Hi Sasicka, if you would like a specialized food tour perhaps this might suit you?
http://www.ongofood.com/taste-tour/food-tours-in-seoul/

The main man (Daniel Gray) running the tours also blogs on Seoul food at http://www.seouleats.com so you can check it out to see if the type of places are what you're looking for. Disclaimer, I haven't taken any of his tours but have checked out his blog for ideas.

The City of Seoul actually offers free guided walking tours as well, but these aren't food-oriented: http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_4_14.jsp

Lastly, if you feel up to a bit of planning, the Seoul Tourism website also provides a wealth of info here: http://www.visitseoul.net/en/article/...
The food they feature tends to be more down-home & rustic, and some of the locations require a bit of navigation. With two young children it might be more challenging to manage but just putting out that option for you to look at anyway.

Just a thought, if you have two nights, do you really want to stay at Hyatt Regency Incheon? The food options at the airport are pretty average (I think the best option may be Bon Pi Yang, the casual offshoot of Byeokje Galbi, which is near the AREX - airport train - station) and it only takes between 45 - 55 min train ride to get from the airport to Seoul Station. You could alternatively explore Incheon city, but if you think you might not visit Korea again any time soon, then I think it's worth visiting Seoul.

Thanks! Lung King Heen looks like a good choice then. Fu Sing hairy crab roe XLB looks interesting but we might skip that as it's not hairy crab season. Is there anything you *wouldn't* recommend at Lung King Heen?

PhilD, yep as klyeoh suggests, the pricing in Crystal Jade's luxury restaurants here in Sgp are in the same range as what we paid at Man Wah. How about if you were to benchmark against Man Wah, are there any other places that you rate higher than MW?

I find the Michelin rating really hit and miss, on our last trip we also tried 2* Tin Lung Heen at the Ritz Carlton but it was eminently forgettable (except for the price tag). Hotel is nice though.

Seeking the help of the HK food experts - will be heading down to HK some time next month & hoping to find 'blow-your-socks-off' dim sum that's better than anything we can find in Singapore (where we stay). So far, our experiences with dim sum in HK have been mixed, and overall it seems pricier than Sgp for similar quality?

I read the last thread on 'best dim sum in HK' (http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/318331) but am hoping specifically to find (1) modern dim sum that is unique to HK or (2) available in Sgp but much better in HK. I'm sure it's out there, we just haven't been able to find it yet!

Just to make things even more challenging ;) we don't eat shrimp or lobster (which eliminates one whole section of the dim sum menu!).

Specific dim sum that we like include
- abalone yam puff at Man Wah
- char siu pao at Cherry Garden (sg
)- lau sar pao at Taste Paradise (sg) & East Ocean (sg)
- mango chicken pie at Hua Ting (sg)
- abalone chicke pie at Wah Lok (sg)
- char siu sou at Imperial Treasures (sg)
- xiao long bao at Crystal Jade (sg)
- XO carrot cake at Taste Paradise (sg)
- egg tarts at Crystal Jade Palace

Looking at openrice, Above & Beyond, Lung King Heen & Yan Toh Heen seem interesting but reviews are mixed. Are these good choices?

debbieann - In the Imperial Treasures family, Imperial Treasures Teochew at Ngee Ann City might also be interesting to you perhaps. It has Teochew specialities that are somewhat different than the Cantonese places, but just as good (steamed pomfret / ma yau fish, braised duck with tau kwa etc). It also does some of the signature Imperial Treasures dishes like the scallops & egg white with truffle oil, I find it a convenient stop for both Cantonese and Teochew.

Just a note - Rendezvous Hock Lock Kee is no longer at Hotel Rendezvous. It's moved a while back to Central (at Clarke Quay MRT station), 2nd floor. That's still fairly near Bras Basah but not quite walking distance, more like a 5 minute cab ride. Same staff / stuff as before but I think the coconut milk in the desserts might be the powdered / instant type now.

Oh also to add a few more suggestions for Bras Basah:
Alex's for char siew (ask for half fatty half lean) http://www.soshiok.com/critic/article...
Oversea Restaurant at Shaw Towers opposite Alex's also does a good char siew (they come from KL) but pricier and they like to hard sell the expensive menu items.

