A few months ago, Kyungnidan saw a new addition to it’s Thai restaurant empire in the form of Kkaolli Pochana. The two other restaurants Buddha’s Belly and A taste of Thailand, were obviously unable to meet the ever growing demand of people wanting to eat Thai food, so clearly Kkaolli Pochana was desperately needed.

From the outside you could blink and miss it, as it certainly doesn’t conjure images of fried rice and noodles, but step inside and it’s like being transported back to Khao San road. Those who enjoying a fine dining experience will be sorely disappointed. The tables and stools are plastic, the walls strung with fairy lights, and the atmosphere lively and loud.

When I arrived the restaurant was full but I didn’t have to wait too long for a table. However the waiter didn’t seem to speak much English, which is strange for this area of Seoul and we were passed on to the chef to verify that we wanted a table for two. Once sat, we waited for our menu, only to find that there wasn’t one. We had to make our choices from tatty pieces of paper pinned to the door in the corner. My eyesight is poor at best and I really did find it difficult to read without standing over the table that was just below it. It would make things a lot easier if they could print one out.

After surveying the choices we made our order, again neither of the waiters were able to receive our order so the cook had to be called out. We tried to tell them in Korean but they both seemed very afraid of talking to us. Strange in a foreign dominated neighborhood. However what the wait staff lacked in service skills they made up for a in speed and before we knew it the first dish had arrived. Thai green chicken curry (12,000). The curry was good, definitely a more accomplished version than those I manage at home but not quite the same as those I enjoyed in Thailand.

Our next choice was the Shrimp Pad Thai (12,000). Whenever visiting a Thai restaurant it has to be judged on how they execute the Pad Thai. It was jut as expected, I could have transported myself back to any of the restaurants that litter the streets of Bangkok. However we paid extra for shrimp and were only given two, a bit of a disappointment when you are sharing it.

Lastly we ordered a crab fried rice (8,000) What’s Thai food without some fried rice? This was just the ticket, I could have eaten this rice all day. It reminded me of the food I lived on when travelling my way around that beautiful country.

Overall we enjoyed our meal as seen from the picture below. The food has an authenticity that the other restaurants in the area don’t seem to. This is not better per se, just more real, especially to those who backpacked around the country eating cheaply. They ever serve Thai Buckets! If you are looking for a great foodie find then this may not be it, the chairs are not particularly comfortable and I’m pretty sure if you come on a weekend you will find yourself on the end of a big line. Hipster Koreans are going crazy over this little alleyway of eateries, the worse the seats and the bigger the line, the more they want it. Magpie brewery looks like a car-park, Booth Pizza makes you sit on crates, and the stools at Kkaolli Pochana are wobbly at best. However every time I walk past any of these establishments there are people queuing to eat. Is it worth the hype, I’m not sure. For me it depends on how long you have to queue. Since I live in the area then next time I will be getting my food to go.

To get to Kkaolli Pochana, take a train to Noksapyeong station (line 6) exit 2 and walk straight down past the entrance leading to Hae bang chon and go over the pedestrian bridge  above the road. Take the right hand set of stairs down and walk straight down the alley on your left. Kkaolli Pochana is just on the left hand side.

Last week we tried Marakech Night’s new sandwich place. The original restaurant is still open but they have added another string to their bow. Hidden just in the alleyway where Wolfhound is, it serves up delicious Moroccan food in a small friendly environment.

Thanks to the wonderful people at Casablanca, I am crazy about Moroccan sandwiches so I could barely wait to try the offering from Marakech Night. They have various other Moroccan dishes on the menu too, which, for the size of the place, is actually quite varied.  They have all the favourites on there, kebabs, hummus, pita, baba ganoush, falafel so there are plenty of options for the veggies and vegans. However, it was the sandwiches that I was interested in.

