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Charlie’s Wok

Typically I brown bag it everyday at work, however a building mate asked me if I’d like to join him for lunch nearby at a friends restaurant. Although my peanut-butter, banana, topped off with local honey on whole wheat sounded very satisfying, lol, I said sure!

So we went to Charlie’s Wok, an American Chinese restaurant, where I was introduced the main man himself, Charlie.

The restaurant is located off the Main Street and tucked away in an alley near the Bosan subway station and US Army installation Camp Casey. When we pulled up to park, I quickly realized why I had never seen the restaurant before, it was because of the discreet location.

Don’t let the unassuming exterior and location fool you, once we stepped inside my nose immediately told my belly that I was in for a treat. I learned that the food is always freshly made after you order, so be prepared for a bit of wait. You do have the option to place a take out order, as well as call ahead to place your order to eat dine in. If Charlie isn’t available, the restaurant does not open, it is a one man wok show. You see the pride Charlie takes in his food quality, the prices are very reasonable and you are served generous portions.

^
I ordered a 2 entrée combo meal because I couldn’t decide between the beef with broccoli, and General Tso’s chicken. With the combo you also decide if you’d like fried rice, or chow mien. I ordered chow mien based off of recommendation. The recommendation was spot on!

^Building mate’s garlic chicken and General Tso’s chicken

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Overall, I was pleasantly pleased with my order. The menu offers a small variety of standard Chinese American staple choices and price points. Sure, this isn’t a gourmet 5 star restaurant, but it definitely is a great little neighborhood find!

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Enjoy!

Give Charlie a call! 031-866-8656

Backpackbees

Last Weekend

You must excuse me for the lack of post from last weekend. The majority of our July has been spent staying outside until the last very last second possible, or until the rain moves in. We are in monsoon season here in S.Korea so getting out and about when the sun is shining is imperative if you are trying to squeeze every ounce of “clear” sky out of the dwindling summer.

We trekked slowly up the base of Soyosan to marvel at the lush green trees. Soyosan is prime people watching too! During the hot season’s Korean’s often lounge and cool themselves in the trickling streams that come off the base of the mountain. You never know what you might see or get invited to join.

Don’t worry we’ve been properly hydrating with lemon water and practically turning into rabbits nibbling on all of our vegetable greens. (Beats turning on the oven in the humidity and heat).

I have a new Korean friendship blossoming and we enjoyed a really nice dinner together at a unique little restaurant near both of our homes. We dined on duck and a soup made of perilla leaves.

Not familiar with perilla leaves? Don’t worry it is most likely because it grows in Korea, China, Nepal and India. It’s a flavor I really cannot explain. The taste is quite pungent and has a nutty peppery taste to it. It is a herb that is often referred to a wild sesame. I was told that this heart-shaped leaf is a Korean staple and you can find it almost year round served in Korean homes. Plus it gets better! Of course it has healing components to it as well. If you are feeling tired, suffer from frequent headaches, need some anti-inflammatory relief, detoxify fish poisoning, combats morning sickness. WHOA! Talk about a marvelous little leaf!

and here is where I let you all down…. can you believe I ate the soup before I took a photo to share with all of you? Oops… trust me.. it would have just been a photo of a bowl of soup.

Kelsey stayed over too! She came sharing her newest sweets with us. What a sweetie!

We hopped on an AM train into Seoul and ran about in the on again off again rain to a vegan bakery called PLANT owned and operated by the sweetest girl, Mipa. Enjoyed a peanut Thai bowl and grilled chickpea sandwich. Both incredibly sumptuous and we shared one anther’s lunch family style. We are family after all! We then went to Maybell Bakery where I introduced Kelsey to a fabulous European bakery with freshly baked focaccia, baguette, croissants. I think it’s safe to say she’s in heaven.

We got home and felt like “grilling” hot dogs. I whipped up a vegan macaroni salad and she grilled the dogs. We were quite the little team in the kitchen if I do say so myself.

Howbeit it wasn’t as exciting of an update, it’s summer folks! Get off the Internet and GET OUTSIDE!

Backpackbees

Places to go:

Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory (Candy Apples)
Addresses in Korea here

PLANT (Vegan Bakery)
Check out Facebook site here.

Maybell Bakery (European bakery-But hey make me a deal and don’t buy up all the bread before I get there)
737-2 Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul
South Korea
02-792-5561

Soyosan (Local Mountain / park)
Check out more here.

공씨네주먹밥 Kong’s Riceball

I often find that little hole in the wall places are the best kind of places. They typically serve some of the most unusual and delicious little finds. Take our secret restaurant for instance. It’s so off the beaten path and it has some of the best food we’ve eaten since living in Korea. I guess that’s why we really can’t let the week go by without grabbing dinner there at a minimum once.

Last night I got a text from my girlfriend Mary asking if I wanted to meet up for lunch at a little hole in the wall near both of our homes, Kong’s Riceball. It’s been on my list of places to check out because every time we pass it on walks we chuckle to ourselves. Humorous name, right? Plus the slogan reads, “Get some FUN – Fast Unique Nutritious.” Obviously it was hook, line, and sinker.

I’m sure you can guess what Kong’s serves up…if you guessed rice balls, you are wrong. Just kidding, of course its riceballs silly!

You get a choice of filling like tuna, spicy grilled chicken, spicy anchovy, flying fish and cheese, marinated beef, roasted pork, crab meat and broccoli, salmon, spam and even kimchi. These little guys remind me of the Korean kimbap triangles that are sold in convenience stores here, only BETTER.

