Tornado Potato!

Deep fried & things on a stick... 2 of my favorite food groups! While wandering through Insadong I spotted a Tornado Potato cart. It was a one-man show, taking a raw potato and feeding it through some fancy contraption where he was left with a spiral of starchy potato. One at a time, the whole thing was then carefully threaded onto a wooden stick. And then, the whole thing, stick and all, was placed in a vat of hot oil.



When the golden tornado emerged from the oil, it was left to rest a moment on the tray, before I was faced with the grueling decision of choosing a flavored salt. There was several flavors, but the Chilli and the Cheese flavors were what interested me. A quick dip of one half into the chilli salt, and the other into the cheese salt.



And there we have one stick full of deep fried, salty, crispy goodness from the streets of Seoul.

Bbopgi, honeycomb on a stick! Street food in Seoul

After a huge bibimbap for lunch, we make our way back to wander the walking street ... and I spot something from a distance. Sugar, on a stick - perfect!



Kids and adults alike are walking around with these things, each etched with a different hand drawn artwork. We make our way over to one of the bustling little street side stalls. They are making giant clumps of honeycomb, and then pressing them flat, piercing them with a stick for convenient eating-while-walking, and then etching the picture into the hot candy.



Apparently the idea is to eat around the shape without it breaking/cracking? I just ate the heck out of that sugar in one swift motion it was so good ... Will give the whole eating around the shape thing a go next time.

Walking the walk, Insadong.

Insadong is the cultured heart of Seoul with art and antique stores a plenty. On week ends the main street is closed to vehicular traffic and the streets turn into a bit of a flea market. We had all intentions of checking this out, but first off to more important matters such as our breakfast (which was taking place about lunch time (holidays people)) About half way up Insadong gil our rumbling tummies led us down a flight of stairs to the biggest bibimbap we've ever seen, it was just a plastic sample model but at that stage if they had been selling them that size we would have considered.



As the menus arrive so does the banchan, a half a dozen small plates of pickles and salads as well as to thimbles of ginseng rice wine, full of the earthy flavor of the root.



Our bibimbaps arrive not long after, a raw beef one for myself. Served in a huge brass bowl the textural additions of the nuts and seeds is great. I never really had idea about how much they were used in Korean cuisine.



Kat has the house signature, it arrived sizzling away in it's stone bowl, the verdict.... also awesome.



let the mixing begin



The restaurant is located in the basement of a funky building called the Ssamzie building, housing dozens of small arty shops with a long walk way spiraling around each floor until you reach the rooftop gardens where we stopped to snap a few pics of the grazing giraffes a peak down onto the market street below.





The building is full of all sorts of art installations, mobiles of picture frames, art on the walls, giraffes on the roof, funky maps of the area...



Next up sugar madness.

Gogung
Ssamzie building
Insadong gil

Open from 11am - 10pm

So much porky goodness.

Hong dae, I hadn't thought much about the area at first but this is because we had be visiting in the wrong time zone. Hong dae is most definitely a night time show. As we walked back around the formerly empty streets it was had to remember how it was pre-midday. Crowds of people thronged the streets and alleys delicious smells were every where, music pounded out of clubs, it was fantastic. We stopped for a little appetizer at a busy bbq place picked at random. A plate of meat, wraps, accompaniments and a couple of Cass beers and we're good to go.





We knew we wanted more and traveled a good few feet to get it. As we stepped out of the bbq joint we saw a lot of people enjoying Bossam right next door, with this way up on our must do dishes we took a few steps and sat down again.



A towering plate of pork arrives along with chillies, garlic, kimchi, wraps, saeujeot (pickled fermented shrimp) and a Haejangguk, a murky bowl soup made from ox bones and blood jelly.
the first moments are spent thinking, wow glad we ordered the small size, but then first taste and we know there's no way we won't finish this bad boy.





