Tag Archives: Kyungnidan

Taco- Chili Chili!

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Mexican restaurants are popping up all over Seoul and it’s my personal mission to go to every last one of them. I am big, big fan of Mexican cuisine, and I could eat it every day given half a chance. My freezer was always stocked burritos from Gringos home delivery service but sadly my move to Hae Bang Chon has meant a change of refrigerator and sadly my new freezer is only half the size of my old one. No more is there room for a stock of frozen burritos. However luckily just up the road is Taco Chili Chili.

Taco Chili Chili is a cute convenient little Mexican place on the road leading from Itaewon to Kyungnidan.  No it’s not a hot date kind of place where you go to enjoy the ambiance,  its more of a grab and go kinda place. However they do make some pretty good burritos. which I always enjoy to pick up now and again.

The burritos come in a variety of flavours, chicken, beef, vegetarian, avocado etc (7,000 -8,500). They will also let you choose how spicy you like it. Always a winner for me as I can’t manage hot, hot, hot on a hangover. They are of a good size and filled with plenty of meat, rice , salad and sauce.

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I am a fairly frequent visitor so I have sampled a large majority of the menu. I can also recommend the quesadillas (4,500-5,500), well filled and full of cheese.

Also on the menu are enchiladas (9,000). Served in a mammoth portion filled to the brim and topped with all manner of sauces, cheese and salad.

As well as all this there are also chili fries, nachos, fajitas, salad and tacos! They also serve beer and soft drinks. You can eat in or take away.

Taco is located at 527 Itaewon-dong, Yongsan-Gu, Seoul. Take a train to Noksapyeong station (line 6), come out of exit 1 and walk over the bridge. Turn left and walk straight for about 100 meters. Taco Chili Chili is on your left next to Thunder Burger. You can call them on 02-797-7219.

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The Pinoy Mart

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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.

Tiger Masala

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Last night we were on our way home all set to blend up some roast pumpkin for soup when we saw that Tiger Masala had finally opened its doors. We had been very excited about trying the new Indian restaurant right on our doorstep and the soup was swiftly forgotten.  Although we have a good selection of cuisines within our neighborhood, Indian is not one of them, and I’m sure Tiger Masala will make an excellent addition.

The restaurant is very small, tiny in fact but what it lacks in size it makes up for in personality on an otherwise dull street. Although with Bakers Table and Poutine Factory on the same stretch it seems as though our bus stop is proving to be quite the culinary hot spot.

On to the food… The menu like the restaurant is quite small and straight forward but I’m happy to take a smaller menu of quality items over quantity any day. It reminded me of Casablanca’s chalk bard of sandwiches. They have seating for 10 plus a singles bar, or they will wrap it all up for you to take away and eat in the comfort of your own home.

We decided to go quite small for us and ordered a butter chicken (7,000) The dish is quite small, but at only 7,000 you wouldn’t expect to get much more. With a flavourful sauce and a few pieces of chicken, this was a nice dish.

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We also tried the Paneer palak. A spinach and cheese curry. Slightly spicy and sure to be a hit with the vegetarians. I’m a big of a fan of paneer cheese so I was glad to see it on the menu.

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We also ordered a rice and a naan bread both 1,500. The naan was standard fare, sadly no garlic naan as of yet but since its so cheap it would be hard to complain. We were pleasantly surprised to see pilau rice and not the standard white. It always livens up dinner time with a bit of color. We also ordered the cucumber raita, which I consider to be an Indian must have and never order a meal without it. This one was really tasty and I would eat it alone just as a dip. Quite a bargain considering its 3,000 price tag!

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Overall I’m sure I will be visiting Tiger Masala again very soon. It’s cheap, convenient, and local. Would I make the effort to come here for a real dinner instead of one of the larger restaurants in Itaewon? Probably not. However, I think this place will be very popular with locals. For anyone who doesn’t like cooking, you cant beat a curry, naan and rice all for 10,000. The menu also includes several veggie options so I’m pretty sure it will be popular with the veggie crowd too as well as the locals. They also have a loyalty stamp card, rewarding regular customers.

Tiger Masala is located 1F, 713 Itaewon-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, Korea 140-200. To get there come out of 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 left set of stairs down. It’s just two doors down from the bakers table just under the bridge. You can call them on 070-7563-1411 or check out their facebook page.

