Notes on our trip in Seoul can be seen here and shopping in Seoul can be read here

Gosh.. I’m hungry now just thinking about writing this note. It’s 22.34 and such a perfect time to nibble before sleep. Hahaha. We came to Seoul with a handful restaurants list that we wanted to try. Yet we didn’t manage to visit all of them simply because we’re too tired to walk the distance. One restaurant we didn’t manage to try was Tosokchon, famous for its samgyetang. I have to be honest that I’m still regretting our my decision not to go back to the area.

Most of the time we dined at whichever food court / restaurant we saw interesting. By interesting I mean a nearly full house / the number of people queueing if it’s at a food court. Even we had a stroller with us, we were up for the adventure by going to small restaurants where we had to leave our stroller outside. Lol. All for the sake of food. We also didn’t bother to check for a high chair as somehow Nathan was eating well most of the time. He sat on my lap and ate in a good manner. That well that he didn’t spoil his bib. Traveling magic?

Disclaimer: I’m not a food blogger so I don’t have names for most of this restaurants. I also don’t have the exact address for most of them and decent photos. Most of the times we’re so hungry that we forget to take a photo. Walking makes you hungry indeed…

Hadongkwan (link here)

Myeongdong area

Upon entering this restaurant, you’ll be asked to choose from 4 dishes. Actually one dish with 4 filling (price) variations. Regular beef soup, special, extra special and extra extra special. Ok, I made those up but it was something along that line. We ordered the cheapest beef soup and the one above it to see what’s different. Apparently the regular (cheapest) beef soup only has meat and the slightly more expensive has other parts.

Hadongkwan Beef Soup

This was one of the best dishes we had in Seoul. The beef soup was so clear yet flavoursome. Nathan loved eating this and was so upset when I took his bowl for top up. One tip, go for breakfast because it’s open early morning until late afternoon. And because it’s nice to fill up with a warm dish for a busy shopping day.

Myeongdong Kyoja

Similar to Hadongkwan, Myeongdong Kyoja only has 4 dishes. Handcut noodle in soup, noodle in soya soup, noodle with spicy sauce and mandu (dumplings). We both love noodles so we opted for 2 bowls of handcut noodles and a portion of mandu. I would love to try the spicy noodle but as I had to share with Nathan, it wasn’t an option. Next time I will!

Myeongdong Kyoja

It was so good!! Seriously, all the soup dishes we had in Seoul was really good. It’s always tasty but not over the top. I initially thought that the portion was too big but I actually wanted to have a second bowl if they can serve half portion. Haha. We came in around 7.30pm and it was full throughout. But people eat and leave so don’t be afraid just show up and dine.

Myeongdong Kyoja, last meal in Seoul

The tiny restaurant behind Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art

We met up with Phodi’s colleague, Jun and his lovely family for a Saturday lunch. We said we wanted something authentically Korean. They brought us to this TINY restaurant behind MMCA, near the Gyeongbokgung Palace. It was TINY TINY. The restaurant only fit 12 people max. 2 on bar stools with street view + 10 on long table tatami style. The entrance of the restaurant is straight to the kitchen and on the left side are the 2 stools and the tatami area.

tiny restaurant behind MMCA Seoul

half of the restaurant. On the right side (same width) is the kitchen

Jun ordered for us some Kimbap (spicy and regular) and 2 bowl of soups. Nathan who just woke up from 1+ hour nap in the park enjoyed his lunch. He loves nori so Kimbap became our go-to food/snack for Nathan during our trip.

with Jun and his lovely family

Noryangjin Fish Market

We had a dinner date here with our Melbourne friend, Icasia, who’s currently studying language in Seoul. Ica said none of her friends are interested to go so (hopefully) she’s happy that we asked here to bring us here. We’re lucky that the market has moved to a new building. The old building, located in front of the new one, was definitely not appealing.

They moved in February 2016 and it definitely felt new. Yet it’s a fish market so expect wet floors. The smell, on the other hand, was ok. Just be ready for water splashes as the sellers like to show off their sales. I had mini heart attack when a seller suddenly pull a lobster out of the aquarium and almost drench our stroller. Luckily Nathan was asleep in Ergo. Also be aware with fish killing that might happen. They will take out your fish, put it on a scale, if it’s ok, they’ll hammered the fish’s head and chop chop. Ouch.

Lots of fishes, jumbo crabs, lobsters, various clams, abalone (crazy cheap!!), and lots more seafood that we didn’t recognise. Too bad we had language barriers that we couldn’t ask for more information. Sea urchin (uni) was very popular and thus, cheap. I think it was ₩10,000 (A$ 11) for 4. I remember eating one in Melbourne and it was almost tripled in price.

