East Village (Seoul)

If you want Korean cuisine with a modern twist, you can try Itaewon's "East Village".


East Village means the Hannam side of Itaewon, and a lower-to-mid-east Manhattan touch. And indeed, I was at the same time the only non-Korean customer this Saturday evening, and feeling more in NYC than in Seoul.


In this part of main street Itaewon, you're neither in the Western "traditionnally international" end, nor in the Eastern "newly Gangnamized" end (which definitely feels "Californian" to me). The restaurant is located a little before Cheil building when you come from the West, and in this more urban and less pretentious buffer zone, you'd almost expect to see front stoops along the sidewalk. Typically, there's a fun-looking place named "Hulk" where they serve simple Korean food in a basement, a perfect spot for non-chaebol local youth to get their invigorating fix.


I guess East Village is targeting more demanding palates - and thicker wallets - who are tired of alternating between fine Western restaurants and prestigious hanjeongsik tables. There is a need for modern high end Korean cuisine, and different ways to achieve this ambition. Where "The Gaon" pushed traditional Korean cuisine to perfection, "East Village" tries to instil new flavors or seasonings in the classics without denaturating them.


Of course, the chef (a different Kwon than the Ed operating further eastwards at "The Spice"), doesn't always succeed in surprising us, and the main bemol would be the end of the meal: by no means a "dragon head, snake tail" experience, but the last dish and the dessert were not up to what came before. The mandu soup and green tea ice cream were good, but not to die for, and save for one caramelized walnut, not very very original.


But by the time you reach that part you've already been satisfied, starting with a Hanwoo tartare in an endive leaf, fresh takes at Noryangjin's fishes of the day, or a Damyang style ddeok galbi.


I'm happy to see this kind of ambition in a Korean restaurant, and even happier to see Korean patrons embrace it.


East Village (restaurant)
736-9 Hannam-dong (214-1 Itaewon-ro), Yongsan-gu, Seoul, ROK
Tel +82.2.790.7782


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UPDATE 20120806 (card)

Busan Corner on Taxi-daero

Each time I ride my bicycle from Yeonhui-dong to Hongdae, I follow the same Yeonhuimat-ro / Donggyo-ro line. And each time, I make a couple of mental notes along the way: I must come back for this and that eatery, I haven't visited them in a long time.


The first section is called Yeonhui's street of flavors (Yeonhuimat-ro, formerly Yeonhuimat-gil) for a reason: people come from far away for the food, even for a dish as simple as Yeonhui-dong Kalguksu.


The second section is far less inviting: basically an apartment block (Imgwang Apartment) stuck between two disgracious elevated infrastructures (Seongsan-ro and the Gyeongui Line). But even there you can find a couple of restaurants.


The next stretch is a paradise for authentic Chinese cuisine lovers (see for instance Hong Bok or Ha Ha). That's also where you'll find the very Chinese-friendly Yeonhui-Yeonnam Global Village (Seoul Global Center).


Further afield, Donggyo-ro shifts by 45 degree from Southwest to South, until it reaches the new park. I knicknamed that 100% restaurant section "Taxi-daero" because both sides of the street are always fully packed with diagonally parked cabs (a good sign if you believe in Word Of Mouthwatering, that Great Tradition among Taxi Drivers).


Soon after the park, Donggyo-ro meets with Yeonnam-ro and takes you to Hongik University Station and Seogyo-dong, drawing a big smile north of Yanghwa-ro (there again, countless places to take a snack, including Charles Sutbul Gimbap).


I've already mentioned this new park, a potential game-changer for a neighborhood that badly needed one. Bonus: the best configuration possible for cafes and terraces. They only reopened the section between Donggyo-ro and Yanghwa-ro, but right now, this 30 meter wide band covering the AREX looks very promising, even if Mapo-gu didn't invest a lot in the trees, rather rachitic. Speculators have started raiding the spot a couple of years ago, and many buildings have already being remodeled. I sincerely hope they won't let them grow taller than 2-3 levels because that would totally ruin the area, as is already the case for the section North of Donggyo-ro (on this picture, along Kolon Apartment):

I'm also worried about Taxi-daero because if this neighborhood becomes too successful, more shops shall move from Hongdae, and I wouldn't want the place to look like yet another Garosu-gil.

