Cuisine: Korean – Check Please!

Korean-inspired desserts in Chiang Mai: Cheevit Cheeva Cafe

Cheevit Cheeva Cafe is a dessert restaurant specializing in Korean bingsu with a local tweak. They have several locations; I visited the flagship shop in Nimman.

The visit

The cafe occupies a house in a backstreet in Nimman area.

In March 2020, they brought in a sister property: the bakery and cafe called Groon that now occupies half of the space.

The main dining room has high ceiling.

This was my favorite spot. You have to order at the cashier and pay, then they will bring you the order.

Their claim to fame is the bingsu that comes with Korean and Thai toppings (such as mango and sticky rice). Their bingsu is not made out of shaved ice; rather they use pure milk.

I did not have the bingsu (too big), but they had some “affogato” made with the same shaved milk. I had the chocolate version. The shaved milk was refreshing and a very interesting take on the bingsu.

On another visit I had their Nutella cake, that was quite good.

They had a selection of flavored coffee cold brews. I tried one and I was happy with the drink.

The check

The affogato (really a mini bingsu) was reasonably priced at 95 THB (around 3 USD).

The cake was only marginally more expensive: drink and cake cost me 210 THB (6.50 USD). Prices were reasonable.

Where in Chiang Mai:
6 soi 7 Sirimangkhalajarn Rd., Suthep, Mueang Chiang Mai.
Website: https://cheevitcheevacafe.com/
Other locations in Chiang Mai: Nim City Daily Shopping Mall, Star Avenue Lifestyle Mall, and Jampha Shopping Mall Lamphun. There is even a franchisee in Taipei.

Eating at the most classic Seoul’s market: Gwangjang

Not all touristy locations are the same. Some are tourist traps, but some are able to retain some of their authenticity and remain an interesting destination. In my opinion Gwangjang Market falls into the latter category and it is a fun place where to try Korean street food. This is my experience of a visit at around 11am on a weekday.

The visit

My visit started from the exit 7 of the Jongno 5(o)-ga Station of the Seoul metro. From there, it was just 10 meters to enter the fray.

Eventually I sat down at the stall number 3 where an energetic lady served me some delicious kimchi dumplings.

Then I stepped inside a restaurant called Jinju Yukhoe specializing in raw meat. It was a waste, but I just had a mungbean pancake. This is a relatively crispy and thick pancake that I thoroughly enjoyed.

At the center of the complex, there was a stall specializing in knife-cut noodles made famous by a Netflix special.

The market is not just food. They are also famous for quality silk goods, linen bedding and hand-made goods. The market was formally established in 1962 as a spin-off of Dongdaemun Market.

The check

The food was very affordable and delicious. The pancake cost me just 5,000 WON and so much for the dumplings (they even gave me a little discount because I did not want the soup and they were considerably cheaper than from Bukchon Son Mandu).

This was my first visit and I played it safe with a couple of softballs like dumplings and pancakes. But I definitely would like to try the raw meat. Also, I was unable to find the stall specializing in spicy fish stew (Maeun-tang). For another time.

Where in Seoul:
88 Changgyeonggung-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul
Metro: Jongno 5(o)-ga Station (subway line 1) exit 7, roughly 15m away. Euljiro 4(sa)-ga Station (subway lines 2, 5) exit 4, roughly 150m away.
Website: www.kwangjangmarket.co.kr.

Mistakes to avoid if you plan to eat at Noryangjin fish market

Noryangjin fish market (or Noryangjin Fisheries Wholesale Market) in Seoul recently seems to have been put on the map by foodies youtubers like Mark Wiens and Luke Martin. I decided to test it. This review is illustrative of the situation in July 2019.

The visit

Getting to Noryangjin may seem super easy as there is a metro station with the same name. WRONG! Yes, you have to get to Noryangjin station, then you might be tempted to cross the rail tracks using the pedestrian overpass pictured above. That does not work anymore.

As the pictures above show, if you take the overpass, you will end on the rooftop of the old market building where at the time of posting some vendors are still barricaded. Avoid this way for your own safety (the main problem is the trash everywhere).

Rather, go to street level and follow the track until you will encounter an underpass (above the entrance from the market) with signage indicating the market.

The first floor and part of the second floor are of course packed with vendors.

Octopus, crabs, lobsters, prawns, you name it… are on display.

Sashimi is available everywhere. I am just not sure about the freshness of the pre-assembled set of sashimi. I went during a weekday and there was really little business going on with retail buyers like me.

