Dinner in Seoul

So, my husband and I are in Seoul for the weekend, we're a tinge hungover, we're hungry, and we have very different food needs...I need a good vegetarian option and he needs something not weird. After a lot of walking around we decided on Nilli's, a small pasta and pizza place. Italian food in Korea you might ask? Oh no worries, they can do some pasta here. You can't walk through a neighborhood it seems without spotting an Italian restaurant, that and waffles. Waffles are everywhere and the sweet smell lingers through the subway stations, which is a nice change from kimchi. 

The dinner was delicious. The pasta was delicate and super saucy, so much so that I think I might have sprayed the lady at the table next to us, oops! The pizza was beyond thin crust, almost like a tortilla. They had one there with gorgonzola cheese and honey which sounded interesting, but again, no weird food for the man. Not knowing if it was a community jar, the husband steered clear of the pickles, I of course had to try them - they were good and I seem to be doing ok. We did go for dessert afterwards, which in hindsight might have been a bad idea, but I had to get a waffle. In fact, I was so excited that I forgot to take a picture...I did that a lot on this trip. 

The pickle jar

Funghi Pasta with cream sauce

Carbonara pasta

Margharita Pizza

Airport food

On my trek to Korea I spent a very long day traveling between 3 different airports, and while I consumed more coffee than any one person should, I did managed to eat a bit here and there. After the first three coffees I decided that I should probably eat something before I stop blinking. With quite a few pastries to choose from, I decided on a very large and delicious Apple Strudel. I'll admit that what I was really craving was a breakfast burrito, but apparently that is hard to come by at SFO. 

Apple Strudel from Emporio Rulli

Hours later and I was hungry again. I needed something to cut all the sugariness that had come with the strudel and multiple coffees and I also wanted to keep the spending to a minimum. After walking back and forth between my limited options I stopped in at Tomokazu, a Japanese restaurant.

Miso Soup from Tomokazu

Veggie Roll from Tomokazu 

 While it wasn't the greatest meal ever, it definitely did the trick. The soup was exactly what I needed and the veggie roll was a light and safe choice considering I was about to be on an airplane for 12 hours. 

Thai for one

The beauty of eating by yourself is that the selection is all yours, there is no one else's taste to please. However, when it comes to Thai food, you want someone to join you. Selfishly, of course. When I go to a Thai restaurant I always want two things : 1.) Something spicy, like a noodle dish and 2.) Something comforting like yellow curry. Unfortunately, this is difficult to accomplish on my own, so today I had to choose. Oh, and I always love a salad. Sadly, the lunch special did not include one at this place but I did add one on for an extra charge. While the salad was nothing special, the dressing did provide the creamy sweetness I was needing to offset the spicy noodles, which were fantastic by the way. You know it was a good meal when you find yourself excited about the leftovers.

side salad

Drunken Noodles

Leftovers from Orchid Thai

Sunday Brunch : Duke's Diner

The kid's and I have decided to try out new local breakfast spots every other weekend. Our first pick was a small little place in Olivehurst called Duke's Diner. From the outside it looks like your typical hole in the wall, but once inside it is actually quite charming. The decor is cute and the bathrooms are nice and clean. From what I hear, this place is known for their chili and biscuits and gravy. However, being that I don't eat meat, I wasn't able to partake in either of these options. Which is shame because I think if you go to a restaurant that is famous for something, you darn well should try it! 

The food was decent, not great. The prices were ok on some items and maybe a bit high on others. No military discount, boo. We left full, probably because I ordered an extra short stack of pancakes, which worked out perfectly. The center of my son's waffle was topped with what seemed like blueberry pie filling, which was not tasty and made the waffle very soggy...he ate pancakes. Would we come back?  Maybe, but only after we've tried everywhere else.

Belgian Waffle with Blueberries

Kid's plate

Vegetarian Breakfast Burrito

The salsa finally arrived!

You can't go wrong with chocolate!

If you ever see this dessert on the menu, order it! You will not regret it, I promise you. In fact, you will become so obsessed with it that you will find yourself learning how to make it at home...which is surprisingly easy. What is it you ask? It's called Pots de Creme and it's like fancy, grown up pudding. Now, mine did not come out nearly as pretty as it could have, but I plan on working out the kinks next time. A big thank you to Pioneer Woman for her very easy to follow recipe http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/05/easy-delicious-and-yes-elegant-pots-de-creme/

It literally takes less than ten minutes to make and a few hours to set in the fridge. So go ahead, make this for someone you love and spend the rest of the evening enjoying each other's company, not cooking and cleaning. 

Pot de Creme

sooo good

ahhh

First stop

Mere hours after landing, exhausted from quite possibly the worst traveling experience ever, I know my first meal in this country must be Spicy Chicken Bulgogi. There was not much that I looked forward to when moving to Korea without my family, however, this meal was on the list. Having been stationed here before, my wife and I would frequent this small chinese restaurant whenever possible. This is the type of meal you think about when you're not eating it, the meal you crave. My wife, who has recently given up eating meat, proclaimed after seeing these pictures that she just might have to eat chicken when she comes to visit. Yea, it's that good. 

Spicy Chicken Bulgogi

done.

welcome back