham, cheese, and egg. Tasted ok, but I wouldn’t eat it again. Needs more filling between the buns.

Sausage Wrap has sweet sauce, cheese, egg and fried onions. This was pretty good too.

Grapefruit Juice and bottled coffee.

Cream cake was for my birthday. It has layers of white cake with cream and fruit. It was good, but as you can tell, the fruit isn’t ask fresh.

Overall, I would stick with their savoury bread items. Those are my favourites. If you are a tourist like me and have no idea what to bring home, they have a few locations inside the Incheon Airport. Great for last-minute gifts because they have gift boxes of assorted treats.

It’s not the best bakery, but it sure is convenient.

Website:
http://www.paris.co.kr/

In Japanese

Big Room Sushi House 대방횟집: Sashimi Feast in Seoul

November 22, 2013

When we arrived in Seoul for the last few days of our trip in South Korea, M’s relatives took us to Big Room Sushi House (대방횟집 dae bang hwe jip). I clearly had no idea where I was going, so having them lead me to food is just great.

We got a set meal that came with SO MANY dishes. It was about 20,000 won or 30,000 won per person. It’s a pretty good price since we did get so much food.

When we sat down, there were a few sauces, quail eggs, edamame, and veggies for us to nibble on before the rest of the meal came.

Assorted sashimi

You won’t find any of the normal stuff here. There was abalone and a bunch of other fish I could not identify. Everything was fresh and tasted great.

Roasted ginko beans are great to munch on.

Raw Oysters was all eaten up by me. I like ousters in all shapes and forms.

Sea Squirt Sashimi tasted like the ocean. Not my favourite seafood by a long shot, but it was alright.

Shrimp tempura was deliciously crunchy and light.

Grilled Prawn were a tad dry and there is a hidden skewer that goes through them, so you have to make sure you don’t eat that. Take it out before you eat it.

Grilled Mackerel has little bones inside, so its quite hard to eat if you aren’t good at picking the little bones out.

Vegetable pancake was good! Very simple but satisfying.

Hot spicy soup was really good and had lots of flavour. If you aren’t into spicy food, they can make it non-spicy too.

Cucumber roll with some fish eggs are poorly put together, but tasted fine.

Kyoho Grape also know as slip skin grapes are very unique and very different than the type of grapes we have in North America. You just put the opening of the grape against your lips and then use your fingers to push the flesh out. It’s a pretty weird process and no one eats the skins.

The flesh of the grape is like jelly, but there are some seeds inside. You just easily spit them out and start on the next grape.

Overall, a pretty good place for a feast. It’s close to the station and has some cool shops near by. I would definitely call ahead to make a reservation so they have everything prepared before you arrive.

We Rate Big Room Sushi House:

Address:
349-3
Sindaebang 2(i)-dong
Dongjak-gu, Seoul, South Korea

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=%EB%8C%80%EB%B0%A9%ED%9A%9F%EC%A7%91&ie=UTF8&ll=37.497776,126.928353&spn=0.020054,0.041885&t=m&hq=%EB%8C%80%EB%B0%A9%ED%9A%9F%EC%A7%91&radius=15000&z=15″]

In Japanese

The Onigiri: Delicious Rice Balls in Pohang

November 19, 2013

The Onigiri is a chain restaurant in South Korea that specializes in Japanese rice balls. We came here to grab a bunch of onigiri to go. My last onigiri was a few years ago from T&T and I’ve never really had a good experience with them as they always had too much rice.

I was so amazed by this little shop and I could tell it would be good. I would really want one in Vancouver. Would definitely make a great lunch.

The menu board. I have no idea what it says, but the prices range from 2,500 won to 1,800 won. They serve other items like udon and ramen.

So many choices!

We clearly bought a lot! Having just 2 already gets you full. Don’t underestimate the size of these little babies.

Some of the flavours available are:

스팸데리야끼 = spam teriyaki
매운스팸 = spicy spam
떡갈비 = short ribs
매운 떡갈비 = spicy short ribs
소고기고추범벅 = boiled, mixed beef, Korean peppers
김치날치알 = kimchi fish egg
매운멸치 = spicy anchovy
김치참치, 매운 참지 = kimchi tuna, spicy tuna
아몬드멸치 = almond anchovy
소고기고추장 = beef red pepper paste
베이컨김치 = bacon kimchi
치즈참치마요 = cheese tuna mayo
참치날차알 = tuna fish egg
크래미샐려리 = creamy celery
크래미날치알 = creamy fish egg
참치 마요 = tuna mayo
치즈날치알 = cheese fish egg

M ordered me the spicy short ribs onigiri and the kimchi tuna onigiri. My favourite out of the two were the kimchi tuna ones.

The favourites that we ordered were anything with the fish eggs, anchovy or tuna.

Overall, the onigiri were great, you could tell there was lots of stuffing inside. I wouldn’t recommend ordering more than 3, you’ll be so full that you will need to be wheelbarrowed around town.

Website:
http://www.theonigiri.co.kr/

Address:
469-1 Daejam-dong, Nam-gu
Pohang, South Korea

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In BBQ

Flower Pig: Bossam Delivery in Pohang

November 18, 2013

While in Pohang, we decided to order in some bossam. Bossam, is steamed pork wrapped in leaves and other ingredients. Imagine it like the Korean version of peking duck.

We found Flower Pig in a directory and decided to try it out. They only use local Korean pigs and the restaurant is open till 1am. We ordered around 6pm and took about an hour for them to prepare and deliver the meal.

