ShinShin (신신) - Spicy Beef Stew to sweat out your frustration

신신 辛辛 (ShinShin)

서울특별시 중구 남대문로 64

02-773-4842

64 Namdaemun-ro

Jung-gu, Seoul

Naver Maps// Google Maps

"You sure? It's really spicy" She said quickly glancing at Lee and his full-scale (glittering) paleness. For a minute, I wasn't too sure myself. Could Lee really handle level 3? A level they said corresponds to 3 times the spiciness of Shin-ramen?  Then I thought why not - it would be incredibly racist of me if I didn’t subject my boyfriend to his fair share of spiciness right? Plus he did manage to eat level 2 without weeping or breaking down…

I’ve returned to 신신 (辛辛) – ShinShin (Chinese character for spicy) in myeongdong couple of times, always seeking that thrill and odd sense of release you feel after sweating through a meal. Unlike other restaurants specializing in spicy food, which sometimes I find totally lack any other flavors besides the painful burning sensation,  ShinShin’s beef stew has a good blend of flavors and delicious to eat!

If you choose to go for the spicy beef stew / 매운갈비찜 (M (35,000) for 2-3 ,  or L(45,000) for 4-5), there are 5 levels of spiciness you can choose from  (1 – equivalent to Shiramen, 2 – 3 times Shinramen , 3 – Imagine Shinramen with Extra chili flakes  + Chilies and so forth). Last time we had gone for the level 2, which was still surprisingly spicy but enjoyable for the both of us (although I admit, lee is better than lots of Koreans with spicy food).

The stew come to the table ready to eat with fresh scallions piled on top. Usually the server removed the bones from the beef and even cuts it into bite-size pieces too! I think shinshin's portions are proportionate to the price you pay, as you get a fair share of beef as well as copious amount of bean sprouts, scallions and other vegetables. I usually end up pretty full by the end of the meal (although it may be the beer we chug down as a necessity to alleviate the spiciness). The best way, in my opinion, to eat this is by making a mini sweweed-roll, radish roll (무쌈) or throw it all in roll. The owners refill the seaweed and side-dishes without a fuss so don't worry about asking for more. If you're feeling extra adventurous, you can dip the beef into the hot-sauce they give (because... well if you're going to tear up you might as well go all the way). 

By the time we're half way through our table is usually littered with beer and tissues. We usually begin fishing for beef / bean sprouts in the sea of ominously red soup and soon after Lee begins to dive into the path of self-destruction by 'attempting' to drink the soup. Despite the schadenfreude i feel watching him sweat, this is usually when I intervene and ask the owners to take the soup away and make us fried rice. 

After waiting for few minutes during which you partially regain control of your tongue nerves and begin to sweat slightly less, the fried rice arrives (with the big bowl of left over soup). The fried rice is surprisingly not spicy at all (or it may just be our numbed taste-buds) so we usually pour some of the soup back and eat it together.

Shishin is definitely one of my favourite dinner/lunch places around this neighborhood to go to. Despite being centrally located in Myeongdong, it's never really too crowded (but always occupied) and still has that sense of your secret weapon to show off to naive visitors who think they are good with spicy food.

The Aftermath

Pancake Challenge #2) French Orange Flower Water Crepes with Cognac

(as adapted from Crêpes au Cognac et arôme de fleur d'oranger)

This one took a little more preparation and searching than I had expected. After failing to find Orange Blossom Water (or sometimes known as Orange Flower Water) in Korea, I had to wait for my next iHerb!

Orange Blossom (or flower) Water is the perfumed water created as a by-product of distillation of fresh bitter orange blossoms (which are distilled for their essential oil). Although it is often used in baking,  cocktails (it's in my favourite gin-fizz!) and even perfumes, it's as commonly found in shops.

I came upon this recipe when I was searching for the recipe of my favourite cognac crepes. When I was a kid, they used to serve it as a dessert at our family's favourite Teppanyaki restaurant we went once a year for birthdays.

After brushing up on my limited French and compiling several recipes found on the internet, we started our Sunday with Crêpes au Cognac et arôme de fluer d'oranger (Crepes with Cognac and Orange Flower Water). I also made a simple orange sauce to drizzle over the crepes, which despite its simplicity was unexpectedly a winner!

