Wild rocambol

It's really spring. In korea, the weather is very warmer over a few days with some moist rain, therefore, I imagined that now, we're entering the beginning of summer, not spring. In general, korean peoples take seasonal foods per season absorbing the best nuitrive element, that each seasonal food/food stuff make for season.
In spring also, there are a lot of foods, food stuffs. As a good example, we made seasoned wild rocambol. Wild rocambol is a representative herb. It's a little bitterish so it's very good food to stimulate one's appetite. It contains much Vitamin.

Preparation : some wild rocambol, some soybean sauce, some powdered sesam,
Recipe : mix some wild rocambol adding some soybean sauce.

After making this seasoned wild rocambol, this sauce(based on soybean sauce) is flavory thanks to wild rocambol. Therefore, when we make some mixed rice(bibim bap) or some fresh vegetable salad, we can use this sauce also.

Hard boiled eggs of covey

Today, I challenged to make a hard-boiled egg of covey.

Preparation : eggs of covey, one onion, 1 cup of water, 1 cup of soy bean,
some powder of sesame
Recipe : 1) boil eggs of covey for 15 minutes
2) peel eggs of covey
3) put peed eggs of covey into a small pot
4) boil them for 7 minutes
in mean time, arriving at about 5 minutes, put some slices of onions
5) sprinkle some poweder of sesame

It seems very easy to boil eggs of covey. However, as eggs are so small, and if eggs are too much boiled, shape of eggs are not well formed while peeling.
This time, my mother helped me, however, next time, I can do it by myself.

Stasera

As food and health are more important, and well-being moto already took its place in Korea, there was some change on pizza. In the past time, just american style's pizza with thick pan, much cheese, much greasy(much ham, much olives, etc) was introduced. However, since a few years ago, italian pizza with very thin pan, very simple topping, has been more popular. Therefore, many italian pizza restaurants opened in Itaewon, Apkujung dong, kang nam station, etc, more animated area in Seoul. Today, my brother brought some pizza from an italian restaurant called as "Stasera"(in English, tonight,,,,, I'm learning italian personally ^^, I'm just beginner, but sooner or later, I hope to upgrade my level to middle class to communicate with italian )
Very thin pan, toppings are so simple with cherry tomatoes, shrimp, covered with creamy sauce. Personally, I don't like much creamy sauce's pizza. Quality of shrimp was not so good(so small). Taste was okay. However, it was not so delicious attracting my appetite. However, my brother said that this resto is run by real italian chef(his name is Paolo E Marino) in case of main resto. Today's one came from other branch. Maybe, if main chef made this pizza, taste might be much better. Very interesting thing was that this pizza looked a little adapted for our korean, especially young people. In that sense, it was well working. That is very good point from my point of view. Some day, I wanna visit this restaurant to see interiors and taste other menus.


Telephone number in Kang nam branch : +82 2 3486 6002

Asahi

To my memory, I started to drink around last May. In fact, I have not drunken much. Therefore, I didn't enjoy drinking time with colleagues after work periodically. However, during my business trip, certainly I became lonely and liberal, so I could be indulged in drinking world. As a part of drink, I like very much beer. As my taste has been quite easily changed, my favourite beer also has been changed ; budwiser, guiness, heinneken, and recently asahi. Asahi beer is originated from japan. Although I'm korean, personally, asahi is better than korean beer. Korean beer is a little milder than japanese ones.
When I have an attack of indigestion, I drink asahi beer instead of medicine. When I become a little gloomy, I also drink asahi. The problem is that I drink asahi more often recently, maybe because of my current situation, a little depressed and melancholic. Positively, to try real asahi, I'd like to visit again Japan. How about is a theme of travel ? drinking a beer with local foods. ^^

As there are not many bars that we can drink draft of asahi, I drank already one can of asahi, 500 ml.

Home made rice ball

Mommy panboiled anchovy. This time, it's more tasteful thanks to final addition of malt. It's a little crispy and colour is so yummy. As anchovy is so tasty, I made some rice balls.
I made two types of rice balls ; one is pyogo mushroom rice balls, which main ingredient is pyogo, the one is anchovy rice balls, based on mainly anchovy.

