Six in Seoul

See that little yellow truck just below Justin Bar?  Run, don't walk to it!  The smell coming from that little truck was enough to make me stop and look for it....not in a bad way like many of the smells that come from the streets here, this was an amazingly delicious smell, one that I haven't smelt in over a year.  As I sniffed, I knew something great was cooking, and it was in the Mexican food category!  Oh God, I thought I might be dreaming when I approached this yellow truck/taco stand.  As I stood in the long line, everyone seemed very happy, but as I was watching the guys make the tacos, I was a little scared when I saw them squirt white and red stuff on the tacos.  You never know what white or red stuff might be here in Korea.  I mean sometimes there is white stuff on pizza...and that white stuff is a bit nasty.  So, I was talking to my friend T while in line and said that I didn't think I wanted the white or red stuff on my taco. When Johnny, the owner heard me he said in perfect English "sour cream and hot sauce".  Well, forgive me....of course I want sour cream and hot sauce on my taco!  Here is Johnny- he calls himself the Naked Chef, I don't know why, he has clothes on.

Date night this weekend: Once in a Blue Moon in Apgujeong, the Beverly Hills of Seoul. If you are on a budget, don't even consider going here.  This is a place where you will want to dress up.  Hubby wore a suit & I wore a sheik skirt with hot boots!   The write ups for this sexy little jazz bar are fantastic. It is well know that this is one of the best jazz bars in Seoul.  Every review was right on, the music was great, smooth jazz, not the crazy hyped up jazz.  It was pricy, but the food was wonderful. Hubby and I had a 5 course meal & a bottle of wine. 

Not surprising to you, I took a few photos...this was Hubby's appetizer. I don't remember the name of it, but it was scallops with an orange sauce.  The scallops were cooked perfectly.  (I have personally been having a hard time cooking scallops, so I was impressed - I really think it has more to do with the type of scallop I am buying here, and not really my technique, but that is another story for another time.)  

My appetizer was not as good...it was pan fried foie gras.  I was a bit hesitant when it said pan fried, but I thought I would give it a whirl anyway.  It wasn't terribe, but I would not order it again. On a good note, the blueberry sauce & the little salad was heavenly!

Next up we had a salad, then wild mushroom soup, then a sorbet.  Now the sorbet seemed a little out of place to us, but this is Korea and things are not always what one would expect.  Not only was this sorbet out of place, but after the first bite it left us wondering just what flavor it really was. I tasted cinnamon & ginger, on the second bit it hit me....SWEET POTATO!  Wow...I can honestly say that was a first for me.  It wasn't sweet at all - more like an icy sweet potato.  It wasn't bad either, just totally different.

For the main course I had lobster tail and halibut, both were equally delicious.  I could eat food like this every night of the week!

Hubby had lamb chops in a blueberry sauce, and if you like lamb chops, you would LOVE these.  Cooked to perfection.  (Sorry, this picture isn't very good.)

So I must admit when we saw the dessert they brought out we both though it was a little odd, but then again, Korean's do love their waffles.  There was even syrup on this waffle.  Surprisingly, it was pretty damn tasty.  Go figure.

 As hubby and I sat and listened to the sweet sound of the jazz band playing in the background, we talked about how hard life in the states is going to be whenever we have to move back. We have been spoiled here in Seoul.  What are we going to do for date night & are we going to have to hire a driver?  I mean come on, you never have to worry about that here, cabs are plentiful! (Not that we have to worry about moving back for quite a while anyway.)  We also talked about what a fabulous place this is. Once is a Blue Moon is one of those places where you want to take guest to, or go to for a special ocassion.  Oh, check out this picture of the piano...isn't it beautiful? Check out the shine. 

So, all in all this was a great night! 

OH, WAIT....it is 2AM...I wake up sweating and feel like someone just punched me in the stomach.  CRAP, do I have to puke?  CRAP, CRAP, CRAP!!!  I jump out of bed holding my stomach, run to the bathroom and make it just in time to barf my guts out!!  Not 30 minutes later, Hubby is right behind me!  NO FREAKING WAY...we have food poisoning!!!  Now, I eat on the streets here in Seoul ALL THE TIME and I have never felt the least bit bad.  We go to a swanky little uptown joint, spend a wad of cash and feel like death warmed over!  WTF?!  So, we are both puking all night...Hubby has to be up by 6:30AM to catch a flight to Tokyo!  Poor guy. He said he was sick on the plane several times.  I was lucky, I got to stay home in the comfort of my own bed, and use my own toilet to puke in, I couldn't imagine being stuck on an airplane feeling the way I felt.  Earlier today I got an email from hubby and he said he still feels bad today (Monday).  Thankfully I was better by Sunday night, but you should have seen my house...the kids were all still in their pj's because they had to fend for themselves, and since Boy 1 is off grounding all he did was make sure his siblings had bags of chips and boxes of cereal in between rounds of war craft on the computer.  Need I say more?