Chinese desserts ('tong shui') stalls along Liang Seah Street: Ah Chew's, Ji De Chi & Dessert First for mango pomelo sago, ginger milk pudding, water chestnut egg sweet soup etc.

Happy eating! :)

Gaewhaok was about W100,000 (USD90) for 1 order of bulgogi + chadolbaegi. To put the prices into perspective, it's not expensive compared to eating out for 2 elsewhere in the world, but in Seoul I think it's pretty easy to find better taste for lesser cost.

Look forward to reading your report :)

Aha! A timely piece of news for those who haven't seen it :)
http://www.soshiok.com/critic/article...

Oh, is that the one opposite Galleria? I should try that branch next time. Noticed a tautology in my post btw since Yeongyang already means nutrition :)

Looking forward to more posts on Korea from other recent visitors (e.g. Asomaniac?) and residents (e.g. Tomeats)!

A number of food places have changed (closed down or moved to a different address) since our last visit some months ago - notably Bong San Jib's location near COEX is now a few streets further away (call for directions / new address).

Would revisit:
* Gangnam Myun Oak (Sinsa-dong, Gangnam) - This is one of two well-known places in Seoul for kalbijjim (braised beef ribs on the bone). Even the smallest kalbijjim is a huge serving. We also got steamed mandu, naengmyeon (we over-ordered for 2 people). The sauce (seems like a kochujang based sauce but with kanjang, spring onions & some other stuff) is very more-ish with the mandu & the ribs. They serve beef soup instead of tea, very comforting on the tummy.

* Jung Sik Dang (Sinsa-dong, Gangnam) - CH'er Tomeats had good things to say abt this place, finally got round to trying it. Well-executed fusion food e.g. jalapeno (or actually probably they were korean green peppers) bread, clam sujebi, sea urchin bibimbab, interesting 'molecular' presentation of the seasonal patbingsu (lit. red bean ice). They also have a location in NYC, the menu looks pretty much the same but twice the price(!).

* Yeongyang Nutrition Centre (Myeongdong) - roasted tongdak (spring chicken), very crisp skin, not oily at all. Flesh a bit dryer (probably necessary side-effect to get the skin that crisp). Also has samgyetang. The gamjatang (pork & potato stew) place just round the corner looked good too but we were in the mood for something non-spicy.

* Sanbong hwaro gui (Rodeo Drive, Gangnam) - Marinated thin-sliced fatty beef (yangnyeom samgyeop) for grilling, nice flavor & meat quality. But mysteriously they had pre-set the none-too-clean table with some limp looking sanchae (veg that accompanies the barbecued meats). By the time we sat down they had pretty much wilted away in the heat.

* Porridge place whose name I've forgotten temporarily (Myeongdong) - Pleasant abalone porridge, very more-ish (raw) squid pickle. Could probably have eaten two bowls of porridge each with that pickle.

* O'sulloc (Insadong) - Manufacturer / retailer of tea, they specialize in green tea & have their own plantation on Jeju Island. The 3-storey location in Insadong is their tea boutique where on the first floor you can sample / buy their pre-packaged teas (average quality but nice packaging, very good as gifts for casual tea drinkers), on the second floor is their cafe with delicious tea-flavored desserts (my vote for the roll cake with fresh cream) & the third floor is their 'boutique' where they conduct special tea tastings of the premium teas. A convenient stopover on the way to Ssamziegil (just opposite) too.

