Eat Asia

Continuing on with the buffet… There was about 5 more...

Thu, 05 Jul 2012 08:17:20 -0400

Continuing on with the buffet…

There was about 5 more courses of cooked delights, braised morsels, deep fried treats and the like. But my favourite was the mountain of fresh crab up for grabs. With implements in hand we went to town on those juicy legs!

Then followed by some more sashimi, more prawns, fresh tuna, salads for good measure. Drinks were also included so I filled up on fermented rice drink, Sikhye (my absolute favourite!).

Dessert came from about 40 square meters of varied desserts - chocolate, berry, cakes, tortes, ganache, ice cream.

The place even had a mascot running about. ALL OF THIS, DRINKS, FOOD EVERYTHING INCLUDED FOR $16.00.

ALL OF THIS, DRINKS, FOOD EVERYTHING INCLUDED FOR $16.00.

High five!

Yes I know Andy and I have waxed lyrical about a million meals...

Thu, 05 Jul 2012 07:55:39 -0400

Yes I know Andy and I have waxed lyrical about a million meals on this blog - and they truly have been stunning if we said so. But there are times when there is a new level needed, and this is one of them. Enter VOLCANO, EXCELLENT, MIND BLOWING, ANTARCTICA, BABY SEAL, AMAZING FOOD LEVEL.

The seafood buffet we failed to find the night before WAS FOUND. It was actually on the top level of the food market and was found by going up nondescript elevators which delivered you into the belly of a beast - the biggest and swankiest buffet place I’d ever been.

In a bid to make sure we had a part of the action, we arrived at 5.30pm. We weren’t even the first there, even though the place only opened at 6pm - that’s how good we are talking here.

We were led to our table and told to begin whenever we wanted. The place was the size of about 4 tennis courts and the whole length filled with stunning food.

We started with the huge variety of sashimi so fresh it was alive about 3 minutes before. Then the tables laden with sushi, all kinds of varieties. I stupidly grabbed skate wing and a live sea creature than looked like a male appendage and wriggled its way off my plate! Of course I was certainly not put off. Just swipe away what you don’t want and continue!

More to come…

Animal-shaped mandu. Why not?

Thu, 05 Jul 2012 07:19:26 -0400

Animal-shaped mandu. Why not?

The Busan Film Festival is a highly regarded fest around the...

Thu, 05 Jul 2012 07:16:43 -0400

The Busan Film Festival is a highly regarded fest around the world - and with the awesome standard of Korean film you can see why.

We blagged our way into the BIFF proceedings and took tacky pics on the red carpet. But the beach setting was more than perfect don’t you think?

For those who think Korea is a Hyundai/Samsung industrial haven,...

Thu, 05 Jul 2012 07:08:07 -0400

For those who think Korea is a Hyundai/Samsung industrial haven, take a sweet look at some of the many beaches in and around Busan. Korea is actually really green and lush. Yes there are lots of people and buildings - but it’s a truly beautiful place.

Seafood BBQ is where it’s at in Busan. Andy snooped out a...

Thu, 05 Jul 2012 05:32:00 -0400

Seafood BBQ is where it’s at in Busan. Andy snooped out a famous one by the main fish markets (Jagalchi) but in our hunger-driven panic we couldn’t seem to find it anywhere despite Andrew’s careful drawn, detailed map.

We sadly gave up and wandered into a small BBQ spot doing rave business with families. JACKPOT! There was no menu (the secret ingredient to a good restaurant for those in the know and with adventurous tastes) so we just nodded at whatever the lady said to us. We were instantly served with fresh onion, green salads smothered in a peppery sauce and, garlic cubed into a sugar/salt and soybean sauce and large leaves in which to wrap our BBQ delights in. We were also kitted out in sexy floral aprons…

The owner, a joking but no-nonsense local, quickly scissored our meat (at this point we still didn’t know what it was) onto a BBQ and grilled it herself. I actually want to cry in anguish that this meal isn’t in front of me right now. The meat, which we assume was pork, was marinated in pungent garlic and charred perfectly that it took on a smokey, sweet taste. After the first round of meat went down quickly, she broke out another piece to our delight!