Ingredients : 1 and 1/2 seasam oil, 1 and 1/2 soybean sauce, 1 spoon of powedered
seasam, slices of pyogo mushroom, 4 spoonful of anchovy,
2 bowls of rice
Preparation : Pyogo mushroom should be soaked into water to winnow
Recipe : 1) put 2 bowls of rice into a big bowl
(to mix everything, a large and deep bowl are needed)
2) put panfried slices of pyogo mushroom
: to make anchovy rice ball, put 2 spoonful of anchovy(ours are not salty)
3) put 1 and 1/2 soybean sauce
4) drop 1 and 1/2 seasom oil
5) sprinkle 1 spoon of powedered seasam
6) mix up everything
7) make rice ball(depending on taste of each one) with using vinyl gloves

It's so simple recipe. Of course, we need very good quality of pyogo mushroom and tasty panfried anchovy.

The RaMen

Recently, I'am indulged in a food documentary on cable TV "J(Japan) channel". There are a few programs that are stimulating my curiosity and appetite. As a good example, one documentary about " Ra Men(japanese instant noodle ". Two main reporters - Hanz Endo, Ramen missionary and BaBa Akira, lover of Ramen. Baba Akira produced this program in conjunction with a Ramen specialist, Hanz. They're solving their daily 3 meals with Ramen traveling different regions. Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner. Sometimes they ordered some sushi, japanese dumping, roasted adductor muscle of the fish, etc. However, it's Ramen that their main menu is. " Always ". Recalling their past experience, sharing their opinions, they visit very famous Ramen restaurants. Per region, cook, season, each restaurant offers their own menu differently from others and specialize a certain representative menu in his resto. If taste is excellent, two reporters don't say any word while taking Ramen. They say just " They're so touched by taste of Ramen " and they say to cook " Thank you so much for making this excellent Ramen for them ". Baba empties a bowl of Ramen as its token.
Documentary runs for about 30 minutes. They shows 6 meals in general. Watching this program, I respect their passion for a Ramen. It's amazing. Although I like bread, can I take breads every day for a few months not taking any other food ? And their creactive imagination of producing a documentary about Ramen made me full of admiration. Although main subject and object of that program are Ramen, TV watcher can discover too many things. We can know Japan's mountain, sea, sky while travelling Japan with them, and we can understand japanese culture and eating manner. Of course, their history and tradition. Just they're making a food program however, it introduces Japan into foreign peoples that don't know Japan and have never been to.
Food is not just limited to food. It covers our life and culture, and can represent one countrie's history. Thanks to their great effort, I became interested in japanese Ramen also. It's actully a great outcome of their program ?

Dublin love(3) - Trocadero

Trocadero can be called as movie restaurant. Whole walls are covered with very famous irish actors and actress. As preferrably those actors acts in Ireland, I couldn't recognize their reputation or popularity from their irish fan. In korea also, a italian restaurant - < Il Mare > was decorated with very famous old movie stars such as Vivien Leigh, Audrey Hepburn, Mongomery Clift, Malon Brando, Sophia Lauren, etc. As all pictures are black and white, it makes atmosphere more chic and modern in harmony with black background of wall. Trocadero's background is not black but red. So it looks more passionate and modern.
Food is normal western food. It's pretty good. Close to restaurant inside, there is a bar. Waiting for peoples, we can take aperitif before having a dinner. That is good. Food and menu are quite standard menu. Therefore, I was not so much impressioned with them. However, due to their particular decorations, interiors, and creative arrangement of old pictures, I had a very good memory there.


Interior : ****
Food : ***
Address : 3, St.Andrews Street, Dublin 2, Ireland
Tel : +353 1 677 5545

Sho jin

One day, a very popular korean singer, Kim Gun Mo introduced his favourite restaurant in a food program on TV. As that restaunt is very close to my house, I tried that restaurant with my mother firstly. Restarant is like japanese bar. Decoration, interiors, staff wearing style, table setting, etc. It was very clean and modern. There are two main munu at dinner. One is sake(japanese alcohol) course, the other is dinner meal course. Sake course offers different side dishes in assortement with sake. As me and my mother are not heavy dunker, we chose meal course. It costed 45,000 won. However including VAT, actually, it was 50,000. Differently from other countries, in Korea, VAT special service charge is extra. In general, restaurants don't request it.
Food was good and fresh. Quality was also good. Almost 8 small dishes are served. The last food is rice or noodle(daily different). Boiled egg, asparagus with Nato sauce, boiled aubergine with nato sauce, different fishes ; sushi, raw fish, boiled, roasted. As I love sea food, especially fish, I did really enjoy that food. Later I came back to try Sake menu. It was similar to dinner course. However, sake amount to over 20,000 won should be served. As I didn't drink too much, much sake was left. Per season, cook differentiate their menu a little. Certainly, he is using at most seasonal stuffs and adopted them into his menu.
Waiting for foods expecting what will be served next give another joy. As it's not too much in quantity, maybe men will say I need another meal after this course. However, if a drink party is arranged, it'll be fine.