We ordered up one Panachi (chicken sandwich with fries 7,000).  The bread was tasty and the filling was quite satisfying. A slightly different take on the Moroccan sandwich than the one at Casablanca, but not in a bad way.  It was a good sandwich filled with the delicious potatoes which were covered in batter, cheese, meat, salad , and lots of sauce.

We also ordered a Moroccan beef sandwich (5,000), it would have been churlish not to. The beef was thinly shredded, a bit like bulgogi, and the filling was the same as the chicken one. All in all a very hearty sandwich for such a cheap price.

This is the perfect restaurant for a quick bite or some late night eats after way to many drinks. I’d say these lovely sandwiches would definitely go a long way to curing a hangover! Marakech Night 2 is located in Itaewon. To get there take a train to Itaewon station (line 6) Come out of exit 4 and turn left,(you may have to come back on yourself slightly). Walk straight past Geckos and the bank, and take the first right. Walk straight down the road, past the supermarket and the wolfhound. Marakech Night 2 is on the left at the end of the road.

When I first found that an English fish and chip shop was going to open on my street I was very, very excited. Being a Brit I take fish and chips very seriously, it is our national dish after all. So when I walked past and found out that it had finally opened I was one of the first people in line to give it a try. it’s a tiny hole in the wall which looked very authentic. With a name like Whitby, one of Britain’s premier seaside towns and a fish and chip mecca, I had my hopes up high.

I ordered a fish and chips (9,000). I duly waited for about 5-10 minutes and was presented with a package wrapped in paper, exactly as we would get them at home.

i opened them up to reveal two pieces of fish and a portion of chips served with tartar sauce. The chips, which are my personal favourite part of the meal, weren’t bad; but for a restaurant that sells only two things, fish and chips, the chips should be made with real potatoes not bought in frozen from Costco.

The fish is not bad, the batter is fairly light, and it does hit the spot. But it is in no way reminiscent of the lovely thick soft and crispy batter we have at home. The fish and chips at the wolfhound is far superior.

Whitby is located in HaebangCheon. Take a train to Noksapyeong station (line 6) . Walk straight out of exit 2 for about 200 meters and take the first left and walk straight along the road with all the kimchi pots. Keep walking straight up the hill until you see Whitby tucked away to your left.

Bonny’s

First stop was Bonny’s Pizzeria and self service bar. Here we tried the kimchi cult pizza. I have always given this one a miss in the past ,as I am not really a fan of kimchi. However I thought it would be churlish not to try it and it was actually quite tasty. I much prefer kimchi when it is hot, rather than cold, throw in some cheese and a pizza dough and it’s actually pretty damn manageable. Our drinks special here was the Russian beer, an awesome accompaniment to kimchi  Not bad at all.

Indigos

Or second stop of the day was Indigo’s. Here we got to try my absolute favourite sandwich, the basil pesto chicken. It was totally amazing and as yummy as always. Glad a few others got to try it too. We also tried the tomato soup. A lovely homemade one, which would just be ideal on a cold night.

Phillies

If we were to eat anything here, it has to be the Philly cheese steak. Although more bulgogi than steak ,it was still rather tasty. We also tried the vegetable platter with ranch dip that went down a storm. Even with the hard to please Jonah and Katy. Who said kids don’t like vegetables?

Ditori

Last stop on this week’s tour was Ditori. Here we tried Korean potato pancakes. They were wonderfully tasty, and  it was great for me to try something new. We also indulged in their fabulous makgeolli range. Co-leader Joyce recommended the champagne makgeoli, which really does have a resemblance to champagne. Locally made it’s for those that like the finer things in life but cant afford them. We also tried the black bean makgeolli too, which again I was surprised I liked too, the perfect end to the tour.

The Itaewon foodie crawls are a weekly event hosted by Chip’s Maps with a little help from yours truly. If you are interested in attending one of the future foodie crawls, please check out the facebook page for more details and information on how to sign up. Hope to see you at the next one!