Eventually I bought a couple of inexpensive items from a vendor to test the restaurant system. One was the sea pineapple pictured above. Then I added some wild prawns.

Then the vendor matched me with her preferred restaurant (on the second floor). The restaurants will clean and cook the fish for you and will provide you with a comfortable environment for your feast.

They like to display messages signed by happy customers.

My prawns were quickly grilled and were very good.

The sea pineapple had a weird flavor. I left it.

I shall also mention that on the second floor there were a couple of full-fledged restaurants, but they did not seem to be particularly interesting.

The check

I spent 14,000 WON for the seafood and 13,000 WON for the cooking (see check above): around 22 USD. The cooking fee did not seem right. I have the impression they overcharged me and I have the following advice for you:

Take pictures of what you wish to eat.
Go to a restaurant or two to get a quotation for the cooking service before buying anything.
Buy what you need and go to your selected restaurant.

If I go back, I would definitely avoid the restaurants indicated by the seafood vendor. It is clear that there is collusion and part of what you pay to the restaurant goes back to the vendors’ pocket as a commission.

Where in Seoul:
674 Nodeul-ro, Noryangjin-dong, Dongjak-gu.

A BBQ in Seoul where locals are happy to queue

While in Seoul in July 2019, I found myself at walking distance from a BBQ that was particularly highly rated on Google (not that it is a guarantee, but it made me curious). If you are looking for BBQs in Seoul, also check out this other review about two famous chains.

The place is called Yukjeon Sikdang n. 1 (신설동 육전식당) and on the menu they explain the meaning of the name:

I dined in the original location in 16 Nangye-ro 30-gil, but they also have two additional locations within a close distance:

The visit

I went on a weekday at around 6pm and the place was already packed with several customers waiting for their turn on the street or upstairs in a waiting room. I got a ticket from the cashier.

They would call numbers on a speaker in Korean that could be heard in the waiting room. But when the customer was a foreigner they made the effort to use English. I waited one hour for my spot. That is a record for me. I have no idea if the other locations are less busy, for sure the waiting will be shorter after 8pm. I really went during peak time.

Finally I was accommodated in one of the tables.

As usual, side dishes and condiments arrived pretty quickly.

I had an issue ordering because there was a peculiar rule: whatever you order first, you need to order two portions. That really did not work for me since I was alone and I wanted to try at least two types of meat. I insisted for an exception playing the clueless tourist card and they gave me a pass.

My first order was a 150 grams of pork neck called Hang-jung-sal. This was not the regular neck meat (Mok-sal) but a part from the front of the neck. On the menu it was described as “a thousand layers of meat and fat”. It was a very tender and tasty piece of pork meat. The meat was cooked by a staff member and eventually cut in pieces with a pair of scissors. The restaurant apparently is famous for these neck cuts.

But the piece of resistance of the meal was 200 grams of Korean sirloin. I do not know the grade, but it was tender and juicy as some of the best local beef I had in Seoul. They only had this cut on the menu (that overall has four types of meat, this and three pork cuts).

Also of note, I was given a piece of Myeongi-namool that is usually translated into English as ramp. It was just the leaves, that were thin and marinated. I was recommended to roll it around the meat and it indeed gave it a boost.

At the end I had fried rice that was cooked on the grill in front of me mixed with vegetables and spicy sauce. It was also sprinkled with Parmesan cheese. It was a nice way to cap the meal and feel completely satisfied. According to house rules, it can only be ordered at the end of the meal after consuming some meat.

The check

Final check was 64,000 WON (53 USD). The big ticket item was the sirloin (42,000 WON for 200 grams), while the pork was 18,000 WON. The fried rice was a mere 4,000 WON.

While I would not repeat the experience of waiting for an hour, this was a solid BBQ experience in Seoul and has my recommendation.

Where in Seoul:
Name in Korean: 신설동 육전식당.
16 Nangye-ro 30-gil, Yongsin-dong, Dongdaemun-gu
Nearest metro station: Sinseol-dong (exit 10).

Trying Korean dumplings from Bukchon Son Mandu

Bukchon Son Mandu is a popular shop selling several types of Korean dumplings, called mandu. The Korean dumplings were once part of the Korean royal cuisine and are now a fixture in street food.

The visit

I went to the store in Insadong during my trip to Seoul in October 2018.

There is usually a little bit of queue since the seats available are very limited, but I was lucky to find a spot upon my arrival.

As you can see from the picture, all you get to sit is a stool. It is a very casual place.

I ordered the combination platter that included 3 types.