It was late, we’d been shopping all day and although the...

Thu, 05 Jul 2012 05:22:53 -0400

It was late, we’d been shopping all day and although the streets were literally crammed with delicious eateries we couldn’t decide on one.

It was actually because we gave up looking and just walked into this place that we ended up eating here. The specialty was Korean spicy mussel soup Jjam Bbong so we ordered up large and tentatively awaited our meal.

As far as delish things go - deep fried prawns and the like - mussel soup isn’t the top of the list. But now it has kicked out pork chops to be very, very near the top of mine!

The soup was thick and filled with fat noodles and vegetables, and thronged with juicy mussels. It was quite spicy, but so flavorsome we finished the whole lot even though we were near explosion. This has got to be one of the best winter-warmers.

And while the owner of the joint stopped arraigning some rebel teen employee to thank us for coming while , I bowed low and slow to show him my full appreciation.

Busan.

Thu, 05 Jul 2012 05:13:24 -0400

Busan.

Shinsegae is the world’s biggest department store, located...

Thu, 05 Jul 2012 05:11:00 -0400

Shinsegae is the world’s biggest department store, located in Busan. And it really is blimmen ginormous! It was filled with amazing clothes and skin care and accesories - you name it.

But what surprised us most was the food. The lower levels of the building are dominated by the best food halls I have ever seen in my life. Everything from delicate Italian pastries through to the most traditional of Korean cuisine, it’s there. As soon as we saw the modern and manicured food areas with pristinely suited chefs, we instantly thought, ‘This is gunna cost us.’

There was so much choice we simple both headed in separate directions and ordered whatever first came into sight. For Andy that was a sushi platter with udon soup. And for me, the old trusty octopus Bi Bim Bap. As you can see the portions were literally huge and the food was miraculous. We paid a cool $4 for each of these beauties - I LOVE KOREA.

We had heard the seaside city of Busan was beautiful so we took...

Thu, 05 Jul 2012 04:30:13 -0400

We had heard the seaside city of Busan was beautiful so we took the train (perfect and extremely well maintained - recommended!) to see for ourselves.

The countryside on the way was lush and when we arrived in Busan, it was a joy to have this as our view…

Andrew tracked down one of Seoul’s must-have...

Tue, 03 Jul 2012 08:27:39 -0400

Andrew tracked down one of Seoul’s must-have treats.

Goong Restaurant (30 - 11 Gwanhun-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul) specialises in North Korean style dumplings (Mandu). The owner of this homely joint is a 70-something gem of a lady who has been making mandu all her life.

We ordered two house specials, Mandu Guk Su (dumpling soup). The dumpling skins are paper thin and the filling was meaty spiked with scallions. Dipped in a mild soy sauce they were so, well, beautiful!

The soup was mildly fragrant to balance against the mandu and scattered with thinly sliced rice cakes which are so plain but moreish. And with a satisfyingly squeaky and thick bite.

No matter how hard we tried, the local eatery (frequented mostly...

Tue, 03 Jul 2012 07:31:07 -0400

No matter how hard we tried, the local eatery (frequented mostly by well-dressed retirees) could not be beaten. At any time of the day, if one of us had a craving - this was the place to fill it.

The proprietor got to know us and we’d always exchange awkward English and Korean words - but he was always so attentive and made sure we were taken care of. And even mixing my Bi Bim one day when I wasn’t doing it right!

This is a delicate beef bone soup heavy with lean meat. And a beef-mince Bi Bim Bap, filled with fresh rocket and ribbons of seaweed.

Deep-fried street action! This is Ho Ddeok, a flour shell filled...

Tue, 03 Jul 2012 07:07:33 -0400

Deep-fried street action!

This is Ho Ddeok, a flour shell filled with sugar and cinnamon. The blistering oil makes the outside crunchy while the sticky inside is melted. Heaven.

Andrew planned a wonder up to one of Seoul’s oldest and...

Tue, 03 Jul 2012 06:40:33 -0400

Andrew planned a wonder up to one of Seoul’s oldest and most charming neighborhoods - Samcheong-dong. Filled with ornate but far from gaudy traditional Korean homes. The majority of the houses also had kim-chi jars peeping down from the roof, fermenting away in spicy juices. Yum!