Braai Republic – Our first stop was Braai Republic, a South African barbecue joint. I have actually been here 3 times in the last month already. We got to try their lovely lamb chops, salad, and ice cold ciders. They went down a storm and everyone loved them as much as I did. We all vowed to come back for the all you can eat lamb chops on Tuesday.

Buddha’s Belly - This was our second stop and here we were served up Shrimp Pad Thai. Fresh and tasty, I wish there had been a whole lot more of this. I will be back to try it again when I get to have a whole plate to myself. We also sampled some very exotic cocktails here.

Marrakech Night – We arrived at the Moroccan favourite and tried wedding chicken, babaganoush and Moroccan bread. The aroma when they brought it out was delicious. This would be the perfect dinner to eat on a cold winters night. It also works on a boiling hot Saturday afternoon! They offer an all you can eat buffet at weekends, which I will certainly be coming back to try again.

Pier 8

Our last stop was Pier 8, a Japanese fusion restaurant. As soon as we walked in there were oohs and aahs all around. It’s a large place with an even larger cocktail list. To eat we tried the cinnamon chicken. Crispy coated chunks of chicken, and potato. These were good, I just wish there had been more of them. The place really started filling up as we were here so we got to look around and see some of the other dishes on the menu. I’ll be sure to come back when I have not eaten at 3 restaurants just before.

This crawl we certainly managed to have quite a few alcoholic refreshments. In our defence, it was a hot and sweaty day and the cocktails were just far too good to resist. It would have been impossible not to indulge.

The Itaewon foodie crawls are a weekly event hosted by Chip’s Maps with a little help from yours truly. If you are interested in attending one of the future foodie crawls, please check out the facebook page for more details and information on how to sign up. Hope to see you at the next one!

A week or two ago I was out on a little pub crawl with my beloved, when we stumbled across this new gourmet sandwich place. Never one to miss out on an opportunity to eat a sandwich we went in to investigate. The menu is rather small but there are a few tasty items on it. We ordered ourselves one each and waited for them to arrive.

The club sandwich (7,800) Shouldn’t really be a called a club sandwich as there is no bacon or third slice of bread in the middle, but it does have avocado which kind of made up for it for me. It has lots of mayo and is pretty damn tasty.

We also ordered the Porchetta (7,800). I was looking forward to this as I wanted to compare it to the porchetta, from Porchetta. The pork had a well roasted flavour throughout the meat, and the crackling was also crispy. It also came with pesto and roasted cherry tomatoes which gave it an all round more complex flavour. I’m not sure which one I prefer, as they are quite different. I may have to have another to help further my investigation.

The Rye Post is located at 117-3 Itaewon-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul. To get there take a train to Itaewon station (line6) and come out of exit 4 and walk straight for about 200 meters until you get to Dillinger’s. Just before Dillinger’s bar is a set of stairs. Walk down the stairs and turn right. Rye post should be just on the right, opposite Dori Kitchen . You can call them on 02-792-9991 or check out their website for more information.

Last Saturday I helped lead 10 unsuspecting victims  around Kyungnidan on the Chips Maps foodie crawl. We all met up at Noksapyeong station then trawled around the area and tried to eat as much as humanly possible.

Our first stop was Craftworks Taphouse where we enjoyed chicken pepper poppers with 12 different dips. We all had different favourites, so here are our top picks , peri peri, buffalo, honey mustard and chipotle mayonnaise. I will have to go back to try a few more next time. A Bloody Mary and some chicken later it was time to move on.

Our second stop was Springs Taphouse, another craft beer joint. Although it was a food crawl we did spend a lot of time drinking, as eating can be very thirsty work. At Springs Taphouse we tried the three mushroom pate with cherry tomato and chickpea tapenade. I love this dish so was thrilled to be able to try it again, everyone agreed that it was absolutely delicious.