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Taste of Thailand – Sukhumvit

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Just a few weeks ago I wrote a review for Buddha’s belly in Kyungnidan. Well last Friday night I was craving Thai food once again. However I decided to make a change and try the restaurant opposite Called Sukhavit – A taste of Thailand. A taste of Thailand was exactly what I got. It trumped Buddha’s Belly in pretty much every department and will now be my new Thai restaurant of choice. Not only do they provide a great take away service with an extensive menu far longer than the one at Buddha’s Belly, they also have a large restaurant that can accommodate many people.

First up were the spring rolls. Slightly expensive at 7,000 for 6.  But they were fairly good none the less. I have to say rolls are slightly better at Buddha’s Belly but the dipping sauce at Taste of Thailand was better.

Our next choice was the cashew chicken 11,000. This dish blew my mind. It was exactly the same as the ones I used to eat in Thailand. full of flavour without blowing my head off. There were plenty of cashews and lots of chicken  The sauce was slightly sweet and spicy, just how I like it.

I also ordered the Pad See Ew – black-bean fried noodles with chicken 11,000. This is my favourite dish from across the road so I was curious to see how it would compare but it was just as good with lots of noodles, chicken and sticky sauce.

Last up was the Thai green Curry 11,000. The moment I opened the lid I could smell the lemon-grass wafting out. It was perfect. they also asked us how hot we would like it, which was a nice touch, everyone likes their curry differently and they got this one spot on. It also came with white rice, but I think we have all been in Korea long enough to know what that looks like.

They also have a great sweet and sour chicken dish that I don’t have a picture of it but it certainly gets the thumbs up from me.

I chose chicken for all my dishes but you have the option for tofu, pork, shrimp, or beef if that’s what floats your boat.

Sukhumvit is located in Kyungnidan at 671 Itaewon 2-dong, Yongsan-gu. Seoul. 140-861. To get there take a train to Noksapyeong station (line 6)  exit 2 and walk straight down until you reach the under pass then go underneath. Sukhumvit is on the second floor above Noxa just opposite the exit of the underpass. You can call them on 02- 790- 2722 to place an order or make a reservation.

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Casablanca

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Casablanca needs no introduction for the residents of Hae Bang Chon. It is a hub activity every night from the time their doors open at 5pm. I’ve yet to walk past and find it empty. However this wondrous sandwicherie is still unknown to many because they do not even know where Hae bang chon is. Hae bang chon is a residential area just North West of Itaewon next to the army base. Because of the amount of foreigners living in the area, this place is a treasure trove of foreign cuisines and shops that most people miss out on.

Casablanca has a small menu consisting of several sandwiches and a few side dishes. However what the menu lacks in size it makes up for in quality. These guys know how to make a sandwich. The fresh crusty bread is spectacular.  Its the kind you would never dream of finding in Korea, you also get a giant portion. This glorious bread is then filled with a choice of meat, shrimp or vegetables. The Moroccan chicken is coated in glorious spices and then filled with deep fried potatoes, mayo and salad.

All this for 5,000 won. You would be hard pushed to find a sandwich in Seoul as  good as  this for the same price. There are half a dozen places selling great sandwiches in the area but their quality comes at a price. Casablanca could easily mark up their prices but don’t  and that keeps the fans coming back again and again. The spicy lamb and lentil is equally as good as the chicken and I find it hard to choose which one I prefer. It just depends what I’m in the mood for (usually both). One day I hope to get around to trying the shrimp!

You can get your sandwich to go or to stay. As they do have seating for the privileged few.

Casablanca is located in Hae Bang Chon at 44-8  Yongsandong 2 -ga, Seoul, Korea. 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. Casablanca is on the left a few doors up from Phillies. You can also call them on 02-797-8367 or check out their facebook page.

 

Buddha’s Belly

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You may already be sick of me telling you about all the wonderful restaurants that I am lucky enough to live by, but I figure one more can’t hurt. As previously stated there are lots of dining options within my neighborhood. However I’m  not always in the mood to eat out, I just want to go home and eat my dinner whilst lying on the sofa and watching telly. This is usually on a Monday when I am still hideously hungover. Delivery food is quite plentiful in Korea (see my previous article) however it is generally plentiful of the Korean variety, which doesn’t really get my juices flowing. It’s that or pizza and as you may know if you’re an avid reader of this blog I always eat my pizza on Sundays (that’s why I call it pizza Sunday, hangover Sunday, or Sunday funday depending on my mood).

Back to the point of this blog, just by our bus stop on the way home is the  Buddha’s Belly which provides a lovely takeaway service if you pick it up. We have the number saved in our phones and the menu ingrained into our minds. One quick call on the bus home and its ready to pick up when we arrive. It’s a great option to have on those lazy nights. As you may have heard I miss Chinese takeaway more than anything in the world, it almost makes me want to live at home again. However Buddha’s Belly is luckily doing its bit to keep me in Korea.

