Tag Archives: Steak

Uncle Tomato and Turkey

I know what you are thinking, first what in the world is on that menu? Doesn’t rice ball flying fish spawn sound delightful? Ha-Ha! Second, I’m not really seeing tomatoes, Uncles, or Turkey in these photos. Okay, maybe one tomato in that salad. Hmmm… You’re correct.

The restaurant that I enjoyed a dinner date at with my dear friend Mary is called, Uncle Tomato. The restaurant offers a decent sized menu and quaint atmosphere. You can order anything from pasta, pizza, steaks and salads. There was something for everyone and in Korea that sometimes is the challenge. We kept pondering why didn’t we go here before?

Unfortunately and fortunately Mary and her family are moving to Turkey in the next few days. Now the puzzle pieces are coming together. I say unfortunately because this woman has become a sister to me and the selfish thoughts of loosing her, her friendship, love and family all currently and conveniently within a quick stroll down the road, is going to break my heart. I say fortunately because TURKEY!!! Come onnnnn the food, travel, meditation lifestyle! I’m so there! Making my plans as we speak, of course after I was extended the invite 😉 (Thank you Mary and family!)

More fun and special moments shared….

Not only have I watched these two beautiful children grow, you have too! Can you believe how grown up the are already? It really puts time into perspective. Eek! I miss them already! Guess I better keep saving those coins for my Turkey trip to see them again soon!

Backpackbees

Uncle Tomato
719, Jihaeng-dong 2F-#201, Pine Hans Bldg., Dongducheon, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
031-865-0999

Good Friends

The other night, we went to dinner with our friends to celebrate their “wedding anniversary”.

It was so great getting to meet new friends as well as their mother that flew into town.

I failed to take any good photos of the dinner… Tsk…I know. I was caught up in the conversations and laughter.

Dinner was amazing! (Oliva Garden, what a cute play on words, reminds me of a stateside chain….hmmm)

Good friends are the best!

Directions to the restaurant:

Oliva retaurant is conveniently located around the corner from the US embassy and just one block west of Gyeongbokgun Palace.

If you are traveling by subway, go to Gyeongbokgun Station, and walk out exit 3. Walk straight for about 5-7 minutes (about 100m) and you will see the restaurant on the right side about 1-2 minutes PAST the starbucks. If you reach an LG Digital store, you have JUST past the restaurant.

35-28 Tongui-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea
서울 종로구 통의동 35-28
+82 2-733-3056

http://www.oliva.kr/

Backpackbees

Yook hwe

EEK! How in the world is it already Tuesday night?! Please! Someone tell me how we already flew straight past the first part of the December month? It seems as though ready or not, The holidays are coming full speed at us! This means we Bees are only a few days shy of making our trip back to the states for the holidays.

Speaking of ready and Christmas, I’ve got to tell you, that Mr. B makes me feel so unprepared sometimes! This man has his entire luggage packed for the trip and even has it sitting by the front door. Bless his little heart. On the flip side there is pokey little me who hasn’t even thought about packing or anything related to that subject. You’ve got to believe when I say this is completely not my style. Perhaps my brain is on holiday overload right now? Or perhaps i’m just choosing to stay in my little bubble of denial. Well, whatever the case I guess I better get a move on it here!

I’m a teeny bit behind in blogging from our past weekend too. See holiday overload line above. I’ll just jump right into it for you now.

This is Yook hwe. (Sorry vegetarians blog followers). This dish just intrigued me way to much not document a photo to share with the rest of you.

What is Yook hwe? Yook hwe is basically like a steak tartar, only this is a Korean dish. The dish traditionally is served with thin slices of a juicy asian pear, salt, sesame oil, and sesame seeds. And uh yes, we actually tried the dish….we lived to tell the tale…and we actually really liked it. Folks you know by now we are strange birds.

We traveled down South for a holiday get together with some fantastic friends. It was so nice to catch up, chit-chat, laugh, and of course eat! And gosh did we eat! The food just kept coming and coming!

Wishing you all the best the last few days before the magical day of Christmas is here!

VIPS

After a pretty eventful and exhausting weekend of scuba diving lessons we find ourselves already well into Sunday evening. Really, where does the time go?? Do all of you feel that the weekends come and go in the blink of an eye? Hopefully you do get to take some time to yourself and think about all of the blessings that you have in your life.

Today’s Mrs. B’s birthday! To celebrate we decided to try out a more “westernized” restaurant called VIPS. VIPS comes highly recommended from a close “foodie” friend so naturally we are eager to try it out and possibly score some comfort foods reminding us of home. The restaurant is located right on highway 3 in downtown Uijeongbu. VIPs is known for pretty tasty steaks and a HUGE delicious saladbar! After enjoying our dinner there we have to agree.

If you can’t find something at this place to eat…I’m not sure you will find anything, anywhere, in South Korea. They offer just about everything on the saladbar! We are talking pizza, cook to ordered pasta, fruits, soups, various veggie dishes, various salads, make your own tacos, make your own bibimbap, frozen green tea and vanilla yogurt, an espresso bar, an assortment of seafood, and so much more!

Right off the bat this place is a bit pricier, however you can opt to just get the salad bar buffet and truly you will leave just as fat and happy. The steak prices range depending on your preference and cut. The saladbar price might seem a bit steep but like we said, they offer just about everything on it!

We really enjoyed the family atmosphere of the restaurant. There were so many families dinning together and it made us think of home and our families. We miss you guys and wish you could all be here to enjoy all of our special moments in South Korea. Part of the way through the meal a younger Korean family was sat next to us with the sweetest little girls that entertained us with their VIPS balloons. They also were incredibly generous and snapped a quick picture of our group for our blog.

Here is to another great dinner down in the blog!

Interested in checking out VIPS? Feel free to check out the website: http://www.ivips.co.kr/