Restaurants in Korea: May 2016

Sunday, May 22, 2016

Team 1994 팀1994 - Pasta in Sinchon 신촌

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Team 1994 is quite a large pasta restaurant that is located in a big building on the second floor in Sinchon. The restaurant looks very much like a restaurant and the atmosphere feels almost like something you'd see in America. It looks kind of like the Olive Garden or one of those types of places. When we went in we were asked to wait for quite a while which I found a bit confusing because there were tons of empty tables. I was curious as to whether certain sections were closed or if the waiting is to make the restaurant seem more important.

There are tons of things on the menu and I have only been to this place once, but what I ordered was exquisite. The pasta was definitely a Korean style pasta. I had the sweet pumpkin pasta which came served inside half a boiled pumpkin with a cream sauce. The sauce and pumpkin went together very well and the pasta was also delicious.

The other pasta that we ordered was another cream sauce pasta and it was also very good. It had a good amount of veggies and meat in it and the flavor was very good. This is definitely a Korean style pasta place. Do not go if you are expecting something the same as the West.

Cream Pasta

Sweet Pumpkin Pasta

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Old Address System: 서울특별시 서대문구 창천동 31-84

New Address System: 서울특별시 서대문구 명물길 37

Team 1994 on Google Maps

Team 1994 on Naver Maps

Additional Blogs about Team 1994

Restaurant and Pasta Pics

Menu and Pasta Pics

Various Pasta Pics

Cafe Rooming 루밍 - Sinchon 신촌

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Cafe Rooming is a really cool cafe that is located on the fourth floor in Sinchon. Since it is up on the fourth floor it has a really nice view that looks out over the main road in Sinchon. The entire side of the building is all windows and so you can see out over the main road easily and most of the seating is by the windows. There are also a lot of plants and the cafe is clean and classy which gives it a nice energy. However, this cafe is primarily for studying so you may see tons of people studying in the cafe and not too many people just hanging out. It is also usually quiet in there.

Every time that I have gone to the cafe I have ordered one of the aides which have all been pretty good. They have a huge menu of different types of aide and it is difficult to tell exactly what goes into all of them based on the name so it is always a bit of a crap shoot. If you ask the barista he will tell you the ingredients to each of them as well. This is a really nice cafe and you should definitely check it out.

Sign

Interior

View

Aide

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Old Address System: 서울특별시 서대문구 창천동 18-1 5층

New Address System: 서울특별시 서대문구 명물길 10

Cafe Rooming on Google Maps

Cafe Rooming on Naver Maps

Additional Blogs about Cafe Rooming

Cafe, Menu and Drink Pics

More Cafe and Drink Pics

Extra Pics

Jimmy's House 지미스하우스 - Steak in Sinchon 신촌

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Jimmy's House is a Korean style steak place that is located in Sinchon. I went here recently on the recommendation of several blogs and I am here to tell you about the experience. The food that came out had a lot of positives as well as several things that I did not like too much about it as well and I am here to explain the goods and the bads.

The atmosphere in this place is fine for all occasions, but it really does have a bit of an intimate feel as if it is a date spot. It seems like a good place to take your significant other, but you could also easily go to this place with your friends, family or anyone else you might be with.

The food was for the most part very good. I ordered the mixed plate which came with shrimp, chicken and steak and the thing that stood out the most was definitely the steak. The steak was absolutely delicious and cooked to perfection. The chicken was pretty much average and was covered in some kind of a barbecue sauce. The shrimp was not bad as well and were two huge pieces of shrimp with no marinade.

The sides were not so delicious for me though. This came with jalapenos which I don't eat at all. It also came with a spaghetti which was covered in some sort of a pepper sauce that kind of resembled gochujang and was absolutely terrible. There were a few fried veggies and piece of pineapple which were OK and the other order came with french fries which were covered in a sort of chili sauce that I didn't find to be good at all as well.

It also came with a Bingsu for dessert which was a nice touch and tasted great!

