The Soup is Killing Me

Go-koryo-wang-ga: Eat with a fallen king

2008-08-01T12:31:00.000-07:00

Seoul, Korea

I think the translation for this one is:
"with the Go-koryo king"

A mini history lesson: before Korea was Korea, it was the 3 kingdoms of of Shilla, Go-koryo, and Baekjae. The kindgom of Go-koryo actually fell in 668 AD when Shilla unified the 3. This unified kingdom eventually became Korea many many years later.

Well first of all, I loved the copper bowls that they served everything on and the copper silverware. It did make it seem kind of royal.

The menu was pretty typical. We got 2 orders of "nemg-myun": spicy and regular. Perfect for a summer day- though I've been warned by my acupuncturist that cold foods shouldn't be eaten in the summer.

One dish that I'd never had before was the raw beef rice bowl. It's like bibimbap with raw beef and egg. Slimy....
Well I'm no longer curious about that one. And with the Koreans protesting mad-cow-disease-laden American beef, we did make sure this beef came from Korea.

The final dish was bulgogi. This dish is typically grilled on a pan, but at this place, they made it kinda soupy. It's not too pretty in the photo but it was yummy.

To find this restaurant, go to the neighborhood by Hong-ik University and find the reproduction of the clocktower in Prague. Then turn the corner towards the big street after gawking at this faux-strosity.

Jin-ju-jip (Pearl House)

2008-08-01T09:31:00.000-07:00

Seoul, Korea

Raw plates of intestine sit in the restaurant window as a preview of what's to come.

Around the northeastern part of Seoul, this place is known for their grilled intestine. I'm not a fan of weird body parts and meat in general but I went along cuz I was falsely told that there would be something else to eat there.

Intestine is chewy, rich and greasy. After a few pieces, I joined my vegetarian aunt at eating the onions, cabbage and garlic cooking in the juices.

To find this restaurant that has been around for 40 years, exit SSANG-MUN off the number 4 subway line. Jin-ju jip is right across street from the local post office.

Si-gol-jip (Country House)

2008-08-01T09:26:00.000-07:00

Seoul, Korea

For about 5 US dollars, you get about 22 small dishes of sides, a bowl of rice and your choice of a soup. Pretty yummy and cheap. This is the kind of dinner your mother would make for you in a typical korean home- just not soooo many sides.

Some of my favorite sides were the steamed egg (in the middle), acorn jelly, and lotus. Not so fave: dried shrimp (lower left) and the chopped sausages.

To find Si-gol-jip, exit #4 subway line at DONAM and it's right above the converse store as you walk towards Sungshin University.

Sanchon (Mountain Village)-Pig out like a Buddhist monk.

2008-07-31T17:37:00.000-07:00

Seoul, Korea

This restaurant/tourist destination (trap) is definitely worth checking out if you have 40 US dollars to splurge on a dinner. It doesnt sound like much in dollars but to a typical Korean, that's a pricey dinner.

This place is run by a Buddhist monk. The prix fixe menu is strictly veg and centers around the 7 greens brought out in a woven platter. The food contains no spices that are considered stimulants such as garlic or green onions.

It's a pretty elaborate set-up with around 17 dishes.
The diners are seated around a small performance area and every night at 8pm, there is a show of Buddhist dancing and drumming. This actually seemed like a contradiction to me cuz drumming and dancing seem a lot more exciting than garlic....

To find SANCHON, get off on the JONGGAK exit on the subway line and walk to Insa-dong. Then look for the obnoxious black and white sign where SANCHON was featured in a New York Times article. Then walk down that alley and join the foreigners and the geriatrics at SANCHON.

P.S. My friend C tells me right next to this place is a old tea house that has birds flying around the courtyard and goldfish in the tables...
Thanks for the restaurant tips!

Delicioso at El Caserio: South American, Italian mash-up

2008-07-09T14:49:00.001-07:00

Here is the door man at the El Caserio by the 101 fwy. If you make friends with this guy, you are in. But once you get in through the heavy, wood carved vintage dungeon door, you are greeted by the very friendly staff. We sat outside in the courtyard by a giant tree. V ordered an exotic fruit juice and the waitress brought out samples of all four flavors. He chose the guanabana... mmmmm delish.

We ordered Llapingachos Con Carne Asada... Which is the skirt steak with grilled potato patties. The steak was very tender and flavorful... quite good. The potato patties had some sort of white goo in it. V really liked it but B & H were not wowed by it.

Tallarines Saltados Con Carne... Quite unusual! Almost like Asian tossed noodles with skirt steak. Pretty yummy.

Camarones Saltados... Sauted french fries, onions, tomatoes and shrimp.
This dish was wow! So juicy.

The prices are a bit on the high side ($15-$22) for lunch but the portions are huge.
Next time H & B will split an entree and try the empanadas and sweet corn and cheese tamales.

This place is a must try and we will be back for sure.

I'd butter this bun anytime...

Even if I were bulimic, I'd keep this one down.

El Caserio, 401 Silver Lake Blvd., 213-273-8945