Tour Ajosshi Needs Your Help

As the rainy season starts so does our theatre company's tour of Korea. Over the next seven weeks we'll be visiting Busan, Gwangju, Daegu, Cheonan, Goyang and Gwacheon and traveling makes me very, very hungry. If you know of any interesting restaurants or specialities in these areas I'd love to hear from you...

So if any of you, my dear readers, can help me in my quest for good food, then I will be forever in your debt and if any of you fancy meeting up for a bite to eat then please let me know. Paul Ajosshi is off on tour and looking for some tasty treats!

La Tavola - Back in Business

Nine years ago when I was a slim young lad finding my way around the streets and alleys of Seoul, there was one sure fire place I knew of to get my hands on some traditional wood-fired pizza goodness... La Tavola. Back then, there was no Sortino or Ola Mario and Macaroni Market was but a twinkle in its owner's eye. Decent Italian was very hard to find and La Tavola was the best place I knew of.

When the sign came down and Antonio's Ristorante opened in its place a couple of years ago, I was disappointed. Part of my time in Seoul had gone and when I went to eat at the newly refurbished restaurant I felt like I was betraying an old lover.

However, just two short weeks ago La Tavola sprang from the ashes of Antonio's and I plucked up the courage to go and see my old stalking ground once again.



The decor is pretty much the same as Antonio's, inoffensive and unremarkable, but the bread basket is a work of art. The little nuggets of yeasty goodness on the right were piping hot and beautifully fluffy. The squid ink bread was moist and the cereal slices delectable.

Prices at La Tavola are pretty much the same as they used to be and I decided to try an old standard - the Margherita pizza for 15,000 won plus tax.



Presented well, the pizza looked delicious, though had rather too few basil leaves for my liking and was a tad soggy in the middle. However, the tomato sauce was fresh, the cheese tasty and the crust was just crisp enough. Perhaps not the best pizza in the world, but a tasty nostalgic lunch that satisfied my memories.



La Tavola is not the greatest Italian restaurant in Itaewon, but it's a friendly place that serves decent food and will always have special place in my heart. To get there come out of Itaewon station and head past the Hard Rock Cafe, La Tavola is on the left hand side above Kraze Burger. You can call them on 02 793 6144.

When is a Steak not a Steak?

For the past week or two I have been walking past Isabelle's Porterhouse in Itaewon and the Country Fried Steak has been calling to me like a crispy, juicy, beefy siren song. Today I succumbed and decided to fork out 22,000 won (plus tax) of my hard earned cash for a little Southern style treat.

12 years ago I had the good fortune to visit Texas and one of my most memorable moments was sitting down to a country fried steak dinner, where the steak turned out to be bigger than the plate it was served on. It was crispy on the outside, tender on the inside and absolutely delicious, yet so large I couldn't finish it. A very happy Texan memory and one which I fancied reliving today...



So with glad heart and good cheer I stepped inside this quaint little restaurant. Seating just over twenty, it has a faux British pub ambience and British prices to match. A New York Strip steak goes for 45,000 won, a filet mignon for 49,000 won and a whopping 850 gram Porterhouse steak for 90,000 won (for two). The Country Fried steak at 22,000 won seemed like a bargain in this pricey joint, there couldn't be a catch could there?



First came some complimentary garlic bread, not bad as standards go, but I wasn't satisfied, I wanted the steak!



After a rather lengthy wait (half an hour or more), my Country Fried Steak arrived. It looked nice enough, certainly not as large as its Texan counterpart, but then everything is bigger in Texas... The mash was flavourful, though a little dry. The peas were depressing dessicated little bullets, that I wouldn't serve to my dog, if I had one, which I don't...

The steak itself was tender and relatively tasty, except for one small fault - it tasted awfully piggy. Forgive me for my presumptions, but I had assumed that Country Fried Steak unless otherwise stated would be beef. Every other main course on the menu was beef, and the only pig product mentioned on their meat disclaimer was French bacon... Was it unfair of me to think this way? Checking the internet you can see that wikipedia, texascooking.com and foodtimeline.org all describe Country Fried Steak as being beef and Isabelle's Porterhouse does seem to specialize in slices of moo-cow.

The waitress was surprised at my surprise and assured me that Country Fried steak should be pork, so I ask you dear readers: What should Country Fried steak be, what would you expect to be served and if you happen to hail from the part of the world where Country Fried steak was made famous, would you be delighted by this piggy offering or dismayed? Answers on a postcard or in the comments section please...



