Bites of Seoul

Slowly eating my way though Seoul's restaurants. (function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){ (i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o), m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m) })(window,document,'script','//www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga'); ga('create', 'UA-46040496-1', 'tumblr.com'); ga('send', 'pageview');

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Rocks Frites (Haebangchon)

New restaurants are popping up quicker than I can keep up in HBC, frankly I see no reason to complain about it. It's through pure coincidence that a co-worker informed me of the new fries and beer restaurant that was opening up under her apartment building. Fries and beer you say? I can't think of a more perfect combination!

Rocks Frites offers three different sizes of fries, and a variety of sauces to choose from. From cheesy garlic to chilli to sour cream, they have a huge selection. They also offer craft beer, a popular trend in Seoul these days. We decided to order a large fry and a craft beer sampler. We were also lucky enough to get an opening day promotion of two free MAX beers with our order, nothing better than FREE beer!

The sampler arrived first with four different beers to sample, ranging from a light wheat beer to a darker stout. Unfortunately, I am not much of a beer connoisseur, so my review of the beer must be taken with a grain of salt. My friend and I agreed that the wheat beer was MUCH too light, as it almost tasted like water. Although we did enjoy the other beers.

The sauces for the fries came next. I was pleasantly surprised that they were offering real thick American style sour cream, not the watered down Korean stuff that I find in most restaurants. The sour cream was nice and think. The garlic-cheese sauce was simply nacho style orange cheese and a garlic spread mixed together, nothing too special but it tasted quite good.

Our fries then arrived. They were nice and crisp on the outside, and soft on the inside, just the way that I love my french fries to be. The fries were served in a paper cone, something I haven't seen in Seoul before. It definitely gave the fries a European feel to them. The tables even had holes in them to hold the fry cones, which I though was adorable! The fries were delicious, and tasted fresh. The large serving was enough to satisfy our snacking needs.

Unfortunately, Rocks Frites does not serve poutine or any other types of food. They are limited to fries and drinks. Rocks Frites could make a great neighbourhood hang out, the fires are reasonably prized and there is a fairly large selection of drinks. Rocks Frites is definitely not a place to go for dinner, but instead go for a light snack or possibly after bar munchies. The restaurant is rather small, with only about 5 or so tables, but with the fries in a paper cone it's easy to take them to go.

Final Say: Rocks Frites had some good french fries, something that was definitely lacking in HBC. There is a sauce for everyone!

Directions: Noksapyeong Station (line 6, exit 2)

From exit 2 walk straight for about 5 minutes until you get to a fork in the road, keep left and follow the kimchi pots into HBC. Walk straight and follow the road through HBC. Walk past Bonny's, Phillie's and a variety of grocery stores. Continue until you are at the top of the hill. Rocks Frites is slightly to the left on the main road. 

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8piece (Haebangchon)

I apologize for the poor picture quality, the lighting in 8piece is very dim and my old ipod touch just isn't measuring up these days!

Korea continues to surprise me with its ability to build brand new restaurants in the blink of an eye. One day it's an empty shop, the next day it's a pizza place. And 8piece was built just like that, out of nowhere a brand new pizza place has popped up in my neighbourhood. Anyone that knows me could tell you that I couldn't be any happier about it, after all pizza really is the best. 

I eagerly went out to try the new pizza place, and I am pleased to report that I wasn't disappointed. 8piece is a medium sized restaurant, with a number of tables to sit guests at and a small patio area. It has a real pizza oven, and a variety of beers on tap including my favourite Red Rock. The restaurant is casually decorated, and gives off a great relaxed vibe. The service was quick, as we were the only ones in the restaurant, and an English menu is provided. Unfortunately, 8piece doesn't have the quirkiness of The Booth or the pub atmosphere that Bonny's has. 

8piece has a fairly large menu, with a large selection of different pizzas. We first attempted to order a pepperoni pizza, but they didn't have any pepperonis in the kitchen! We then decided on a half and half pizza. Half of the pizza was four cheese, and the other half was bacon and tomato. We also decided to get an order or garlic-cheese potato wedges. 

 8piece makes a more "European" style pizza, than the pizza you would find at Bonny's or The Booth which I consider to be more of a "New York" style pie. The crust is crispier and thinner, more like the pizza that you would find at Kitchen 485 in Hapjeong. I was immediately impressed by how cheesy it was, a rarity in Korea. You could actually see a thick layer of cheese on top of the crust! The toppings were fresh, and the four different types of cheese blended fantastically together. Having a pizza freshly made in a real pizza oven is definitely a treat.

Unfortunately, the lighting in 8piece is very dark which led to lower quality pictures.

We were a bit disappointed by the lack of bacon on the bacon pizza. The tomatoes seemed to overshadow the bacon's flavour. While it was nice to have the small chunks of bacon, more bacon is always appreciated! The pizza was a decent price, although it was a little bit small for a large.  

After finishing up our pizza, our potato wedges arrived. They took awhile, and we were a bit confused if the waiter understood that we had ordered them, usually you expect the appetizer to come before the main course! The potato wedges were similar to ones that I have made back home in Canada, with parmesan cheese and garlic sprinkled over them and then baked in the oven. They were quite tasty, but nothing out of the ordinary. 

Final Say: I was impressed with the pizza at 8piece, but I don't know if the restaurant can rival the neighbourhood's tough pizza competition.