Wouldn't revisit:
* Hadongkwan (Daechi-dong, Gangnam) - Nice kkakdugi (radish pickles) but the soup itself was a bit gamey.
* Kim Buk Sun Keun Nabi Jib (Garosugil, Gangnam) - Lots of Japanese tourists & plenty of celebs come here apparently (signed lids on the walls & Japanese articles posted on the door). They specialize in stews. The kimchi jjigae (stew) was better than the soondubu jjigae but both pretty forgettable.
* Shigol Bossam (Sadang) - Bossam is their speciality and the spread looked quite appealing... until we spotted the large fly bathing in the kimchi dish. The taste of their food wasn't good enough to overcome our sudden loss of appetite.
* Pro Soy Crab (location near COEX, Gangnam) - The crab they used for their soy-sauce marinated raw crab (kanjang gyejang) & crab stew was less than fresh (fishy odor / taste when raw & flesh sticks to the shell when cooked, poor texture & lacking in sweetness). A surprise as they're recommended in all the guidebooks for their crab. In retrospect perhaps they're over-touristed (?) & we should have tried the other popular soy crab place up in Sincheon instead.
* Gaehwaok (Apgujeong) - This was a recommendation from the hotel for bulgogi. In future we probably shouldn't take recommendations from the hotel as our experiences suggest they tend to recommend expensive place with good atmosphere but not very good food.

Wishlist for next trip - a good (haemul) soondubu jjigae place, jokbal at one of the top 3 places in Seoul

Anyone know what's happened to chef Nicolas? Last I heard he was planning to re-open in July or August but haven't any news of a re-opening yet.

caveat - Wok & Barrel is not upscale, quite the opposite in fact.

Your description reminded me of plum-flavored tablet candy (google pikin plum tablet for pictures) although the shape doesn't match.

Hmm, many of the hawker centres (& pretty much all restaurants) are closed by that time (up till midnight is still ok but 2am is probably a bit late for most - I should mention that some stalls in Terminal 3 of the airport are open at that time... food standard is a bit iffy though). Options besides Geylang are:
- Gluttons Bay next to the Esplanade, less than 10 mins from Four Seasons
- Chatterbox @ Mandarin Hotel (Orchard Rd, just a couple minutes from Four Seasons) is open till 2am and serves a range of hawker favourites. Some people like their chicken rice (I personally find it overpriced and the service indifferent).
- Balestier (a bit further from Four Seasons, about 15 min cab ride?) has decent late night fare
- Ya Hua bak kut teh (two outlets, one at Keppel & the other at Havelock, if you go to the Havelock location there's also Teochew porridge not too far away) open till 3am I believe

Perhaps Kira @ Ginza for teppanyaki? http://jasaga.or.jp/kira/ginza/menu.html

A vote for Florilege (Aoyama / Gaienmae) or Le Jeu de l'assiette (Ebisu) for good value lunch. Re info on food & prices, you can check r.tabelog.com/tokyo

Have a good trip!

Thanks klyeoh! I go to Hyang To Gol for the meats once in a while but so far haven't hit on a good stew or soup there. Also can't seem to find a good soondubu place anywhere in town. This also brings to mind - I don't know if you've noticed this too, but it seems like Korean restaurants when they first start out in Sg offer pretty decent banchan (in terms of variety and quantity)... and then you go back again a year later and everything's been economized. I noticed this happening with a number of places over time. It's still better than in London where I think you have to pay for & order your banchan separately but I wonder why this deterioration happens. Are Singaporeans free-loading too much(!)?

akated: The location on google maps I think shows you the general area where it's located (4-9-9 Minami-Aoyama seems to cover quite a number of buildings!) & then we sort of wandered around for a while to stumble upon it. In fact, even now I have absolutely no recollection where it actually is, except for a vague idea that the building is up a flight of stairs near a small (clothing?) shop. I think...

FourSeasons: Unfortunately I haven't been able to eat at Quintessence so I can't really compare the two. But I'll add some detail on Florilege so that you can get a better feel - I may have the order (& no. of courses!) somewhat mixed up but if I recall correctly, what 2 of us had included:
- green olive amuse bouche (a little cube of what tasted like olive oil flavored brioche)
- foie gras with hazelnut meringue and raisin walnut bread (a signature item)
- ezo venison with red pepper sauce
- wagyu marrow flan (marrow with wagyu tartare) / cepe croquette
- tochiotome strawberry with petit nuage milk ice cream / chocolate omelette

There wasn't a particularly pronounced Japanese influence to the food, except perhaps in the lighter touch. You don't feel heavy even after eating quite a fair bit of foie, marrow and red meat.