What I fear most is the disparition of unspectacular landmarks that make this place so special and particularly Busan Corner, a delicious and cute eatery ideally located at the Southernmost end of Taxi-daero, with a view on the garden, or rather on this catwalk for anorexic plants. The owner is a very kind lady from Busan, who cooks simple and delicious local snacks (부산먹거리) for a song:


Bibim dangmyeon (비빔당면)

Homemade odeng soup (수제오뎅탕)

Busan Gimbap (부산김밥)

Busan Corner  / 부산코너 (snacks)
At the corner of Donggyo-ro and AREX park, Mapo-gu
Tel +82.322.9242

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* Note that the garden will continue on the other side of Yanghwa-ro, but for the moment that's just a barricaded working site from which only the new AREX exit emerge. When they connected the Incheon-Gimpo Airport line to Hongdae station they changed the numbering system for all subway exits, and I once sent by mistake a friend to that no man's land - not the best first impression for Hongik University area.

Petra, high on Seoul's World Heritage list

Yesterday, I suddenly craved for kebab. Badly. But not a vulgar sandwich at the corner, no. At Petra's.

Seoul's Petra is located in Itaewon Governorate: Yaser Ghanayem carved his monument at the Northeastern corner of Itaewon and Noksapyeong streets, at the top of one of those blind concrete walls that tend to cut whole neighborhoods from the streets.

But here, you're not in the middle of the desert: over the past decades, the alley has been carpeted with restaurants and pubs, prolonging Itaewon's United Nation Food Festival. Here, Petra is just one block away from Berlin, with Australia in the middle.

And here, you're not alone: as usual, the place is full, and the patrons obviously enjoying themselves. Yesterday's cocktail? 40% Korean, 30% Middle Eastern, 30% Rest Of The World. Only one table smoking shisha, to complete the atmosphere without fogging it. I'm not even paying much attention to the panoramic view on Yongsan by night: too busy preparing tasty bites of pure bliss.

Our strategy is simple: step one, clean the table, step two, roll back home on our full bellies. The ingredients: kebab mix, pita, and tabouleh. To taste something we hadn't tried before, we also ordered sultan chicken. Not to die for, but an interesting curry flavor, and like all Jordanian food, clearly distinct from the neighbors'.

We spent the evening tearing pieces of bread, spreading layers of (first) soft yoghurt sauce, (second) fresh, hot pepper sauce, and (third) onions, building nests of delicious tabouleh for innocent lambs and chickens, and wolfing down this wrapped material for the UNESCO World Heritage list.

Mission: accomplished. No crumb left behind. Both sauces totally evaporated.

And needless to say, I keep rollin'.

Petra (restaurant)
Itaewon-dong 552, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, ROK
Tel +82.2.790.4433

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Home, Sweet Home - A One Pyeong Theater, A Pop-up Restaurant

Nowadays, cultural social networking events can occupy whole streets, and over the past 5 years Seoul has experienced its share of flash mobs (for instance last year in Insadong). But the concept doesn't necessarily involve Twitter and anonymous crowds. Believe it or not, social networking existed long before the internet, and inviting people for dinner (IRL, like with - OMG - not-even-facebook friends, and - R U Crious? - totally non-virtual food) can be considered a sort of Social Networking Service 1.0.

Now inviting complete strangers to your place, that's a statement about how you consider social interactions altogether.

Every major city (NYC, London, Paris) has stories of individuals who opened their doors to meet and share over a homecooked meal. For instance in Paris, where an American citizen has been, for decades, receiving once a week about twenty people from all over the world.

In parallel with 'home-like' restaurants where all patrons share the same table, menu, and dinner time, this concept hasn't evolved all the way from 'underground / alternative' to 'mainstream', but to a reasonably 'trendy' status, as people started looking either for sense in an overconnected world, or more trivially for new exciting experiences / exclusive moments. Still now, you can find both 'activist' and 'business' approaches.

"Pop-up restaurants" are the ideal tool to create a buzz or to test a new concept or menu: a one-shot event, an usual location, a happy few trendsetters, and there you go. It sounds a bit cynic, like a pre-launch focus group, but when you open a restaurant you can lose big, and that's a smart way to reassure or convince partners and investors, as well as to deliver the best to your customers. And cuisine-wise, chefs can be more daringly experimental, take a break from daily routine, have and give fun.

Until now, the concept didn't exist in Korea, except maybe for the dinners organized by Cho Tae-kwon at his place with top chefs. For years, this passionate advocate of Korean food has been waging a top-down cultural revolution: from the finest restaurant (my beloved The Gaon) to high end soju (Hwajo), and of course luxury ceramic ware (Cho Tae-kwon being first KwangJuYo's CEO, and second a wise businessman).

A real pop-up restaurant in Seoul? Fellow food lovers Joe McPherson's ZenKimchi.com and Sarah Lee's Seoulinthecity.com decided to take up the gauntlet: with "Back Kitchen-Seoul", they intend "to take Korean ingredients and dishes and re-imagine them - the emphasis is on freshness, flavor, and fun. There is no official charge for the family-style dinner, just a W30,000 suggested donation for ingredients, time and effort. Drinks are extra.*" The venue, a cafe near Anguk-dong (Cafe Gondry, Gye-dong 140-23), is not exactly a private home but the cooks will have a better environment to concentrate on what really matters. No wonder the event is almost already booked up.