Crêpes au Cognac et arôme de fluer d'oranger

(makes 2 - around 6 to 8 crepes depending on size)

Ingredients (Pancake): 

• 3 medium eggs
• 1 1/4cup of milk
• 3 table spoon of butter (unsalted)
• 1 cup of all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon of baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt
• 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla
• 1 tbsp of Brown Sugar (or caster sugar) 
• 1 tbsp of Orange Blossum Water (plus a tea-spoon if you like the scent!)
• 1 tbsp of Cognac (or more)

Ingredients (Orange Syrup):

• 1 cup of Orange Juice (freshly squeezed works best if not 100% natural juice)
• 1 tbsp of brown sugar (or caster sugar)  
• 1/4 teaspoon of Orange Blossum Water (optional)
• 1/4 teaspoon of lemon zest 
• 1 tsp of Cognac (Optional)

Steps:
If you're making the syrup - start with it first and let it simmer whilst you cook the pancakes!

1. In a small saucepan add all the ingredients
2. Simmer the sauce in Low-Med heat until the sauce thickens (10 - 15 minutes)
3. If you're feeling rather indulgent - add in a tablespoon of butter to melt in 

(In the spirit of keeping things simple and 1 bowl)

1. Melt the butter in a bowl (or if you leave it out - softened butter works well too)
2. Whisk in the eggs and whip until well mixed
3. Add in the milk, vanilla and Orange  mix well 
4. Using a sifter add the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt, sugar)
5. Mix until there are no lumps and the batter is smooth 
6. Add in the cognac (seriously go for more if you like it
7. Heat the non-stick frying pan in Medium-High heat and lightly oil the pan with butter or vegetable oil
8. Take 2-3 Tbsp (or a small laddle) of batter and pour in the middle of the pan
9. Taking the bottom of laddle spread out the batter into a thin mixture in a circular motion
10. As the batter is thin it'll be ready to be flipped after 30 - 45 seconds
11. Cook on both sides and transfer to a plate and cover to keep warm!

You can either eat them flat like a pancake (and add bananas like Lee did in an attempt to create 'pancake art' suitable for instagram) or roll them up like I did!
Either way make sure you give a good drizzle of the orange syrup on top... and then eat your heart away on a lazy Sunday :)

Pancake Challenge #1) (Almost) Paleo (Mostly) 2- Ingredient Banana Pancake....with a teaspoon of cognac

Truth be told, despite living in the European equivalent of 'land of pancakes', I’ve never really been a big fan of pancakes.  I mean yes, I did love occasionally to the pancake houses and having a proper pannekoeken layered with powdered sugar and syrup but I honestly never really liked the half-soggy texture or the rather bland flavour (without drowning it in syrup).

 But as you do when one starts dating a rather pancake-crazed Canadian, you learn to adjust to the rather pancake heavy lifestyle (but that doesn’t stop you from stopping the insane drowning of pancakes in maple syrup – seriously that has to stop).  So instead of that traditional style butter-heavy, flour-heavy pancake I didn’t like, I thought maybe I would prefer something lighter and healthier and made my first batch of 2-ingredient banana pancake. What I didn’t expect was exactly how much I would love the pancakes. They were so light and fluffy, and naturally flavoured that not only did I finish my share (which to be fair is usually 1/3 of his), I would often guiltily steal bites of Lee’s pancakes previously telling him off for gulping his food down.

Anyhow, after few variations of banana pancakes and coconut pancakes, I was sure I was actually a pancake fan – but one with a rather fussy/picky/specific preference.  That’s how the whole challenge began.  A global-scale pancake challenge to make each weekend (and even early weekdays), tweaking it to meet my specific taste-buds.

Personally I can’t wait to make blini with caviar but it is quite appropriate that we start the challenge with the one pancake that converted me to pancake-hood.

I’m not even sure where we’ve gotten the original 2-ingredient banana pancake from, but after trying it 2 days in a row (maybe even tomorrow – seriously I’m hooked), at least to me it is amaaaaazing. Plus it’s always convenient to cook as all you really need are eggs and banana (which I always keep frozen and thaws really easily) and pantry staples!