By far and away our favorite dish on the menu (and we have tried quite a few) is the Pad See Eew - blackbean fried noodles 9,000. Before you go getting visions of jajangmeyeon this dish is nothing like its Korean counterpart. To be fair there’s hardly ever a blackbean in it. But either way it’s deliciously tasty. Large flat noodles, stir fried with egg, chicken and vegetables with a slightly sticky sauce coating.

We are also big fans of the Thai green curry 11,000. This is always a favorite dish of mine and this one’s pretty decent. The green Thai curry pastes available to buy in Korea are poor at best. Although it’s possible to source all the ingredients and make it yourself, it’s not always that easy or cost-effective and the one at Buddha’s Belly can certainly satisfy your cravings.

The springrolls are rather good too 2,000, a decent size with lots of good filling. I do like a good springroll. We also enjoy the fried rice 10,000.

Word of warning not everything on the menu is to my liking. The chicken cashew dish 9,000 was very disappointing, the sauce was just way too hot and not remotely sweet. I practically lived on this dish when I traveled in Thailand and this one tastes nothing like the one found there. If you enjoy your food hot you may like it. But even Niall wasn’t that keen and he likes food to blow his head off.

We also tried the sour and spicy chicken 9,000 which was very strange for want of a better word. It just tasted very very odd, kind of like feet, it must have an ingredient that makes it taste like that.

Whilst Buddha’s Belly does not make the best Thai food in the world, it’s fairly decent and a good choice if you’re looking for something different and you live in the area. They also have seating for about 6 people if you wish to dine inside.

Buddha’s belly take-away is located in Kyungnidan. Take a train to Noksapyeong station (Line 6) and come out of exit 2. Walk straight for about 200 yards until you come to an underpass. Go through the tunnel under the road and take the exit on the left. Bhuddas Belly will be right in front of you. If you already know the menu you can call them on 02-793-2173 to arrange a pickup. There are also two other restaurants in Itaewon. One is located just above Berlin and the other is on the street behind the Hamilton Hotel.

Porchetta

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Last saturday we visited Porchetta, an amazing new sandwich place in Kyungridan. The second you step into this place you will see and smell the gorgeous joints of meat waiting to feature in the sandwich of your dreams. What I wouldn’t do to get hold of one of those babies to make sunday lunch! The sandwiches are the star attraction of the menu here but don’t come cheap, running between 7,300 – 10,900. I was a little worried about the cost but these beauties more than lived up to expectations.

I opted for the roast beef and boy was I not disappointed  The bread was pillow soft ciabatta  I didn’t have bread that good in Italy! The roast beef was intense. There was a flavor explosion the second the meat hit my tongue. The beef had been seared and it had that beautiful  barbecue taste. Every aspect of this sandwich had been planned meticulously. Even the accompanying sauces were insatiable. They were  fruity whole grain mustard, basil mayo or spicy sambal. The waitress told me they are hoping to sell these once things get off the ground.

Niall went for the ham. Personally I don’t like ham, but if I was ever to give it a go this would be the stuff to try. It was great to see some real ham as you don’t see it all that often in Korea. This sandwich contained real cheese, none of that plastic crap that features in far too many sandwiches these days. It was a joy to behold and just watching him tuck into the sandwich I knew it must be good.

As well as my roast beef sandwich I also ordered the porchetta to take away. The porchetta is roasted pork beautifully glazed with a swirl of herb stuffing inside. It certainly looked good and it more or less lived up to all my expectations, although I think for me it couldn’t quite take the top spot off the beef.

Wanting to do a thorough job I also ordered a portion of the dry rib appetizer. When I opened the lid on the box the aroma was intoxicating. Not the best ribs I have ever eaten but a good deep flavour. I think they would be improved if they were a rack of ribs rather than the short ones. It was a little hard to gnaw the meat from the bones because of their shape.

