December | 2013 | A Fat Girl's Food Guide to Eating in Korea

19
Dec
2013

Hollywood

categories: Restaurant Reviews

If I were able to concentrate better, then I would have brought you this post on Tuesday. But sadly for you dear readers, I am easily distracted and spend my free time at work watching episodes of Million Dollar Listings instead of writing this blog. But none the less, despite the delay, here we are. So as I say, a couple of Tuesdays ago we ventured into Hollywood for a few drinks to wish our lovely friends Eleanor and Kirstie well on their travels to India. We were in need of a bar that provided sustenance and beverages of the alcoholic variety when I recalled that Hollywood had half price appetizers on Tuesdays.

I had a good look of the menu and settled upon the Chicken wings, in a barbecue sauce. They were good, the sauce was excellent and hit the spot exactly, even more so since they were a mere 4,000. They will also give you ranch dressing for 500 won!

Now, when I see that food is on offer, I like to buy twice as much. Why couldn’t I behave like a normal person and buy one discount appetizer and save the money, no no no Fatgirl has to eat twice as much, saving nothing at all. So on to my next order. Popcorn chicken, little pieces of chicken breast, breaded in a crazy crispy coating, and came with a side of chips for 5,000. These were really good, and we ordered quite a few more of these between us.

Another hit was the poutine (4,250). Not remotely authentic, but really really good. Match stick fries, a delicious thick gravy, and cheese. So comforting, even if it was a bit wrong.

We also had a buffulo wings, (4,000) again, great.

The chicken burrito, was also a hit (4,000).

We also tried the deep fried chili peppers (5,500). Although these were probably our least favourite of all the things we tried.

So next Tuesday I would definitely advise you hit up Hollywood for all the fried goods they are worth. It’s Christmas eve so you don’t even have to go to work the next day. Merry Christmas!

Hollywoood is located at 123-33 Itaewon 1(il)-dong Yongsan-gu Seoul Korea. To get there take a train to Itaewon station (Line 6.) Come out of exit 2 and walk straight for about a minute. Hollywood islocated on the left on the 3rd floor of the building next to Smoothie king. You can call them on 02-749-1659.

17
Dec
2013

Moroccan Lamb Stew & Bejewelled Coucous

categories: Recipes

Stew is the only thing I seem to be making these days, but it’s just so easy and quick that it’s hard to resist. I decided to switch things up a bit last week and use a tomato base with my lamb instead of gravy. I had half a bag of chops from the foreign mart that needed using. I made my life even simpler by cooking in the rice cooker. I quickly prepared all my ingredients put it on to cook, got ready for work and then switched it to warm. When I cam home there was the most amazing smell and lamb was soft and tender and falling off the bone. If you do not have a slow cooker then using your rice cooker to make yourself some soups and stews is one of the easiest things you can do. I flash fried all my meat and vegetables before putting them in, but you could just put them in raw to make things even quicker. The couscous I served is incredibly easy and looks gorgeous. Pomegranates are in season and ridiculously cheap, so be sure to pick up a few.

Ingredients

500g of Lamb

1 onion

4 cloves of garlic

1/2 a courgette

2 aubergines

2 red peppers

1/2 a can of chickpeas

4 tablespoons of barley (optional)

1 litre of tomato juice

500ml of orange juice

500ml of water or stock (optional)

3 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce

1-2 tablespoons of red Thai curry paste

2 tablespoons of cumin

1 tablespoon of coriander

1 tablespoon of cajun seasoning

1 teaspoon of paprika (or cayenne pepper if you like it hot)

Salt and pepper to taste

Couscous

1 cup of couscous

1 cup of water

1 chicken stock cube

1 pomegranate

25g of cashews or pistachios

25g of raisins

1 roasted red pepper

A small bunch of coriander

Directions

1. Chop the onions and garlic into medium sized pieces and fry off in a small amount of oil for a minute or too and then put them in you rice cooker pot. In the same pan, brown your lamb by cooking on each side for a minute or two and adding to the same pot at the onions and garlic. Finally chop your peppers, aubergine and courgette into bite sized chunks and cook in the frying pan for a minute then add to the lamb.