Grab a little pork add some sweet sweet Korean garlic, chili and a splash of baby pickled shrimp, wrap it all up in a sesame or lettuce leaf and chow down, have a little kimchi to cleanse the palate, totally awesome.

The Haejangguk is a traditional hangover cure so this was a preemptive strike on the following morning. The soup was of the Seoul variety made with a soy bean soup base, cabbage, green onions, bean sprouts and plenty of the blood jelly. This sort hangover cure I could get used to.



We sat for a good while, every time a banchan bowl was emptied a refill was quick in coming, and magically the plate of pork disappeared, amazing.

With bellies filled with awesomeness and doing the happy dance of satisfaction we took once more to the streets to watch and join the spectacle that is Hong dae by night.

Parting gratuitous pork shot

Hangry, Hangry, Hangry! and how to cure in just 7 minutes

Fueled on caffeine from our little morning stop at Coffee Brown we've ended up ... well, actually, I don't quite know where we were. We found a one of the huge Hyundai department stores that housed an impressive basement level wonderland of all-things food, including a macaron shop with flavors like black truffle, gorgonzola, milk & even foie gras (but they were sold out). Of course we get a few for later...

We try to find some noodle place, that supposed to serve the noodles so spicy, that whole chilies make up a large part of this lunch staple. We wander around for hours, well okay, maybe 20 minutes. I get a bit hangry (that's when I get so hungry, that I turn a little grumpy, or angry - which happens after about an hour or two with no food;)) and I totally give up on the noodle idea. We wander some more, now just looking for some more fuel, in the form of solids. We randomly turn up a little alley, and spot this place bursting at the seams with people casually enjoying lunch amongst all the bustle.



Silver extractor pipes seem to be crawling from the roof, the waiters aptly navigating their way around these pipes and stopping by tables armed with shears. We head in, and they clear a table for us just as someone gets up to leave. Something gets babbled away to us, and we just nod. Then the lady points to a menu on the wall..



Hmm, when she comes back we just point at the table next to us, which have something simmering away that smells delicious. She comes back moments later with a few bowls of kimchi - a white cucumber kimchi, an intense chilli & raw squid version and a bunch of sesame leaves rolled in a spicy mixture.



Then a little pot is placed before us, and they walk away. We guess we wait, so sit patiently. A few minutes pass and I just cannot resist lifting the lid for a peak!



It looks good, I see kimchi and some chunks of meat. We still sit patiently ... then a young guy who has been behind the register comes over and tells us we are about to enjoy the "7 minute kimchi stew". Awesome!! He has a pair of shears in his hand, and lifts the lid and starts chopping.



It's a pretty frantic event, the clanging of the shears against the pan and red juice splashing all over the table. What's left are little bite-sized chunks of pork and cabbage kimchi in a thick, spicy broth.



We each get a bowl of hot rice placed in front of us, and a gesture towards the silver tub on the table. The tub is full of big flakes of crispy green seaweed. We pile it on, and top with great big spoonfuls of the kimchi stew.



Wow, hangry what now? I was so content, full & happy for hours after this lunch, which means only 1 thing - I need a little more kimchi stew in my life;)

Coffee Brown, Hongdae, Seoul, South Korea

Hongdae before noon? Forget it! We got there early, like before 10am early, thinking we would have the whole day wandering around this funky little area close to the Uni. Well, there was a lot of wandering, and peering into windows of little shops & cafes that were not yet open... But then we turn a corner and spot life, a little balcony above us, with wide open windows and a few people looking down onto the bare streets.



Coffee Brown is a little take-away coffee shop downstairs, which has a narrow stairwell leading to the up-stairs open seating area. We perch ourselves at a big wooden table in the window and recline back into the tiny chairs (or perhaps we're quite big in Korea;) and order a few chilled caffeinated beverages. Kim has a shaken black coffee, which comes with a nice layer of frothy crema.