On stalls with sashimi service, you choose your fish, choose the serving size and they’ll prepare your sashimi right here and now. Otherwise, you can bring your seafood to one of the restaurants upstairs. More likely you’ll be approached by a staff who will help you to choose and bargain. That’s our guy in the middle. He speaks 4/5 languages, definitely to cater tourists like us.

Once you find your seller, choose your seafood and bargain. Can’t bargain too much though as their price is competitive anyway. Then the restaurant guy will lead you to his restaurant and explain the pricing scheme. Our was free for sashimi, ₩5,000 for steam / boil / grill and ₩3,000 charge per head for plates. Silly us for not asking these beforehand. Like what could we do now that our seafood’s in his hands??

dinner with Ica! – suspicious baby who just woke up

We came here with one particular mission: eating octopus sashimi. When I was 12, my dad went to Seoul for the first time and he told me of how he ate octopus sashimi. Too bad I couldn’t try it as I’m pregnant. Ica and Phodi tried it and here’s their reaction:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbXczkMY_R4

TBH I’m glad that I didn’t have to try it. Those tentacles look like worms! Yuck. But Phodi and Ica said that it wasn’t that special apart from fighting to get them away from the chopsticks. Oh well… at least they’ve tried it.

Korean BBQ

When in Korea, eat Korean BBQ for sure!! What surprised us is the fact that we were not allowed to mix pork and beef on the same grill. Here in Indonesia (and also in Australia), we could mix everything on the grill. Beef, pork, chicken, seafood, whatever. The waitresses were equally surprised when we asked why. It was like us asking why the sun rises from the east. LOL.

Our first Korean BBQ was in the lively Jongno-Gu. After we walked along the Cheonggyecheon Stream, we found a hype alleys area in Jongno-Gu and randomly chose a restaurant. Busy, packed with locals, pictures on menu… all good. So there we had our first Korean BBQ in Seoul. We accidentally burnt our pork belly and the ahjuma exchanged it with the new one. After a long and deep sigh that is. Sorry!!

Namdaemun Noodle Alley

I’ve mentioned the alley here. It’s really just an alley with noodle stalls on its sides. Pick your stall, order and start eating. It’s either noodles or bibimbap. Easy peasy!

feel free to ask for extras

making hand cut noodle

Lotte Foodcourt

We didn’t have time to eat in (who wants to cook anyway!!) but looking at this fresh produce at Lotte Supermarket was satisfying. And they sold a whole box of uni for A$10 / Rp. 100.000. WANT!! (But can’t)

KIMCHIIIII

And saying bye-bye to this…

So we settled with tamago nigiri and strawberries!!! Korean sweet strawberries which Nathan looooove.

and on other day, some Bibimbap and mandu for dinner.

close up look

Korean Fried Chicken

With all the craze about Korean fried chicken, we wanted to try what the locals have. After our walk along the Hangang River, we found this busy bar-like stall that only sells fried chicken. Thanks to the help of a friendly local, she ordered us a non-spicy box which turned out to be spicy. Poor Nathan for he only ate pickled raddish, bread and small sausage for the night (bad mom alert). Luckily he was entertained by the colourful Banpo Bridge view outside.

A Japanese cafe in Insadong with only 3 items on the menu

What to do when a cafe only have 3 items on its menu list? You order all! A pork cutlet curry, cold soba and a salad. The cafe was lovely too with lots of air and lights coming in. We enjoyed it.

Conclusion…

We love Seoul!! Thank you for the delicious food, the lovely weather and for showing us that technology and culture can live side by side. I was truly mesmerized each time I stood in an ancient site and seeing high rises buildings in the background. And even more amazed when I saw young people wearing hanbok freely on the streets. Things that never happened in Indonesia during ordinary days. Thank you for reminding me to be proud of my own culture.

surrounded by Korean girls in their hanbok

And as for Nathan, we loved seeing him exploring each day. Not wasting a day without outings to the park where he ran or just playing with sand. We noticed that he was replicating the activities he did at home. For example, he was moving the sand from his side to over the rope fence. He was so into it that 2 brothers came over and curiously watching then following him. Hahaha. Their mom was looking at us like “WHAT IS YOUR KID DOING?!!!” but we’re happy that he could create a game on his own.

the world is a playground

Until next time, Seoul! We’ll be back.

airport shot – bye Seoul!

