Category Archives: Sit-Down Dining

You Sure We Are In S. Korea Still?!

Tonight we celebrated a good friends birthday at Beaver’s Barbeque Restaurant located north of Dongducheon in Toekgo-ri. Toekgo-ri is about 20 kilometers south of the DMZ line. We all laughed after making the drive because it feels like you are really traveling into North Korea on the tiny unpaved curvy back roads. Beavers posted little Beaver logoed signs in various places on the road as well as signs that read, “sansok,” meaning deep in the mountains. If you ever get the chance to make the trip we Bee’s think that you will be pleased!

Beavers is located deep in the hillside outside of Camp Hovey one of the US military bases in this region. The owner, Mr. Lee, started his business out by catering to the local Korean community. Eventually business grew and the Soldiers stationed at the surrounding bases found this unique place nestled in the Korean hillside much like being back at home.

You notice we use the word unique for this barbeque joint. Ah yes, this brings us to the décor. At first glance this place looks very homey with a nice big woodstove in the center of the room. Wooden tables and chairs, pool tables dart boards, American music playing in the background, stacks of biker magazines on the shelves, along with other biker type memorabilia, outside decks, etc. Basically the overall feel is a typical American “tavern” feel. However, as your eyes start to adjust and you are looking around a bit more you notice there are a few adult pictures hanging on the walls as well as some interesting coat hangers. We will not go into detail as we have a third grade class reviewing most of our blog posts and pictures. Use your imagination or better yet… take a trip there!

So how is the food?! It is delicious! The menu is rather simple with the choices of seasoned mud snail or charcoal-grilled pork barbeque with hotdogs. Our group opted for the grilled pork barbeque with hotdogs. The sides that come with the meal are corn, potatoes, beans, coleslaw, macaroni salad, and more of Beavers BBQ sauce to dip in. Our friends said that you could also request a special rice dish as well if you wanted to throw in some Korean taste to the meal. So how much does the meal set you back? 15,000 won. 

Everything was delicious and really made us feel like we were back in the states!

Please enjoy the pictures!

We Ate What??

 

Tonight we had the pleasure of accompanying another great set of friends at a local spicy octopus restaurant called Kim Myongja Seafood. Yes, (Dad) you heard that right… we ate octopus and we really enjoyed it! I really enjoy spicy foods and this newly found love has been added to the list! 

The dish we ate tonight is called nak ji bok gum. Nak ji bok gum is an octopus stir-fried with vegetables and noodles in a moderately fiery sauce. Bok-gum dishes are typically stir-fried or sautéed, and served in heaping platters to be eaten with rice. The portion was large, large enough that we ended up taking some home. The fiery spice really starts to build so traditionally the Koreans serve spicy dishes with some sort of water kimchi or a plum juice called Eun Jin. At this restaurant we were served water kimchi, rice, and a boiled scrambled egg. Feel free to check out the pictures of the whole experience!

After dinner we took a stroll across the street to a local fresh market where we picked up Korean strawberries and a small Eun Jin to show you what it looks like.

Last night we walked about 4 or 5 miles around New City exploring. We went into a few stores and shops checking out everything they had to offer. We included a picture of my ice-cream treat too. The outside is a waffle much like an american ice-cream treat. The inside however has strawberry, red bean paste and wrapped in green tea.

Dino Meat Grill House

We went to a fun Korean BBQ restaurant tonight called Dino Meat Grill House in “New City” Dongducheon. Honestly, It really should be called Dino-mite meats because it’s absolutely fantastic! We Bee’s give this place two thumbs up! We enjoyed our meal with our two good travel buddies Hector and Doris.

We made sure to snap some pictures for our fellow blog followers so that they could partake in the experience as well.

Before entering the restaurant you remove your shoes and place them in or around the shoe slots.  We were immediately greeted and seated by the host. The seating is quaint and bit different as you sit on a small flat pillow on the floor.

Next the server will bring you an array of sides that consist of salads, various sauces, whole garlic cloves, and of course kimchi. Foreigners prep yourself utensils only consist of metal chopsticks and a long handled soupspoon.

Next you take your silver tray and head up to the meat buffet. At the meat buffet you are hand selecting your own meats with metal tongs. The meat options consisted of beef ribs, pork galbi, samgyeopsal, sausages, thinly sliced marinated beef (reminding us of chopped cheese steak meat), and meat patties. We have to note again that the meat is seasoned and flavored FANTASTICLLY! Oh and that you can select as much or as little of the meats you want. However we also must inform you that you will be charged if you take meat that you do not eat. This cuts down on people acting solely on eyes and not stomachs.

Now it’s time to start up your tables grill. The grill takes about 5 – 10 minutes to get warmed up. This is where we thought it reminded us of the Melting Pot or a Brazilian steakhouse in the states. Each table comes equipped with its own grill. We were able to gather some quick tips from the teens that were grilling and chilling to the left of us. Don’t worry if you get stuck or need some sides replenished, you simply press the “call button” that is located on your table for the wait staff.

Thirsty? Glad you mentioned it! At Dino meats you can opt for various Korean beverages both alcoholic and non

So how much cabbage is this place going to set you back? Get ready for this…. 14,000 won per person! What a steal for all the meat you can eat! Remember, no tipping, the price you see is the price you pay, end of story.

Mindalay Restaurant in Yangju, Bibimbap

So tonight we went to Mindalay Restaurant in Yangju with some friends. The restaurant is located just off of highway 3 in Yangju. Walking up to the restaurant it looks like a small cottage, more like something you would find in Germany. Inside there are large wooden tables (any restaurant that has tables is a huge plus) and dark wooden floors, really giving you the quaint tavern feel. They specialize in Bibimbap which translated means “mixed meal”. Basically you take all these side dishes that come out and mix them in your bowl of rice; then add Gojujang (red pepper paste) and sesame seed oil to taste. Mix it all up and eat it.

The meal started out with a glass of Red Lambrusco wine and some pre-meal side dishes; mushrooms soaked in soy sauce and sprinkled with sesame seeds, candied figs (which were EXCELLENT) sweet and sour pork with onions peppers and carrots, grilled beef with onions, carrots and green peppers, a leafy vegetable that was coated with Gojujang and soy sauce, and pumpkin soup. Once we were done with the pre-meal sides the main side dishes and spicy bean soup were brought out. While we were finishing the Bibimbap they brought us out the cooked rice water which was boiled water that was added to the rice cooker to loosen the remaining rice; this is a Korean tradition that is not used much in homes due to teflon coated rice cookers. At the end of the meal we were brought out a “refreshing” drink (plum drink) that was supposed to sooth the mouth from the strong food tastes and pepper paste. It tasted like a cool tea that was very light and had the color of a green tea. We were also served Korean style coffee (instant cappuccino with hot water added).

All in all this is one of our favorite bibimbap restaurants; it is slightly expensive for the amount of sides and portions that you get but we give it two thumbs up for sure. Mainly due to the fact that we liked ALL of the side dishes and items. Total cost 54,000 Korean WON KRW (for 4 people) about $12.00 per person, and this is the TOTAL price since you don’t leave a tip in Korea. We will absolutely be returning here especially if we are showing new people to the area.