Meanwhile, on the other side of Sejongno, someone decided to turn his own apartment into the tiniest stage. Actor SIM Cheol-jong promised to prepare some eggs for the audience to snack during his performance in his improvised "One Pyeong Theater" (1 pyeong = about 3.3 square meters - now that's Home Theater 1.0!). To accomodate visitors, he actually needs 10 pyeong of his 23 pyeong officetel***. Not much, but that's a cathedral compared to "Bien Etre".


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* "Korea's first pop-up restaurant"
** "광화문 한복판에 '한평극장' 관객에 계란도 삶아주겠다"
*** In Byeoksan Gwanghwamun Sidae (광화문시대), that's in Naesu-dong, and after Government buildings and the Jongno Church when you come from Sejongno.

Chataigne - A Table Bis (Seoul)

20 years ago, driving across Samcheong-dong by night meant following a dark road dotted with only a few lights - a quiet neighborhood with just a couple of shops and restaurants (rather close to the Gyeongbokgung), and maybe a mom and pop store before the last stretch to the tunnel. I won't say Samcheongdong-gil has turned into Las Veghanok's Strip but the change is radical: neons, shops and fancy eateries...

... And now this. Haechi, Seoul City's mascot, painted on US-style fire hydrants. I know Japanese tourists love the area but is this Gahoe-dong or Kawaii-dong?

That's it for my hypocrite Rant of the Day.

Because as you may know, even if I often criticize the extinction of friendly neighborhood Korean restaurants, I happen to enjoy some ov'em "fancy eateries".

Take Palpan-dong, for instance. That's a neighborhood just off main street, before the Prime Minister's residence when you come from downtown. Palpan-gil recently followed the boboization of Samcheong-dong, and is now lined with small fashion boutiques and cafes, preferably with a Frenchoid name. It all started with a tiny restaurant called 'A Table'. The owners opened 'A Table Bis' just around the corner, a bistrot which makes us Frogs feel just like home, in some nice little provincial restaurant (pommes de terre Sarladaise would be even better with the confit de canard, but that's probably because I've got too strong ties with Perigord Noir...).

This small alley has been hosting a second French restaurant for quite a while: facing the two-storey 'A Table Bis', 'Chataigne' proposes a more upscale menu (table d'hote) in a cute re-hanokized house seating no more than 12 people*. A well serviced place, but no pretensions, and a very kind Chef, who masters fine emulsions and sauces (delicious yam and snails). Merging dishes #3 and 4 (before today's main dishes: rainbow trout or ribeye) could make an even stronger statement, but that's not the positioning. What you enjoy is a soothing moment at a reasonable price.

Chataigne / 샤테뉴 (restaurant)
130-3 Palpan-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, ROK
Tel: +82.2.736.5385

A Table Bis (restaurant)
100-2 Palpan-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, ROK
Tel: +82.2.736.1049

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* an army on Bien Etre's scale (see "Bien Etre (Seoul)")

Res2go (Seoul)

Hungry for tasty meat, tired of high end restaurants and ready for good junk, but not in your usual fast food joint? (hang on a sec, I'm drooling right now, just thinking about Burger King's garlic burger - there) How about fusion Japan-Korean-Californian at Res2go?

As the name hints, you can pick up your dose at Res2go, but the place is also very comfortable, particularly at their Itaewon branch, a perfect spot for a power brunch, with its large windows facing West (Noksapyeongdae-ro and Yongsan Army Base). The decor? Hypey / happy design, just retro enough: half sixties for the colors, half nineties for the typo (you know, the cute web sites which made you feel like clicking on every icon?). Pure marketing, of course, but much more comfortable and less aggressive than - say - Golden Arches & Co.

Teriyaki, yakisoba, great LA Galbi, all kinds of meats (beef, pork, chicken, combos, salads), in Californian portions. Taste-and-price-wise, a smarter choice than your usual chain of family restaurant.

Res2go Itaewon / 레스투고 (fusion Japan-Korean-Californian)
Itaewon branch: 559 Itaewon-2-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, ROK
Tel: +82.2.749.9297
Apgujeong branch: 636-9 Shinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, ROK
Tel: +82.2.6080.7543

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Photo: Res2go

Bien Etre (Seoul)

A priori:
- my idea of "bien-etre" ('well being' for us froggies) is certainly not the Dosandae-ro / Yeongdongdae-ro intersection, a pack of tangled highways where Yeongdong Bridge and Olympicdae-ro also meet.
- and when I think "top restaurant", the first image summoned into mind is not one single, tiny room with only 2 basic tables of four, the restrooms in the next building, at the feet of tall appartment blocks next to the above mentioned noodle mess*.

