Pizza, Pasta, and Pastries

My friends invited me out to their neighborhood around Beomo Station to show me their current favorite eats. There's A LOT of good restaurants in this area so they asked me what I had a hankering for the most. I hadn't had pasta in a long time and I admit I think restaurant pasta in Korea is better than pasta in the US. The prices are fairer and the quality is overall very good even in very small commercial restaurants. Here's an example:

Smoked Salmon Salad with Capers

This was damn delicious. It had little clouds of whipped sour cream on the plate for dressing. I could have eaten spoonfuls of this.

Seafood Cream Sauce Pasta

This was amazing! The cream sauce was buttery and so aromatic with the right touch of Italian herbs, and the pasta was al dente.

Plain Cheese Pizza


The cheese was still piping hot and stretched from plate to plate.

After a great dinner (the bill was under USD $30/ KRW 30,000!), my friend took us around the corner to a quaint little coffee shop. Strawberries are in season so they are everywhere in Korea, especially as cakes.

Strawberry and Fresh Cream Cake

I can't emphasize enough what a pure delight this was! I felt like I was eating burstingly sweet strawberries and clouds.

Honey Buttered Toast Topped with Vanilla Ice Cream and Fruit

This was the best sweet toast I ever had in Korea, and I think cutting off the crust and having every piece of toast absorbing an equal and hearty amount of honey and butter played an important role.

Thank you, Korea.

- Angela

Upscale Chinese-Korean Food

Recently, all the English teachers in my department went out for dinner together. We went to a local restaurant that puts guests in private rooms where the floors are heated and spread with comfy pillows to sit on. I wish my room was like this. Wait, it is! Ha!

Anyway, unfortunately I don't know the name of most of the food but I can recall what's in it.

Spicy Sauteed Mushrooms and Pork

I really loved this dish because I love cooked onions and green onions. They really absorbed the flavors of the sauce well without being overwhelming.


Japchae/Sweet Potato Noodles with Vegetables (잡채)


This is overall one of my favorite foods to eat in general. Usually this dish is of the first to disappear at the table.


Spicy Deep Fried Shrimp

This was my favorite dish of the night! The battered skin was so crispy and tangy and just the right amount of spicy. The shrimp meat was cooked just right.


Spicy Sauteed Seafood and Mushrooms


This reminds me a lot of generic Cantonese dishes. It reminded me of eating with my family so I enjoyed this dish with a lot of nostalgia.


Seafood Pancake (해물파전)


This is one of my favorite Korean foods; I love Korean savory pancakes! This one was actually quite small, about the size of my palm, but it packed a lot of flavor from the charred skin and the soft meaty-like goodness in the middle layer.

Spicy Deep Fried Crab Legs


These were sweet and spicy. I love crab so I really liked this dish.

Spicy Sashimi (I don't know what fish this was)


This was by far the spiciest dish, you can tell but it's radiating red luminescence. The fish tasted very clean and fresh, so it offset the spiciness well.

Scorched Rice and Tea (누룽지)


This is a major comfort food for me, my grandma used to make a similar dish for me when I was little by collecting all the crisped rice at the bottom of the rice pot and pouring hot water on top in a bowl. The concept is so simple but the taste is so satisfying, and I always craved for this when I would visit her.

Fried Rice Cakes and Beef


Fried glutinous chewy soft rice cakes, really hits the spot.

Cold Mushroom Salad


My least favorite dish, and probably the healthiest one. Still is was not bad. It was quite refreshing after all the heavier foods.

Overall, yes, the food was as delicious as it looks. Being the youngest member of our party, my co-teachers pitched in to treat me! I was so appreciative and touched.

Thank you, Korea.

- Angela

Green Tea Shaved Ice with Red Bean (녹차팥빙수)

The best shaved ice I ever had in Korea, and it's right across my house!

THANK YOU, Korea.

- Angela

Tonkatsu (돈까스)

Usually I never touch tonkatsu because I don't like fried food, especially in pressed patty form. But every month I get massive cravings for weird foods I never even tried or thought of eating. Why monthly? Well, you can guess... Anyway! Tonaktsu!

BAM!

Cheese Tonkatsu (치즈돈까스)

Sweet Potato & Cheese Tonkatsu (고구마치즈돈까스)



School Tonkatsu (돈까스)

Thank you, Korea.

- Angela

Soju House (소주찝)

Recently my friend took me to an infamous soju joint in downtown Daegu to lift my spirits after a long week. This was the most rustic and laid-back soju bar I've been to; I could really feel my body winding down and I really wanted to just concentrate all my attention on all the comfort food piping in front of me.

Budae Jjigae (부대찌개)

What's in it: Ramen, kimchi, fish cakes, sausages, spam, greens, and red peppers.

It's otherwise known as 'army stew' because this became popular during the Korean War. I remember watching my all-time favorite Korean drama, Gourmet, when I ate this. In the drama, there is a story about a Korean American food critic who was adopted by a non-Korean American family as a young child. His memories of his difficult childhood during Korean wartime is a blur, but one memory soothes him. He remembers his mother making a special kind of stew that incorporated whatever ingredients she could salvage at the time. Unable to remember the recipe, he remained forever haunted by his craving for this taste. Fortunately, the hero of the drama was able to figure it out and recreated this dish. It was budaejiggae! I cried as I watched the character cry while savoring this warming stew. I thought it was such a sweet story and it made me think about how nostalgic and comforting the food we ate as children is. (Sorry for ruining the drama ending for some of you...)

Maekgeolli (막걸리)

What's in it: Sweet rice, and alcohol.

It was a perfect chaser for the spicy budijigae. Another one of my favorite comfort foods/drinks.

Ddeokbukki/Spicy Rice Cakes (떡볶이), Pajeon/Green Onion Pancake (파전), Hong-hop Tang/Mussel Soup (홍합탕), and various sides.

Thank you, Korea.

- Angela

Salad and Strawberry Tart from Paris Baguette (파리바게뜨)

Right before meeting up with my tutee I decided to grab a quick bite at Paris Baguette. These days I'm trying to watch what I eat so I opted for the chicken salad and strawberry tart instead of the usual breads. SO GOOD.

Thank you, Korea.

- Angela