Kong’s forms a ball with the seasoned rice, sticks the filling in the center, and then roll it in roasted sea laver or seaweed. It’s really tasty, I promise! Plus, it’s really convenient and would be a great snack for when you are on the go. We got the flying fish row, the crab meat and broccoli, and pumpkin porridge. I completely forgot to post the cost! Super cheap! Mine was only 6,000W!

Check it out and let me know what you think!

718-1 Jihaeng-dong
Dongducheon-si, Gyeonggi-do
031-859-5383
http://kongsriceball.co.kr/

Then for a little sweet treat pop on over to Cafe 7 Gram across the street, just like we may or may not have…

Backpackbees

Head In The Flowers

2012_04_28 Wondering around Seoul

2012_04_28 Wondering around SeoulApr 27, 2012Photos: 39
 

Saturday morning I was out the door before the sun peaked the horizon behind our apartment. I had a train to catch for a hair appointment in Seoul. I could already tell today was going to be a good day. The air was much warmer than most mornings in April.

I couldn’t get over how green everything was from the rain we had over the week. I literally walked around with my head in the flowers. Snapping pictures every few feet. I would have drove Mr. B completely batty. To say I took full advantage of my day alone is an understatement. Days like this are what I live for, why I fell in love with living abroad. I can’t really explain the feeling that comes over me, it’s just a strange comfort. Whatever it is, I hope to always hold on to the feeling within me.

After my appointment I sought out to find the kimchi pot lady and her little shop located near the US Army Yongsan base. I was so proud of myself finding the location on my own, however, the shop was closed! No dice on this plan. You have to know by now that I typically always try to have a plan B in the event of such luck.

Ajoshi, to Insadong! I caught a cab and went to Insadong. Stumbled upon homemade vanilla bean soft serve ice-cream. Found the little somethings that I was looking for and a summer scarf! Mission accomplished.

On my way to locate subway line 1, I found a vegetarian restaurant. I saved the menu you to share with you all. Again, totally taking full advantage of my alone with me time, of course I ate there.

maoz menu

As you can see the restaurant is called Maoz, and I must tell you this was my very first experience with trying a falafel. what’s the verdict? Pretty tasty! For those of you unfamiliar with what a falafel, it’s a deep-fried ball made from ground chickpeas, fava beans, or both. Usually served in a pita bread, which acts as a pocket, or wrapped in a flatbread known as lafa. Maoz served their falafel balls in a nice fresh pita. The best part is after they fry and stuff your pita with the falafel, you head to to the topping bar and create the rest your way. You top with salads, pickled vegetables, hot sauce, and drizzled with tahini-based sauces. MMmmmm!

The only disappointing and confusing part to me is that the menu serves kimchi and bulgogi. I’m not certain but the last time I checked these two foods were not vegetarian friendly? Also, the toppings bar didn’t include a typical eggplant or tahini option. Otherwise, loved it!

After my late lunch I decided it was time to catch the subway back home.

When I got home I decided to check on our patio garden I believe we mentioned it few postings back. It had taken me a little time to find a long window box to grow all our veggies. Finally, after endless searching I gave up, did some improvising, used Mr. b’s handy work, and atlas I had something to work with. I was delighted to see that We now how little sprots poking up. I’ll keep you all posted as our garden continues to grow.

Happy weekending!

Namdaemun Market

Today was a bit overcast and gloomy, however that wasn’t going to stop me from getting out and about. It’s Saturday! Our weekends have been pretty jam-packed lately. I only have a few more days to get my act together before needing to ship out family and friends Christmas gifts.

I woke up, met my friend, and we headed to Namdaemun. This was the first time that either of us had the opportunity to check the place out, so we were both really excited for a new adventure!

For those of you who may not know what Namdaemun is, it’s Korea’s largest and oldest wholesale marketplace that spans over 10 acres. It’s located near downtown Seoul and is filled with over 1,000 vendors, stalls, and retailers. This place has everything! You can find adult/children clothing, shoes, material, cook-ware, fruits, vegetables, flowers, toys, jewelry, purses, cosmetic items, the list is just endless.

Namdaemun is a great place to work your bargaining techniques! After moving to Korean we learned very quickly that Koreans want and expect you to bargain for a good price. We scored some pretty awesomely priced items after working our skills. Word to the wise, don’t give up.. if you find something you like and the price just isn’t right after trying to bargain, walk away. We were really lucky in finding exactly what we were after at various places for better prices.

There are plenty of places to eat within the marketplace. We actually stumbled into an alley-way that had many options. We opted for soup to warm us up. Many of the restaurant owners would try to get us to come in and eat what they were serving by saying, “We have English and picture menu”. HA-HA! What a riot! We both settled on 육개장 yook-gae-jang, Korean spicy beef soup. Yum! Major emphasis on the spice part as well. Of course the meal was served with a few traditional sides and bop (rice).

We wondered our way around the marketplace for hours. It was starting to get dark so we both decided to call it a day and catch the train back home. We had a blast! I think you will too if you get a chance to check the marketplace out.

Happy shopping!

Directions to Namdaemun by Subway: We took line 1 to Chang-dong where we transfered to line 4 and got off at Hoehyeon Station. Follow the signs to exit 5 – Namdaemun Market it will bring you out right at an entrance into the market area. Simple!