But a posteriori: Bien-Etre fully deserves its name, and it's much more than just a top restaurant.

To start with, I don't mind sharing a tiny room with a Cordon Bleu chef when he's cooking. PARK Min-jae worked with Pierre Gagnaire and ran Le Carre in Apgujeong-dong. Here, the Master is not in some distant kitchen, ruling over an army of assistants: he's preparing every single amuse bouche for you, as if if were for a close relative, and you can experience the finest meal with the full show on the plate (and the palate), but sans the boring decorum that usually comes with it. The ultimate table d'hote for a happy few, a festival from the entrees to the souffle**. Every bite makes some Bien to your Etre.

In Paris, the 'neo-bistro' trend also puts food first under the motto small is beautiful, but this is probably the World's Plus Petit Grand Restaurant.

Needless to say, you have to book in advance for this not so hidden gem (Bien-Etre's reputation already crossed many borders).

Bien Etre / 비앙 에트르 (restaurant)
130 Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, ROK
Tel: +82.2.543.3288

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* I know it sounds a little bit too Dickensian for such an expensive neighborhood (Cheongdam-dong), but come on, there are nicer surroundings in Seoul. And I'm the biased, "Gangbuk" kind of Seoulite (make that "Gangcheon", for 'north of Seoul's original waterway, Cheonggyecheon').
** a la vanille, le souffle. Perfect taste, temperature, and texture. I loved it. But if you want me to melt down, cook me a good souffle au fromage.

Hong Bok (Seoul)

The Yeonhui-dong (my "Yummy-dong"!) - Yeonnam-dong area is full of authentic and affordable Chinese restaurants, each one with its own flavors and specialities. Like some of its neighbors (e.g. "Ha Ha") Hong Bok serves authentic food from Northeastern China.

Today, we tried lamb skewers, fish mandu, and hwang mandu from Shandong and Jilin provinces.

Fish mandu? a true delicacy, boiled to perfection. Hwang mandu (pork) being filled with big chunks, each ingredient comes with a bang.

Lamb skewers taste terrific, and not too strong for Korean palates (many locals have a poor memory of lamb following a doomed promotion ages ago, and the smell of this meat can be an issue). Marinated, seasoned with herbs, and served with paprika, the dish makes you travel even further than across the Yellow Sea. Central Asia, maybe?

Don't be afraid to order the set of 14 skewers: each one is not bigger than a tiny finger, and they're fun to BBQ at your table. We started to line them like rows of table football players, but the tenants told us to hold them in packs because it's as efficient, and much less tedious to turn them in bulk. See the small dents on each corner of the stove? You use them to push the meat to the end of the sticks.

Hong Bok is on Seongmisan-ro (formerly Dongjin Market street), the first street between Donggyo-ro and Yeonhui-ro South of the railway.

Hong Bok (restaurant)
224-41 Yeonnam-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul, ROK
(new address: Mapo-gu, Seongmisan-ro 189)
Tel +82.2.323.1698

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Ginza Bairin (Seoul)

The best tonkatsu in town ? Probably Tonkatsu Ginza Bairin, the pork cutlet master, just a short walk from Gyeongbokgung: this Ginza institution developped an incredible sense of perfection for such a common dish.

Their Katsudon is more than alright and not too salty, but don't leave this place without trying the regular tonkatsu. You decide the level of tenderness of your meat (medium or roskatsu is really ok), and enjoy a flawless texture and color, a perfect cooking and tempuration. The tonkatsu sauce is more Japanese/vinegar than Korean/sweet, but you've got to try it as it is and with just a bit of freshly squeezed lemon.

You also have to try their 'katsusand' version. 'Sand', that's short for 'sandwich', and the helluvan experience. On the menu it looks quite simple : four tonkatsu cuts wrapped in white bread. But the texture when you cut a bite with your incisives, and then when you liberate the hot and cold mix with your molars, discovering the mustardish sauce in between... wow.

The place itself, in a recent building behind Kumho gallery and the Polish embassy, was meant to be an art gallery (the small streets behind Samcheongdong-gil changed dramatically with their new galleries and shops). The atmosphere may look cold with those tall white walls and tall black furniture, but the food and the quiet music compensate largely.