Isabelle's Porterhouse is behind the Hamilton Hotel, diagonally opposite from the 3 Alleys Pub. You can call them on 02 749 9827, but be sure to ask which animal is the star of your dish...

Jonny and his "Dong Dong"

Ever since Jonny Dumpling opened up, I've been popping in every once in a while for a crispy mandu fix and have never been disappointed, so I was quite excited to hear that Jonny was opening up a new restaurant where his computer shop used to be. Today was the grand opening, so I trotted on down to see if he could do for Japanese food what he does for dumplings...

This tiny place seats just over twenty and has a cosier feel than its sister restaurant. The menu is still not quite complete, so I decided to go for some simple dishes: 야끼소바 (Yaki Soba) and 모듬 덴뿌라 (Mixed Tempura), coming in at a very reasonable 6,000 won each.



Perhaps it was first day nerves, or the strains of a new kitchen, but my two dishes came a while apart instead of together, so my Yaki Soba served as an ersatz appetizer. This messy mix of crispy veg and chewy noodles was cooked and seasoned to perfection. I don't know if it was authentic, but it was delicious.



And then the main course... The mixed tempura was presented well, but looked and tasted a lot more like Korean twigim. It didn't have the same airy crispness that good Japanese tempura has, but it was still tasty and offered an interesting mix of prawns, mushroom, aubergine and chili.



This was Dong Dong's first day, so I'm sure the staff will settle and sort things out, but it's a very promising start and a great place to go if you're in Itaewon and looking for some quick, cheap Japanese food.

To get to Dong Dong, come out of Itaewon station and turn left at the Hard Rock Cafe, then right after My Thai. Dong Dong is next door to the Smokey Saloon on the right hand side. It doesn't have a sign or a phone number yet, but it will soon.

Macaroni 2.0

Macaroni Market have upgraded their signature dish. Gone is the lemon zest, instead a nest of orange peel threads on top of a crispy bed of deep fried onions. Bacon, bread crumbs, cheeses and macaroni remain as deliciously cheesy as they were before. 12,000 won plus tax, you can see more on Macaroni Market here, here and here...

Silly Cows, The Seoul Players And Money For Matt

Tonight the Seoul Players held a special benefit performance of Ben Elton's Silly Cow in aid of Matt Robinson and his ongoing hospital saga. A few friends and I managed to squeeze ourselves into the sold out showing in the basement of Phillies in Haebangchon and were treated to a romping rendition of Elton's 90's farce.

I've seen the Seoul Players a few times over the past seven years and this was certainly the best one yet. The audience seemed to really enjoy themselves and I laughed out loud quite a bit, though I think I was the only one who got the reference to Rusty Lee and Channel Four's early aspirations... My age and nationality betray me...

Desiree Munro as Doris Wallace the "Queen of Catty" stole the show with her vindictive, pink champagne guzzling, sleazy journalist who seemed to be channeling a combination of Rik Mayall and Fran from Black Books. Originally the role was written for Dawn French, but Desiree managed to bring her own style to the part and was very entertaining. Gef Somervell deserves mention for his performance as a whiskey sozzled newspaper editor and Lance Noe held his own as Douglas, a seemingly mild mannered accountant with a strange affection for postmen. Angel Campey did well as the dowdy Peggy and Keith Power showed off his sleazy skills as Eduardo the 21 year old toy boy.

Farce is always tricky to perform and the Seoul Players must be commended for their hard work and efforts. The strangest thing for me was that some of the script had been updated, yet other references remained firmly in the nineties; so that comments about Hannah Montana, came amongst jokes about Sarah Ferguson and mentions of Alan Bleasdale.

It's great to see the expat community come together to support theatre and also help out a comrade in need and I look forward to the Seoul Player's future exploits. Silly Cow runs until Saturday 13th June and you can also help Matt by attending the "Dance For Matt" fundraiser this weekend.

I Hate Nana

Round behind the fire station in Itaewon is an interesting response to the rather boring "nana loves you"/"nana is real" graffiti that plagues some parts of Seoul.

Cats and Drums

Coming out of the cinema yesterday afternoon we stumbled upon an outdoor performance by Drumcat, a Korean all girl drumming group, who won a Herald Angel award at last year's Edinburgh festival.

