Bukchon Son Mandu

After exploring the historic Bukchon village, we happened across this hole-in-the-wall place that offered traditional Korean dumplings and noodle dishes. The menu had English names for the food and we were sold. We took our seats in the tiny dine-in part, having watched the ladies serving up huge dumplings from a take-away window outside. We started with a couple of pork and kimchi steamed dumplings – they were incredible, with soft skins and packed full of spicy filling, this was pretty much heaven. I then had the cold noodles, which turned out to be an equally delicious choice. Looking much like soba and served in an ice bath, the noodles were peppered with sesame and topped with pork, cucumber, half an egg and an incredibly spicy red sauce. That was when I discovered the pickles. There was a jar of self-serve yellow pickles on the counter and I must have eaten half of them, a) because they tasted so good and b) because that sauce was hot! The noodles were silky and stuck together, but the contrast between the temperature cool of the noodles and the spicy heat of the sauce was fascinating. Highly recommended for fast, quality local fare.

Bukchon Son Mandu, various locations, Seoul                       http://www.mandoo.so/

Seventh Heaven

First international #icecreamthurs! Singapore is exactly the kind of place where you find yourself wanting icecream. We’d walked a long way in the humid heat to visit the Gardens by the Bay, an incredible botanical garden with huge indoor displays and an impressive array of plants. In between the Flower Dome and the Cloud Forest was an outdoor rest area, which by the time we’d wandered through the Flower Dome we very much needed to take advantage of. I was admiring the life-sized sculpture of a pride of lions looking down on visitors when the sign for Seventh Heaven caught my eye. Yep, it was a gelato stall, right there waiting for us! There were a few flavour choices, but being adventurous (and having tried it before in Tokyo), I chose the sakura/cherry blossom flavour. Sakura is (obviously) a floral flavour, and that came through nicely in the generous (but tourist-site overpriced) serving, without being overpowering as some florals can be. The gelato had that lovely balance between creamy and icy and whilst it melted quite quickly in the heat, each spoonful was refreshing and sweet. A perfect treat for explorers.

Seventh Heaven, Gardens by the Bay, 18 Marina Gardens Drive, Singapore  http://www.seventhheaven.com.sg/

Beesket

I was so excited to discover Beesket just down the road from our hotel in Seoul – I love a good smoothie generally, but Beesket has such a fun concept it takes the whole experience to the next level. When you arrive, you choose whether you want a smoothie, ‘ade’ or yoghurt, and pick up a little container with spaces to fit three hexagonal pieces (like a beehive/honeycomb), representing fruit or vegetables that you would like in your drink. You can then roam the wall, looking at all the colourful pieces trying to make your flavour combination. My favourite ended up being peach, orange and raspberry, but you could pick anything from tomato to grapefruit (although probably not recommended together). The cafe had lots of seats while you waited for your beesket, which you received along with a little card showing your flavour choices and their nutritional value. You could put your combos up on a pin board in the store to recommend them to others. Note: when researching this post it appears the branch I went to is now closed, but other locations are up on their website.

Beesket, 73, Cheonggyecheon-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul (this branch now closed)  http://www.beesket.com

Long Bar

After a very filling high tea, we decided we couldn’t visit Raffles and not go up to the Long Bar, home of the Singapore Sling. A friend who’d studied in Singapore had recommended going if only for the novelty of the peanuts. The peanuts? Yep, it’s all about the peanuts. At every table there’s a big wooden box full of peanuts still in their shells, and the Long Bar allows you to experience the imperiousness of the colonial days, when servants would pick up the shells that the British cast on the floor. That’s right, you can, and indeed are expected to, throw your peanut shells on the floor for someone else to clean up afterwards. It’s actually pretty fun. You are also fanned by the modern equivalent of slaves with palm fronds – mechanised palm fans on the ceiling. The Singapore Sling itself is the other draw card, having been famously invented here. I’d never had one before, so it seemed like a good place to start. In the tropical temperatures, the sweet and fruity drink was refreshing and didn’t taste overly alcoholic, which could be dangerous, but was simply delicious.

Long Bar, Raffles Hotel, 1 Beach Road Singapore                http://www.raffles.com/singapore/dining/long-bar/

Uogashi Nihon Ichi

My love of sushi is pretty well known, so when I was back in my old stomping ground in Tokyo for a day, my friend and I stopped in at the local standing sushi bar for lunch. This branch of Uogashi Nihon Ichi is located on one of my favourite streets in Tokyo – Kagurazaka-dori. It’s an old geisha quarter, now full of traditional stores and restaurants, and is a bit of an institution – the street even has its own annual festival! On entering Uogashi, we were shown to a space along the standing bar. Like a sit down sushi bar, each station has its own cup of tea, soy and hand towel, just no chair. We ordered a range of different pieces, including tuna, salmon, kingfish and a couple that I had no idea what they were, but tasted amazing! The sushi-san gives you the option of soy (shoyu) or salt (shio) to put on the piece, and there are different recommendations for different fish. Each piece was reasonably sized, although a bit smaller than the nigiri at Sushi Zanmai. As usual, my favourite was the aburi (seared) tuna, but really, it’s all good!

Uogashi Nihon Ichi, 1F PORTA Kagurazaka 2-6 Kagurazaka Shinjyu-ku Tokyo  http://www.uogashi-nihonichi.com/english/

Dong Bang

I was on a quest in Seoul. Having done lots of research before going, I’d discovered that Korea has an equivalent to the Japanese taiyaki, a sweet full of red bean paste in the shape of a fish. The Korean equivalent… isn’t. In fact, the Korean equivalent is known as “poop bread”, because it is shaped as a turd. Who could resist? So I wrote down the train stations dong bang (poop bread in Korean) was meant to be available and set off on my quest. Sadly, the stall had closed at the station I went to, and I despaired of ever finding the mythical poop bread. But, lo and behold, exploring an outdoor mall in Insadong, we walked right up to the top of the spiral (like a knight climbing the spiral stairs to a fairytale tower) and what was there but a stall making fresh, steaming poop bread! I was so excited to buy one that the stall owner produced a huge pink poop bread hat for me to take a photo wearing. Yep. Not even joking. The poop bread itself was well-toasted on the outside and full of delicious red bean paste, the perfect prize at the end of a succesful quest.

Dong Bang, Ssamji-gil, Gwanhun-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, no website

Tiffin Room

As part of my Singapore food odyssey, I booked high tea at the Tiffin Room of the famous Raffles Hotel. I had pretty high expectations of this colonial institution, and I wasn’t disappointed. We were seated in a window booth, and for the first time in my life I was brought a small stool to put my handbag on, so it didn’t have to sit on the floor. Wow. Our tiered tray arrived promptly, with the traditional finger sandwiches in five different flavours (the salmon was particularly good), tarts and cakes. If that wasn’t enough food, there’s also a buffet to help yourself to, including a selection of dumplings, fresh tropical fruit and scones, as well as more cakes and sandwiches. Luckily, you aren’t rushed and can take the time to savour each of the tasty morsels included in the high tea. I had a pot of earl grey served in what I’m pretty sure was a real silver teapot (swoon), and the whole meal was accompanied by a live harpist. The service was impeccable, with our waiter offering to bring any drink we liked from the Long Bar. I can’t recommend this experience enough!

Tiffin Room, Raffles Hotel, 1 Beach Road Singapore            http://www.raffles.com/singapore/dining/tiffin-room/