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