The Jazz Story - what a place!!!  So, we are driving down this really nice street in Samcheong-dong, couple are holding hand, people are laughing, this looks like a great area, but when the cab driver let us off, we had NO IDEA where to go, he dropped us off at the end of this popular, fun loving street going no where.  We started walking the wrong direction, back towards the fun when our cab driver honked at up and pointed to some dilapidated stair case going into a building that looked like it should have been condemned years before.  I thought maybe he was confused, or setting us up, but no, when we arrived at the top of the stairs there our friends were waiting there to greet us.

Now really, I would have never gone up those stairs if I didn't think something great was waiting for me up there.

Once we entered, there was so much to see...like many places in Korea, it was a bit overwheling.  The first thing I had to take a picture of was the chair I was about to sit in.

Really?  Green duct tape?  It just added to the charm of this little place! Not all the chairs had duct tape on them, but most of them did, sometimes the tape was the traditional silver duct tape.  The tables were made from trash cans, with rounds of glass sitting atop the trash can, our table was a jack, it was bigger than a car jack, but definitely a jack of some sort.

The next thing I HAD to get a picture of was the menu.

Now, our friend Randy is the person that found this place.  He heard about it from somewhere.  His source told him the food was good, so I did not eat before I went.  Now I like Korean food, so even if this was Korean food, I would be good with it.  My suggestion to you however is to eat before you go!!  First of all, the 'snacks' they bring out are 8 peanuts. Yes, you read that correctly, we got 16 on the second round because there were 4 of us & I'm sure they thought we might need more since Americans eat WAY more than Koreans.  OK, would you like to see the salad we ordered?

And here is the main course:

My mom taught me: If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all. I am not going to say anything.

Even though dinner was not a huge hit, we really did love this place!  It has a charm like no other.  The next great adventure I had here was going to the bathroom, I walked in took one look, turned around, ran back to the table and grabbed my camera! First off, this might freak some of you out, but if you see it often enough it is no big deal, it was a coed bathroom.  Boys and girls together.  Don't worry, the bathroom stalls have doors, the urinal on the other hand does not.  Speaking of the urinal, check it out!!!!

I'm not sure (I didnt' get close enough), but I think the silver thing on the wall is an ash tray.

OK, now for the toilet!

Are you having fun yet? 

At 8 the band started playing, and to our surprise, they were singing in English & by no way did the music they were singing resemble jazz.  The lead girl in the band did not even have an accent while she was singing, she was amazing!  They were singing ABBA, which everyone but Hubby was stoked about, they sang Santana, Joan Jett, Stevie Wonder and many more - all songs we could sing along to, and we did!  Did I mention we were the ONLY Americans in the bar?  One big difference we have noticed between Americans and Koreans, when music is playing, Koreans nod their head a little, and that is about it.  The Americans are loud, singing & clapping right along with the band. 

This was a great place to go & if you live here I would highly suggest it! 

Our friend Tammy and Randy..

Notice the two signs....no picture taking & no smoking....look in the left corner of the picture, between the two fingers.

Yes, Antonio is the new love of my life.  I first read about Antonio in a magazine, and Antonio sounded dreamy.  Fresh mozzarella, buffalo mozzarella, imported creams, the freshest ingredients, hand made, owned and operated by 3 Italian chefs!  I knew I had to try it.  Hubby and I decided to go for Valentine's day ( a little late because of all the puking going on in our house).  We thought we were going to have to go to ChumgDam, which would have been find,  but when I looked Antonio up on the internet I was pleasantly surprised to find out they have TWO locations, the second location just opened in December in ITEAWON!!!  Waaaaa--whoooooo, only 10 minutes from our house! 

When you leave post from the walk out gate, go to the main drag in Iteawon.  Walk on the left side of the street, pass the Hard Rock, cross the little alley street (the one with Flying Pan Blue on it), staying on the main street, and you are almost there....it is right above Krazy Burger, we walked past it 3 times before we found it.  I don't know about you, but I go on sign overload making it hard to find specific places, so I took a picture for you.

See, 2nd floor between the 2 green signs.  You enter right behind where I am standing.  The restaurnt was warm and inviting and I was going to be disappointed if I didn't like the food. 

From where we sat, you could see into the kitchen where one Italian chef (he is the one in the back) was preparing our meal.  From what I understand, there is always one of the three owner/chefs at each restaurant preparing meals.