2. Add the tomato juice, orange juice, and water, to the pot along with the Worcestershire sauce, spices and barley and switch to cook mode. I only have two setting on my cooker, cook and warm. Leave it on the cook mode for about an hour, it will boil away furiously. After an hour, check on the liquid and give it a stir, you may want to add another 500ml of tomato juice at this point. Also check your spices and seasoning, you may want to add more. Then flip the switch to warm for at least 3 hours. When you come home your meat should be lovely and tender and your sauce thick and tasty. If it’s still not quite to your liking you can still re-season and cook it a little longer if you wish.

3. The couscous is really each to make, you just need water and couscous in equal amounts, so just use the same container for both. Put the couscous in a bowl and the water in a saucepan along with the stock cube. Bring to the boil and then pour the water over the couscous, cover and allow to rest for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes run a fork over the couscous to make it fluffy. Chop the roasted pepper and mix in along with raisins, nuts and pomegranate. Finely chop the cilantro and add that in too. Then serve this delicious Moroccan delight, for a cold Winter’s night.

14
Dec
2013

On the Border – Itaewon

categories: Restaurant Reviews

When I first heard that this restaurant was opening, I was more than skeptical to say the least. Yet another Mexican restaurant, in the Itaewon area when it’s already bulging at the seams with them. Don’t get me wrong, I love Mexican food, but I was not sure what this new chain had to offer for us food enthusiasts. However, go I did, and I was not in the least disappointed.

The restaurant is huge for Itaewon, it’s in the site where the old Macaroni Market used to be. Despite it’s vastness there was already quite the queue waiting to get inside when we arrived. We went to put our name down on the list and found it was a 20 minute wait. Now Fat Girl is not fond of standing in line, but I politely refrained from screaming, “Don’t you know who I am?” As I cast my eyes around the restaurant, I spotted that they had a few seats at the bar and asked if we could have a drink while we waited. They of course agreed so we sat down at the bar whilst the delightfully named bar tender “Baggie” got us a drink.

The drink menu is pretty decent, lots of different margaritas, fresh or frozen, and a variety of beverages you can have upturned into one. I went for a frozen raspberry margarita with a bottle of Bernini in it (sparking rose) for 15,000. It was very sweet but delicious to me. I also ordered up a cilantro mojito (8,900), this was also exceptionally good and a great take on the classic.The Fat Boyfriend had a couple of beers (5,500), which came in very well frozen mugs, which was most to his liking despite the cold weather.

While we were sipping our drinks we were presented with the free bottomless chips and salsa. The chips are fried in house and the salsa is very tasty. If you’re not in the mood for a meal, you could easily just come here for a cocktail and eat the free chips and salsa to keep you going.

A cocktail later we were shown to our table. The menu is huge with plenty of options, tacos, fajitas, burritos, and a plethora of appetizers are on offer. I always enjoy eating as much as possible so we opted for the sampler (28,000). It was a giant platter, which 3 or 4 less greedy people could easily share. The Fat Boyfriend and myself decided to split it. On the platter were 4 quesadillas, 4 flautas, 4 loaded nachos, salsa, sour cream, guacamole, and a really yummy cheesy dip. It was a large plate of lovely Tex-Mex delights.

We also ordered a chicken Bordurrito (18,500). It was a hearty sized burrito cut into two with a nice flavour running throughout. It was stuffed with chicken, rice, caramelized onions, peppers, and sour cream. It also came with a side salad. But the appetizer platter actually pretty much defeated us. Although I must confess that I had already been on the foodie crawl earlier in the day. I don’t want to to think I’m losing my edge. So we both tried the burrito for research purposes and had the rest wrapped up to go, along with a few appetizers we couldn’t manage. They even wrapped up the tortilla chips we didn’t eat and the salsa, which I enjoyed as a delicious breakfast treat the next morning.