Directions: Noksapyeong Station (line 6, exit 2) walk straight for about 5 minutes. You will come to a fork in the road, keep to your left and follow the kimchi pots. You will enter HBC, walk past Bonny's, Phillies and a CVS. 8piece will be on your right, about a 5 minute walk from the kimchi pots. 8piece is located where the Pinoy Mart used to be. 

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Grill5 (Apgujeong)

Grill5 is located in the luxurious neighbourhood of Apgujeong. I made my first visit to Apgujeong (believe it or not, after over a year of living in Seoul!) to go visit one of my friend's favorite restaurants Grill5. Apguejong is a gorgeous neighbourhood, filled with amazing restaurants and a lot of great shopping. We made out way to Grill5, which was quite a busy!

The restaurant was decorated in a very trendy and casual way. There are picnic tables all around the restaurant, and a lighting fixture made completely of beer bottles. The restaurant is quite large and spacious, it contains a combination of picnic tables and regular tables. The restaurant also has a sitting bar, which no one was using. The decor was very modern, and I really liked the vibe of the restaurant. Grill5 does not have table service, you order at the counter and pick up the food. 

We first helped ourselves to some self-serve nachos, Grill5 lets you make your own bag of nachos, which I thought was a fun and different take on simple plain nachos. The nachos were crispy and salty, and we got a nice big bag to share. 

I decided to order the chicken tacos, and was quite surprised by what I got. The tacos were waaay less Mexican than I thought they would be, and definitely leaned more to the Korean side of this Mexican-Korean fusion restaurant. The tacos were quite good after I got over being surprised by the lack of cheese and tomatoes! The chicken tenders were served on top of a soft taco shell, with a Koreans tasting sauce (that I couldn't place!) and some fresh green onions. The tacos definitely had a lot of flavour, although I didn't taste much Mexican in them. For someone with a more Korean palate, these would be the perfect tacos. 

We also decided to order the Seoul Fries. The Seoul fries were a huge serving of french fries with: sour cream, bulgogi beef, kimchi, onions and cheese on top. The kimchi taste was a bit too much for me, although I do really like the idea of taking chilli fries and giving them a Korean vibe. I was also a bit let down by the fact that they didn't have real cheese on the fries, it was instead the orange cheese you would get at a movie theatre. I definitely wouldn't order these fries again. 

My friend had their regular fries, which kind of tasted like Arby's curly fries. If you're really missing the taste of fast food from home, definitely try their fries. My friend got their burrito, which she says is the best burrito she's had in Seoul. It was a bit too spicy for my taste, but it was packed full with veggies, rice and meat. 

Final Say: Overall, I was happy with my visit to Grill5, although I'm not sure that I would return. It would definitely recommend the restaurant to someone who has a more Korean palate than I do, the food was lacking in cheese and tomatoes for me! 

Directions: Apgujeong Rodeo Station (Exit 4) 

Walk straight from exit 4, until you get to the Burger King. At the Burger King turn left and walk straight. Grill5 is up the slight hill and on the left. 

Link to a map: http://twicsy.com/i/m4ZEbe

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On the Border (Itaewon)

That's right, you read it right, an On The Border has opened up in Itaewon! Finally, Itaewon gets to enjoy the deliciousness that is On the Border, that was once reserved only for select other areas of Seoul. It was with great excitement that I walked into the new On the Border location, and I can happily tell you that I wasn't let down, On the Border lived up to my high expectations.

From the moment you walk in, On the Border looks like an authentic American restaurant. There is country music playing, the hostess speaks perfect English and (according to my boyfriend) even the tables and chairs are the same ones that they use back in the On the Borders in the States. The restaurant is beautifully decorated and is HUGE! I think it's one of the biggest restaurants I've ever seen in Korea.

Before ordering our food we got to munch on some free nacho chips and salsa. The chips are big and super salty, just the way that I like them. We each got our own salsa pot and unlimited refills on the chips were offered (something that Vatos doesn't do). We decided to order a big bowl of queso to go with the chips, the queso was super cheesy and delicious. I prefer the queso at Vatos, but my boyfriend preferred the one at On The Border. 

The prices at On The Border are a little bit inflated. The blended margaritas were 9,000 won each and came in a variety of different flavours. The margaritas were HUGE (about the same size as Vatos) and were absolutely delicious. I prefer On the Borders margaritas to the ones at Vatos, and my boyfriend said that it is the best margarita he's had in Korea. I had the raspberry blended margarita, and he had the classic on the rocks margarita. On the Border has a large drink menu with something for everyone.

For our meal we decided to order the On the Border Sampler, so that we could try a little bit of everything. The sample came with: chicken quesadillas, steak nachos, flautas, a small serving of queso and dips. The flautas were my favourite part of the meal. They were deep fried and full of flavour, they went great with the sour cream dip. The chicken quesdillas were stuffed full with chicken and cheese, but had a bit too much onion for my taste. The steak nachos were also very good, although some of the meat was a bit too charred for my taste. The serving size was very large, the sampler platter was more than enough to stuff us full (and we eat a lot!). 

Final Say: If you can't tell by now, I really loved On The Border! I was impressed with all of the food and the huge size of the meals. I would go back in a heart beat (in fact I already have plans to go back this Friday!)

Directions: Itaewon Station Exit 2. Walk straight for about 5 minutes. You will go past the busier section of Itaewon and almost begin to enter Hannam-dong. On the Border is across the street from Rocky Mountain Tavern and is on the 2nd floor.