So I’m proud to present our....

(Almost) Paleo (mostly) 2-ingredient Banana Pancake

Makes 2 (or 3 if one of you is not a 6ft 5 Canadian who inhales pancakes) 

Ingredients: 

2- 3 medium bananas (mashed)

2 eggs

And Optional additions being:  

1 Tbsp Tapioca Flour (optional – I found it helps with keeping the pancake intact)

1 Tbsp Coconut Flakes  or 1 Tbsp Almond Meal/Flour (if the mixture is too thin – add more!)

1 Tsp Cinnamon or 1 Tbsp of Cocoa Powder and/or 1 Tsp of macca powder

1 Tsp of Pure Vanilla Extract

1/4 Tsp of Baking Powder

AND my favourite addition being 1 TBSP of COGNAC

When you have all of the above gathered – all you need to do is:

1. Mash the bananas with a fork/masher in a bowl
2. Break the eggs and whip for a minute or two with a fork/whisk
3. Add in the rest of the ingredients and let it sit for a  minute or two (especially if you’ve added coconut flakes)
4. Heat frying pan at low-medium and then pour 1 TBSP of either ghee/coconut oil / olive oil or any oil of your preference
5. Take about 2 TBSP (I use a small ladle) pancake mix for about 3 min on each side (you’ll see when the pancake is set – as bubbles begin to form in the middle)

*Note: these flour-less banana pancakes are delicious but a bitch to flip. The smaller the better and if  you have time it’s a lot easier to cook it at low- heat so it doesn’t burn)

6. Garnish the pancakes with MODERATE (stop – these should not be drowned) amounts of honey / maple syrup and to your preference chocolate sprinkles (I know they’re not paleo), coconut flakes, seeds (flax/chia/pumpkin etc.), nuts or really anything you want.

There it is, my favourite pancake in the world (so far), I’m pretty sure Lee will grow tired of them, but for now I’m perfectly happy eating these for breakfast every single day. Well until Sunday. Then we're indulging in Crêpes with Salted-Butter Caramel because its Sunday - then the tweaking begins once again :) 

  

  

Miko: Japanese Molecular cuisine in Cheongdam-Dong

Miko (미코)

서울특별시 강남구 도산대로85길 14

122-7 Cheongdam-dong

Gangnam-gu, Seoul

02-3446-1227

(Naver Maps // Google Maps)

Once a year, Hyundai Card holds a 'gourmet week' during which quite a large number of well-establisehd and renowned restaurants in Seoul/Busan offer 50% discount on special menus/dishes for members. Having missed it last year, I made sure it was my one of my top-priority to choose a speical restaurant that is normally not as easily accessible/affordable.

The list was actually quite extensive for Seoul both in terms of locations and cuisine. There's quite a lot of French restaurants and modern Korean cuisines, and if I were a little more sparing with my spending, I would've probably tried a couple more! After researching couple of options, I was torn between Miko and 콩두 (congdu) - Korean modern cuisine overlooking Duksugung palace! Although I'm pretty sure sooner than later, I'll have Lee try out 'fancy korean' in addition to all the grungy back-street versions I get him to try.

Miko is restaraunt run by the renowned chef 신동민, who is knwon for molecular cooking in his previously acclaimed haute-japanese molecular restaurant 슈밍화 (closed now). Miko was opened as a slightly more 'casual' version of 슈밍화, and it's already gaining popularity from either previous fans of 슈밍화 or new diners (such as myself!).

I admitt, I didn't (and still don't) really know enough about molecular cooking. It occupies the same space as 'haute-cuisine' or 'modern' / 'fine dining', which usually means incredibly expensive meals for protions so teasingly small that you finish the meal feeling confused as to whether you've had a full meal or not. Having said that, the dinner we had that night was actually really enjoyable and casual whilst maintaining its 'uniqueness' that it left us thoroughly impressed and actually rather full (although...lee did eat most of my noodles and rice).