When I looked at the menu I was a bit overwhelmed, it is HUGE!  There is a partial menu on their website if you would like to take a peek.  We started off with a very basic, salad, but one of my favorites, the Caprese salad.  One bite, and I knew I was going to like this restaurant.  The tomatoes were the freshest I have had in months & the buffalo mozzarella just melted in my mouth, it cost 18,000 won.  For our main course we ordered two items to split.  The first item was the margherita pizza at 17,000 won.  This pizza was divine!!  The crust was perfectly thin and crispy on the edges, soft and yummy in the middle.  This was the best pizza I have had since I have been here.  I would go back for this pizza alone.

The next item we ordered was the Spaghetti al Peperono Allo Scugilo...go ahead and say that 3 times fast.  In translation, that is a slightly spicy dish made with a white wine sauce, fresh tomatoes & seafood!  This dish was delightful and came in at 22,000 won. 

After such a wonderful and authentic Italian meal, I had to ask if they had cannolis, my favorite Italian dessert.  YES, they have cannolis!  Just not tonight...they sold out on Valentines day and have not had time to make more.  They promised to have some the next day.  Even though I was disappointed,  this was good news, I know they make them fresh!!  So, we ordered the Tiramisu.  The wonderful, melt in your mouth Tiramisu.  I've never been so happy with Tiramisu in my entire life. Seriously.

If you live here, and you have been craving Italian food, RUN, don't walk to Antonio's, and while you are there please order a margherita pizza to go for me!! 

Now seriously, who could resist a restaurant called 'Sunny Days', especially since the days have not been so 'sunny' here in Korea for the past month or so.  Sure, Mr. Sun peaks out every once and a while to tease us, but then just as quickly as he came out, he goes back and hides behind the clouds again.  I don't know what is wrong with him lately.  Anyway, I had read about this burger joint called 'Sunny Days' a few weeks back on another blog, and this person said this was a pretty good place to get a burger, and something has had me wanting a good burger, actually,  I have been wanting a Denton Independent hamburger to be precise.   So, the other night I decided NOT to cook and take everyone out for a good burger.   This little restaurant is in Iteawon, when you leave post out the walk out gate, it is right before you get to Starbucks on your right.  First came the french fries, they aren't my favoite type of french fry, I like the skinny ones, but these were very good and hot!

Next came the nachos....again, not my type of nachos, but our kids loved them and that is who we ordered them for.

I ended up not even ordering a burger though; I ordered the chicken teriyaki sandwich, which is pictured below.  My sandwich was good & the dressing on the salad was wonderful.  Oh, and the bread was so fresh! 

Then came the burgers....this is the 'sweet chili burger'.   The burgers did not meet the expectations we have set for a 'good' burger.  Yes, Hubby and Boy 1 ate all their burgers, but Hubby said he had to NOT think of it as a burger.  We are pretty sure the meat is not 100% ground beef, and we couldn't pinpoint what we thought it was. 

In conclusion, the staff was wonderful, the owner very nice, and the atmosphere was cozy. I would go back again if I were taking the kids and I would stick to the sandwiches.    The kids love it and it was pretty easy on the checkbook, only 35,000 won (roughly $25USD) for 6 people. 

Hubby and I took the kids to Namsan Seoul Tower that past Monday.  The little ones have never been.  They were not too impressed with the observation deck, in fact Girl took her camera, but when we got to the observation deck she put it away. The picture below is of Boy 2 and I looking at the view before we went into the tower.  OH....did I mention I am a brunette again? 

Boy 1 was so happy to be with us....

Things they did like about our adventure:

The teddy bears....

They also liked lunch.  We ate in the tower, at Sobahn Korean Restaurant.  It is a Korean buffet, you order your main dish, then go to the buffet for all your soups, salads and side dishes.  The buffet was wonderful; I could have not ordered a main dish and been completely happy.  If you go for lunch, the prices are pretty reasonable for what you get.  The price for adults is 22,000 won & kids are 7,500 won. 

Boys 1 & 2 really liked the ribs....

And the other thing they really enjoyed was the bus ride...well, Boy 1 didn't really like much of anything (except the ribs).

Still just as good as the first 2 times I went! 

This is the asparagus salad with poached eggs & bacon.  YUM!

Boy 1 ordered Chocolate Ecstasy.  These are pancakes, really.  Served for breakfast.  Boy 1 was in heaven.

Boy 2 ordered cinnamon & pear pancakes.  For some reason all the pancakes come with a big scoop of ice cream on them.  The pancakes themselves were delicious....throw in some pears, cinnamon and ice cream, that's enough to make anyone giddy!

Girl ordered the french toast with bacon.  Look how clean her plate is.  I don't think she has ever cleared her plate before.

WOW...This place is FANTASTIC!  I've been trying to get Hubby to have brunch with me here for months now, but it never worked out, so when my friend ask if she could take me to brunch for a belated birthday celebration, you bet I took her up on it!   