Overall I think the steak was great, but the rest of it was meh. The sides were not very good at all and the rest of the meats where just OK. Despite all of this, I think if you live in the area this place is worth giving a try. If you don't come here often try Ipanema Grill which is leagues better than this place.

Storefront

Sign

Casual Beef Pan Steak

Combo Pan Steak

Bingsu (Dessert Included)

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Old Address System: 서울특별시 서대문구 창천동 52-40

New Address System: 서울특별시 서대문구 연세로11길 21

Jimmy's House on Google Maps

Jimmy's House on Naver Maps

Additional Blogs about Jimmy's House

Extensive Pics of Everything in the Steakhouse

Lots of Pics of Way, Restaurant and Food

Restaurant, Menu, Food Pics

Cheap Vietnamese Pho Chain! - 미스사이공

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I am not sure if this is the intended name, but I will refer to this restaurant as Miss Saigon. Miss Saigon is a very tasty and extremely reasonably priced pho place that is located all throughout Seoul. The pho in this place is priced as low as 3900 won and comes with a decent portion considering the price. The broth is extremely good and it has a decent amount of meat and veggies as well.

The atmosphere is a bit like a cafeteria or a fast food chain. It doesn't seem too classy at all, but it is also not dirty or grimy either. It is a place you could go with anyone, but it sure isn't going impress anyone. I don't think that is the point of this place. The point is to eat decent food as cheaply as possible and it certainly fulfills that goal. This is a great place for students or anyone looking to save money.

Storefront

Pho

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Miss Saigon is a huge chain with many locations. Here is a generalized Naver maps search for Miss Saigon.

Additional Blogs about Miss Saigon

Blog with Decent Pics of the Pho

Blog with OK pics

Pic of Fried Noodles

Saturday, May 21, 2016

LGA Cafe Bingsu! 엘가카페 - Chain

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LGA cafe is a massive chain that I have never tried until recently and the real reason why we even ended up going there was because all of our usual spots were full. I was pleasantly surprised by the bingsu which was absolutely delicious. We ordered the Strawberry bingsu and the chocolate one, and both were great. Prior to eating I wanted the strawberry one, but I actually ended up liking the chocolate more than the strawberry.

The atmosphere is basically like any other chain cafe and they make a fine bingsu. I recommend going and checking this place out sometime.

Chocolate Bingsu

Strawberry Bingsu

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LGA is a huge chain with many locations. Here is a generalized Naver map search for LGA.

Additional blogs about LGA

Blog with Good Pics

Ipanema Grill 이빠네마그릴 - Sinchon 신촌

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Ipanema Grill is a Brazilian steakhouse that just opened up recently in Sinchon and there is no doubt about it that this is one of the best restaurants in the area in all ways. This restaurant has the answer for just about everything you can imagine. The price is reasonable and the lunch special is an absolute steal, they give unlimited sides, they do the lunch special on weekends and the cook high quality and delicious food. The place is cheap delicious and the portions are large, there is no more that you could want from a restaurant.

The atmosphere in this place is just that of a somewhat nice restaurant where you could take just about anybody. This place is great for dates, friends, work dinners, family and just about any occasion that you could think of.

Probably the most striking thing about this place is the lunch special which is priced at an extremely reasonable 8,900 won. At this low price you get a full garlic steak along with a piece of marinated chicken. I believe you are given 100 grams of each so 200 grams of meat in total. This may not sound like a lot, but this also comes with about six side dishes including a meat and fried rice, a salad, an onion and tomato salad, radish and a potato salad which are all unlimited. As if this weren't enough, the lunch menu also comes with coffee and I was given pineapple but I am unsure as to whether the pineapple is normally included in the lunch special.

Steak and Chicken

Steak and Chicken with Sides

I have also been to Ipanema Grill in the evening and they have a similar deal for around 15,000 won. The only difference between the lunch special and the dinner is that the dinner menu does not include chicken. Customers may choose two different types of steak out of a menu of three and any combination is available.