Pea Soup

• 1 cup of frozen peas, steamed
• 1 corn
• 1 carrot, cubed
• 3 slices of smoked ham, cut to small pieces and trim fat.
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 onion, thinly sliced
• 3-4 cups of chicken stock - depending on your desired consistency
• 1 tablespoon of oil
  
• dried oregano, to taste
• dried parsley, to taste
• garlic powder, to taste
• salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Blend steamed peas with some chicken stock, set aside.
2. Heat oil in a pan, stir fry garlic and onion until fragrant.
3. Add smoked ham, stir fry until almost crispy.
4. Add pureed peas, corn, carrot and chicken stock. Cook on low heat until carrot is cooked through.
5. Season with oregano, parsley, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
6. Adjust taste and consistency. Add more chicken stock if required, cook to boil.
7. Serve and enjoy!

I love Mac and Cheese. In fact I love pasta. Be it cream based like Carbonara or oil based like Aglio Olio, I’m up for it. However I always try to “health up” my pasta especially now that N is eating the same dish. So here’s my toddler version of Mac and Cheese.

Mac Carrot and Cheese

• 1 serve of macaroni, boiled as per instruction and drained
• 1 sausage, cut small.
• 1 cube of puréed carrot
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 onion, thinly sliced
• cheese, to taste
• 1 tablespoon of oil
  
• a pinch of pepper, to taste
• some broccoli, steamed

Instructions

1. Boil macaroni as per instruction and drain, set aside.
2. Steam broccoli, set aside.
3. Heat oil in a pan, stir fry garlic and onion until fragrant.
4. Add sausage, cooked macaroni, pureed carrot and cheese. Mix well.
5. Season with pepper to taste.
6. Serve with steamed broccoli on the side and enjoy!

Note:

1. Alternatively, the broccoli can be cut into small pieces and mixed into the dish. N loves steamed broccoli and eats them like chips so I leave them as is.

2. Depending on the consistency of the carrot puree, the dish might be a bit dry. Add a splash of milk to make it creamier.

Fried rice (nasi goreng) is my dad’s speciality. He likes to treat us by cooking his version of fried rice for breakfast. Back when I was younger, my dad would make it even more special by making a nasi goreng wrap. The wrap is nasi goreng wrapped in a thin layer of egg crepe. I remember that his egg crepe was always so thin and pretty looking goldish yellow. Sometimes he made it even more special by adding a sunny side up with runny yolk that would run when we cut it open. So so good!

Anyway, my husband and I love to cook his recipe at our own kitchen because it’s so easy and quick. We could make this dish within 10 minutes and it’s always so delicious. For our version though, we like to add a bit of greens (usually choy sum) just to make it feel healthier. Heheh.

Easy Fried Rice

• 2 servings of cooked rice, refrigerated for at least 2 hours
• 150 gram of smoked ham, cut small. Trim the fat for oil.
• 1 egg, beaten
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoon of oil - Alternatively, use the fat from smoked ham
• a pinch of pepper, to taste
• 2 stalks choy sum, cut to an inch (optional)

Instructions

1. Heat oil (or smoked ham fat) in a wok and stir fry garlic until fragrant.
2. Add egg, wait until it’s slightly cooked and scramble it.
3. Add smoked ham and cooked rice, vigorously flatten them so rice are separated. Use high heat to fry the rice.
4. Season with pepper to taste.
5. Serve and enjoy!

From the moment my mom knows that I’m pregnant, she has told me to drink air kacang hijau (boiled mung bean water) because she said it’s good and beneficial for the baby. After I did some research, apparently mung bean really is nutritious. So instead of just drinking the water (from the boiled mung beans), I went a bit further and made this bubur kacang hijau (mung bean porridge).

Bubur kacang hijau is definitely one comforting dish, suitable for snacks as well as desserts. It can also be served either hot or cold. While some people like to mix the coconut milk straight away into the dish but I prefer to add the coconut milk just before I eat the meal. I treat the coconut milk like sauce and of course, everyone has different preference for his sauce.

If you’re in need for a comforting dish, this would be the one. Otherwise, you can try my bubur ketan hitam (black glutinous rice) recipe here.

Bubur Kacang Hijau

• 1 cup mung beans
• 3/4 cup palm sugar, thinly sliced
• a pinch of salt
• 200 ml coconut milk
• 2 cups water
• 1 pandan leaf

Instructions

1. In a pan, boil mung beans with pandan leaf and water. Simmer on low heat for 30 minutes.
2. Add more water if necessary, until the beans are completely soft and cooked.
3. Once cooked, add salt and palm sugar. When the sugar is completely melted, take off heat.
4. In a small pan, heat coconut milk and add a pinch of salt. Once boiled, take off heat.
5. Serve bubur kacang hijau in a bowl and drizzle with coconut milk to taste.

