Tag Archives: Chips

Carrot Chips

Posted in Recipes, Vegan / Veggie Friendly by

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Sorry guys I have been seriously MIA for the last week. I have been suffering from a tremendous hangover I gained from attending a friend’s birthday party. That is what happens when you are friends with people much younger and cooler than you. I have been regaining my strength by lying in my bed drinking vitamin water and watching White Collar, my new favourite TV show. I thought I would kick off Tuesday with a healthy-ish post. Back home you can find vegetable crisps everywhere and you can almost kid yourself that deep-fried vegetables are actually very good for you as well as being very damn tasty. This past week I have been exploring making my own vegetable crisps, first up is carrots, they actually came out really great. Easy and cheap to make, they make a nice change from your regular party snacks.

Ingredients

1 large carrot

1-2 tablespoons of olive oil

A pinch of salt and pepper

A pinch of Cajun seasoning (or any other you fancy)

Directions

Cut your carrots into very thin rounds or long thin strips using a vegetable peeler. Toss the carrots in the oil, salt, pepper, and chosen seasoning. Lay the pieces on a baking tray, trying not to overlap them. Bake in a hot oven at 210 degrees Celsius for about 10-20 minutes. You will need to check on them quite frequently removing any chips that are cooked. Allow to cool then enjoy.

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Gastro Pub

Posted in Restaurant Reviews by

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Another day, another gastro-pub. Just around the corner from my job is the aptly named  Gastro Pub. We spotted it quite a while ago now but didn’t really think it would be up to much, so we never investigated further. However last night we were released from work rather early. There was time before the bus came so we thought we would take a look at the menu. The place was so much bigger than I had expected and not what I had imagined at all. We’re hardly in a desolate wasteland of restaurants but I certainly wasn’t expecting anything like this.

A big industrial warehouse type space. This restaurant is very deceiving from the outside. A huge long bar greets you as you enter then a large sized restaurant is beyond, with a large terrace at the back which would be perfect for some summertime drinking. An open spaced kitchen fills one long wall. I’ve always admired these, as I like to see what I’m getting. This gastro-pub has more New York feel than English Style homeliness of Reilly’s, but is cool and sleek none the less.

A gastro-pub inspired menu awaits, printed on newspaper style menus that seem to be all the rage these days. A mix of salads, pastas, burgers and grilled meats. They also have various imported beers and a large variety of bottles.Sadly no cocktails were on the menu, but they did have a nice variety of soft drinks and smoothies. Next time I’ll be sure to bring along my trusty hip flask and make some myself. They had a taster of beers. You could choose 5 out 7. This worked really well for us, my boyfriend got to have his real beer and I got my ladies lager. It was only 14,000 for 5 but we went during happy hour and got an extra 20% off which we thought was very reasonable.

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On to the food. We chose the fish and chips. I was still in the middle of taking a few pictures when this rocked up at lightning speed. There were 3 pieces on the plate and a mountain of shoe string fries (they were so thin, I probably could have tied my shoes with them). The fish was coated in a light and crispy batter. Coming from the land of fish and chips I like mine nice and thick. I’m not a huge fan of fish so for me the batter is the star attraction. However the fish here was good. The winner on this plate was the home-made tartare sauce, sharp and tasty, I could have eaten twice as much.

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I was keen to try the prime burger. I am a burger girl through and through and would probably choose this for my last meal on earth. This one looked pretty damn good when it rocked up, slathered with cheese and caramelized onions but sadly didn’t make me go “Mmm” when I bit into it. It was fine and I certainly could have eaten another one but it didn’t really live up to its 20,000 won price tag. I would rather pay the extra 5,000 and get the burger at Reilly’s, or go to Burger B and eat 2! Another point to mention is that this burger was very rare, the blood was actually seeping out on to  the plate. Personally I like my meat still mooing but I know for a lot of people this can pose a problem, especially since the waiter didn’t ask us how we would like it cooked. The burger too came with a mountain of fries. I loved these chips but after a while I still couldn’t see the mountain going down. They gave a choice while ordering of salad or fries but I think a little of both would have been preferable.

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The majority of these dishes available are around the 15,000 – 20,000 mark but they also have a 1kg steak available for 150,000 or a 750g rack of lamb for a mere 120,000.  The people at the next table had the steak and I have to say it was pretty large but I don’t know if I would pay that much for a steak and have to share it. I think this restaurant is more of a Korean style with the larger dishes that are good for sharing. They also had a few desserts on the menu but I couldn’t partake as I had eaten too many chips!

Gastro Pub is located at 810-2 Bangbae-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul. To get there take a train to Naebang station(line number 7) and come out exit 7. Walk straight until you pass the BMW dealership and make a right. Directly in front of you should be Gastro Pub. The nearest bus stop is 22-222. You can call them on 02-537-17222. Or check out their website.

