Hanbunsik [한분,식 - 한분한분을 위한 식사]

The entrance to the little cozy restaurant 

If you're having a craving for some Korean food! Then you should ABSOLUTELY and most DEFINITELY visit this place. I love kimbab and all the Korean snack-like meals but sometimes you just get sick and tired of all the franchise places and want a nice homemade style. And if you're like me.. then you really.. really.. have to go here. But please do keep in mind that we all do have different opinions and taste buds so don't be put off if it isn't up to your expectation..

Hanbun (한분) - a person /
sik (식/식사) - meal

For me, however, I have been looking for some good busik (분식) place and I think this is it.. though it is a bit out of the way.

Their name is very clever, too. Hanbun, sik (한분, 식): Hanbun (한분) refers to one person and sik (식) means meal. So, translated it means meal for each and every person. I thought that was neat.

Below are the basic side dishes provided with the meals: soup and white kimchi :

White kimchi (백김치) - this is good for those
that can't have spicy kimchi 

Soup with fried bean curd(유부) it has a little spicy kick to it 

We ordered 2 kimbab, jinmi kimbab which had seasoned dried squid in it and salmon mayo kimbab. They were both delicious.. but can't wait to visit again and try the other kimbab.

Jinmi kimbab  (진미 김밥)
[in food, 'jinmi', refers to delicate flavor]

Salmon mayo kimbab (연어마요 김밥)

We also ordered ddokbokki, which is a dish of rice cake and fish cake seasoned in a little spicy sweet sauce. All three dishes were delicious and fresh. I really liked the kimbabs because they didn't have too much rice in it but more of the other ingredients. Also the ddokbokki was good to because they made it with rice cake made with brown rice. So, it felt much healthy.

Ddokbokki made with brown rice
(현미떡볶이)

The restaurant is located between Yeoksam Station (line#2) and Seollung Station (line#2&Bundang line). When you reach the Renaissance Hotel, walk to the back of the hotel and you'll see a Japanese Restaurant named IDOMI (이도미), take the alley where Idomi is and walk straight, pass the first intersection and you'll see the restaurant on your left. If you live near by, you're in luck because they do deliver and the owner and the employee do speak English. They're open every Monday to Friday from 10:30am till 9:00pm, closed on Sundays.

HANBUNSIK

address: 역삼동 664-32

tel: 025-666-555

Myungdong or Myeongdong (명동), the shopping mecca

I like and dislike Myungdong. It's a great place to shop but it really has just way too many people. So, if you're living in Korea and have a chance to go and would LOVE to avoid all the crowd.. I suggest you go early in the morning. However, all the action does start late in the day so I do suggest that you experience it if you already haven't. I came to Myungdong yesterday and today to do some last minute shopping before I leave for Thailand. Yes, I probably could have come here just for yesterday and skipped today if only I had not forgotten to take my passport and my duty free membership card.. Oh, and talking of duty free, if you're leaving Korea and/or going on a vacation do check out the duty free, they have great deals. Also online duty free is awesome as well.

Anyways, going back to my original topic - Myungdong, yes it's a wonderful place lots to shop, many places to visit near by and some wonderful shows to see. It's amazing how much has changed though.. It's mostly aimed at Chinese and Japanese tourist but still it amazes me how it has upped the variety in choices of food on the streets. 

Here you have the Korean-Chinese black noodle Jajangmyun (자장면) it's called black model because the sauce is black. Some call it Jjajangmyun (짜장면) but the peoper way of writing and pronouncing is JAjangmyun (자장면). 

Below is a picture of what it originally looks like...

One thing that totally caught me off guard is the pig feet... Yes, you may easily see them on the street at a local market but I hadn't realize they had started selling them on the strew of Myungdong. 

They also had kimbab..

Chicken and fish cake...

Meatballs...

Ribs...

Mung Bean Pancake (녹두전)...!!!

Strawberry Mochi! 

And CGV added something to their sign...

It was really interesting to see the changes and the crowd...
So if you have a chance do go and have a look-see! :D

Budae Jjigae - Spicy Sausage Stew

It's been a long time since I posted anything on cooking(well, actually on anything..) and especially Korean food.. I don't think I've ever posted anything Korean.. or have I?? hmmmm...

Anyways, since my mom wanted budeae jjigae for dinner that's what I made and decided to make a video.. though that was a fail, I edited and made it into a movie~ :) I do want to try making a video someday though.. but I am video shy.. :(

well, here's the video I've edited with the pictures I took and recorded my voice over it~! Hah! so there, pretty much the same.. oh, and I'm new at editing so don't yell at me :( I think I did a pretty good job.. though there's always room for more improvement! :)

You can also add tofu and other vegetables to your liking. I actually added 3 tablespoon of red pepper paste so that I can cook for later.. but it's your choice.. If you don't have any broth or stock readily made.. just use water it'll taste good enough :D

The next food I'll be posting is... 'drum roll please..' .......