And moi, an iced latte. We sit and watch, but don't see much.. a few delivery trucks and some uni kids. We head off on foot fueled with caffeine, and intend on heading back later in the afternoon.

Jongno Bindaetteok, Seoul, South Korea

After checking into our Candy Robot room, we had headed over to Gwanghwamun district, starting the evening off at Tosokchon Samgyetang with some ginseng black chicken soup. We then wandered a dozen blocks, looking out for Jongno Bindaetteok; suposedly one of the best Bindaetteok (mung bean pancakes) in town. We walk past a bustling little shop, the big glass window revealing a large flat grill, filled with pancakes, and crates of the cloudy rice wine, makgeolli, on the sidewalk thinking wow this place is awesome but unable to spot a sign wander on looking for our prey.

We have a bit of trouble seeing, or understanding, the street signs, decide to take a walk around the block, and if we can't seem to find Jongno then we would head back to this little place.



Wandering around the back alleys, we find so many interesting little places, it's a Thursday night, and the streets are bustling. We don't seem to find the Bindaetteok place we are looking for, so make our way back to the one that caught our eye in the beginning. There are groups waiting for seats, and what looks like people waiting for take-aways. We poke our head in, and there is a tiny 2 stools at the end of one table where we are ushered over to by one of the ladies on the floor, who asks if we want beer, why yes of course, and then returns moments later with a large bottle of Cass. The Cass is a pale lager, and super-light. This beer is produced by OB brewery, who brews all of their beers with rice, rather then the Western standard of malted barley.



Only another few moments have passed, and the lady then stops again with little plates filled with kimchi. There's an apple kimchi, the pieces of fruit still crisp, and with a nice, spicy coating. Theres a radish & cucumber kimchi, which is sitting in a very light, vinegar pickle, and lastly, an addictive onion, dried chilli & soy sauce.



The lady asks us "haemul ... gogi?" (seafood .. meat) We order 2 x bindaetteok gogi, or crispy golden pancakes made with fresh ground mung beans & meat. We both look around and are amazed at the variety of people that are eating in this little place ... there are young groups of people, individuals all perched around a communal bench, young kids with their parents and men in suits... oh, and 2 giant, blonde foreigners with a DLSR camera sitting on tiny little stools;) We enjoy observing the magic that all takes place on one giant flat top.



Behind the grill stands an older man, constantly feeding the fresh mung beans through a stone-grinder. The guy on the grill is spinning around and ladelling the fresh beans over into the pancake mix as fast as they are being ground...



Once they work through the backlog of orders, 2 gogi are dropped in front of us. They are a beautiful, golden colour, and have just been roughly chopped to allow for easy eating. (The Korean chopsticks are all beautiful - made of stainless steel, that taper to a pointed end with a flat, rectangular handle that is adorned in beautiful decoration.) As cutlery is placed on the table, the lady grabs a single napkin, and lays a spoon and pair of these chopsticks on that. We observe a lot of people using the chopsticks to move food to their spoon, and then from the spoon to their mouth, so follow suit. The first piece of bindaetteok that reaches our mouth, oh wow. Crispy, with little pieces of the fresh mung bean still recognisable, but the ground pieces giving the whole cake a silky texture. There are chunks of marinated meat, spring onions & kimchi. We play around with the different kimchi combinations, with this crispy pancake my favourite are the onions in soy with dried chilli.



Every table surrounding us, are drinking from these green bottles... We decide to move on from beer, and join them in the drinking of makgeolli. A green pet bottle is plonked on the table, with 2 plastic bowls to drink from. This stuff is cloudy, rice wine (similar to a Japanese amazake) that is quite strong. It's best when cold, so we drink it quite fast, although don't manage to finish the whole bottle...



After we pay, we cross the road on our way home... and notice the huge sign! We found the right place in the end, and were so glad we did.