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The Pinoy Mart

Posted in Shopping by

Finding foreign product in Korea can be very tricky. However if you know where to go there’s not much you can’t find these days. I have lived in Korea for over 4 years now and the change since when I first arrived has been immense. The foreign food mart in Itaewon has tripled in size and there are new stores selling to the foreign masses opening all the time. There has also been a rise in businesses making food to be shipped and sold all over Korea; Gringos, Aliens Day Out, Third Coast kitchen, Fog City Cafe, The Biltong Guy Shop, and  Gavins Sausages just  to name just a few. I myself have even decided to start catering to the foreign food market by making and selling a few of my favourite things in The Pinoy Mart. I’m not suggesting that Korea become completely westernised,  but for those of us living a in Korea a taste  of home just makes us feel good. I will certainly be very grateful for the Korean supermarkets when I decide to return home and will be able to buy all of my favourite Korean foods.

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For a reasonably small store the Pinoy Mart is very well stocked. They have a huge variety of foods and ingredients. I have tried to take as many pictures as possible to show what they have.

For the bakers among you they have various baking supplies such as powder sugar, chocolate chips, pie crusts, sprinkles, flavoured extracts, food dyes and plenty of Betty Crocker boxed mixes and ready-made icing.

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They also have a refrigerator chocked full with  dairy products including, cream cheese, ricotta,  cottage cheese, butter, cream, half and half, spray cream and a large variety of cheeses. My dips and hummus can also be found there.

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There are snacks and candy galore, including Peanut-butter Cups, Twizzlers, Tim Tams, Cheetos, Sour cream ruffles and plenty more.

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The drinks selection hosts a wide variety of beers and soft drinks. They also have some pre-made mixers such as Margarita mix and Bloody Mary mix, which I can personally vouch for. They have cans of Clamato, the Canadian’s favourite beverage. They also have a freezer filled with goodies, along with canned and dried food and a large selection of herbs and spices, as well as other goods.

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If there is anything you want and they don’t have they will try their best to get it for you. So pay them a visit and stock up on my goodies if you are in the area.

The Pinoy Mart is located in Hae Bang Chon. 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 along that road for about 200 meters. You will pass by Noa, HBC Galbi Jib, and Burgermine. Its on the right just next to a chicken restaurant and opposite Fix. You can call them on 010-2664-2221.

Wasabi Pea Dip

Posted in Recipes by

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I love wasabi peas!!! I could eat them by the bucket-load. When I was in Hong Kong last week, I found a tub of wasabi pea dip in Marks and Spencer. I purchased it immediately, along with a big bag of chips to dip into it. It was love at first bite. I knew I would be replicating it as soon as I got home. I love dips and always have a batch of my Tastygarlic dip in the fridge,  so I’m glad to have another to add to my repertoire.

Ingredients

1 can of peas (You could also use frozen if you have them. I used the normal can, you find in any Korean supermarket)

1  lemon (the juice of)

2 tablespoons of garlic powder (Korean brand found in a 60g packet in any Korean supermarket)

1-2  tablespoons of sour cream

1 tablespoon of mayonnaise

1 tablespoon of wasabi (feel free to add more though)

A pinch of salt and pepper

Directions

Open the can of peas and pour off about 3/4 of the water then put the remaining water and peas into a blender. Add all of the other ingredients and blend until smooth. Serve with chips, crudities or flat bread. Voilà a deliciously different dip.

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Poutine Factory!

Posted in Restaurant Reviews by

So a couple of nights ago we stopped by the new restaurant on the block, Poutine Factory.  It opened last Thursday and seems to have been pretty busy since it opened its doors. As the name suggest this places serves up that Canadian classic Poutine. I have to admit that before coming to Korea I was oblivious to this tasty treat. For those not in the know, poutine is chips/french fries covered in gravy and melted cheese. Sure you can get cheesy chips or gravy and chips back home but rarely does anyone put these things together to make a batch of super chips.

Anyhow on to poutine factory. They have a variety of different kinds of poutine on the menu. We opted for a classic and the Saunders which is sweet chili shrimp. It had been a very trying hangover Monday so we got ours to go. They came served up in cute little boxes , a real improvement on the polystyrene containers we would get back home.

The classic poutine was pretty good, a generous amount of gravy and topped with authentic curds rather than the grated mozzarella you seem to get offered as cheese in most Korean establishments. Although I would like to have seen more curds on the top.

I had never tried a flavoured poutine before and I have to say I preferred it. The chili shrimp was good, although there were only 4 of them in the small portion. I would be eager to try the vegetarian option with guacamole and sour cream.

They have recently lowered their prices and a portion now runs from 9,000 -12,000. This is much better value than it used to be. They also have a special on chciken on Fridays 50% off which is such a bargain. You will more than likely see me there on a Friday night buying wings by the dozen.

As well as the various poutines, there is also a side menu consisting of chicken balls, chicken wings with a choice of various sauces, hot, teriyaki or honey garlic, garlic, cheesy garlic, thousand island, mustard etc. A side salad and a pulled pork sandwich (I do enjoy a menu that considers a sandwich to be a side dish). They also serve up draft beer and various bottled beers.

The interior had that fast food kind of vibe. This is not the kind of place to bring a date. However is a great place to come if you want to grab something quick and easy with your mates. I think places like this do pretty well in Korea, not everyone wants to sit down in a restaurant for a proper meal and they enjoy the easiness of this kind of establishment.

Poutine Factory is located at 242, Noksapyeong- Daero, Yongsan-Gu, Seoul. T 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 Poutine Factory is on the left. You can call them on 070-8692-3907 or check out their facebook page.