The special dinner course for Gourmet week was 120,000 won (60 k each with 50% discount) for a 10 course meal (and fresh king oyster in the start as service :D )

1. Appetizer
2. Salad
3. Sashimi
4. Syphon Soup
5. Rose King Shrimp
6. Beef Tadaki
7. Sea Urchin Rice
8. Udon
9. Dessert A
10. Dessert B

The meals were spectacular & we got to dress up a little  (which means.. Lee wears his beloved bowtie)



Oyster (Service) - Incredibly fresh and lightly seasoned. It was a delight to begin the evening with an oyster!

Appetiser: Chinese Yam Tofu, Abalone with gingko nut, Watermelon Soup, Cherry tomato with balsamic dressing

Salad: Noodle Salad with roe, ginger, tomato and yuzu dressing

Sashimi: Seabass, Salmon and Halibut 

Syphon Soup served with Shrimp Wonton and Lotus Root Dumplings

Who knew you could use this besides brewing coffee!! 

Rose King Shrimp Tempura: One of my favourite of the night despite the fact that I usually am not the biggest fan of fried food! The shrimp had this unbelievable chewy texture and flavours that went beautifully with the tomato-based sauce. Absolutely divine.

Beef Tadaki - Lee's favourite meal of the night. The steak was incredibly juicy and plus who doesn't like cooking their own steak to their preference? The two types of soy sauce (fruit/ wasabi) were also fun to alternate between. 

Udon & Sea Urchin Rice Bowl - After the spectacular dishes before, it paled in comparison but nonetheless excellent quality and freshness (also I should note that both the udon and rice was cooked perfectly) . I was actually quite full by this point, and Lee happily ate most of the 'meals' (although I did scrape off and happily eat every last bit of sea urchin leaving him bits of sauce and whole lot of rice)



Taking a quick photo break

Dessert - Sesame Pudding & Ice-cream with nitrogen-frozen Yuzu-Puff (sadly I ate the pudding before taking the photo - which is a pity because it was I was thoroughly impressed with the subtlety of the flavours!) . Oh but the best part about the nitrogen-frozen puff : if you eat it, you can puff out nitrogen smoke from your nose like you're puff the magic dragon.

They also gave us dark chocolate (which we still ate despite being full) and also had promotion on what they called a 'premium belgian beer' that's made in Japan. I know it's pretty silly but despite in the end was rather delicious (but definitely not worth the $16 they charged). 

Overall, it was a great meal and despite it being a splurge we could relax (and even take selfies!) and joke and laugh about the food. If you're looking for a fine-dining experience, I would suggest going else-where but from time to time it's great to be able to eat really excellent food whilst joking around about it with your loved ones :)

Jokbal (Pigs Feet) and Whisky in Gongdeok Jokbal Street!

 궁중족발  (Gungjung Jokbal)

서울특별시 마포구 만리재로 23

(서울특별시 마포구 공덕동 256-30)

Exit 5 - Gongdeok Station 

(walk straight until you see the street to the right)

02-718-7087

Naver Maps

www.mapo-gungjungjokbal.co.kr/

Ever since coming to Seoul, I repeatedly heard about the 'jokbal street' in Gongdeok. 

How awesome is it that they have a street dedicated to pigs feet. I admit, it doesn't look or sound very appetising, but hey sometimes the grittiest scariest looking food turns out to be the best food!

I've been wanting to go check it out for sometime but had been saving it up for a rainy day when all you could think about is a bottle of soju and 'meat'. So one evening after a long week at work, we decided to meet outside gongdeok station to head down to the street.

I swear my boyfriend and his friend must think I'm one sketchy individual after all the alleyways I've dragged them into in exchange for a good but slightly less hygienic meal. Hey, but I do always deliver excellent meals though!

So tonight I lead them to the narrow alleyway of Jokbal Street.  All the restaurants seen above in the tiny side-alleway sell Jokbal and Sundae. There are couple of more famous ones: 오향족발 (Ohhyangjokbal) being probably the most well known and 궁중족발 (gungjungjokbal) coming close. I don't think there's a big difference in quality and they all have the same price-level too.

궁중족발 actually have 4 restaurants next to each other all served from one massive kitchen half indoor and half outdoor. 