I knew from the moment I laid eyes on the menu I was in love.  I knew instantly what I was going to order -  Eggs Benedict with Smoked Salmon, Grilled Tomato and Spinach.  My mind was made up, that is until I started reading more, then a little confusion set in, but in the end I went back to the eggs benedict with smoked salmon, and I am so happy I did. 

The hollandaise sauce was to die for.  It was so light and fluffy when it came out, and then melted down into the sauce you see in the picture.  My mouth is watering just looking at it.  When I was done I really wanted to lick my plate. The tomato was grilled to perfection, the spinach was a perfect green to put with this dish, and the potatoes which I thought were a little misplaced were not at all once I took a bite.

My friend and I both ordered caramel macchiatos, which would give Starbucks a run for their money! I ordered the hot macchiato, and my friend ordered the cold one, they were both equally delicious.

My friend ordered the Flying Pan Breakfast, sautéed mushrooms, poached eggs with basil pesto sauce, basil pesto toast, tomatoes, spinach & hummus.  I only had a bite, but what a bite it was, all the flavors combining together in my mouth reminded me of  a sophisticated little cocktail party where everyone was extremely happy.

Dessert took us to a whole new level.  We were already full, we DID NOT need dessert, however, we could not resist ordering dessert, and no, we did not order one to share, we felt we had to show our respect to the chef by ordering one each.  

I ordered the Crepe in Black Cherry Sauce with Crème, my friend ordered Chocolate Mud in Red Wine Sauce. If you want to moan with every bite you take, order the Crepe, I savored every single bite. It was almost as bad as the scene in "When Harry Met Sally".  If chocolate is your thing, the Chocolate Mud is the way to go and the red wine sauce goes perfectly with the chocolate.

So, I'm sure you are thinking this is where the story ends.  NOPE.  It was SO GOOD I forced Hubby to go with me the next day! (I really didn't have to force him, once he saw the picture of the eggs benedict with smoked salmon, he was sold.)  We also invited our friend, D, who is here without his family to go with us.  They both loved this place as well.  Both Hubby and D ordered the eggs benedict with smoked salmon, and Hubby actually licked his plate clean.....ok, he sopped his plate clean after he order some toast.  This time I ordered the French toast with bacon, excellent! 

 If you are looking for a great place for breakfast of brunch, this is the place to go!  To get there from post, walk down Itaewon Street, on the left side, pass the Hamilton Hotel, the next alley, and take a left. On the right side of the alley you will see My Thai, a Karaoke place then The Flying Pan Blue is down the stairs, it is kind of hard to find if you are not looking for it.

This past weekend Hubby and I tried a new restaurant in Itaewon, Sortino's.  I read about this restaurant on another blog somewhere - I just tried searching some of the blogs I read to find it, but no such luck.  Anyway, this little restaurant is worth a visit.

From post, walk down Itaewon street on the right hand side, go through the big intersection, you know the one with California Rollin' & Cold Stone Creamery.  Keep going pass the police station, cross over the next small intersection and a few (or 10) stores down you will see Sortino's on the right.  This cute little place is a bit pricey, but the food was pretty good!  We started off with this scrumptious salad...

Now, this picture does not do this salad justice.  The meat all around the edge of the plate is proscuitto, and very good procuitto I might add.  There were artichoke hearts, greek olives, roasted red peppers and underneath the greens there was some amazing blue cheese, I wish I knew which brand it was, buffalo mozzarella & fresh plump tomato slices.  This salad was drizzled with balsamic vinaigrette it was my favorite part of the meal, although it came at a heafty price...38,000 won! 

Next up, Hubby ordered Arrabbiata pasta.  We both LOVE Arrabbiata, and hubby was not disappointed here. The waiter ask him how spicy he wanted it, he said very spicy.  Hubby really enjoyed this, I loved the taste, but it was a bit too spicy for me, if I were to go back and order it I will ask for medium spice.

I ordered lasagna.  This lasagna was nothing to write home about, but it was not bad either.  I was happy with my meal and felt I got a nice Italian meal in the middle of Seoul, something I wasn't sure I would be able to do when we moved here 7 months ago.

If you live in Seoul, and you find yourself craving Italian food, go to Sortino's. 

Oh, I almost forgot, I NEVER see anyone carrying around doggie bags, so I thought you must not take your leftovers with you here. (An unspoken rule? They never ask you if you want to take your food to go.)  Anyway, I had so much lasagna left over, I did not feel like I could leave it, so, for the first time since I have lived here, I ask for my food to go.  They didn't skip a beat, and were happy to bring my food to go, they just package it a little differently here.  I looks like I went shopping.  Isn't that a cute little "doggie" bag?  Now I know, people ALWAYS take their food to go, I see these bags all the time - I just thought they had been shopping!