Address: On the Border; Hannam Building 2nd floor, 737-37 Hannam-dong

Website: http://www.ontheborder.co.kr/main.html 

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Kitchen 485 (Hapjeong)

Keeping up with the pizza love going on in this blog, I decided to take a visit to Kitchen 485 in Hapjeong. Kitchen 485 is without a doubt my favourite restaurant outside of Yongsan-gu. I have returned to Kitchen 485 time and time again to feast of their delicious pizzas. I've brought lots of friends along with me and they've all been impressed. 

Kitchen 485 is located in the trendy neighbourhood of Hapjeong. Hapjeong is a delight to walk through, it's filled with adorable cafes and lots of delicious restaurants. The minute I walked into Kitchen 485 I knew that it was going to be a winner when I caught sight of their authentic pizza oven. 

Kitchen 485 has a relatively small drink menu, they sell a house white and red wine for 6,000 won a glass. They sell a couple of beers, all unfortunately high priced and don't offer any cocktails. They do offer a fairly large wine list, but most of the wines were out of my budget. I decided on a glass of the house white, and was happy with my choice.  While waiting for our pizzas, we were also given a free salad on the house, it was a welcome surprise!

We both decided to order a Margherita pizza, and I am happy to say that neither of us were disappointed! The pizza at Kitchen 485 is super cheesy. The sauce is fresh with blobs of delicious cheese all over the pizza. You can watch as the resident "pizza man" at Kitchen 485 makes the pizza fresh in front of you. The crust is delicious and cooked perfectly. Kitchen 485 is definitely one of my favourite pizza places in Seoul. 

A strange, yet interesting display, of pasta outside of the restaurant.

The Booth offers greasy pizza that's perfect to eat with beer, or to eat the morning after you've had too much beer, it's more of an American pizza. Kitchen 485 offers a "classier" pizza that has a more European flavour to it. The pizza is less greasy and with a thinner crust.They're both delicious in different ways, to be honest I don't know which one I prefer! Kitchen 485 is a bit more expensive at around 15,000- 20,000 won for a much smaller pie than what you would get at The Booth. Although I believe that the price is worth it!

Final Say: Kitchen 485 is one of my favourite restaurants in Seoul, I continue to return to the restaurant even though it's quite the journey from my neighbourhood. The atmosphere is casual yet nice and the thinking of the pizza makes me mouth water!

Directions:

Hapjeong Station (line 6 and line 2) Exit 4

From exit 4 walk straight until you get to a crosswalk (about 1 minute) and turn left. Walk down the street and keep to your left. You will pass by a number of cafes, an Indian restaurant and a YBM ECC school. Kitchen 485 will be on your left.

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The Booth (HBC/Noksapyeong)

A fact that you must know about me is that I am on the constant hunt for delicious pizza. Pizza is without a doubt my favourite food in the world, I mean who can't love something so cheesy? It was with great excitement I decided to check out The Booth, found a (dangerously short) 5 minute walk away from my apartment. 

The Booth serves Monster Pizza, which some readers might be aware of is a delicious pizza place located in the heart of Hongdae. The Booth is a very trendy restaurant. It's decorated in a very "make-shift" way, with wooden crafts stacked on each other used instead of chairs and some of the tables are made from painted barrels. The walls are covered with hand-painted murals, from a picture of Mickey Mouse to a superhero. The decorations give the restaurant a very laid back feel.

I wouldn't recommend The Booth is you're looking for something fancy. While picking up a pizza, I saw a couple who appeared to be on a first date. You could tell that the girl wasn't impressed in being taken to such a casual place. The moments of stony silence and lack of eye contact between the two showed that someone wasn't happy!

The Booth has a very limited drink and food menu. They offer three different types of beers. I tried the Pale Ale, which was too bitter for me. Although it did mix very well with the flavours of the pizza. I could see someone who likes a darker beer really enjoying the selection at The Booth. 

The pizza at The Booth costs 3500 won for a large slice, and 18000 won for a full pie. The Booth only offers two flavours, cheese and pepperoni. The pizza at The Booth reminds me a bit of Pizza Pizza back home in Canada. The slices are huge, greasy and cheesy, just the way that I love my pizza. The pepperonis offer a slight amount of spice and are nice and crunchy. The Booth's pizza is made fresh, it takes about 10 to 15 minutes for them to make a fresh pie for you. The pizza comes out hot and delicious! It really reminds me of a slice I would get at home. 

Final Say: I love The Booth! The pizza is well priced and the atmosphere is relaxed and casual. The pizza comes out fast and tastes delicious. The Booth is my favourite pizza place in the Itaewon area. 

Directions: Noksapyeong Station Exit 2.

Walk straight for about 5 minutes until you get to the overpass. You will pass an underpass and a bus stop. When you reach the Kimchi Pots keep to the right and do not follow them into HBC. Cross the overpass and turn right. Turn left immediately at Baker's Table, walk for about 20 seconds and The Booth will be on your left. 

Address: 

Gyunglidan (경리단길): Yongsan-gu, Itaewon-dong 705, Seoul, Korea (서울시 용산구 이태원동 705번지 1층) 

Website: http://theboothpub.com/about/

The Booth also has locations in Haeundae (Busan) and in Gangnam, check their websites for more information.

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Buddha's Belly (Itaewon)

Buddha’s Belly is located on the hill that separates the main drag of Itaewon from my current home neighbourhood of Noksapyeong. Located in the same building as Berlin, Buddha’s Belly offers a beautiful view of Itaewon. Since my first visit to Itaewon, I’ve been wanting to visit Buddha’s Belly, and I’m happy to say that I wasn’t disappointment.

