Tag: Korea

Sseubu, Gangseo-gu

Fred McNulty

When I have written about Korea-based restaurants on Masjib Mania, I have tried to avoid writing about other Asian countries’ cuisines. This is not to say that there are not delicious pan-Asian restaurants in Korea–far from it! However, due to the general lack of knowledge toward non-Han Chinese and, to a somewhat lesser degree, non-Honshu Japanese Asian cultures in the West, I wanted to focus on Korea. That being stated, Korean-Chinese food is delicious in its own right, and deserved some attention. On February 25, I went to Sseubu (쓰부) in the Gangseo-gu district (강서구) of Seoul.Read More »

The Library, Jangchung-dong

Fred McNulty

Hotel restaurants can be easy to miss. If you’re staying in the hotel, you can easily overlook them in lieu of other local establishments. If you’re not staying in a hotel, you might not even know about them. Hotel restaurants are frequently pricy as well. On March 7, I decided to have brunch at The Library, a restaurant in Hotel Shilla, one of the most famous hotels in Korea.Read More »

Plant, Itaewon

Fred McNulty

Life for vegetarians in South Korea can sometimes be challenging. While there are some traditional vegetarian options available, such as Buddhist temple cuisine, most South Korean entrees involve meat. Even seemingly vegetarian dishes, such as kimchi jiggae (김치찌개) or kimchi stew uses meat in the broth. For months a vegetarian classmate of mine urged me to go to Plant, a vegan bakery and restaurant, in Itaewon. On September 16, I went there with her and a few friends.Read More »

American Factory, Dangsan

Fred McNulty

In an episode of The Simpsons, the family travels to Tokyo and, to intellectual Lisa’s disgust, the family opts to eat at Americatown, a U.S-themed restaurant. The restaurant featured awkward or incorrect interpretations of U.S. culture, including Muhammad Ali boxing with Neil Armstrong and the use of outdated slang. While this parody might be a bit much, I am deeply fascinated by the representations of the United States in South Korea. How do people outside of the United States perceive U.S. culture and customs? On August 20, I visited American Factory, a restaurant in central Dangsan-dong to answer this question.Read More »

Roaster K, Pohang

Fred McNulty

On the southeast shore of South Korea lies Pohang, a small port city and summertime destination. It is home to chaebol conglomerate POSCO, or as it was formerly known, Pohang Iron and Steel Company. The popular Yeongildae Beach (영일대해수욕장) is a busy spot for visiting families to soak in the sun. Along this beach are many bars, seafood restaurants, hotels, and Roaster K, a bakery and café. I stopped in on August 13 for a bite to eat.Read More »

Robocook, Daejeon

Fred McNulty

Daejeon is not a terribly large city, but it is still home to over 1.5 million people. While I had never been there before July, I found it to be a cute city with the amenities of Seoul, but without the massive crowds. While Daejeon is not home to many unique cuisines, I wanted to go to a restaurant not available to me in Seoul. On July 30 I joined my significant other and a friend in Daejeon to Robocook’s Dunsan branch for brunch.Read More »

GS25 – Butter Latte

Fred McNulty

In early June, I was on my way to meet my significant other in Ichon Station (이촌역) so we could head out for a trip to Daebudo Island. My transfer point was Dongjak Station (동작역) and, being late, I had not yet eaten breakfast. I stopped by a GS25 convenience store to grab a quick bite. I paused by the dairy section, as I had my eyes on an item I had never seen before: GS25’s Butter Latte beverage. Here is its story.Read More »