Cooking udang goreng mentega (buttered fried prawn) was a pleasure for me. It brought back memories to the time when my mom used to cooked this dish. Back then, I always have regret each time I finished eating this dish which was my hurting throat. This was of course, because I loved to scrap down the buttery sauce. It was so good that I couldn’t stop myself!

Udang Goreng Mentega (Buttered Fried Prawn)

• 300 grams prawns, head removed and deveined
• 1 lime, to soak the prawns
• 4 tablespoon butter
• 5 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 onion, sliced
• 5 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 4 tablespoon sweet soy sauce
• a pinch of pepper
• oil, to stir fry

Instructions

1. Soak prawns in lime juice for 15 minutes then wash prawns.
2. Stir fry prawn in oil, set aside.
3. In a pan, heat oil over medium heat, stir fry garlic and onion until onion is translucent.
4. Add sweet soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce, mix well.
5. Return prawns into the pan, add pepper and mix well.
6. Take off heat and the dish is ready to be served!

Other than chicken noodle (bakmie ayam), my man loves hainanese chicken rice. So it is fitting that after I finally get my bakmi ayam recipe right (can be found here), I then try to get this recipe right as well. The verdict, one happy husband and a satisfied wife. Haha.

This dish is very easy, simple and relatively cheap. The only let down is the lengthy cooking time because you’ll need to have the chicken stock ready before cooking your rice. The approximate cooking time is 1,5 – 2 hours, depending on your rice cooker cooking time. However you can always cook this dish in bigger portion and fridge it for next meal.

While the recipe is loooong, it is actually very simple. Let me know if you have tried this recipe through comment box below or tag me on instagram @jessneva.

Enjoy!

Hainanese Chicken Rice

1. Hainanese Chicken:

• 4-6 chicken thighs, on the bone
• 5 cm ginger, sliced
• water, enough to cover chicken by 2 cm
• salt, to taste

Instructions

1. In a large pot, boil water and ginger over medium high heat.
2. Trim excess fat and skin on the chicken, and gently score the meat near the bone. Keep the bone attached.
3. Once water is boiling, add chicken and salt. Add water if necessary to cover the chicken.
4. Let boil for 15 minutes then remove the white/brown scum and fat produced on the soup using ladle.
5. Reduce heat to medium low and let simmer for 25 minutes, then check if the chicken is cooked. To check this, removed chicken from soup and poke the chicken. If clear liquid comes out, the chicken is cooked otherwise continue cooking.
6. When cooked, remove from heat and drain the chicken. Slice chicken thighs and set aside.

2. Hainanese Rice:

• 8 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 cups uncooked Jasmine Rice, washed
• 3 cm ginger, sliced
• 2,5 cups chicken broth (from part 1) to cook rice (or depending on your usual rice cooker measurement)
• a pinch of salt, to taste

Instructions

1. In a frying pan, heat sesame oil and vegetable oil. Add garlic and sauté until garlic is brown. Remove and set aside. This will be used in cooking the rice (this part) and the soy dipping sauce (part 3).
2. In the same frying pan, add 3/4 part of the fried garlic above, ginger slices and the uncooked rice. Stir fry for about 5 minutes over medium high heat.
3. Transfer the “fried” rice into a rice cooker and add the chicken broth and salt. The amount of broth should follow your usual rice cooking measurement. Remember that we’re aiming for fluffy hainanese rice.

3. Soy dipping sauce:

• Fried garlic (from part 2)
• 2 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 3-4 tablespoon chicken broth (from part 1)

Instructions

1. In a bowl, mix al ingredients and set aside

4. Ginger dipping sauce:

• 8 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 stalks of green onion, finely chopped
• 3 cm ginger, finely chopped
• 5 tablespoon vegetable oil
• a pinch of salt

Instructions

1. In a bowl, mix al ingredients and set aside

Steamed egg is another comforting and delicious dish that I love to cook. It’s simple and quick to prepare, and most of time I have all the ingredients needed. When I have stock (usually from soup leftover), I will happily use it in lieu of water. I however use water most of the time and it always tastes as good.

Sometimes when I’m more carefully and patient, I’ll make sure that the mixture have no bubble in the surface to create that silky smooth egg custard. To achieve a smooth surface and minimize the bubbles;

1. Stir egg using chopsticks using cutting movement.
2. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve will minimize bubbles.
3. If there are still some bubbles left, use the back of a spoon to flatten it.
4. Cover and seal the dish when steaming so no evaporating droplets will fall and cause bubbles.