Overall I really enjoyed my dinner at On the Border, there was a great atmosphere in the restaurant, and this is somewhat what you are paying a premium for. It’s not the cheapest Mexican food on the block, or the most authentic. But it’s fresh, tasty and comes in large portions. They have great big drinks and good food to match, which I think is worth a treat.It’s always nice to have a taste of home and that’s exactly what On the Border is.

On the Border is located at 737-37, Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul. To get there take a train to Itaewon station (Line6) and come out of exit 2. Keep walking straight, for about 200 meters, until you reach the Hannam building. On the Border is on the 2nd floor. You can call them on 02-792-0682 or checkout their website for more details.

As a special treat for all my wonderful readers, the lovely people at On the Border have given me a 20,000 won gift certificate to give away to one lucky person. If you would like to win just share this post on your facebook page by Midnight on Monday December 16. I shall select a winner at random by picking a name out of a hat. Good Luck!

11
Dec
2013

Brownie in a Mug

categories: Baking, Recipes, Vegan / Veggie Friendly

If you are anything like me, then sometimes you get a crazy craving for chocolate. This can strike at any time ,but for me it’s usually late at night. Last night, such a craving occurred. I started ransacking the cupboards looking for anything sweet and chocolate covered, desperately trying to find those unwanted pepperos that I was too good to eat in November. I started to beg the Fat Boyfriend to please go to the shop for me and buy me chocolate. “It’s too late and too cold,” came his reply. Just as I was about to start ripping open the doors on my advent calender and gorge myself on the forbidden goodness, I recalled the brownie in a mug recipe that is always plastered over Pinterest. Its promise of chocolate in 5 minutes was all I needed to get me into the kitchen. Now that I think about it, we learned how to make these little microwaveable puddings back when I was in school, but they have since been long forgotten, until someone had the idea of doing it in a mug and it became cool again. This quick and easy dessert can be made using simple ingredients most of us should have in our cupboards. Now it’s not the best brownie you have ever had, it doesn’t really look too beautiful either, but it will satisfy that sweet tooth, in a nice snack sized amount.

Ingredients

50g of flour (1/4 cup)

70g of sugar (1/4 cup)

2 tablespoons of cocoa powder

A pinch of salt

60ml of water (1/4 cup)

2 tablespoons of vegetable oil (Not EVOO)

2 drops of vanilla extract

1-2 tablespoons of chocolate chips or butterscotch chips (optional)

Ice cream sprinkles (optional)

Directions

1. Place flour, sugar, cocoa, salt, and in a microwave safe ceramic mug. Stir with a fork or spoon to mix well and break up any clumps.

2. Add the oil, water, and vanilla to the cup and stir until the mixture is smooth and there are no lumps. Then add the chocolate chips or butterscotch chips if using. Then stir again.

3. Place in the microwave and heat on high until the mixture is cooked through, about a 1 minute and 40 seconds for a 1000 watt microwave. My microwave is quite slow so took just over 2 minutes. . If you don’t know the power level on your microwave, start with 60 seconds and increase in 10 or 20 second increments until the brownie is done.If it moves alot when you tilt it, it’s not done yet.

4. Top with sprinkles, cream, or ice-cream if you have some. Although if I had ice-cream, I would have just eaten that instead! Voilà 5 minute brownie in a mug.

09
Dec
2013

Spicy Bite

categories: Restaurant Reviews

A week or two ago my lovely friend Mat took me out for dinner. He knows I’m a lady who needs to be well fed so he took me out for treat, and what treat it was. I wasn’t sure what to expect as all I had heard was the name, but the food was spectacular. Modern pan-Asian cuisine that took me right back to my days of living in Sydney where everything was fresh and full of flavour just like this. Located near Hangangjin station, this small and cute restaurant, is nestled in a little side street amongst a lot of other eateries. If you are unfamiliar with this side of Itaewon It would certainly favour you to have a little walk around up there. I am sure there are lots of food finds to be had.