I'd say it's also not the kind of meal where you expect to discover a startling new flavor combination, pushing the boundaries. It's more the kind of meal where you leave feeling warm and happy with the world because everything was just well done (at a reasonable price too), the quality of the produce is good, & everyone in front of house is so nice. Plus the chef has his small whimsical moments with the square olive and the 'burnt' omelette that made us smile. :) I think the term "bonne petite table" is a very good description of Florilege.

Hopefully this is more informative - I would also add that this is our impression from lunch but dinner might of course be different.

No worries, I'm slow in replying too. :) Hope the work hours have normalized somewhat!

Yep, on Elbon I can see how if you had great expectations before going it may have disappointed - not to say that it was bad, but that San Pellegrino list is a bit suspect.

As to Chinese, if you get a dire craving I think there's a couple of Crystal Jades in Apkujeong and Samseong-dong? Though I've not tried them since we get that easily here but good Korean food is a hard find in Singapore.

Look forward to more posts on Korean food in due course!

Had lunch there on a recent visit - plating is perhaps not their strongest point but everything else is very good. Food is finely prepared, service is warm and sincere, and lunch is very good value at 4500yen iirc. (I booked 1 month in advance for a weekday.) I can share more details on food if anyone is interested, but would just add for now that the place is a bit hard to find so do bring the restaurant's phone number in case you need to call & ask. It's unobtrusively tucked away in an apartment building & signage is not visible unless you're standing right next to the door.

Don't feel too bummed - I also planned on going to Sushi Saito but couldn't get a place. 3 months before the actual trip, the concierge (a very good concierge who secured reservations at a number of other hard-to-reserve tiny places) called early to be told that reservations could only be taken 2 months before. She called again on the dot the very day that they started taking reservations for the date I wanted, only to be told that they were already full for the whole week (and month too, if I recall correctly). There are other good places that are (arguably) comparable, both in price point and quality and I'm sure you'll find them enjoyable too. Have a good trip :)

Coincidentally, I went there on the same day as you to be greeted by rows of closed stalls - it’s not permanently closed, just closed for spring cleaning (9 & 10 Jan 2012). :) This happens periodically at the Singapore hawker centres and dates will be announced beforehand by banners put up around the hawker centre. For overseas visitors, you can try checking this website:

http://www.myhawkers.sg/index.php?m=p...

Do you mean this Kurodaya? http://www.kurodaya.net/reso.html
If so, then you can reserve online at the above link, no conversation required :) Ikyu seems to be doing a special deal too, so you might want to check it out.

I've not been to Kurodaya but I've visited their sister restaurant, Ayano Kouji. It was good though you do pay a bit more for their service, location and setting (which you might or might not consider important), I think Kurodaya would be similar.

Btw, on Ranma, I saw your later note that you'll be in Ueno, are you sure you want to trek all the way to Akabanebashi? It's good but I don't know if it's worth your time to go all the way (even though Tokyo is pretty compact and easy to get around) given that you'll be there for only a short while.

No particular manners so don't worry, just enjoy!

P/S I should also add that lunches are uniformly priced cheaper than dinner at high-end restaurants so if one of these is on your itinerary, you may want to check out their lunch options instead of dinner (the exception is kappo / kaiseki places, where they often emphasize dinner & lunch tends to be very simple by comparison, though some places do offer lunch courses).

I forgot to add, if the Torishige you're thinking of is the one in the Shibuya area, I think you can only get in if you're recommended by someone.

I saw that you were prepared to spend up to 15000yen on teppanyaki. Before you do that, do you want to try a cheaper alternative (scaling up from the Toyota Camry to the Porsche as you say :)?

If so, and you don't mind a slight detour to Akabanebashi, Teppanyaki Ranma has a good value lunch. For 1575yen, you get soup, salad, kuroge wagyu nakaochi, rice, coffee. See http://r.tabelog.com/tokyo/A1314/A131... or their website for more details. They use good quality beef. (Then when you go for the 15000 yen meal, you can see if it's 10x as good!