Buddha’s Belly has a beautiful and comfortable atmosphere. The restaurant spans over two floors, and we were lucky enough to get a table right by the window with a lovely view of Itaewon. Buddha’s Belly would be the perfect place to take a date that you’re trying to impress, and the extensive cocktail list also makes it a great place to have a girls night out. The service was very good, and the menu was huge!

After seeing the amazing cocktail menu, both myself and my friend decided to order a cocktail. Although the cocktails were a bit expensive, they definitely delivered. Cocktails ranged from 8,000 to 11,000 won. I decided to order the Grapefruit Mojito. The mint was freshly squished and the grapefruit was freshly squeezed, it was quite honestly one of the best cocktails I had ever had in my life! Buddha’s Belly offered a variety of mojitos flavour and also a selection of special “Thai” cocktails. 

As always, I had to get some spring rolls! The spring rolls at Buddha’s were nice and big. They were fresh out of the kitchen and filled with veggies. They were the perfect amount of crunchy and textured. Buddha’s probably has the best spring rolls that I have eaten in Seoul!

Even though the menu was huge at at Buddha’s, we both decided to order the same thing, the Pad See Ew. This was the same dish that I had sampled at Taste of Thailand and have reviewed in a previous post. I found the dish at Buddha’s to be much more delicious. There was a lot of chunks of chicken, and the noodles were very flavourful. The sauce was delicious and the veggies were nice and fresh. The only advantage that Taste of Thailand had was that there serving size was much bigger than the size at Buddha’s Belly.

Final Say: Overall, I would definitely recommend Buddha’s Belly over Taste of Thailand. The atmosphere at Buddha’s Belly is excellent, and the food really delivers. Head to Buddha’s if you’re interested in sipping a delicious cocktail with a great view of Itaewon.

Directions:  Noksapyeong Station exit 1

Walk out of exit 1 and immediately turn left away from the wall of the US army base. Cross the street and walk up the overpass. Cross the overpass. Walk up for about 3 minutes heading towards Itaewon. Buddha’s Belly will be on your left. 

Address:  673 Itaewon-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul

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Tiger Masala (Noksapyeong/HBC)

Tiger Masala is a new Indian fusion restaurant that has popped up in HBC. HBC and the surrounding Noksapyeong area has become a hot bed for the latest and greatest of everything, there seems to be a new "fusion" restaurant on every corner. I thought the sign for Tiger Masala looked cute, and the idea of Indian Fusion food intrigued me, so a friend and I decided to check it out.

The interior of Tiger Masala isn't typical of an Indian restaurant. Most Indian restaurants are beautifully decorated, and sometimes dare I say it... overdone! Tiger Masala has simple yet chic decor. The menu is written on the wall, and a large tiger painting overlooks you as you eat. The restaurant has a relaxing vibe to it, casual yet still funky. There's only a few tables in this small restaurant, although Tiger Masala also offers speedy take out. Unfortunately while we were eating for awhile we were the only customers there! I always feel bad when a restaurant is empty, especially a delicious one. 

I was relived to see that Tiger Masala offers alcohol, unlike the previous Indian restaurant we had visited! The offer a special Makgeolli fusion drink, which is infused with ginger flavour. My friend ordered this drink, and neither of us particularly enjoyed it. It was something unique, but not really to our liking. They also offer beers and a cider that is delicious. 

Tiger Masala has a fairly simple menu, and it is much cheaper than other Indian restaurants that I have been to in the Itaewon area! We decided to starts with a Stuffed Paratha, which was filled with cheese and spinach. It kinda tasted like an "Indian Quesadilla". It was fresh and went down easy, for only 4,000 won if was a great appetizer. 

We decided to order two different types of curry, some naan and some rice. The curries we decided to get where a Chicken Palak and a Cheese Makhani. Both curries were relatively cheap and 7,000 won each and the side dishes were both under 2,500 won. The curries were both delicious, I espeacially enjoyed the chiken curry while my friend enjoyed the cheese curry. The cheese curry had chunks of soft cheese inside of it, which made for some delicious surprises. The chicken curry had a touch of spice, which made it even more delicious.Tiger Masala also offers spicier curries for those of you interested in the hot stuff. 

The naan was delicious and the rice a nice variation from the sticky rice that I've gotten accustomed to here in Korea. I could definitely see myself ordering take out from Tiger Masala, while we were eating one customer came in to order takeout and he was in and out in under 8 minutes.  They even have some novels to read to occupy your time while you're waiting!

Final Say: I really enjoyed my dinner and will definitely return to Tiger Masala. It's delicious and cheap Indian food that is made fresh to order. While the vibe of the restaurant is relaxed (something that I really enjoyed!), I wouldn't go there with a date you're looking to impress a date.

Directions: Noksapyeong Station (line 6) exit 2.

From exit 2 walk straight for about 8 minutes until you come to an overpass. You will pass an underpass and a number of bus stops, keep right (away) from the kimchi pots. Walk across the overpass and go left. Tiger Masala will be on your right. 

Address: 

1F, 713 Itaewon-dong, Yongsan-gu /이태원동 713번지, Seoul, Korea 140-200

Phone: [phone]

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La Tavola (Itaewon)

I walked into La Tavola with a friend for her birthday dinner completely unsure of what we were getting ourselves into. We knew we wanted Italian food, and we weren't afraid to spend a bit of money, we saw La Tavola and thought it was the perfect match.