I have never actually ordered it, but the specialty at this place is unlimited steak which is around 25,000 won depending upon the type that you order. The other things are just such a good deal that moving away from them is very difficult, but if you are looking to gorge on steak then the unlimited deal sounds like a good one as well.

Storefront

Sides

Steaks

More Steaks

Full Meal

Desert and Coffee

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Old Address System: 서울특별시 서대문구 창천동 18-11 2층

New Address System: 서울특별시 서대문구 연세로4길 6

Ipanema Grill on Google Maps

Ipanema Grill on Naver Maps

Additional Blog about Ipanema Grill

Blog With Extensive Pictures

Saturday, May 14, 2016

Habanero 하바네로 - Hongdae 홍대

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Habanero is a tiny little burrito shop, practically a window that is located in Hongdae on the same road as the university. Obviously there is not much to say about the atmosphere in this place, there is one large table and a bar like table against the wall as well as a tiny little bit of space for people to get in and out. The old man who runs this place is quite nice and friendly.

I have been here a few times and I have enjoyed everything that I have tried. Some of the burritos are quite spicy and covered in red sauce so be a little bit careful about what you order if you do not like that kind of thing. This place makes a pretty darn good burrito and most of the menu items are reasonably priced. The burritos are mostly between 5,000 - 8,000 won although anyone could probably easily eat two if they were hungry.

Storefront

Egg and Bacon Burrito

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Old Address System: 서울특별시 마포구 서교동 327-13

New Address System: 서울특별시 마포구 와우산로 153

Habanero on Google Maps

Habanero on Naver Maps

Additional Blogs about Habanero

Extensive Pics of Shop, Menu and Food

Blog with Great Pics of Shop and Burritos

More Burrito Pics

Le Brunchic 르브런쉭 - IFC Mall Yeoido 여의도 IFC몰

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I have been wanting to try Le Brunchic for quite a while but I was always deterred by the high prices and long line. The only locations I have ever seen is in the IFC Mall that is located on Yeoido, but apparently they have another location in Sinsadong. The atmosphere in this place is like a factory style brunch place, kind of like the Starbucks of brunch places. It is great for all occasions including dates, friends or colleagues.

The food in this place was absolutely amazing. I had the salad which came with nice pieces of steak on it and a great dressing and we also ordered the vongole pasta. The pasta had a good number of shellfish on it and was also very good. My issue with this place was how expensive it was relative to the portion sizes. The salad was quite small despite being quite expensive and we went to another place immediately after to eat another meal.

This place has excellent food but is not cheap. If you are looking to do something special or earn lots of cash then by all means go here. If you are on a budget, I'd recommend checking somewhere else out.

Steak Salad

Vongole Pasta

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Note: The listed address is for IFC Mall. The restaurant is in the food court on the bottom floor (Basement 3).

Old Address System: 서울특별시 영등포구 여의도동 23 IFC몰 B3

New Address System: 서울특별시 영등포구 국제금융로 10 IFC몰 B3

IFC Mall on Google Maps

IFC Mall on Naver Maps

Additional Blogs about Le Brunchic

Storefront, Menu, Eggs Benedict!

Various Food Pics

Pics of Menu and Food

Kanival Pizza 카니발피자 - Chain

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Kanival Pizza is a huge chain pizza place with locations throughout Seoul. The atmosphere in this place is pretty cool in that they have a lot of booths and tables which makes it feel a little bit like America. This doesn't exactly seem like something you'd see in America though and it definitely has it's own twist on the atmosphere. It is a great place to go with friends or on a date.

The menu in this place completely changed. Originally this place was really expensive and had all these strange fusion pizzas. One of the types I recall was a tikka masala pizza which was surprisingly delicious. However the pizzas now are much more reasonably priced and much more standard. This is in fact an excellent place. Not too expensive and great quality food.

There is one thing that you should be aware of though. The pizza comes with red pepper flakes on it which are quite spicy. The next time I go I am going to ask them not to put these on the pizza.