Ginza Bairin
93 Sagan-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, ROK 110-190
Tel +82.2.734.9765
(for the original in Tokyo: 7-8-1 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Tel 03.3571.0350)


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D-Cube City and Korean Food Street (Byeokgyesu)

If the recently inaugurated D-Cube City has quickly gained a solid reputation among local food lovers, it is well deserved.

Though less spectacular than Seoul Times Square (in nearby Yeongdeungpo-gu) architecturally speaking, the complex devoted more space for the comfort of its visitors, and developed a really original and consistent concept in the food department, with a clear editorial line around three major "verticals" : a trip back to 1920s Shanghai at "China Feng", a "World Street Food" with mouthwatering menus for Japanese food fans, and an already cult "Korean Food Street".

All three are located in the department store section (respectively 6F, B1, and B2), which also includes more classic restaurants and chains, and even a cute Pororo Theme Park. Beyond the dept store / mall : the D-Cube Arts Center, a D-Cube Park, the Sheraton Seoul D-Cube City (I took this view over Shindorim station and Guro-gu from their lobby - spectacular panorama on 41F), an outdoor park, offices and apartments... a major and ambitious project, but not a completely disruptive business model.

Now the food is really something you can't find elsewhere... The originality lies in the fact that it's really the original stuff. Cooks and dishes have been carefully sourced across the country and beyond. For instance, Michelin-starred Mist, the noodle expert, came from Tokyo. And even for such trivial stuff as ddeokbokki, the Chosen One is no other than Mimime : Hongdae's institution even closed shop there to open here - nothing changed regarding the queue, except that you don't have to wait outdoors anymore, and that you can do many other things while waiting for your food.

But the jewel of the crown is the Korean Street Food / Korean Food Street : a whole village full of life and terrific food. If the National Folk Museum of Korea were to propose a live show of Korean specialities, that would be it. The full course at Byeokgyesu costs only KRW 11,000 for lunch, and KRW 17,000 for dinner. It may look classic from a distance, but every single banchan has a unique story to tell and an incredible taste to reveal.

It's huge and seats hundreds, but very pleasant - you don't feel in some big food factory, rather in a festive village gathering. Everybody is smiling, simply enjoying the moment, sharing the experience.

D3 City (D-Cube City)
662 Gyeongin-ro, Guro-gu, Seoul 152-887 (360-51 Sindorim-dong)
website (nb: badly needs an update): dcubecity.com
Tel +82.2.2211.1000
D-Cube Korean Street Food / Korean Food Street (디큐브 한식 저잣 거리) : B2
Tel +82.2.2211.0730
. Byeokgyesu / 벽계수 (Korean Dining)
. Bandal / 반달 (Korean Pub)
. Yetsan / 옛산 (Korean Barbecue)
. Jatnamubae / 잣나무배 (Korean Snack)
. Dongjitdal / 동짓달 (Cafe)

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ADDENDUM 20110924
I found the business card I thought I'd lost, so I could detail the names of the different parts of the Korean Food Street, in particular the full course restaurant (벽계수).

Yeongeon Samgyetang (Seoul)

At long last, sun is back over Seoul. Why not a good samgyetang to celebrate summer ?

In the Southwestern backstage of Daehangno, Yeongeon Samgyetang usually exhibits a queue stretching over one block but today, we're next in line (beating by a minute a pack of young Seoul University Hospital wolves) and five minutes later, seated in front of a steaming chicken and a egg-size glass of spirit ("seobiseu").

The bird can look small, but the portion is more than enough, and tastier than most rivals. Their rice, glutinous, mixes ideally with the stew. A satisfying victory over what's left of summer.

Yeongeon Samgyetang / 연건삼계탕 (restaurant)
86 Yeongeon-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, ROK
Tel : +82.2.762.5084

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Jinju Hoegwan (Seoul)

If kongguksu is a very refreshing dish for the summer, this one almost tastes like "creme anglaise", the vanilla cream you pour on your fondant au chocolat. In other words : yummy.

Don't waste your time and money ordering the local seokeo jjigae (섞어찌게), a dull sort of budae jjigae. Jinju Hoegwan is a well known institution in this small cluster of eateries at the feet of downtown towers, at the exit 9 of City Hall station. But the place is full even on Sundays.

Jinju Hoegwan / 진주회관 (restaurant)
120-35 Seosomun-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul, ROK
Tel: +82.2.753.5388

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Ha Ha (Seoul)

"Ha Ha" ? Funny name for a restaurant, but I guess pigs don't share the joke since this place specialized in Shandong cuisine serves, among other delicacies, their ears, brains, and guts (all in the same sauce and cucumber mix). Also on the menu : great hwang and tong mandus (황만두 and 통만두), light galettes (총유병), a mix of buchu and gaebul (부추 개불 볶음)...