The first dish we tried was the Soft shell crab with pink peppercorn (9,000). Neither me or my rather handsome dining companion is particularly fond of crab but we were dazzled by this dish. I had only had the hard shell crabs before, but these were amazing so crispy on the outside while the lovely white meat inside was juicy and tender. The salad that accompanied it was fantastic. I will certainly be back again to try this dish, you must try it .

Next up was the Tom Yum Soup with mussels and mung bean noodles (14,000.) The perfect dish for cold winter nights, the broth was tasty and spicy, and the mussels a nice addition. Throw in some noodles and you have a very satisfying dish that could easily serve two.

Salt and pepper ribs with chili sauce (15,000) . Any rib fans need to try these, especially if you like them spicy. The crisp outsides matched well with the spicy dipping sauce, although I wish there had been a few more of them.

Twice cooked pork belly with sweet and sour sauce (17,000) was probably my favourite dish other than the crab. I love sweet and sour sauce and I love belly pork, so it was like this dish was specially designed for me. Again slightly spicy, the glaze on top the soft and tender pork belly was divine. Served with more salad, pepper and cilantro on top. It was a winning combination.

Last we tried the crispy noodles with tofu and mushroom stir fry (12,000.) This dish was such a surprise, the soft silky tofu, was not the texture I really go for but combined with the crispy noodles and sweet sauce it really worked. I would definitely recommend this dish to any vegetarians or vegans looking to try something a bit different.

On the beverage list they had several imported beers on the menu for reasonable prices. I decided to have my old favorite Chang.

Spicy Bite is located at 104 , 682-12, Hanam 2-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul. To get there take a train to Hangangjin station (line 6) and come out of exit 3 and walk straight. Go through the archway that announces Itaewon and then take the alley on the left when you get to the Volkswagen dealership. Spicy Bite is about 50 meters further on the left. For more information call 070-4028-8011.

05
Dec
2013

Left Coast Artisan Burgers

categories: Restaurant Reviews

As you know Fat Girl loves a burger more than anything in the world (even more than The Fat Boyfriend.) But a burger that meats my requirements (pun intended) is a scarce thing in and around Itaewon. So much so, that I even started making my own. So when I heard about Left Coast Artisan Burgers I was extremely keen to try it. Located near Itaewon station, this second floor eatery is cool, bright and all about good food. With its open plan kitchen, you can see the masters at work.

As soon as I looked at the menu, there was one burger that leapt straight off the page. The John Wayne (15,000). Bacon, cheddar cheese, onion rings, and barbecue sauce. All housed in freshly baked home-made bun. Just one bite and I was in love. This burger had all my favourite ingredients, I was a very happy girl. Mmmm burger.

The Kalbi fries (12,000) were recommended and were sooooooooo so good. Chips, topped with marinated pork, hoisin onion, and sour cream. Just reminiscing about them now makes me hunger for a bowl. We also got the regular fries, which are hand cut but I’d say splash out and get the Kalbi ones, I promise they are worth every penny.

We also got two of the mini me burgers (10,000), A piece of fried chicken, with creamy appleslaw and lettuce. They were cute and tasty and sure fire hit for those who don’t want beef. I also enjoyed the smaller size, for those that can’t manage a whole burger. I obviously ate a normal burger and a mini one, but of course I know not everyone has the dedication to burger eating that I do.

We got a lovely surprise delivered when I told them it was The Fat Boyfriend’s birthday. They served us up their dessert of a warm cookie with ice-cream and cream (6,000). We had a bunch of men with us, all claiming they were full and didn’t like desserts but as soon as it was placed in front of us they all dug a spoon in and were fighting over it. You need to try this delicious dessert, your taste buds will thank you.

They also have a nice range of beverages at Left Coast, craft beers like the winter solstice or watermelon wheat. They even have a good time lemonade and sangria, for fatties like myself who don’t fancy beer. A cocktail and a burger what could be better?

