I'm Still Hungry
Sunday, May 31, 2015
Last Friday John, Mingni, M and I went on a food trip. Like, a real one where we just ate and kept eating. It was totally spontaneous and we just went where our stomachs told us to. First stop (and what I thought would be our only stop of the night) was Joseon Hwaro Gui 조선화로구이. It's a place John's dad frequents with his friends. Go where the ajusshis are! I swear, that's all you need to remember when you're in Korea!
They leave their windows wide open here to let in the summer breeze and let out the stench of grilling meat, but it probably wouldn't have made a difference if they were closed, because they don't have a roof! It's completely open so there's no smoke and it's nice and bright. It was pricey for samgyupsal (₩11,000 for one order), but I guess you pay for quality. It's a whole lot better than what you'll find at your local BBQ buffet. Side note: They sell 순하리 (orange flavored soju) here!
Mingni arrived when we were already digging into our third order. She had the least of eat out of the four of us, and although she said she was full, I thought we all had room in our bellies for a little more of something else. Aaaand that's how this whole thing started.
So onwards to Yeonnam-dong. I remembered a banh mi restaurant just a 15 minute walk away that would be perfect for Round Two 2차: LieLieLie 라이라이라이
It looks like they bake their own bread and they give you the option of pâté and extra cilantro. Take your pick from grilled chicken, spicy pork, vegetarian, or cold cut -- they're all only ₩5,500 a pop!
Spicy Pork Banh Mi
In Vietnam, they pack your sandwich with handfuls of veg and thick slices of pork. Instead of handfuls, they do little pinches here. It's a shame, but what can you do. But they still tasted great! The bread was crispy and chewy, and the pork was nice and juicy. I could've done with less mayo and even more cilantro.
I'm loving Yeonnam-dong more and more each time I visit. There's just so many places to try! Remember that one Taiwanese restaurant I wanted to visit a few weeks back? Well after our banh mis, we thought we'd check it out to see if they had room for us this time. And they did! I guess the trick is to go early.
As usual in every Chinese restaurant, Mingni and M took care of everything. Hmm when do you reckon my Chinese will get good enough to order in Chinese? Since this was our third meal of the night, we went with something light: beef noodle soup and xiao long bao -- two of Taiwan's signature dishes.
Beef Noodle Soup
Definitely not as good as what I had in Taiwan, but John and I still liked it! M didn't seem to agree and Mingni didn't want any. Well bah humbug. It was peppery and full of flavor. The noodles, however, were kinda like ramen noodles. Meh.
Xiao Long Bao
The dumpling casings weren't as thin as I would like and there's just something off about the broth. I'm sorry to have to say this, but it just tasted like store bought frozen mandu. They didn't have any fresh ginger! :( Maybe we just ordered the wrong thing. The waitress said that their best seller is the 깐풍기 or sweet and sour chicken. Better luck next time.
After Hwang Mi, guess what? We were down for some TACOS. It's like our stomachs were bottomless pits that night. It's too bad we couldn't find a taco joint, but since we still had a bit of room in our bellies, I took the lot to a little cake shop by Hongik University.
Billy Angel 빌리엔젤!
I've passed this place a few times before and always made a mental note to come visit. Just look at all the cakes!
Rainbow Crepe Cake
I'm kind of on the fence about this one.. I can only describe it as eating perfume. Is that weird? John said it tasted like Fruity Pebbles cereal. Then Mingni went on to eat the rest of the cake layer (color) by layer (color). Turns out each layer's a different flavor. Purple was grape, green was melon, yellow was banana. Weird. Kinda good. But weird.
Banana Coconut Cake
The better one of the two, but I wish it had a stronger coconut flavor. Next time I'm getting the carrot cake! Or the red velvet. Maybe both ;)
Four meals in one night. Funny thing is, I was still hungry by the end of it. But going around one area just eating a ton is kinda fun! :)
Seoul, Mapo-gu, Seogyo-dong 351-18
(02) 3143-1300
LieLieLie 라이라이라이
Seoul, Mapo-gu, Yeonnam-dong 227-5
서울시 마포구 연남동 227-5
Hyang Mi 향미
Seoul, Mapo-gu, Yeonnam-dong 228-26
서울시 마포구 연남동 228-26
(02) 333-2943
Billy Angel 빌리엔젤
Seoul, Mapo-gu, Seogyo-dong 343-9
서울시 마포구 서교동 343-9
(02) 323-0020
2 comments
It was a great night babe, what an adventure! I miss Korea and I miss that night, but I honestly think we could of ate more that night hahaha
ReplyDeleteNot, Enough, Food.
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