On yakiniku I've actually posted a run-down of several good places in Tokyo previously (add Jumbo, which I left out, to that list). just search wagyu + yakiniku and it should come up.

Hi Tom, how's the stay in Seoul so far? I see that you've discovered 'booking' clubs (!) & makgeolli. :) Besides Jung Sik Dang, any chow-worthy recommendations, especially for more casual food?

Btw what did you have at Elbon that was so dire? Thought there were some hits and misses but bad is a pretty strong term!

Imperial Treasure Cantonese Cuisine at Crowne Plaza Hotel would fit the bill - it's next / linked to Changi Airport Terminal 3, access can't get easier than that. Not too difficult to get a space, food is good.

Hi misc1774, I'm not a leading expert on Seoul food but as no one's responded yet I'll try to answer your questions - am guessing you're staying in the Myeongdong area?

For soups in that area there is Myeongdong Gyoja (kalguksu, tel 02-776-5348) and Yeongyang Center (samgyetang, tel 02-776-2015).

For fatty pork bbq I previously recommended Heukdonga on this board, but that's in Samseong-dong near to COEX, so some distance away from where you're staying.. or there's also a decent chain called Bon Ga (www.theborn.co.kr) with a location in Myeongdong.

As to whether BBQ is worth it if you compare to the US, this is just my personal opinion and others may disagree, but for pork / chicken yes, for beef it might be a bit of a toss up if just considering the meat (hanwoo) at the places I've visited (but even so it may be worth it for the side dishes). Having said which Bong San Jib is certainly worth a visit.

The french pastries in Seoul didn't leave much of an impression, but if you would still like to try, I think one of the more popular french-style stand-alone bakeries in Seoul is Kim Young Mo (I wish I could tell you more but I honestly have no recollection of what I tried from there). One of the outlets is a 10 minute walk from Budnamujip. Galleria Dept Store's food hall is another option. I didn't try Amandier (a short walk from Anguk Station in Samcheong-dong) but the pictures look good. It's on my list to go next time I visit Seoul.

wagyulover (I'm a wagyu lover too!), I'm pretty certain you would like Bong San Jib previously mentioned on this board - specifically, the chadolbaegi and the doejang jjigae. Two locations - one south of the river near COEX (tel: 552 5898), one north of the river near Samgakji Station (tel: 793-5022).

Some thoughts on your list:

Westlake is decent enough for the type of food they do, but honestly I think not worth a special visit to Queens Road / Farrer Road.

At Newton (better to visit at nightime), you can also try the oyster omelette and popiah.

On Maxwell - agreed with FourSeasons that Tian Tian's chicken is not as good as some other places (Boon Tong Kee, Chin Chin @ Purvis St - which is only a couple of minutes' walk from Raffles Hotel btw), but their rice is quite flavorful, so it depends what you go for perhaps. I personally think Maxwell is more worth visiting for the snacks like goreng pisang (I forgot to mention the stall name earlier - Lim Kee), onde onde (Xing Xing) and as it's an easy walk from other good eating locations like Amoy, Chinatown etc. Though if you do go to Maxwell, the fried fish soup from Jin Hua, where they do add milk, is not bad - you can contrast this with Ka Soh's fish soup at Amoy nearby, which doesn't add milk but relies on boiling the fish bones for a long time to achieve a milky soup.

At Amoy, also worth trying Hoo Kee's dumpling (bak chang). They finish steaming the dumplings around 12.45PM everyday and usually sell out before 2PM. Diagonally opposite from Amoy is Ocean, which sells fishhead curry. This is different from the style you get at Little India (as sampled by Anthony Bourdain), as it adds coconut milk.

If you're narrowing down your choices, I highly recommend the Amoy / Maxwell / Chinatown area. It has one of the widest variety of good food choices in a small area and Ann Siang Hill nearby is an interesting stroll... after all that eating, some walking is generally helpful I find. :)

Ah.. times like these really remind me how great it is to be living in Singapore!

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Westlake Restaurant
Blk 4 Queen's Rd #02-139, Singapore, Singapore 260004, SG