Food

What  a pleasure.

Korean food is unforgettable.

The chilly Autumn into Winter draughts are sharp and biting. So, when Lou and Mee Sing suggested that we go for Korean barbecue it was a unanimous applause. Back home we also do frequent some Korean outlets for it but it was good to taste local concoction.

The warm fire around us for cooking meat was helpful in keeping us warm and cozy. The barbecued meat was also above class and the portions we had never seemed to be enough. So it was order after order. Typical of its local hospitality, we were first served with kim chi and other locally flavoured marinates. The dinner was truly yummy, befitting the best of tastes.

On another occasion,the sister said that we must eat the local chicken soup. It was high on her recommendation list and the rain did not deter our trip to this quaint eatery called tosokchon restaurant.

See the array of umbrellas ? Almost everyone after the Kim Chi exhibition trotted there including us.

The eatery was a typical Korean set up and packed with the good food eaters.

The small whole chicken must have been double-boiled for a fair bit of time because it was so soft and succulent. The important ingredient was the ginseng root served in generous portion. Mee Sing practically took a whole stick and offered me some. I also ate the root though I do not normally do that. I would have gladly just consume the soup and be satisfied. Pepper is inevitable and other herbs were added. Believe it or not, the consumption of ginseng and loads of chinese tea cause a sleepless night for me. The eyes and mind were wide awake and I had to trace back to the root cause of my alertness. Take ginseng if you need to drive in the night.

The surprise bit is the presence of rice in the stomach and when split open it was a sight indeed. The rice had turned congee-like and though Lou never likes the mucky stuff, he nevertheless conceded to eating it and actually enjoyed it. Grace Lau would love it.

So this is how a portion can look like. See the ginseng and ginkgo? 

It was different and quite heavenly.

Truly glad that we had this samgyetang.

 Besides the coveted samgyetang delicacy, we also tried locally fried chicken. The chicken surely is fatless and that made eating not so guilty but I still prefered the soupy version.

In the streets of Seoul, Mee Sing suggested some street food and almost every hawker served the fish family cakes whether round or flat in shape. Very appropriate for chilly weather.

That's silk worm wrapped up in rice pancakes. 

No, we did not try. 

Had enough of that in Phnom Penh.

 Sister insisted again to try mung bean pancake instead.

When in Seoul you cannot return home without first taking the pancake.

The womenfolk wrapped themselves in warm clothes to brace the cold and carried out the task of preparing the cakes.

As depicted in its name, the pancake is mostly made of beans together with spices and chives.

It was on the oily side but still finger licking good. Yes, it is pleasantly different.

This is the bibimbap rice. Simple concoction.

 Fresh local rice, seaweed, vegetables and fried eggs.

Truly simple. 

It must be accompanied by a special bean sauce like our local tomato sauce but not exactly the same in taste but in looks. Without that there is no show.

Next it's mixing them well and then eat.

This can also be equated to our local 'lei cha'; a hakka mixed vegetable rice concoction popular among the local older generation.

In a late evening, we also visited a street eatery and once again wanted to try another cuisine.

 The appetizers are mouth watery and taste excellent.

Toufu, seaweed and Kim Chi again.

Kim Chi is Korean/

This pork served in salad and hot spicy soup. Equally platable. Everything we tasted was good.

At Insadong, behind this building where the workshops were, we tried another version of the unforgettable bibimbap dish.

 Again before meal proper we were served local appetizers.

This outlet serves it with meat and marinated cucumber and bitter gourd.

I would say this is a better version and so I learn that bibimbap can be served in various ways but the ultimate bean sauce cannot be replaced. We decided that we should also purchase the sauce and bring it home with us.

Why? You may ask.

We also had a version of our own; that's where the bean sauce came in handy.

We had anchovies based soup with fish ball and fresh lettuce together with our bibimbap rice.

What was the verdict?

Maybe I will serve to friends one day.

Let them say,

We put on quite a bit after the gourmet treats.

There is a grave need to lose those pounds.

Korean Food is unforgettable.