For non-initiates : buchu means garlic chives, and if you've been to a fish market you've probably noticed gaebul (pink spoon worm) swarming in water buckets.

With its no frills decor, Ha Ha remains one of the last typical small Chinese restaurants, and one of the more numerous two storey houses in this section of Donggyo-ro lined with platanus trees. With the right weather and mood, it almost looks like a lost part of old Shanghai or Paris XIIIe Chinatown, and I hope they won't let high rise buildings ruin the magic.

If eating spoon worms or pig brains is your idea of magic, that is.

HA HA / 하하/ 哈哈
Yeonnam-dong 229-12 (Donggyo-ro), Mapo-gu, Seoul, ROK
Tel +822.337.0211

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Charles Sutbul Gimbap (Seoul)

A gimbap on wood charcoal and a cartoon dog as a mascot to tease the passer-by, food with character to turn him into a loyal customer if he manages to survive, that's the concept.

"Sutbul Gimbap", the fabled charcoal gimbap, costs 4,000 a roll but it's a very big and very very tasty one. Not as big as the anchovy/walnut rice ball, though (KRW 2,500 - an interesting way of revisiting a classic snack with a classic banchan).

But what literally killed me was the "cheese bul ddeokbokki", one of the meanest I've ever tasted... and I survived many times Woojeong Nakji, a.k.a. The Octopus From Hell. Luckily enough, I just had to stretch the arm to reach the water fountain, which was as steamy as I by the end of the dish.

Charles Sutbul Gimbap / 찰스 숯불 김밥
201-6 Donggyo-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul, ROK
Tel: +82.2.334.1692

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Good Morning Hanoi (Seoul)

Yeonhui-dong has always been a fantastic spot for Korean and Japanese food lovers but beyond that, culinar diversity used to be limited to pizza toppings.

That's changing, and very quickly. "Change" doesn't necessarily means "for the better" : Yeonhui-dong Haejangguk, an institution, is folding. And when I learned that a Pho restaurant would replace a Japanese restaurant not far from Saruga, I expected one of the usual franchises to open shop, with a 75:25 chance of failure.

But Good Morning Hanoi is not your usual franchise : it woke up the area with a rather baroque decor (more 'Good Night Las Vegas' ?), and more significantly with a strong statement on our palates. Not only delicious but freshly and delicately crafted, with sometimes a touch of originality, like that fusion Tom Yam Lau with a soupcon of cloves. Even the fried rice and nems (spring rolls) can be praised. It didn't take long for GMH to join the crowd of Yeonhui restaurants with long waiting lines.

More pressure on the shoulders of future newcomers : every other building is under renovation in this section of Yeonhuimat-gil (now Yeonhuimat-ro), between Saruga (itself in its crysalid state) and Donggyo-ro.

Good Morning Hanoi / 하노이의 아침 (restaurant - Yeonhui branch)
Yeonhuimat-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, ROK
Tel +82.2.323.5320
other branches : Yeouido, Seorae Village, Sinchon, Inchon...

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International Restaurant Street, Itaewon-ro 27-ga-gil, or Hong Seok-cheon-dae-ro?

It started over one year ago with a small 'villa', in backstage Itaewon. Then a second one got bulldozed, and finally the master plan emerged : an Westwards extension of Itaewon International Restaurant Street, one block away back then.

Now the junction has been completed, the pavement and sidewalk polished, and all houses gutted to make room for more eateries.

The extension radically transforms the perspective : the food alley behind Hamilton Hotel used to stop abruptly at the 'Joinau corner', but Le SaintEx and La Plancha are now almost at the center of a much wider and open street, and the small path leading to Itaewon main street (where Ecume restaurant completes the French cluster) has already evolved, with clothes shops somewhere between the Itaewon of yore and the trendier boutiques you can find at the Eastern end of Itaewon-ro, the Northern Garosugil.

Technically and following Korea's address system reform*, International Restaurant Street should be now known as Itaewon-ro 27-ga-gil. I highlighted this "IRS" line on Seoul Village map, but I'm adding this snapshot from Daum Map : a satellite view taken before the destruction indicating the Saint Ex (or rather "르생덱스") and My China (마이차이나) restaurant at the former end of the street :



Note that "My China", "My Thai", and "My Chelsea", all located in this short stretch, belong to the same person : blacklisted as an actor following his coming out in 2002, Hong Seok-cheon proved he was bound to succeed anyway, prolonging his first statement in Itaewon ("Our Place", now "My Ex") with series of successes as a restaurateur. And it takes more than being a celeb' to succeed here : Jackie Chan's place in this food alley folded simply because the food wasn't up to it.