Third stop was Beer O’ Clock pizza. I had been meaning to eat here for quite some time now, so was very keen to try it out. The pizza crust was thin and crispy just how I like it. I was starting to get pretty full by this point but still managed to eat 2 slices.

Last stop was Maloneys. Here we enjoyed mini sliders. Thank God they were mini as I might not have managed a whole one. The meat was juicy and tasty though, I will be definitely coming back for a full sized one when I have more room.  We even stayed here and had a few more drinks after we were finished.

Everyone on the crawl was tonnes of fun and we all enjoyed a great afternoon. I am already looking forward to next weeks crawl around the world in Itaewon. If you would like to sign up for one of the future crawls, please check out the facebook page for more details.

Braai Republic is a South African BBQ restaurant and bar hidden in the back streets of Itaewon. I have been meaning to review this place for over a year now, however we have just only got around to visiting. It’s very strange as both me and my boyfriend were well aware that they served lamb chops, but it still took us a while to get around to eating  here. We decided to visit on a Tuesday as they have all you can eat lamb chops for 15,000. Yes that’s right, all you can eat lamb chops for 15,000.

On a Tuesday for one hour between 5pm and 8pm you can get all you can eat lamb chops. The hour starts as soon as your first plate of lamb chops is put down. Once you have devoured them, you can order more and keep ordering until you’re so full with meat you cant bear to move, or your time runs out, whichever comes first. I had high hopes about my abilities but had to stop after 3 plates. We had plenty of time left but I just couldn’t fit any more in. The lamb here is spectacular, well seasoned, full of flavour and fresh from the BBQ. We asked for ours rare and it was cooked to perfection.

The lamb all you can eat doesn’t come with any sides, so if you want some, you can order them as extras. They have creamed spinach, mashed garlic potato, wedges, and coleslaw. If there are a few of you it’s easy to share and mix and match.

Elsewhere on the menu they have sausages, pies, lamb shank, wors(South African Sausage) and various side dishes. Our friend Jen wasn’t really in the mood for all you can eat so ordered the Meat platter (30,000) which consisted of 2 lamb chops, 2 sausages, creamed spinach, coleslaw and mashed potato. This is a big plate of food and could easily be shared between two people. The sausages are homemade but it’s really the lamb chops that steal the show.

All you can eat lamb is cash only, so be sure to bring some with you. However sides, drinks, and other menu items can all be paid for by card. Reservations are also recommended unless you can get there early as space is limited.

For those of you not living in Seoul but still hankering after a taste of the Braai, check out their website The Biltong guy who will deliver boerwors directly to your door.

Braai Republic is located in Itaewon at 63-4 itaewon-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul. To get there take a train to Itaewon station and walk straight out of exit 4 for about 500 meters. Take a left just before you get to Mcdonalds. Keep walking straight down that street past the intersection. Braai Republic is on the left, on the second floor. You can check out their facebook page or call them on 02-795-1967. 

Before I jetted off to Bali I paid a visit to Springs Tap House in lieu of my new job at Chips Maps. Yes, I am finally going to be a published writer!!! For those of you not in the know, Chips maps is a FREE magazine, listing all the wonderful places in the Itaewon area that you can eat and drink. It also has other useful places too, but I think you know where my priorities lie. This month I have written the piece for neighbourhood grub, a star dish that you can get at one of the wonderful eateries in the area that you won’t find anywhere else. So be sure to grab a copy and read all about it. Here is a more comprehensive review of the latest gastro-pub and craft beer joint in our fair area.

When arriving at Springs Tap House I was struck by how fancy the menu was. When walking past It was not what I expected at all. I was thinking it would be just beer and pub food but the menu is far more complex than that and actually offers one of the best gourmet experiences in the area. Hummus pizza, corned beef tongue, and Jeju-do bacon all feature on the unique menu.

