A Fat Girl's Food Guide

08
Mar
2016

McPherson’s BBQ Pub

categories: Restaurant Reviews

Unfortunately due to management conflict McPhearson’s BBQ is no longer open.

Last week my fellow foodie friend Joe McPherson of Zenkimchi opened up his very first restaurant and I couldn’t be happier for him. Being from Alabama Joe wanted to concentrate on his roots and stick with food he knows good old fashioned BBQ. Now if you are a regular reader of this blog you will know it takes a hell of a lot for me to drag my fat lazy ass across town, but for Joe I made a very special exception. To help me in my review I took my two favourite Southern Girls along with me for a proper American perspective, as the English version of BBQ is somewhat different to the American style. (more…)

04
Mar
2016

Bruworks & Pick A Bagel Pop Up Cafe

categories: Cafes / Takeaways / Bars

I do love a good pop up, a chance to try something new for a limited time only. I wrote about Bruworks last year, the only company in Korea making their own ultra fashionable Nitro Coffee. And if damn good coffee wasn’t enough a reason to visit the pop up they have also teamed up with Pick A Bagel to bring proper NYC bagels to the Gyeongridan neighbourhood. (more…)

02
Mar
2016

Sujurantei – 스즈란테이

categories: Recipes

Coming from a small town in rural England I didn’t really grow up eating much Japanese food. However over the years it has become one of the cuisines that I have grown most to love. It started with a sushi roll obsession, then moved on to the curry,tempura, and noodles and now I’m willing to try almost anything they make. Despite living in Seoul for at least 5 years I had no idea that there was a Japanese neighbourhood located just around the corner from my house in Ichon, and I probably never would have discovered it if one of my friends hadn’t taken me. From the outside Sujurantei doesn’t really look all that special, but when you go down the stairs and see the people waiting for tables you soon realise that this is no ordinary restaurant. (more…)

28
Feb
2016

Head Lock

categories: Restaurant Reviews

As as Brit I adore sandwiches, and one of my favourites from home is the prawn sandwich. For some reason this delightful treat, just like coronation chicken, has never really travelled well when it comes to the rest of the world. So when I heard that a new prawn (or shrimp if you must) sandwich place had opened mere meters from my door step I was off to check it out. (more…)

26
Feb
2016

The Royal Food & Drink

categories: Cafes / Takeaways / Bars, Restaurant Reviews

One thing you can say about HBC is that there are plenty of coffee shops. But sadly one of the best and longest running coffee shops D’espresso closed down a few months ago, which was a bit of a shame as they had started making some really awesome smoothies and sandwiches. But the good news is they are still in HBC, they just moved way up the hill and reopened as The Royal Food & Drink. (more…)

24
Feb
2016

Absolut Lounge

categories: Cafes / Takeaways / Bars

Anyone that has met me knows that I love vodka. I’m a big old lush when it comes to the clear stuff. So when I discovered there was a whole bar dedicated to it, well I had to shuffle on over there as fast as my drunken legs could carry me and give it a try. (more…)

18
Feb
2016

Kitchen Loading Urban Farmers

categories: Restaurant Reviews

As you know Valentine’s day passed last week and despite having a number of favourite restaurants to dine at I still felt compelled to try somewhere new. I had heard great things about Kitchen Loading, so after doing a bit more research I thought it would make the perfect location for a romantic dinner. Located in Tteokseom the restaurant is a bit further away than I generally like to travel, but after seeing the beautiful pictures of the food and finding out a three course dinner is only 38,000 won, I felt it was worth a ride in a taxi.

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15
Feb
2016

Jil’Hal Bros – Hongdae

categories: Cafes / Takeaways / Bars, Restaurant Reviews

One of my favourite foodie finds from last year was the chicken and rice from the Halal Bros in NYC. Then rediscovering it here in Seoul was the cherry on top of the cake. If you’ve yet to try the gloriousness that is chicken and rice, then you need to head on over to Jil’Hal Bros pronto. Since opening their first store in Cheongdam last summer, they have become insatiably popular and have since opened a second store in Hongdae. Meaning I no longer need to travel to Gangnam to get my fix, and trust me this stuff is more addictive than crack!