"rice wrapped in fried tofu pouch" we call it 'yubu cho bab'(유부초밥) yubu is the fried tofu and bab, rice.

Any comments are welcome..good or bad :)

My very first carrot cake

slicing up the carrot and preparing everything to be mixed in a bowl...

The mixing part hurt my arms a bit.. but worth it ;)

 So, I used a mixer to help the process along ;) ha!

 and voilá!

mini Muffins & Rye bread

Muffins turned out to be the size of cupcakes... guess that's what happens when you make it in a cupcake tray...

This was my first rye bread... and so proud of myself that it turned out fine!

Mushroom Shabu-shabu (버섯 샤부샤부)

I've been going to this restaurant near my place for as long as I've lived in Sanbon. The name of the restaurant is Beoseotchon (버섯촌), which means Mushroom Village. It's a cute name... The owner is really nice she and her husband actually cooks the ingredients that they have prepared and it's to die for!

So, as you can see in the picture here on the left.. we ordered 3 servings though there were 4 of us.. and you may think that might be not enough.. BUT it definitely is enough. See with the soup.. you get 3 servings of veggies you get 3 servings of meat and some side dishes; home made pickles, home made jang-tteok(장떡), which is like jeon(전) but with red pepper paste(고추장), plus don't forget kimchi(김치).

 After you're done eating the soup and veggies, they serve you noodles and then fried rice. No, you don't choose noodles or rice but you get both and without extra cost. And on top of everything.. the price of the food is just 9,000won per serving. Though it used to be only 5,000 when I first went to this place but people, it's been years.. and you know that cost of everything went up.. AND if you were to compare it to the price you pay for a shabu shabu in seoul it's way over 10,000won, actually I think it's more like 12,000.

 You can't beat the taste OR the price.. :D I just love this place..

I know there are many who don't like to soak their food but well, I'll practically eat anything.. (well, reasonably anything..)

a new place

[Sept. 11, 2010]
So, a friend of our family invited us out to dinner and I got to find another great place to eat.
It's always great to find new places and try different food.. I particularly liked this place because on the roof of the restaurant they had a little patio where you can just hang around and have coffee.. ;)
Great place I tell you..

AND the food was excellent...

Their specialty was the ribs.. of course Korean style.. and  Korean Cold noodles (냉면: Naengmyeon, both 물냉면mul-naengmyeon and 비빔냉면 bibim-naengmyeon) Too bad I don't have pictures of them. I'll have to take one when I go next time ;)

 so This is the little patio, you'll see some benches and chairs and tables. It was drizzling a little bit but not a biggie since we were under a little pavilion..

Scone? or STONE?!

Ok, don't kill me but it was my first time at trying this.. I mean my muffins turned out fine.. but the scones! DISASTER.. I guess I felt like cooking something or rather baking. I knew I had some flour lying around in the pantry so gave it a shot..besides, reading Julia Child's 'My Life in France' got me all mouth-watering for French food and food in general. and end result was DREADFUL!

You would think following the recipe would get you a real nice, delicious, hot scones straight out of the oven.. NOT! well, it was totally my fault since I did add more flour at the end thinking the dough was too watery.. I mean how was I to know? there wasn't any 'Chef Bugnard' to coach me through this.. I was on my own on this.. no one to tell me and advise me.

So the dough turned out to be very elastic, don't ask me how, but I do believe adding more flour would get you that result. and when I baked it it just got harder and harder.. you wouldn't believe how hard it got.. :(
Well, the picture looks pretty good AND the taste wasn't actually bad.. it's just the texture. I wanted that soft crunchy scone but instead I got a hard stone! I guess this taught me just to buy one rather than attempt in baking a bunch.. =P

Oliva

This was the second time I've visited this restaurant and I must say I really do love this place.. The first time was probably about 3 or 4 years ago.. anyhow, it's near Gyeongbok-gung station(line#3) I didn't realize it was that close to where I worked until our team went to eat lunch.

The food's pretty good and I love the whole place, very nicely arranged. They even rent the place for family events and weddings and such.. I didn't know they had lunch sets but I guess most restaurants usually do.. anyway their lunch cost 18,000won plus 10% tax but you get the whole course: bread, soup, salad, main dish of your choice, desert, and coffee/tea/soda. I though it was worth it. AND they give you more bread, soup and salad if you want more. Totally worth the price! me thinks.. ;)

 [Soup of the day was Hungarian Goulash. I had the Fruite de Mare with cream sauce(Seafood cream pasta) for main dish, had my Earl Grey for my after meal tea and the dessert was Orange panna cotta. YUM!]