Left Coast is located at 130-43 Itaewon-dong, Seoul. To get there take a train to Itaewon Station (Line 6) and walk out of exit 4, turn back on yourself and take the road on your left (the street where Taco Bell is) and walk straight. Keep walking on the same side you’re on for about 150 meters, Left Coast is on the right on the second floor. Call them on 02-6223-5338 to make a reservation or check out their facebook page for more details.

03
Dec
2013

Christmas Wish List

categories: Shopping, Uncategorized

After years and years of spending Christmas in Korea, this year I shall be going home for Christmas. But with that comes a whole host of questions of what I would like for Christmas. We will be spending the day with my family, then heading over to Ireland to spend some time with Niall’s family. Obviously my own friends and family know me well and what I might like but with in-laws it’s really hard not to know what to get. To make things easier, Niall and I decided to make wish lists on Amazon with lots of little things we both liked to help make present buying a lot easier. I have really taken to this making a wish list thing, so much so I thought I would make a fat girls wish list. This is a collection of lovely things I would love to own one day. Obviously Le Creuset pans and Cath Kidston dishes are probably a bit beyond my means at the moment, but there are lots of lovely thing like ingredients and bake-ware that I could afford but never seem to buy. I figured I would share it with all my lovely readers, since it is the season of giving and perhaps some of you are rich, generous or want to buy your favourite food blogger a lovely present (wink,wink). So here is my list of lovely things if you would like to check it out. Happy Christmas shopping everyone! #buymepresentsplease.

02
Dec
2013

Beef Stew and Herby Dumplings

categories: Recipes

I just can’t get enough of stew at the moment. It’s just so comforting and such a pleasure to come home to. The nights have grown cold and it’s always dark by the time I get home. What better way to warm my cockles than with a hearty stew of meat and vegetables served with dumplings. I have already brought you my chicken and lamb stews so here is that old classic beef. I bought a cheep cut of beef at my local butcher. I just got a slice of frozen meat, then cut it into chunks myself. I served this stew with roasted cabbage steaks. I’m not fond of boiled cabbage at all, but roasted it is delicious. It really brings out the sweetness and I would definitely recommend that you give it a try.

Ingredients

Beef Stew

500g of Beef or steak chunks

1 large onion

1 carrot

3 cloves of garlic

A glass or two of red wine

1 litre of beef stock

2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce

A few sprigs of fresh herbs or 2 tablespoons of dried (thyme, rosemary, parsley)

Dumplings

100g of butter

200g of flour

1 tablespoon of mixed herbs

salt & pepper

ice cold water

Cabbage steaks

1/2 a large cabbage

Salt and pepper

A drizzle of olive oil

Directions

1. Chop the onion and garlic into chunks and fry off in a little olive oil for a few minute until translucent. Then put them into your stew pan. Chop the beef into chunks then toss in seasoned flour and fry for a minute or two until browned on all sides. Do this in small batches so you don’t overcrowd the pan. Then add them to the stew pan. Then chop the carrots and potatoes into large chunks and fry off in the same pan for a few minutes and add to the stew pan

2. Put the stew on a medium heat and add the herbs, Worcestershire sauce and wine, then cook off for a few minutes. Add the stock to the pan and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat so it is simmering. It will need to cook for about 2 hours. If the stock gets too low, you can add a little more. The stew is done when the beef is tender. If you used a cheap cut be patient as it will get to the falling apart stage in the end.

3. To make the dumplings mix the herbs, salt, pepper, and flour together and then grate the butter into the flour. Gently mix it together. Add the cold water a spoon at a time and very softly bring it together in to a loose dough. Do not work it into a ball, keep it loose then break off lumps and roll them gently to form balls. Add them to the top of the stew, then cook for another 20 minutes.

4. To make the cabbage steaks, slice the cabbage into one and a half inch slices. Lay them onto a flat baking tray then sprinkle with salt and pepper and brush them with olive oil. Be careful not to use too much oil as you don’t want them to be greasy. Bake them in the oven at 200 degrees Celsius for about 20 minutes then flip them over and bake them on the other side for 10 minutes. They may be a bit hard to handle so be careful they don’t break apart.

December 2013 archive