Interior : ***
Food : ****

Congratulation on 100th edition of Michelin Guide 2009 France

This monday, Michelin guide celebrated 100th French edition. The first edition was introduced in 1900. They finally selected 26 restaurants with 3 stars. 3 star restaurants world wide status is as follows ;
In tokyo, 9
In hong kong & Macau, 2
In switzland, 2
In netherland, 2
In spain & portugal, 6
In germany, 9
In italy, 5
In belgium & luxembourg, 2
In france, Among 26 3 star restaurants, Le bristol, which its chef is Eric Frechon was offered the best. This book was published in different countries including USA, UK, Tokyo, etc. Now, Michelin guide is covering 23 countries.
When I stayed in Dublin, I could try different restaurants stamped by Michelin guide. In france also. Of course, sometimes, their reputation in other countries are not always correct and represents real local taste and menu. As a good example, when I entered two or three stars' korean traditional restaurant in Paris, I was a little surprised. Yes, it was not terrible, and bad either. However, I didn't think that that restaurant was representing korean's trypical taste. Ratherly, when I tried one small vegetarian restaurant, their menu and taste were much better. Foreigners have no experience in taking real local foods. Therefore, they can judge food by decoration or adapation skill. Of course, adaptation skill is also an imporant ability of cook.
Anyhow, Michelin guide's power is so great. Just by their name, many peoples can automatically expect that any restaurant is certainly at good level. As I'm so interested in food critic, I became interested in Michelin guide since a few years ago. To my knoweldge, michelin guide was not introduced in Korea, especially seoul. Personally speaking, food is closely linked to economic situatino, culture, political status of a country. For example, in Japan, there are many good restaurants with michelin guide. It indicates that japanese are at economic level, that can make them enjoy food and have interest in it. Because they have enough money. In seoul also, there are many good restaurants ; western, chinese, korean, japanese, etc. As michelin guide is not yet effective in Korea, I wanna also be a memebr of this judge. Looking forward to seizing that great chance.

Sicily

We don't know how long and how come coffee is associate with chic, luxurious, and something different. Certainly we are influence by movies. I do like also coffee. As there are too many kinds of coffee, we can choose different kind per our humour. In general, I like the most black coffee. However, after having heavy dinner, expresso is better. If assortied with chocolate, it's fabulous. At day time, capucchino or caffe latte is good. Sometimes korean people miss korean style coffee. This is instant coffee. In side small long cover, coffee, prima(harden milk), sugar are. 2 soupons of coffee, 2 soupons of prima, 1 and 1/2 of sugar. We call funnily "DA BANG" coffee(Dabang indicate korean old-fashioned cafeteria long time ago, In that time, cafe manager in any cafeteria made similar coffee like standardized coffee).
Influenced by current movement in our culture, coffee is infiltered into our daily life. Many young people and salary man are carrying coffee after lunch or at work. To enjoy the original taste of coffee and make their own coffee taste, there are many courses at priviate acamedy to be a varistor. Of course, this course is opened to everybody who like coffee as hobby.
After having a dinner, I had a coffee at one cafeteria - Sicily. Their name plate looks like italian restaurant like their name. However, inside cafe, it looks coffee world very calm and comfortable. I think that manager is owner of that cafeteria. He is also varistor. He is offering some courses as a part of manners in different colleges. His cafeteria was introduced into one magazine related to coffee. As interior and atmosphere are so romantic and cozy, I envied that manager. Because he can enjoy this happiness every day.
As he recommended, I tried very strong expresso from South of America. It tasted a little sour, however, it was good. Coffee set was also so beautiful. Why became people happier after having some coffee ? Why are we addicted to coffee ?
As coffee mania, I'm also interested in varistor courses.