The ball mandu should be a gullin mandu (굴린만두) and contained vegetables and pork. Very easy to eat! Then there was a steamed mandu (찐만두, jjinmandu), on the right, filled with with pork and kimchi. Finally, the set had a deep fried mandu filled with pork and other condiments taken from a dish called japchae. This last dumpling was a twigim mandu (튀김만두 ).

I wish I could say that these dumplings were crazily good as so many online do, but I found them pretty bland. Yet, I would not discourage anyone from trying them!

The check

The combination dumpling platter cost 9,000 WON (or 8 USD). From what I read online, the price had recently been raised at the time of my visit (previously, for several years, the same dish was 8,000 WON).

There was also a bigger combination platter definitely meant to be shared that included a shrimp dumpling that I did not try. If you are in Insadong or you come across another of these stores, it is a nice way to taste this kind of Korean food.

Where in Seoul:
42-5, Insadong-gil, Jongno-gu
In Korean: (우) 03146종로구 인사동길 42-5
Tip: it is a couple of blocks North of exit 2 of Anguk Station. Follow the signs for the Constitutional Court, pass it leaving it behind to your left, and turn right at the next major intersection. There are other outlets around town.

Encountering the Bingsu in Seoul

Bingsu (or bingsoo) is a dessert originated in Korea. It is a combination of shaved ice and other sweet ingredients. In the past, the accompanying ingredient was usually red bean paste (potbingsu), but now it can go almost with everything. Mango bingsu is one of the most popular. While this dessert has been around for decades, in recent years it has become popular outside South Korea and can be found in many Asian metropolis.

The visit

I tried my first bingsu in Seoul in an outlet of the all-popular Sulbing 설빙 Korean Dessert Cafe. There are outlets all over South Korea.

I chose their bingsu tiramisu that came in a huge bowl topped with a large piece of tiramisu cake and along with a shot of espresso coffee. The shot was provided to be added to the bowl (similarly, I noticed that the green tea bingu came with a shot of green tea… not sure if this applied to all of the available flavors).

I was extremely skeptical about this dessert. But after digging into the mountain of shaved ice covered with cacao powder I changed my mind. It was actually quite good. Nothing comparable to artisan ice cream, but a very refreshing dessert.

Below the mountain of shaved ice there was also a good amount of jelly cubes (in this case chocolate flavored).

I could not finish it all by myself.

The check

This bingsu cost 10,900 WON (9.65 USD). This is pretty much the standard price for a premium bowl. More traditional flavors can cost a little bit less. It should be noted that the bowl could be easily shared between two people and the cafe offered comfortable seating, so overall it was not a bad deal.

Byeokje Galbi vs. Maple Tree House BBQ in Seoul

[Also look at this review for a third BBQ option in Seoul.]

Similarly to fried chicken, BBQ is another quintessential Korean food experience. While fried chicken is usually a very affordable eating option, BBQs can vary from cheap all you can eat joints to luxury restaurants offering hand picked meats.

In this post I will examine two BBQ chains that have various outlets in Seoul and offer real top-graded Hanwoo beef. Hanwoo is a Korean local breed that is regarded as the top of the top. In my meal at La Yeon the delicious beef was Hanwoo.

Byeokje Galbi

Byeokje Galbi is a chain of BBQ restaurants with multiple locations in Seoul. I visited the Sinchon/Ewha branch that occupies two floors in a building facing a crowded shopping street (22 Myeongmul-gil).

It is even listed in the Seoul Michelin Guide (but with no stars) where they explain:

Byeokje Galbi is a local institution that has been serving legendary barbecued beef short ribs since 1986. The restaurant’s attention to quality begins from the breeding of the cows at a local farm in Pocheon. Only the top 1%(BMS No9) are purchased…

The dining room is based on booths and every booth has its own grill embedded into the table. They use real charcoal (not gas like in cheaper restaurants).

I ordered a sirloin steak (130 grams) of marbled Korean beef, Bulogi beef (250 grams) and a bowl of cold noodle.

After ordering, I was immediately served the side dishes that included kimchi, soup kimchi, onion, sweet pumpkin, salt, fermented red paste, garlic, lettuce, and some other local vegetables.

The steak was marvelously marbled and it was cooked at the table by a staff member. They cut it into cubes with scissors (a bit brutal, but it is how they do it…).

The end result was great chewy beef bites.

The bulgogi (marinated strips of beef) were cooked with a different implement.

The bulgogi was tender, tasty and satisfying.