This was also the site of the trip’s most costly tea. But the place was gorgeous, the service impeccable and the fact that Seoul turned on the clearest, most stunning day made it worth it and more.

Park life Seoul Style. All the parks we visited were pristine,...

Tue, 03 Jul 2012 06:33:14 -0400

Park life Seoul Style. All the parks we visited were pristine, insanely well maintained, huge and beautiful.

The Han River snaking through Seoul was known to us initially as...

Tue, 03 Jul 2012 06:25:43 -0400

The Han River snaking through Seoul was known to us initially as the back-drop to Korean thriller, The Host. But no way near as creepy in real life, we spent a fun day on tandem bikes zipping around the manicured bike paths with lots of children and lovers.

A must-do in Seoul.

Lunch time Bulgogi extravaganza. Delicious cold soup with buck...

Sun, 26 Feb 2012 22:57:24 -0500

Lunch time Bulgogi extravaganza.

Delicious cold soup with buck wheat noodles and pickled pink Daikon served with a wooden board laden with freshly grilled beef.

WHY - YOU - EM. Yum.

Walking around Seoul at night you will greeted by violently-red...

Sun, 26 Feb 2012 22:02:26 -0500

Walking around Seoul at night you will greeted by violently-red food havens flapping in the wind - Pojang machas! Basically these are food tents selling various foods, and always beer and/or Soju.

Some are so damn fancy they have TV, fresh seafood, and seats even! Even if there are no seats in the one you choose, there will always be good food. You just huddle around the stall, and fill your face while the vendor looks at your motor-mouth skills approvingly.

A trip to Seoul Tower is a must when in South Korea. Built on a...

Sun, 26 Feb 2012 21:48:00 -0500

A trip to Seoul Tower is a must when in South Korea. Built on a 262 meter peak in Namsan Park, the tower reaches to 480 meters above sea level and the view is stunning.

We caught the most modern bus I’d ever seen to the hill, where it stopped to be plugged in and re-fuel with the rest of the buses! Green kudos. The place was thronged with people, mostly couples, so the wait to go to the top was about an hour and a half so we had to pass.

Down the bottom are restaurants and cafes, but the best part is the viewing decks around the perimeter. We jostled in with others to get glimpses of Seoul glistening below us.

The other cool thing is that there are special walls where couples put a lock on with a little note about them in order to ask for their union to last forever. We were sadly lock-less but next time I’m taking a giant diamante Hello kitty super huge lock and it’s going up!

We apologise for the wait for the rest of Korea/ Japan - but as...

Sun, 26 Feb 2012 21:40:14 -0500

We apologise for the wait for the rest of Korea/ Japan - but as they say, good things take time… Or laziness sometimes gets the better of us!

Anyway there is no better place to start again but here with our fish FEAST. We were staying in central Seoul surrounded by insane street food, Starbucks, a myriad of addictive beauty shops and the most stylish of locals. But one day we made a short cut through some tiny alleys and found heaven.

It was before lunch and the alleys were largely empty, except for a charcoal grill manned by a eternally friendly grandpa type. Through a mini door was a small dining room filled with locals - tables crammed with food. We had to stop!

No one spoke English and our Korean is limited to hello and Kim chi but somehow we ordered two serves of whatever everyone else was having.

We were duly served with barley tea, steaming rice cooked in heavy clay pots, a soy based soup filled with zucchini and prawns and a smattering of side dishes. We were shown to douse our rice in a dash of barley tea so it would keep steaming as we made our way through the meal.

Suddenly the cute grill champ weaves his way to us, presenting a huge plate of two charred-to-perfection fish. Dipping each morsel into light soy and wasabi type sauce like our neighbors - I swear to Jesus - it was hands down the best fish we’d ever had. And we are from NEW ZEALAND!

We don’t know what kind of fish it was, but it was mackerel-oily, ling-type firm flesh and subtly smoky.

Upon leaving it was grateful bows to everyone for such a delight (we ended up going back there like five times) when the grill king gave us a lesson in barbequing while we got snap happy.

Such a cool moment.