Now, you can see that mine isn’t looking smooth and pretty. You can clearly see that I was tight with time and feeling hungry already… and my rice is cooked. Let’s eat!

Steamed Egg with Minced Pork

• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1/2 carrot, thinly sliced using peeler and finely chopped

For egg custard mixture:

• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup of water or stock
• 1/2 tablespoon Chinese cooking wine
• 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce

For minced pork marinade:

• 150 gram minced pork
• 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1/2 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1/2 tablespoon Chinese cooking wine
• a pinch of pepper
• 1 stalk green onion, finely chopped

Instructions

1. In a bowl, combine all the pork marinade and mix well. Leave to rest for at least 10 minutes.
2. In another bowl, break egg using chopsticks. Add the other ingredients and strain the mixture through a fine sieve.
3. Heat a pan in medium heat. Stir fry the marinated minced pork and break it into smaller pieces using spatula. Ensure that the meat is cooked through.
4. Take the meat off heat and arrange it in a shallow bowl / plate. Pour the egg mixture over meat and top with the finely chopped carrots. Flatten any bubbles with the back of a spoon.
5. Cover the bowl with a cling wrap.
6. Steam the dish over high heat for about 15 minutes. To test if the dish is cooked, insert a chopstick into the middle of the mixture. If clear liquid comes out, it is cooked.

Oyakodon is chicken and egg rice bowl. In Japanese, Oyako means parent and child so it’s indeed a smart word play to name this seasoned chicken and egg rice bowl (donburi). I made this dish following my Japanese week in the kitchen and this is one of the easiest dishes I’ve made in the kitchen.

The whole dish is oil free and is boiled. It’s basically a one pan dish (which I love due to little washing) and it’s fairly quick. The recipe here is for one bowl because it’s easier to do so. Multiply the recipe to the amount of serve your require. Don’t forget to cook some jasmine rice to go with the Oyako or otherwise it won’t be Oyakodon without the “don”.

Enjoy!

Oyakodon

• 1 chicken thigh, cut small into bite size
• 60 ml /4 tablespoon Dashi (Japanese stock)
• 1/2 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1/2 tablespoon Mirin
• 1/4 onion, thinly sliced
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 green onion

Instructions

1. Add dashi, sugar, soy sauce and mirin in a pan. Heat until boiling.
2. Reduce heat to medium, add onion and cook for a minute.
3. Add chicken pieces and cook for around 4 minutes until chicken is cooked.
4. Pour egg over the chicken and onion. Cover and cook for a minute.
5. Prepare rice in a bowl, ready to go with the chicken and egg.
6. Take off heat and pour the mixed chicken and egg over your rice bowl. Garnish with green onion.

Bakut Sayur Asin (Pork Ribs with Pickled Mustard Green) is my dad’s favourite dish whenever he comes to Bandung. Not any Bakut will do and his favourite is Bakut Ahon at Pasir Kaliki. Bakut or Paikut is actually pork spare ribs, while the pickled mustard green is what the name implies. In Indonesia, pickled mustard green can be easily found in supermarkets and if you’re overseas, it can be found at Asian groceries in the fresh/chiller section.

I love to make this dish because it’s so easy to cook and always turns out yummy. I love using my slow cooker to cook this dish because I prefer super tender ribs rather to chewy ones. But really mainly because I don’t like the idea of checking on the pot every now and then. However the dish is totally doable on a conventional pot which will take about 2 hours to cook. Towards the end of your cooking, don’t forget to reduce the oil by either cooling the pot and then scrap the oil using spoon or use oil absorbing paper.

Bakut Sayur Asin

• 500 grams pork spare ribs
• 5 garlic cloves
• pickled mustard green, cut into 2-3cm pieces
• water, enough to cover spare ribs by about 2cm
• a pinch of salt, to taste

Instructions

1. To reduce the saltiness of the pickled mustard green, stir fry the pickles in a pan over medium heat. Take off heat once the pickles is a turning dry.
2. Put garlic, pickles and cleaned spare ribs in a slow cooker (or conventional pot), and cover with water up by about 2cm. Turn on slow cooker and cover for 5-6 hours until meat is tender. If using conventional pot, turn the heat to medium high until boiling then reduce the heat to simmer and cover the pot. Let cook for 2 hours or until meat is tender.
3. Reduce the oil by spooning the surface or use oil absorbing paper.