Porchetta is located in Kyungridan.  658 Itaewon 2 dong, Yongsan -Gu, Seoul. Take a train to Noksapyeong Station (Line 6) Come out of exit 2 and walk straight for about 200 meters. Go underneath the underpass to get to the other side of the road. Take the road leading right and walk about 50 yards, Porchetta is between Concorde and Toucan. Check out their facebook page, if you befriend them they will send you a coupon. http://www.facebook.com/porchettalove

The Bakers Table

Posted in Cafes / Takeaways / Bars, Shopping by

The last week or so we have been looking for apartments in Kyungidan and HBC. Yes I’m moving to a fatgirl food heaven.!!! Whilst trawling around the neighborhood searching for suitable places to live, we stumbled across The Bakers Table. I had read a review of The Bakers Table some time ago now and put it in my mental box of places to eat, but kind of just forgot about it. So when we happened to come across it I was very happy indeed.

As soon as I walked inside I knew I had found foreign food paradise. This place is filled to the brim with foody treasures. I was feeling rather peckish (when am I not?) so we stopped in to buy a sandwich. There were so many good options I didn’t know what to choose. We actually  had two different dinners to go to that night ( I  am in popular demand and didn’t want to deprive any of  my friends of  my scintillating company) so thought we would just share a sandwich from their delectable menu. I opted for the cilantro  chicken (I am powerless when it comes to cilantro, its my kryptonite).  We had it to go and while we were waiting I set about exploring the store.

The bread selection here is immense. I’ve never seen such a great selection in the whole of Asia. Homemade focaccia is an absolute favorite of mine and in two flavors! What more could you want? They have free samples of various breads for you to try, plus a fridge bursting with other deli style treats. I picked up a pot of their hummus (5,000) which was very good, possibly better than mine (although do try my recipe here)  and a cilantro pesto (1,500). They also have a homemade muesli which I have been meaning to make myself for the past week, to go with my homemade yogurt (recipe here) but haven’t got around to yet. At 6,000 it’s not cheap but its chock full of nuts and seeds. You could easily get between 10-20 portions from it depending on how large your portions are. As it’s quite light on the oats, you could add  some more to make it go further.

I didn’t really have time to do a full itinerary of what this places has to offer,  but there were ingredients galore. So stop by for a loaf of bread, a sandwich, and spot of shopping.  I’m sure you wont be sorry.

The bakers table is located in Kyungnidan. 244-1 Napsapyeong , Yongsan -gu, Seoul. To get there come out of Noksapyeong station (line 6) exit 2 and walk straight down past the entrance leading to Hae ban chon and go over the pedestrian bridge  above the road. You will see the bakers table as you exit the stairs on the other side.   You can also call on  070-7717-3501 or check out their blog http://blog.naver.com/mirabakery.

Noxa

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Noxa had come highly recommended so I was really looking forward to eating here.The interior is very cool and dark with lots of sparkling lights. The  menu was modern Italian and full of delectable sounding treats. After we ordered out came the bread which was very good. It tasted homemade and was wholemeal (always great in Korea). It was served with oil and balsamic. Sadly this was the highest point of the meal.

I ordered a Rosemary spatchcock chicken with potatoes and apple(20,000KRW). It looked good when it arrived and smelled even better, however it sadly did not live up to expectations in the taste department. The chicken was dry and rather tasteless apart from the rosemary. The potatoes were very plain and the apple was uncooked and even blander. The food was just very basic and it just didn’t have that mmmm factor

My boyfriend opted for the fettuccine with meat balls(17,000KRW) which sadly was as uninspiring as my dish. The sauce was rather tasteless, which is surprising when tomatoes are in season here and so cheap and plentiful. It wa just a very ordinary tomato sauce. the meatball again just tasted of cheap mince, there seemed to be no seasoning or herbs within it. The pasta was very well cooked though.  We both agreed that there was something good about the pasta that we couldn’t put our fingers on. My boyfriend later remarked that it had been the amount of parmesan he had added to the dish.

After the disappointing main courses we decided not to bother with dessert. Our total was 49,500 . Not an expensive meal but also not cheap. I think I could have made a lot of nice things for that much though so we  left feeling rather let down. On a positive note they did have a very nice loo, a restaurant with a fancy toilet always gets a few extra points from me. I think the problem was my high expectations, maybe we just ordered badly. My coworker Tonya enjoyed a good breakfast there and the selection of sandwiches on the menu seemed very enticing. I would perhaps go again to try a sandwich but with so many other restaurants in the area, I’m not sure if I could be tempted to give Noxa a second chance.

Noxa is located on the corner of Kyungnidan opposite the entrance to Hae ban chon. Come out of Napseoung station (line 6 ) exit 2 and walk straight down until you reach the under pass then go underneath. Noxa is just opposite the exit of the underpass.Or if you have GPS the address is 671 Itaewon 2-dong, Yongsan-gu. Seoul. 140-861. Phone number  02-790-0776