The restaurant only lists beef on the menu (their short ribs are particularly popular), but they also are famous for serving buckwheat cold noodles (a dish originally from North Korea). I had the spicy cold noodles that came with fermented chili paste, an egg, a slice of meat, and some vegetables. It was better than expected.

The check was substantial: 117,000 WON (103 USD). The sirloin was the big ticket item (69,000 WON and there was actually a more expensive variety for 79,000 that I passed). The service was very good with an experienced member of staff grilling the dishes for me and looking after my table in an attentive manner (even if they did not speak English).

Maple Tree House

Maple Tree House started as a popular restaurant in Itaewon in 2005 and now has three locations across Seoul (including the original one) and two international locations, in Manila and Taipei.

I visited the branch in Gangnam district, just meters outside exit 12 of Gangman metro station. It is a slick venue, in the basement of an office building. I was seated at the counter (since I was alone).

They also use charcoal to grill the meat.

They also provided the usual side dishes, a bit more boring than the ones I had in Byeokje Galbi.

But they also had a nice egg stew served hot.

I ordered their Korean Hanwoo aged sirloin (150 grams) and a cut of pork jowl from Jeju.

The meat was grilled at the table by several members of staff (in the picture above the pork). The beef was even more tender than the one at Byeokje Galbi and it was nice to have the option to order pork as well.

Total check was 55.400 WON (49 USD). The sirloin was way more affordable and reasonably priced than the one ordered at Byeokje Galbi.

In terms of value for money, Maple Tree House wins hands down. However, the service I received was terrible. It is always difficult to speak about service on the basis of a single visit, however I was appalled by their modus operandi. One member of staff would put the steak on the grill and then without a word would leave to do something else… then another member of staff would pop up and do some more grilling… this was an incredibly annoying way to proceed, especially with 50 USD of meat on the grill. I do not know whether this happened because they were understaffed, but it was unacceptable.

Where in Seoul:
Byeokje Galbi: check their website (in Korean) for locations. I visited the Sinchon branch in 22 Myeongmul-gil.
Maple Tree House: check their website (in English) for locations. I visited the Gangnam branch.

Comparing three Korean Fried Chicken dishes in Seoul

Korean Fried Chicken (KFC) is an essential South Korean staple. It is usually consumed in diners and pubs with a good amount of beer (in Korean they even have a word to indicate chicken and beer, chi-maek).

KFC (the Korean one) can be a great dish, even without beer. Here’s three examples from Seoul.

KFC from a non-descript diner

My first encounter with KFC on Korean soil took place in what I believe was a family-run diner. No English name, the picture shows the store-front. It was located near Sinchon railway station.

As customary, I was served some pickled Korean radish cubes. This particular establishment also added some popcorn.

I had half fried chicken and half with spicy sauce. The chicken was tasty and fried on the spot. The sauce was a lightly spicy tomato sauce that did not add much.

As it happens, the dish was only available as a whole chicken… The cost for my dish was 16,000 WON (around 14 USD) and it could have been shared between two people.

KFC from a famous chain: Kyochon

Kyochon was founded in 1991 and is one of the big players of KFC. They have stores nationwide and even one in Shanghai and some in the continental US.

I visited their branch in Dongdaemun Market (ironically, above a KFC outlet), easy to reach from exit 6 of Dongdaemun metro station. It is a spacious casual restaurant with a menu rich of fried chicken options and open 24/7. The big difference from the previous entry is that the special flavors are embedded into the batter, so the spicy chicken does not come covered in sauce, but it is the batter itself that conveys the flavor.

I opted for the “half half” option, with half regular fried chicken with garlic seasoning and half spicy. You can choose whether to have a whole chicken or only drumsticks or sticks and wings,. I went for the all drumsticks option.

It is worth noting (and the staff will tell you) that the chicken will take 30 minutes to arrive. They make it on the spot. It actually took 20 minutes, but it was not peak time.

The chicken alone was 19,000 WON (around 17 USD) and it was totally worth. I am usually skeptical of chains, but they did deliver a great fried chicken. The spicy one was glorious (but you will need the pickles to contrast the spicy after-effect).

KFC from a popular pub in Hongdae

The final specimen came from a pub in an area very popular with young people called Hongdae. In this district you can find pubs offering fried chicken and beer every 10 meters.

I ended up in Oksang Dalbit (옥상달빛) to try their garlic pepper fried chicken.

Located on the second floor of a small building, this was a very casual pub filled with students.

Their thing is that the chicken arrives in flames (I believe they use vodka and fire it up).