Walking into the restaurant, we were awed. La Tavola is beautifully decorated. The tables are set in the most ornate way, with fresh flowers on each table. La Tavola has lots of natural light, with windows everywhere and it even has an open kitchen (something that I love to see in restaurants). I could even hear some Italian coming from the kitchen! Judging by the decor and ambience alone, we certainly thought that we had made the right decision.

The menu at La Tavola is fairly large. They offer everything you would expect at an Italian restaurant, from pizza to pastas to salads. They also have a large wine list, with the cheapest wine being 9,000 won a glass. We decided to start the meal off with some bruschetta. The serving we got was very small for the hefty 19,000 won that we paid. The bruschetta had no cheese (I know that this varies from restaurant to restaurant, but do I love my cheese!) and was a little bit too oily for me. The tomatoes were fresh, but the bread was too crunchy for my liking. Overall, it was mediocre bruschetta at a very inflated cost. 

We both order gnocchi, I ordered the gnocchi that came in the tomato sauce while my friend ordered the four cheese sauce. I love gnocchi! I've had gnocchi at a variety of restaurants, including eating it in Italy. Again, we were disappointed with the serving size. My friend's gnocchi was incredibly small, if you look at the picture below you can count the number of gnocchis she got! Mine, thankfully was slightly bigger.

My friend's four cheese gnocchi was a bit bland, and she really didn't enjoy it. While there was a lot of cheese, somehow the dish still didn't have enough flavour. My gnocchi dish was a fair bit better. It was nice and cheesy and the tomato taste was good. My one complaint was that the dish was MUCH too greasy. I could feel the grease on my lips even after we left the restaurant! When I heard Italian coming from the kitchen, I expected a delicious meal, but unfortunately it was only mediocre. Each pasta dish costed 19,000 won, in my friend's dish each piece of gnocchi was worth at least 1,500 won!

Look at all that grease at the bottom! 

Final Say: While La Tavola didn't have horrible food, for the price we were paying we expected to have an amazing meal. Unfortunately, my friend only got a mediocre and overpriced birthday dinner. 

Directions: Itaewon station Exit 2. Walk straight out of exit 2 for about 1 minute. La Tavola will be on your right on the second floor. It is located in between Gold Bar and Hollywood Grill.

Address:  123-33 Itaewon-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, South Korea

You cannot see La Tavola in google map street view, but it is located on top of Spy Bar. 

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Taj Palace (Itaewon)

It hasn't been until recently that I've really started to get into Indian food, I find myself craving curry and naan on a daily basis. When my friend mentioned that there was an Indian place in Itaewon that had a buffet, I knew that we HAD to go.

Taj Palace is located in the heart of Itaewon, in the more grimy area close to hooker hill. Upon first entering the restaurant, I was a a bit disappointed with the decor.  The majority of Indian restaurants I have visited have been beautifully decorated and have a relaxed vibe to them. Taj Palace felt very sterile, like an American chain restaurant with no personality. There was no music playing in the background, only silence.

Unfortunately, the buffet is only open on Saturdays and Sundays and we visited Taj Palace on a Friday. Although, as you can tell from the picture, the buffet looks like it could have some serious potential! 

The menu at Taj Palace was huge, but I little bit difficult to navigate. My friend and I decided to order one of the special course meals, which was priced at 26,000 won per person. We were a bit confused by the pricing as it was 26,000 won per person, but one person could not buy the course meal, you needed atleast 2 people in order to buy the course meal. We were left wondering how the course meal would work if 4 people wanted to order it, would we get the same amount of food for a much more expensive price? It all seemed a bit shady and unorganized.

We ordered a course meal that got us three different kinds of curries, a drink, rice, naan  and tandoori chicken. Unfortunately, Taj Palace is a Halal restaurant so there was NO alcohol at all! Our options were basically sprite or coke. We were a bit let down by this, as beer goes really well with curry!

The tandoori chicken

The three curries we purchased (Saag chicken, Makal Palak Khumb and a vegetarian deep fried curry) were all quite tasty. I was particularly impressed with the Saag chicken curry. The curries were the perfect size to share with a friend. The tandoori chicken was also fairly good, a bit spicy for my taste, but the chicken was moist and flavourful. The meal came with A LOT of naan (yay!) and a decent size bowl of rice. Overall, I was impressed with all the food we had. It isn't the best Indian food I've had in Seoul, but it certainly isn't bad!

Look at all that naan! 

Service was a bit slow, while the servers were friendly their English wasn't the best. We had to remind them to get use our drinks, and there was some other small misunderstandings between us and the servers. Unfortunately the lack of atmosphere really took away from the food for me. I remember less about the food, and more about the awkwardness of the restaurant. 

Final Say: Taj Palace has a strange atmosphere, with minimal decorations and no alcohol served at the restaurant. The food is good, but a bit overpriced. While I enjoyed the food, I wouldn't return to Taj Palace as there are much better curry restaurants in Seoul. 

Directions: Go out Itaewon station exit 3 and walk straight for about 2 minutes. When you get to the intersection turn right and go up the hill for about 2 minutes. Taj Palace is on your right on the second floor. 

Address: 2F 132-2 Itaewon 1-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul

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Taste of Thailand (Noksapyeong)

I've noticed Taste of Thailand a number of times since moving into my new neighbourhood. The catchy name really caught my attention, and and after months of noticing the sign I was finally in the mood for Thai food and decided to check it out. 