While technically proficient, I didn't find anything particularly original or exciting about their performance. I guess once you've seen 공명 (Gongmyoung), then other Korean percussion groups just aren't that impressive.

Here's a taste of Drumcat: 

And now a taste of Gongmyoung:

More Gongmyoung videos can be found here and here... Well worth seeing live if you get a chance.

Mother

Yesterday, I finally found the time to head down to the CGV Yongsan cinema to watch Bong Joon-ho's 마더 (Mother). I don't want to say too much about the film, as you'll be best served going in there knowing as little as possible, but I will say that it's the best Korean film I've seen this year and is perhaps Bong Joon-ho's best work to date. It's a thriller/mystery that shares similarities with 사린의 추억 (Memories of Murder), but breaks away into new territory and gives an interesting insight into Korean mothers' love for their sons.

As usual you can find listings for English subtitled screenings over at The Hub of Sparkle. Go see it if you get a chance.

Tempting Thai in the Tiniest of Places

After Monday's terrible lunchtime excursion, my wife and I decided to play things safe and paid a visit to the tiny Buddha's Belly restaurant round the corner from Noksapyeong station. I've been to its big sister behind the Hamilton Hotel and had decent food there, but I wanted to see whether this tiny little place would keep up the standards.

Seating ten inside, plus four on outside tables, this miniscule restaurant is simply decorated and very cute. We went for the "Spring Rolls" at 2,000 won, a "Thai green curry with beef" for 11,000 won and "Pha Thai Noodles with prawns" for 10,000 won.

The spring rolls were beautifully presented, very crispy with a satisfying chewy centre. Simple, but delicious.

The Thai green curry was also nicely presented, tasted great, but suffered from the beef being a tad gristly. 

The Pha Thai Noodles were also tasty and the prawns were cooked to perfection. For a total of 23,000 won, a very satisfying lunch.

To get to the tiny Buddha's Belly head down from Noksapyeong station towards Haebangcheon, walk past the Lexus dealership, second hand bookshop, Thunder Burger and Mi Madre until you hit the junction. Buddha's Belly is on the corner. You can call them on 02 793 2173.

Crap Kebabs and Sloppy Salads

Just round the corner from the Hamilton Hotel lies the only Greek restaurant I have ever seen in Seoul. I've walked past it many a time over the past few years, but always been put off by the rather shoddy looking exterior and a strange sense of foreboding. However, after being inspired by the antics of Stavros Flatley over the past few weeks, I decided to give it a go.

We ordered the "Spinach Pie" (spinach and feta cheese in filo pastry) for 8,000 won, the "Pork Souvlaki" for 19,000 won and the "Chicken Souvlaki" for 18,000 won. Excited by the prospect of delicious Mediterranean food, we eagerly waited for our dishes to arrive.

The complimentary salad thrust our way was a bad sign of things to come. I'm not a huge fan of chopped salads, but this one was sloppily presented on top of a pool of watery dressing.

Then came the spinach pies. These looked delicious enough, but upon closer inspection turned out to be hot on the outside and rather cold in the middle. Suspecting something was amiss we informed the waiter, he didn't seem surprised by this occurrence and replaced the dish with some speed.

The substitute pies were warm all the way through, but did nothing wonderous for our taste buds. Just limp spinach, a slight hint of feta (and possibly coconut according to my wife) aswell as the crisp filo pastry. The souvlaki arrived hot on their heels...

This photo doesn't do justice to the pork souvlaki, it makes it look far prettier than it really is.  The kebabs themselves weren't terrible, but quite dry and unimpressive. The fried potatoes were limp, the wrong side of warm and looked very much as if they had spent the past few days languishing in the fridge. The ball of rice was stodgy and added nothing to the dish, while the two salads provided were, in the words of my wife "terrible". Even the parsley looked like it had seen better days and the pita bread provided was soggy and past its prime.

The dishes were very disappointing for their high prices and the arrangement of food on each plate suggested that things had been thrown together rather than artfully arranged. It lacked a feeling of love and care and felt much more like something from the school cafeteria. Our worst meal in Itaewon for quite a while and with a grand total of 49,500 won, a costly mistake.

If you really want to run the gauntlet of over priced, under-cooked Greek food then head out of Itaewon station, round the back of the Hamilton Hotel and you'll find Santorini opposite Gecko's Garden. You can call them on 02 790 3474, but if I were you I wouldn't bother...