This was a portion of boneless chicken. A bit sloppy, but still enjoyable.

The chicken cost me the usual, in this case 17,000 WON (around 14.8 USD).

In the end, the one offered by Kyochon was the better in my books, but I enjoyed the KFC experience in all of the above places.

Feasting on Korean high cuisine at La Yeon in Seoul

In my first trip to Seoul I aimed high and I had a dinner at La Yeon; regarded as one of the best restaurants of the South Korean capital, it has been repeatedly awarded three stars in the Michelin Guide for South Korea and is on the list of the 50 best restaurants in Asia.

I contacted the restaurant through their web form and after a bit of back and forth they accepted to reserve a table for me (but only at 6pm and near the entrance).

The visit

La Yeon (that I am being told means “celebration” in Korean) is located on the 23th floor of the luxurious Shilla Hotel, along with a French restaurant. The venue offers a beautiful view of the surrounding neighborhoods.

I arrived punctually as always and I was seated in one of the seven spacious tables (yes, near the entrance, but that was not an issue actually).

Upon arrival at the table, I was promptly offered some nibbles: dried dates and some sweet potatoes crackers. I found them quite forgettable and hardly touched them during the meal.

I had a further look at the menu, but I already knew what to order. Actually, choosing was remarkably simple since they only had two sets menus for dinner: one called The Feast and one called Shilla that included some richer dishes, a beef dish and their famed royal hotpot. You could add the hotpot and/or the one (or more) of the beef dishes to The Feast menu for an additional cost.

At the last moment, I decided to add both a beef dish and the royal hotpot to my selection and that was kind of stupid because I brought the cost of The Feast menu slightly above the price of their Shilla menu and lost one dish… I should have opted for the more expensive menu directly. The staff well avoided to advise me on this point…

The initial welcome dish was cold bean curd pudding (tofu) and an iced sauce made with soy and green plum (with a sour flavor). The combination of the flavors was very good.

The first dish of the menu was some sweet red shrimps on a base of cabbage and yuzu flavored soy jelly. The shrimps were really sweet and fresh and was an enjoyable, even if not great, dish.

Then there was a chicken porridge dish with ginseng. This is a classic Korean dish and it was served with some kimchi soup. I was advised to alternate the two. Overall a nice dish, but really nothing special (you can easily find this in Seoul).

The third dish was char-grilled eel with soy sauce and a light touch of red pepper paste. I did not like this dish much as the eel flavor was not particularly well balanced by the dressings.

Next I had a beef dish: a few bites of Korean beef ribeye with some vegetables and salad. The beef lived up to the reputation of high-grade Korean beef and was sensational. The beef was super tender and juicy.

Then I was served the famed royal hotpot. This could feed two people. It came beautifully presented in a small hotpot holder. The royal hotpot is basically a glorified soup with rich ingredients. I could recognize abalone, beef cubes, white fish, a couple of ginkgo seeds, but there was more. The dish is called sinseollo in Korean.

Then the main dish arrived with a contour of small side dishes Korean style. The main was mixed rice and vegetables with beef tartare. I love beef tartare and Korean have a reputation for raw beef meat, but this dish was completely disappointing. Apart from the boring side dishes and the unremarkable rice, the tartare came in the shape of cold strips of marinated beef. They were very cold and that killed the flavor.

The dessert was a scoop of corn ice cream on a base of crème brûlée. It was a nice dessert.

The very last dish was two bites of Korean jelly with cold cinnamon and ginger tea.

The check

Total check was 295,000 WON (around 260 USD). The royal hotpot added 60,000 WON (I have noticed that in the new menu this add on is 80,000 at the time of publishing this review). The basic The Feast menu cost 175,000 WON, while the Shilla menu was 270,000 WON and included a beef dish and the royal hotpot.

I need to agree with Andy Hayler that it is very low value for money.

Overall, my reception of the dishes was mixed. Some were really good, like the beef, but there were also many disappointments.

If you go in this restaurant, shoot for the higher priced menu. It does not make sense what I did (taking The Feast and paying for the add-ons). The Shilla menu has more interesting components.

Shame on me that did not plan well enough (but initially I did not consider to take the royal hotpot and the menu). But also shame on the staff that did not advise me (but their English was not great).

Where in Seoul:
Consult the hotel website for address, current menu and inquiries.
Tip: take a taxi to get to the hotel, it is not practical to go on foot as it is perched on a hill. They do have a shuttle bus from the metro station (Dongguk University) to the lobby, if you go this way, budget some extra time.