Twenty years ago, and even until quite recently, the dominant local flavor was Indo-Pakistanese, but all continents are now represented and IRS symbolizes culinar diversity in Seoul.

At the top of the Montmartrian path overlooking the new crossroads, Zelen perfectly illustrates this diversity : here's a Bulgarian restaurant filled with a 'bibim' of Korean and foreign patrons... some achievement for a community boasting fewer than 50 expats.

Seoul Village 2011
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* see "The Great Korean Revolution : addresses with house numbers and street names", followed by "New address system in Korea : 2 more years".

Hongdae snacks - THE Guksu, Kongbul, Maroon 51, Gilmotongi Chili Cha Cha Fingerfood Bar...

Riding a bike in Hongik University area is always fun and a perfect opportunity to taste various bits of cheap but original food along the way.

Hongdae is a little bit like Itaewon : a neighborhood progressively evolving into a series of very distinct areas, each one with its own character. Very much like Haebangchon grew an identity of its own, Seogyo-dong developped distinct villages and tribes.

The center remains a typical university area full of youngsters : that's the intersection between Seogyo-ro (the W/E street leading to Hongdae's main gate) and the winding street called Geotgosipeun geori to the North (걷고싶은 거리, the tree dotted "Pedestrian Street" or "I like to walk street" in the local lingo / on the konglish signs) and Juchajang geori to the South (주차장길, the grungier "Parking Street", which actually begins as 어울마당길 or "global gathering road").

Both sides deserving their names, I opted for the North and sat by a window at Kongbul's. The name of the restaurant mixes kongnamul with bulgogi : I had the hot and spicy samgyeopsal variety - nothing revolutionary but you get the expected bang for just a few bucks.

The Southwestern part of Hongdae (near Hapjeong Station, the rectangle square drawn by Picasso Street, Parking Street, Donkmak-gil, and Yanghwaro) is definitely quieter and more residential, even if private residences progressively turn into smart offices, shops and cafes. As spring temperatures rise to the level of a decent European summer, you don't really feel in Seoul.

Even the Korean classics are revisited. For instance, "THE Guksu" ("the noodles") proposes for only KRW 4,000 a very refreshing bibim guksu with a lemony flavor and fried bits that crack under your palate. And at Gilmotongi Chili Cha Cha, a self proclamed "Fingerfood Bar" that could pass for any tteokbokki place, you can have for the same price the trio of croquettes of your choice (KRW 1,700 apiece), and I strongly recommend their basil cream croquette - like a melting risotto in a fried shell.

Gilmotongi Chili Chacha has one mini terrasse seating two, from which you can observe the local fauna. The corner of Seollae-1-gil and Noeul-gil feels like a mix of bobo Bastille and vintage Camden.

Streets are much narrower on the other side of Parking Street, a denser cluster of eateries. We parked our bikes against the fences of Maroon 51's fake lawn, a small green triangle at a fork in the road. They are still in trial period and preparing for the official opening in June 2011 : their bulgogi-rice-egg combo probably needs to develop more character, but I really liked their beef and onion sandwich.

Kongbul
Seogyo-dong 345-2, Mapo-gu, Seoul, ROK
Tel +82.2.322.3545

THE Guksu / 더 국수 (noodle bar)
Seogyo-dong 395-7, Mapo-gu, Seoul, ROK 121-840
(New format : Yanghwa-ro 12-gil 26 (Seogyo-dong))
Tel +82.2.323.4776

Gilmotongi Chili Chacha / 길모통이 칠리차차
Seogyo-dong 400-11, Mapo-gu, Seoul, ROK
(New format : Yanghwa-ro 6-gil 79 (Seogyo-dong))
Tel +82.2.322.8405

Maroon 51
Seogyo-dong 409-14, Mapo-gu, Seoul, ROK
(New format : Wausan-ro 15-gil 34 (Seogyo-dong))
Tel +82.70.8682.5151


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Sanchaehyang (Seoul)

More changes happening where Gyeonghuigung-gil forms an elbow :
- Metro newspaper successfully split its mediterranean villa in two, opening the Eastern wall to the street in an original take at the iron frame / stone wall classic... unfortunately to make room for yet another coffee and dessert shop (Ato), and to move the office into its brand new wing, a mini replica of high rise glass building that totally ruins the whole area
- if the old Namuga ineun jib house lost most of its charm following its renovation (as we mentioned before, the restaurant itself moved right next door), the new tenant is more than OK as far as food is concerned.

Self proclaimed 더덕집 or "deodeokjib" / deodeok house, Sanghaehyang is specialized in that bellflower root* to the point their menu sounds like a Monty Python standard when you replace all 더덕s with the word SPAM. All preparations are available, including in special beef dishes or full course menus.