Taste of Thailand is right above Noxa on the second floor.

Taste of Thailand is a beautiful restaurant and a thrill to walk into. The entire restaurant is decorated with statues of Buddha and gold can be seen everywhere. Everything right down to the cutlery and dishes are beautiful. The restaurant is very clean, and would make a great place to take someone on a date. The atmosphere is laid back and relaxed, and the service is quick and friendly.

Gorgeous golden moral inside the restaurant 

The first thing we decided to order off the HUGE menu, were deep fried spring rolls. It took us at least 10 minutes to decide what we were having as Taste of Thailand offers a large variety of foods, from salads and soups to pad thais and noodle dishes. The spring rolls were, for lack of a better word, only ok. They came very quickly, and the dipping sauce was delicious, but they definitely weren't the best spring rolls I've ever had. They were a bit small, and just not as savoury as I would like them to be.

My friend and I each ordered different dishes. I got the Pad King, which consisted of chicken with ginger in brown sauce. It also came with onions and an assortment of fresh vegetables. The Pad King was definitely a nice light, but also filling meal. The ginger taste of the dish, made for a refreshing meal that didn't weigh me down as much as other restaurant meals can. The chicken and the vegetables were very fresh. Overall, I enjoyed the dish.

My friend ordered the Pad Seiw, which is a noodle dish. The dish was stir-fried with broccoli and carrots in a Thai soy sauce, and customers can choose the type of meat that they desire. I sampled the noodle dish, and was very impressed with the rich flavour. Compared to my dish, the Pad Seiw definitely has a much bolder flavour. While I preferred the Pad Seiw, my friend preferred the dish that I ordered! Both dishes included big juicy chunks of chicken.

Adorable side dish of rice, so cute!

Overall, I was impressed with Taste of Thailand. Unfortunately, I don't have much experience with Thai food, so my opinion might be a bit biased. Taste of Thailand has definitely made me more interesting in trying a variety of Thai foods. My friend who joined me for dinner has actually been to Thailand before, and told me that the food at Taste of Thailand seemed fairly close to, but definitely not as good as, the stuff that she ate while in Thailand. The prices at Taste of Thailand are decent, I thought some food items were a few thousand won more expensive than they should have been. 

Final Say: Taste of Thailand has a great atmosphere, and will certainly do a great job at impressing a special someone. The menu is huge, and the food delivers, although it is a bit pricy.

Directions: Noksapyeong Station exit 2

Walk straight out of exit 2 for about 4 minutes. You will come to an underpass, take the underpass across the street and come out on the left. Taste of Thailand is on the second floor of the building on the corner right in front of you.

Address: 671 Itaewon 2-dong, Yongsan-gu. Seoul 140-861

Phone: [phone]

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Hummus Kitchen (Hannam-dong/ Itaewon)

As you walk through Itaewon towards Hangangjin, the vibe of Itaewon completely changes from casual and laid-back to a more up-scale atmosphere. I like to refer to Hannam-dong as "grown-up" Itaewon, it seems to be where more of the so-called "adults" are found. It is here that I found Hummus Kitchen.

Sorry for the blurriness, my camera really didn't like the lighting. 

Hummus Kitchen is a very aesthetically pleasing restaurant. It bills itself as "Contemporary middle eastern casual dining", and it definitely lives up to the label. The lighting is dim (something which I actually don't enjoy from restaurants, but others do) and the decor is simple and modern. It would be a great place to take someone on a first date. The restaurant offers an English and a Korean menu, and the servers speak English fairly well. 

The menu was a bit overwhelming for me, as I am not too familiar with Middle Eastern food. We decided right away to order the Hummus and Pita, which was 9,000 won. While I might not know Arabic food that well, I am a HUGE fan of hummus. When I run out of pita, I use my finger to finish off the hummus! The hummus and Hummus Kitchen was honestly only ok. I've had worse hummus, and I've had hummus that was much better. For a restaurant named Hummus Kitchen, I expected the hummus to be phenomenal, and was a bit let down. For 9,000 won I was disappointed at the size of the hummus serving and the fact that we only got one (!!) piece of pita bread and a small serving of cut up veggies. 

We then ordered some main dishes. I got the Cheese Pita Bread, which consisted of tomato sauce and cheese baked onto a large piece of Pita. There was also garlic, and lots of other spices and veggies. I REALLY enjoyed my pita bread. You could tell that they made the bread fresh to order, it was nice and puffy and warm. It was exactly what I had hoped for.

My friend ordered the Pesto Pita Bread, which she also really enjoyed. Her pita was also nice and fresh. Although she found the bread to be a bit too "pesto'y" for her liking. 

The final dish we enjoyed at Hummus Kitchen were the Sambusak, which I've never tried before. They are a pastry filled with a very soft cheese and from what I understand can also be filled with meats and a variety of veggies. The ones we got at Hummus Kitchen were super cheesy and I believe had spinach inside them/ I liked the pastries, although probably wouldn't order them again. My friend really enjoyed them, and thought they were the highlight of the meal.

Hummus Kitchen also serves Kebabs, which I immediately regretted not ordering when I saw them arrive at another table, they looked delicious! They also serve a variety of soups and salads and different flavours of hummus. When it comes to meat dishes, Hummus Kitchen gets a bit expensive. The Kebabs and the only meat dishes were a bit pricy, so we opted for their non-meat dishes (a rarity for me!) Hummus Kitchen is definitely vegetarian friendly, both price wise and selection wise.They have a large wine selection, and they serve some speciality cocktails. Unfortunately, they only have one dessert, which was NOT baklava (my favourite!). 