Then we notice the giant bags of vegetables, ready to be turned into pancake filling and of course kimchi. Seoul ♥



Gwanghwamun
Dangju-dong, Jongno-gu
T: +82 2 737 1857
12noon - 2am

Tosokchon Samgyetang, Gwanghwamun, you said what now???

Samgyetang; A whole chicken stuffed with sticky rice and all sorts of other goodies, a traditional Korean classic dish that cleverly blends medicine and things that are good for you and things that taste good. Apparently one of the best in Seoul is in Gwanghwamun, a place called Tosokchon Samgyetang....... we can't pronounce any of this but we're gonna give it a go. After a quick slightly hair raising cab to the vicinity a quick orientation, one wrong turn and directions from a jewellery store owner we were there.



Despite the small nondescript shop front the restaurant sprawls back from the entrance with half a dozen rooms off a large cobbled central courtyard with trees and ponds all under the roof.



We're led to a room at the far end, ditch our shoes at the entrance and find a seat at the long communal table. I'm not much of a fan of floor seating (near instant numb limbs) but it's all there is. Finally wedged in we survey the menu, surrounds, table etiquette, the people.. we're complete gawking tourists but this was to be our first meal in Korea, curiosity was great and the expectations were high.

We were here for the braised chicken so one of those was our first choice, we go one step further and order a black skinned chicken stuffed and cooked, we tried to order something else as well but were brusquely rebuffed by the stern waitresses, we guessed they thought we should try one and see if we wanted another, could have been they were sold out or a myriad of other reasons but we couldn't speak to any one and we were happy to sit back and see what happened anyways.

Despite the massive size of the place within seconds we have half a dozen small plates of kimchi's and raw garlic and other accompaniments and moments after that the chicken arrives bubbling away in a cast iron pot, a few pieces of black skin break the murky surface of the broth other than that nothing else is given away as to what inhabits it's depths.



First off a tentative taste of all the sides, the apple kimchi is awesome; chunks of raw apple coated in a spicy puree lightly curing the apple but still leaving a bit of crunch, and the raw garlic is mild and not at all as scary as the prospect of eating raw garlic sounds.



With the tasting out of the way it was chicken time, after a bit of fishing around with our chopsticks we start to pull out pieces of chicken, the hours braising leaves the flesh falling from the bone, but it's when we get to the stuffing that the real action happens.



The rice is unctuous full of flavour from the stock it was cooked in and full of treasures; red dates, gingseng root, walnuts, pinenuts, chestnuts, ginko nuts, sunflower seeds and all sorts of other goodies giving the soft glutinous rice a lovely texture. The broth surrounding the chicken is the best of chicken broths - I wish all medicine could be this good! We spend a good half an hour draining the bowl and leaving nothing but a stripped carcass sitting in the bottom.
The pondering is long and hard about whether or not we should order another chicken but we decide on a wander of the streets to see if we can't turn up another morsel or two.

The plastic tab that is our menu doubles as our bill, the whole experience costing us 20,000 won, or a mere 20 dollars.



on the way out we find a poster displaying the amazing amount of ingredients in the samgyetan.



It is a grand introduction into Korean cuisine.

Tosokchon Samgyetang
Seoul-si Jongno-gu Chebu-dong 85-1

From Korea with Love

It's going to be hard to write the next few posts with out succumbing to the urge to trundle out a few tired puns so in the best interests of everyone Seoul food, Seoul train, Seoul Sista ahhhhhhhhhaaaaa!!!!!!



Ok Now thats done, yup we went to Seoul. A yell out to the twittersphere and a very brief search on chowhound and we figured we were set. The R Hotel is a little outta the way but with rooms like these how could we not say here, plus taxis are dirt cheap.

The Candy Robot room is a mash of wall-e and sweets with a queens size bed, a large bath that you could watch the huge plazma tv from and two, yes two computer terminals. It was pretty sweet.





R Hotel
121-6 Yeongdeungpodong 1(il)-ga,
Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, South Korea
T: +82 2 2675 4800