For instance, 더덕온반 ("deodeokonban") is perfect for a light but soothing lunch : it mixes a hot broth with some sort of chicken bibimbap, and of course the flavor of the month.

Sanghaehyang (restaurant)
Shinmunro-2-ga 1-209, Jongno-gu, SEOUL, Korea 110-062
Tel +82.2.733.1199 - Fax +82.2.733.1159

Seoul Village 2011

* also a speciality at "Dunnae Minsokchon".

The Spice (Seoul)

This is Itaewon street, but on the "Northern Garosugil" / "Hannam-dong" / "Hangangjin" half. Twenty years ago, Yukong would be the last stop before Hannam Bridge but now and under the SK brand, the gas station lies in the middle of a tree lined street filled with the kind of restaurants and boutiques you would rather find in Cheongdam-dong (no coincidence there: same money).

Here, all remaining nondescript buildings are progressively replaced with four storey shops and more original facades. Mercifully, newcomers don't seem to grow any higher, which allows some urban consistency in the area (for the mother of all large scale design failures, look further Westwards : the IP Boutique Hotel, a.k.a. Mondrian meets Joe The Plumber).

Anyway. Today, four slots were under (re)construction, including one right opposite The Spice (the blue dot on the map, Itaewon street the vertical in the middle), and next to a garden itself under renovation, at the feet of the Yongsan International School of Seoul. The funny clover-shaped landmark building North of the restaurant hosts Passion5, a very pleasant place to get a gelato, a French Kouign-amann, a festive cake, or some macaron (there's also a restaurant upstairs, but Passion5 l'Atelier's menu doesn't look as stimulating as l'Atelier de Joel Robuchon's). On the other side of The Spice (South on the map) : Kyotofu, fresh from NYC... I've got stuck into worse neighborhoods around lunchtime.

You may be wondering when I'll start writing about The Spice itself - I guess that would be now. I could start with the food, but the menu changes tomorrow (along with the chef, an Australian). So I'll talk quality-price ratio : Haute cuisine from KRW 35-42,000, anyone ? Not in the three-Michelin-star league, but a very nice moment nonetheless, some research about taste, and genuine respect for the ingredients even in the details (I don't think I ever tasted as fresh a tapenade - as if a Southeastern France wind gently slapped me in the face).

I felt very much like after a stop at Jean-Georges Vongerichten's Market in Paris : simply and happily satisfied. Owner Edward Kwon (Kwon Young-min) is said to have worked with the Alsatian chef, and maybe his restaurant's name echoes Spice Market, also by Vongerichten. But whatever has been said about Kwon's distorted bio and taste for hype, I enjoyed what he proposed today, and this quiet moment.

The Spice (restaurant)
729-45 Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, SEOUL, Korea
Tel +82.2.749.2596

Passion5 (ice creams, bakery, patisserie)
729-74 Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, SEOUL, Korea
Tel +82.2.2071.9505

Kyotofu (dessert bar)
682-1 Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, SEOUL, Korea
Tel +82.2.749.1488

Seoul Village 2011

Yangmiok (Seoul)

Looking for five star tripes ? Head for Yangmiok, maybe the best gopchang in town. Or maybe I should write "daechang" because their speciality, beyond lamb, is large intestine.

Not very glamorous I know, but as a French citizen in Seoul, I'm often longing for a perfectly grilled AAAAA andouillette, and grilled tripes are the best alternative to that. Back home I wasn't a great fan since we Frogs prefer our tripes wet and soaked in sauce (for instance a la mode de Caen)... not my cup of tea*. In Korea, charcoal grill is the main option and at Yangmiok's, you can have a beef-lamb combo and alternate between really greasy parts and drier ones, and they taste so delicious you don't realize your own stomach is full until you've surpassed its limits.

Not very poetic I now, but this is not about poetry, even if at this stage, one should consider gopchang as art.

As far as the veggie alibi goes, you've got a very nice tofu/herb banchan, salad, and a quite decent ugeoji (우거지) doenjang jjigae which you can sit on the grill to make it boil on charcoal.

And on a lighter note, you finish with the finest nurungji (누룽지) I ever tasted. That's the simple scorched rice in boiling water.


YANGMIOK (restaurant)
Uljiro branch: 161 Euljiro 3-ga, Jung-gu, SEOUL, KOREA
Tel +82.2.2275.8838
COEX branch: 153-55, Samseong-dong, Gangnam-gu, SEOUL, KOREA
Tel +82.2.565.8836


Seoul Village 2011

* attn my English friends: that's a figure of speech - I wouldn't dare comparing your national beverage to such a vulgar dish.