My first choice was the Deer Hunter (15,000). A freshly ground venison burger topped with lettuce, red onion and whole grain Dijon mustard housed in a home-made artisan bun.The venison was grilled to perfection, while still being nice and rare in the middle. Just the way I like it. The home-made mustard was also a great accompaniment. There was a little too much lettuce in the burger but it wasn’t much of a chore to take some out. The shoe string fries that accompanied the dish were perfect, they were topped with a rosemary infused salt that was excellent. All in all a good burger. I would be interested to try the beef version next time too.

My second dish of choice Triple Crown Pate (13,000). \Oven baked gruyere and three mushroom pate and a chick pea and cherry tomato tapenade served with toasted bread chips. The presentation of this dish was spectacular. The second the server put the dish on our table my nostrils were filled with the glorious aroma of truffles. It was like a sweet perfume that accompanied our whole meal. Both the pate and the tapenade were delicious and I would certainly order this dish again.

Not surprisingly this gastro-pub has plenty of beer. Original imported beers from Canada all with jaunty names. My favourite being the Fat guy, as he seemed like a man after my own heart.

All in all I was very impressed with Springs  Tap house. The menu was adventurous and well executed. I will certainly be visiting them again soon to try a few more dishes.

Springs Tap house is located in Kyungnidan at 658 Itaewon-dong, Seoul. To get there take a train to Noksapyeong Station (line 6). Walk straight out of exit 2  for about 500 meters until you get to the underground walkway. Go down the stairs, turn right and cross the street (underground) then go up the left-side exit of the underground walkway.
Walk 10 meters and you’ll see The Springs Tap House across the street between Bao and Pier 39. For more information check out their facebook page or call them on  02-759-7732.

Located at the spot where the now departed Poutine Factory was situated, is the newly renovated Once Upon A Milkshake. We waited weeks for them to open so last weekend, I thought it was about high time I go and taste one, as I really don’t drink enough of my calories. With a bounty of fab flavours I was overwhelmed on which one to choose. You can also mix two for an extra charge and choose your milkshake’s thickness.

Feeling in a fruity mood I decided to opt for a strawberry. Just one taste though and the disappointment spread across my face. It was just so milky and bland. Not a hint of strawberry or any sweetness could be found. For a flavour named Real Strawberry is was a bit of a joke. It just tasted like the insipid vanilla ice-cream that was used to make it. I like vanilla but it was just so lackluster.

I decided before writing my review I should at least try one more. Maybe the strawberry was not as I would like it, but one of the sweeter flavours may hit the spot. So I tried the cookies and cream. The cookies and cream milkshake was so bad I didn’t even finish it. Coming from a serial gorger like myself that is bad, it’s a rare occasion when I won’t finish something. It was every worse than the strawberry. A thick sludgy cream with a few cookie crumbs in. The only nice thing I can say about these is that they are a good consistency.

There are three sizes available at Once Upon A Milkshake;  mini 80z (4,000); regular 12 oz (6,000); and large 16oz (7,000). The mini is tiny, and the regular is very small too. I buy a lot of smoothies and frappucinos but I have to say these were expensive for their size. I’d be willing to bite the bullet on that if they were tasty though, but these just fell flat on their face. Quite ironically their slogan is premium ice-cream at non premium prices. The ice-cream is neither premium or good value. Save your tastebuds and your money and visit Baskin Robbins instead.

As you may have surmised from this review, I will not be returning to Once Upon A Milkshake for their overpriced and underwhelming milkshakes. I wish Poutine Factory would come back, their food was pricey too, but at least it tasted good. You can get a better milkshake at Mcdonalds for a lot less.

If you would like to still see for yourself, Once Upon A Milkshake is located at 242 Noksapyeong-daero, Yongsan-gu, Seoul. To get there come out of Noksapyeong station (line 6) exit 2 walk straight until you reach the overhead bridge. Walk over the bridge and take the stairs on the right. Go straight and Once Upon A Milkshake is on the left. You can call them on (070) 7435-3513 or check out their facebook page for more info.