We ordered a large order of bossam and it was definitely enough for 5 people. All the component was there to begin wrapping those slices of steamed pork.

It also came with free cold noodles. It was quite large but it wasn’t very good. The noodles were damp and seemed like very random ingredients were thrown in.

The steamed pork had a lot of slices.

We had some carrots, lettuce, sesame leaves, peppers and sliced garlic.

These were salted shrimp, marinated onions, red sauce and some kinda of unidentified liquid.

We also had a large box of kimchi. There was so much that we didn’t make a large dent into it.

With the ingredients, you kinda just throw it together to suit your tastebuds.

The restaurant that we ordered from wasn’t very good. The bossam would have been much better if we had it grilled to have a little bit more of a crunch. Next time, I’d probably just have it at a restaurant or make it at home. Delivery is never the same unless you know a good place.

In Indian

Sweet India: Korean and Indian Fusion Food in Pohang

November 15, 2013

Along Bukbu Beach in Pohang, South Korea, there are tons of things to see and eat. On a Sunday, we wanted to go grab some Indian food, but Namaskar was closed, so we headed to Sweet India. They don’t serve authentic Indian food, but more of a Korean fusion.

The restaurant has multiple floors and we dined on the second floor.

When you take a look at the menu, you know they are missing a lot of staple Indian food. I was looking for paneer and pakoras, but it was nowhere to be found. If you are looking for more authentic Indian food, definitely check out Namaskar in Pohang.

Complimentary Picked vegetables

Garlic Naan (2,500 won) comes with a huge piece and it looks like its more of a garlic oil on top rather than bits of garlic. Its still good, but it is quite oily when you rip into it.

Original Naan (2,000 won) was large as well. I preferred this over the garlic naan.

Lamb Curry (12,000 won) had a few chunks of lamb and tasted alright.

Mixed Vegetable Curry (8,500 won) was quite good but the size of the order was small.

Tandoori Chicken (18,000 won) has 4 pieces of chicken legs. The chicken was dry and it wasn’t anything special.

Chicken Tikka (12,000 won) comes with 7 pieces and it is spicy.

Bacon Cream Risotto (8,500 won) was my favourite dish of the evening. It was creamy and super cheesy. Good type of comfort food.

Seafood Tomato Spaghetti (8,500 won) was quite mediocre and some of the seafood could have been fresher.

The food here really doesn’t compare to authentic Indian food and is very mediocre. I probably wouldn’t come here again. The service was quite poor and the waitresses were not attentive at all. People wanted to get refills of water, order or get the bill but we would have to wait a while for a waitress to appear. The servers were mostly behind the counter on their phones. Not cool at all.

We Rate Sweet India:

Approximate Location:
1085-3 Duho-dong (5-16 Yongdusan-gil)
Buk-gu, Pohang, Gyeongsangbuk-do, South Korea ‎

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=36.064087,129.381906&num=1&t=m&z=16 “]

In Japanese

Gajokjung: Ramen in Pohang

November 14, 2013

Apparently, there is a ramen restaurant in Pohang, South Korea. M’s family was just craving a bowl of ramen and raved about this place. Gajokjung means Family Restaurant.

There’s parking in the front, but we just took a taxi here.

The lines can get quite long during peak hours and is difficult to get a spot. You definitely want to come early to grab a seat or wait till it dies down a bit.

Copy of the menu

There is complimentary cups of coffee available. It’s weak coffee, so it won’t give you that extra perk that you need in the morning. All the coffee is self-serve, so you can grab as much as you want.

Pork Tonkatsu (8,000 won) is one of their best sellers. It is extra crispy and delicate on the outside because of the panko crumbs. Highly recommended!

Combination Tonkatsu Special (9,500 won) comes with pumpkin, fish, pork and cheese filling. I got this to sample all their different kinds. All of them were great, but the best one is the pork.

Japanese Ramen Miso ramen (7,500 won) has a miso soup base, with seaweed, veggies, and a piece of pork belly.

All the ramen come with picked radish and kimchi on the side. You can get this refilled if you want more.

Koma Karashi Ramen (8,000) is their hot and spicy flavour.

There are 4 levels of spiciness you can choose from:

Mild
Sweat
Tear
Volcano
Crazy

I chose Sweat as I wanted to enjoy my meal and not regret any decisions. Crazy just sounded crazy.

Both the ramen fell a bit flat compared to the ramen that can be found in Vancouver. It was lacking the full body flavour in the broth and the fatty pieces of pork belly was not evident.

Buckwheat Noodles (8,000 won) has 2 clump so noodles. It was ok. Nothing special to it.

Overall, the food was ok. I’ve just been spoiled by all the great ramen from Vancouver. The best thing about this place was the tonkatsu. I would highly recommend eating all the tonkatsu you can. It’s really good!

We Rate Gajokjung:

Address:
1104-9 Duho-dong
Buk-gu, Pohang-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do
South Korea

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In Busan

Angel In Us Coffee: South Korean Cafe

November 12, 2013

Angel In Us Coffee is a strong domestic brand in South Korea. You can basically find it in any city. It took me a long time to figure out why this coffee shop is named Angel In Us. Apparently it’s supposed to imply that coffee is a god’s gift delivered by angels. They also have a unique roasting process for the beans too.

We came here with some relatives to relax and have a beverage. We were walking for most of the afternoon, so we thought it would be good to take a breather here. All the other cafes in the area were packed like crazy, so we came to Angel In Us Coffee because of their large space.