Final Say: I enjoyed my meal at Hummus Kitchen, the ingredients were fresh and it was nice to visit a restaurant that exercised a different part of my palate. Although I enjoyed it, I don't know if I would return. I recommend it to vegetarians, but meat lovers should be wary of the high prices. 

Directions:

Itaewon Station (line 6) exit 3.

Walk straight out of exit 3 for about 5 minutes. Hummus Kitchen is located on the main road just past Rocky Mountain Tavern. Hummus Kitchen will be on your right. 

Address: 1F 736-9, Hannam-Dong, Yongsan-Gu, Seoul, Korea 140-893

Phone: [phone]

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Indigo (HBC/Itaewon) NOW CLOSED

INDIGO IS NOW CLOSED :(

Indigo is a fairly well-known restaurant found in my amazing neighbourhood Haebonchong. Due to the large expat community, restaurants like Indigo and Bonny's have really flourished in this neighbourhood. Indigo is a quasi-diner style restaurant, with their main focus being sandwiches. Although Indigo also serves some hot meals, including fish and chips and pastas. The first time I visited Indigo, I was overwhelmed with all the options. There seems to be something for everyone on the menu, both vegetarians and meat lovers will be pleased.

Indigo is a fairly large restaurant for Seoul. There's a big dinning area, and a small patio in the back. The service at Indigo is excellent, the waiters all speak fluent English and Korean and they are very friendly. I've eaten at Indigo a number of times, and have enjoyed everything I've ordered so far. This particular time I ordered the Spinach Ravioli with tomato sauce.

As you can tell, I couldn't wait to dig in!

I love the tomato sauce that Indigo uses, it's a little bit sweet and very fresh. The raviolis are filled with lots of cheese and spinach. The ravioli is also available with a cream sauce, which is what my friend decided to order that night.

She really enjoyed the cream sauce (this is her second time ordering this dish!). The pasta also comes with two pieces of garlic bread, and this ladies and gentlemen is REAL garlic bread! Not the fake garlic bread they give you at Paris Baguette that looks delicious but is actually topped with sugar. This is real savoury garlic bread. The only downside to this dish is that the serving size is a little bit small compared to what we are used to in the West, although the size is typical by Korean standards. 

We also decided to order some french fries. Indigo has these great crinkle french fries that remind me of the ones that my mom used to bake. We ordered a large fry to share between the three of us. The fries are nice and salty and remind me of home, and really could you ask for anything more from a french fry?

Crinkly fries, just like mom makes them!

My vegetarian friend opted to order a feta cheese and olive sandwich, which she really enjoyed. The sandwich is LOADED with olives and lots of feta. The sandwiches always have tons of veggies. You can choose to have it either on a bagel or a bun. It's worth noting (for you veggies out there) that Indigo has a lot of vegetarian options. I've had the chicken version of this sandwich on an early date and was very pleased with it.

The sandwich also comes with a small serving of chips and pretzels.

Final Say: Indigo is a great restaurant with a variety of selections for everyone. It is reasonable priced and located in a great neighbourhood, I recommend Indigo to anyone looking for a relaxed and causal dinning experience. 

INDIGO IS NOW CLOSED 

Directions: Noksapyeong Station (line 6) exit #2. From exit 2 walk straight for about 5 minutes. The wall of the US military base will be on your left. Continue walking until you come to a fork in the roads. Keep to your left walking past the kimchi pots and up a slight hill. You will have to walk on a road with no sidewalk, so be careful! Walk for about 3-5 more minutes and Indigo will be on your right. Indigo is located across the street from Bonny's. 

Address: Yongsan-gu Yongsandong 2(i)-ga 46 Seoul Korea Phone: [phone]

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Porchetta (Itaewon/Kyungnidan)

Located outside of the main area of Itaewon, Porchetta is a delicious little secret. The restaurant calls itself an "Italian bistro" and specializes in sandwiches. The inside of Porchetta is fairly small, only a handful on tables and a small patio area. The decor is adorable, and the service is quick and friendly with waiters speaking both English and Korean.

While everything on the menu at Porchetta sounds delicious, my friend and I ultimately decided to both order the same thing. When I saw that they had French Dip on the menu, I couldn't say no and neither could my friend! A French Dip sandwich in Korea, are you kidding me?! For those of you who are not aware, a French Dip Sandwich is sliced beef served with a slice of cheese and au jus dipping sauce.

A word of advice, this French Dip also comes with mushrooms on it, so if you aren't a fan of this veggie, make sure to ask for no mushrooms!

The beef was cut a little bit thick for my liking, but the au jus was perfect, the bun was incredible, and the cheese was melted perfectly. The French Dip is served on a ciabatta bun that tastes just like they do back home, it even has flour on top! For those of you craving a French Dip in Korea, Porchetta definitely delivers. 

The sandwich is called Roast Beef Sandwich on the menu, not French Dip.

We also ordered a serving of Garlic Fries. The fries were very fresh, and thick cut. They were loaded with tons of garlic and were definitely the perfect side dish for our french dips. They were also served with a side of ranch dip, a delicious dip you rarely see in Korea. Porchetta also stocks tons of Western drinks such as Dr. Pepper and Ginger Ale. They also serve freshly squeezed orange juice and a plethora of other ades, teas and coffees. 