The menu is the same as the original store, tender slices of lamb or chicken over rice with salad, sauce and pita, or kebab like wraps (4,500). As much as I liked the wraps they are fairly similar to those at half a dozen or so restaurants in Itaewon, so they don’t interest me as much. However the chicken over rice is epic (6,500). It’s insane that something so simple could be as highly addictive as it is. TFB prefers the lamb (7,000) but sometimes I’m greedy and get both. In fact whilst I’m being honest I get two chicken and one lamb! Only the combination of three boxes can satisfy my crazy cravings!

The restaurant in Hongdae is pretty tiny but has bar style seating for about 5 if you want to eat in, they also have a couple of sodas and such forth. But whether you eat in or take away this is one treat that you need to try. Clearly the store is doing well and my wish is that they will soon open a store in Itaewon so I can eat it everyday until i grow tired of it and move on to my next obsession! But for now the new Hongdae store will do.

Jil’Hal Bros is located at 153-3 Donggyo-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul. To get there take a train to Hongdae Station (line 2) and come out of exit 3. Walk straight out of that exit for maybe 100m and then turn left. Jil’Hal bros is just along this street on your right hand side. For more information you can call them on or check out their facebook page. If you are lucky enough to live near to Hongdae you can even get it delivered!

11
Feb
2016

Be My Valentine

categories: Festivals / Special Events

As I’m sure you are all aware, Valentine’s Day is once again rearing its ugly head this weekend. And the obligation to take your significant other out for dinner is thrust upon you. Now I’m not complaining about being taken out for dinner, no one loves being treated to a slap up dinner more than I, although I’d also be just as happy devouring a bucket of chicken and a large pizza in my pajamas at home, but enough about my low standards. When it comes to the day of love, Seoul has more than it’s fare share of upscale eateries and fine dining establishments for you to fritter away your hard earned cash on. However if you are looking for a good meal for two that costs around 100,000 or less, then you may wish to take a look at my list of the best options. And don’t worry it’s not too late to make reservations! (more…)

09
Feb
2016

Sambazon Acai Bowls

categories: Restaurant Reviews, Vegan / Veggie Friendly

It’s not often that fortune smiles upon me and I find exactly what I’m looking for, but very occasionally it does. I was mincing around Sinsa last week trying to while away an hour before a meeting and was desperate for something to eat. However I’ve been trying to be a bit healthier lately so I was trying to resist the delicious bagels I’d just picked up for TFB at Pick A Bagel. As luck would have it, my meeting was located opposite this wonderful smoothie bowl joint and I managed to fill myself up while still eating clean.

The acai bowls are incredibly beautiful and almost look like a work of art. I’ve started making my own smoothie bowls ever since I came back from Bali, but never dreamed there would be anywhere in Seoul selling them, and I’ve since found out they have a branch in Itaewon too.

The bowls come in thee sizes, handy, regular and large. I opted for the regular (7,500). The bowl was made up of an acai smoothie on the bottom which was deliciously moreish and made up of lots of lovely things like cacoa nibs. Then the bowl is topped with all of those beautiful fruits like banana, dragon fruit, blueberries, pineapple, kiwi, coconut and grapes. The mix of fruits were lovely and tasty and incredibly filing, I wouldn’t hesitate to come back. It’s the perfect meal for those who are trying to eat healthy.

Sambazon Acai Bowls is located at 59, Nonhyeon-ro 161-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. To get there take a train to Apgujeong Station (line 3) and come out of exit 5. Walk straight and take the 5th road on the right, the one before the main Garosugil Street. Walk straight along this road, Sambazon Acai Bowls is located just up ahead on the left hand side. For more information you can call them on 02-516-3686 or check out their facebook page.