For those of you with a sweet tooth, Porchetta also serves these amazing cookie sandwiches. I've had the sandwiches (twice!) before and both times was very impressed. Although I failed to take pictures, below you'll see a picture of a poster advertising their sandwiches. Each sandwich is made from two freshly made cookies, a scoop of ice cream and one topping of your choice. I chose vanilla ice cream and brownie pieces and was amazed at the deliciousness. 

Final Say: Porchetta is a delightful restaurant if you're in the mood for a sandwich. While the sandwiches are a bit pricy, the ingredients are fresh and the dishes are delicious.

Directions: Go out exit 2 of Noksapyeong station (line 5, one stop over from Itaewon) walk straight for about 3 minutes until you come to a stairwell leading to an underpass. Walk through the underpass to the other side of the street heading towards Seoul Tower. Go up the hill to your right. Porchetta is located on your left. 

Address: 658 Itaewon 2 dong, Yongsan -Gu, Seoul

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Vatos Urban Tacos (Itaewon)

If you're an avid foodie like me, you've probably heard about Vatos. The Itaewon establishment is known for it's fusion of Korean and Mexican food, and of course their HUGE margaritas. Fortunately for Vatos, I can only add to the mass amount of praise that they've already gotten. 

Although, Vatos does have one downside. Getting a table at Vatos feels like winning the lottery! The place is always packed, even when we went to grab an early dinner on a Sunday at 4pm we still had to wait 10 minutes before getting a table. Don't plan to walk up on a Friday or Saturday night and get a table right away, I've tried to do it and been told that they have a 3 hour waiting time. THREE HOURS! For a table for TWO! That's how trendy this place is right now.

The meal starts off with complimentary fried tortillas, which are delicious. Served with a mild dip and a spicy dip, these are great for everyone. 

Next up, we got our "Cowboy Queso", which is quite honestly the best queso I've ever had in my life. It comes served in a Korean style bowl, the black kind you get your soup in at Korean BBQ, and the queso is still boiling! It's got beans and sour cream in it and is nice and thick, with a delicious texture.  The HUGE margaritas were also delivered, they've the perfect mix of slushy but not too slushy.

YES, that is a full size Corona!

My boyfriend ordered a beef burrito, and I ordered the pork taquitos. His burrito was filled to the brim with deliciousness. We were both particularly excited that the burrito was filled with Mexican style rice and sour cream. My taquitos were nice and crispy. Covered with a "Korean style" red sauce and some "Western style" sour cream, it was an amazing mix. 

Word of caution: The burrito is a bit spicy, but the taquitos are nice and mild!

Overall, the meal was fantastic. We left the restaurant nice and full, and a little bit tipsy from the margaritas!

Final Say: Vatos is a great restaurant, and is arguably the best Mexican restaurant in Seoul. Make a reservation before coming though, or you'll be in for a disappointment.

Directions: Go out Itaewon Station (line 5) exit 1 and walk straight for about 300 meters (about 5 minutes). Vatos will be on your right at the top of a very short hill. The restaurant is visible on the main street of Itaewon and is easy to find.

Address: Yongsan-Gu, Itaewon Dong, 181-8, 2F

Phone:  [phone]

Website: http://vatoskorea.com/

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JR Southern Style BBQ (Itaewon)

My boyfriend and I were really excited to visit JR's. He's from the South, and as a Canadian girl I had never tried Southern BBQ before. We actually tried to go to the restaurant twice before we finally got in, both times the restaurant had been closed for construction. The third time proved to be a charm... or not so much.

The atmosphere of the restaurant is great. It's located right on the main drag in Itaewon. JR's actually has two floors, one for the bar and one for eating. We made our way up to the second floor and got a table right away. The waitstaff were really friendly, probably some of the best service I've gotten in Korea. The restaurant is HUGE and the views from their patio windows are great, on one side you can see the mountains in the distance. 

Then everything started to go downhill...

JR's menu is pretty small, but I took that to be a good sign as many great restaurants have small menus and specialize in certain dishes. Boy, was I wrong! We ordered the "Pulled Pork Cheese Fries" and "Pork Baby Back Ribs and Chicken". The cheese fries had barely any pork or sour cream on top of them. The "cheese" put on top of the fries wasn't the delicious shredded and melted American cheese I was hoping for, instead it was that fake orange cheese you get at the movie theatre with your nachos. The fries were mediocre, and all together it was very subpar for the price.

My boyfriend (being the rib connoisseur he is) was very excited for the ribs. According to him, the ribs at TGIFriday's in Hongdae are much better than the ones at JR's. The BBQ sauce wasn't slathered on the ribs, instead it is given to you in a small bowl. The BBQ sauce was alike any I had seen before, it looked like the red sauce you get at Korean BBQ. It was much too thick and didn't have enough flavour. The chicken was served cold, which is the way I think it is meant to be served, but it confused me. 

We left JR's unhappy, and actually ended up going to Vatos because we were still hungry! We left a lot of our food untouched. 

Final say: JR's is in a great location and has great atmosphere and service. What it lacks is delicious food. Steer clear if you're looking for real Southern BBQ or even decent food, all JR's delivers is overpriced mediocrity. 

Directions: Iteawon Station (line 5) exit 4

Walk straight out of exit 4 for about 1 minute, look to your left and up. JR's is on the 2nd and 3rd floor. It is very easy to see from the main street.

Address: Yongsan-gu, Itaewon-dong 128-9, Seoul,

Phone Number: 02-749-1235