I mean look at that! (At least they wear gloves right?)

Anyways the menu is pretty straight forward. Order either the small ($26) or large ($30) and a bottle of soju and beer. The small one should be enough for 2 adults (or 3 if you're not a big eater) and large for a bigger group.  The menu comes with UNLIMITED sundae and sundae-soup. Now that's what I call a good deal. 

As it is with these soju-fuelled restaurants (look at the pile of them in the photo below), it can get pretty loud so don't expect any high-quality conversations in there. 

When you're done with dinner and stinking of pig's feet and soju, you should shamelessly walk out and head to this gem of a whiskey bar.

It's called Valinch (google/naver) and has excellent choice of single malt whiskeys and cocktails.

The place is pretty small, and run by the owner himself who actually is very helpful in picking out new whiskeys to try depending on your preferences! He certainly helped us pick ours, and we both loved the ones we got to try. The prices vary from 12 - 30+ per glass for the whiskey and 10 -15 for cocktails. Alternatively you can order a bottle and keep it behind the bar too.

He also serves a generous portion of chocolate and biscuits so if you still have any space left after dinner, you can have your whiskey-fuelled snacks here! 

My favourite whiskey of the night was Glendronach 12 years! I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for a bottle at airports! 

Buckwheat Noodles & Strolling around Samcheong-dong (by main palace)

메밀꽃필무렵

02 - 734 - 0367

서울특별시 종로구 통의동 7-23 

7-23 Tongui-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul

(Naver Maps/Google Maps)

Pancakes - 7,000 WON
Buckwheat Noodles (Hot / Cold) - 7,000 WON

Although not as beloved as its other 'gluten-free' alternatives, Koreans have been quietly eating buckwheat noodles for centuries.  Often known as 'soba-noodles', it began its Korean history in the 16th - 17th century (Japanese have eaten it in their soba form much earlier).

As buckwheat grows easier than rice/wheat in cold and dry weathers, it was often eaten in times of famine or droughts. The seed of the buckwheat flower is then crushed to produce buckwheat flour.  Usually as it breaks off easily when heated, it is usually mixed in with flour when made into its noodle form.  It’s actually highly nutritious and has 12-14% more protein than other grains!  Also it has high lysine and rutin content, which is said to prevent aneurism from strokes and blood vessel damage.

Apart from the health benefits, I love it because it packs a lot more flavour and texture than normal noodles. ALSO it’s calorific content is 1/3 of normal wheat flours – which means more guilt-free eating ;)

Anyhow, there’s couple of places scattered around Seoul that’s famous for their buckwheat foods in various forms.  Some of my favourite include Buckwheat pancakes, Soba (Hot/Cold), Kalguksoo (칼국수 -  more brothy version),  naengmyeon and even in chicken stews and such.

The one I went to is right next to the main palace (kyeongbokgung). Easiest way to get there is to get out of exit 4 of gyeongbokgung station turn around and then turn left at the road until you see the restaurant!

The place translates to “Around when the buckwheat flower blooms” or 메밀꽃 필 무렵.

It’s a tiny place with probably less than 30 seating and each time I went there seems to be a queue, so if you go during the lunch time then expect a little queue.  Also they sell out around 4-5PM and close shop when all the home-made noodles for the day are gone- so make sure you show up on time!

Waiting patiently for our lunch :)

The menu is straight forward and limited as shown above my friend and his goofy grin.

We opted out to share a buckwheat pancake (메밀전) and bibim-myeon(메밀비빔면), which is the soupless and slightly spicy! I’ve tried all the menu, and I highly recommend sharing the pancake and choosing between the 메밀칼국수 (with warm soup) or 메밀비빔면 depending on your preference or the weather!

The pancakes are much chewier and crisper than traditional flour-based ones (and a bitch to cook/flip).  The best way to eat it in my opinion is dipped in the slightly sour soy-sauce and topped with the pickled onions!

The noodles were also cooked to perfection. Buckwheat noodles can easily loose its texture if overcooked – but out of the 4/5 times I’ve been here, they’ve always been spot on with getting the noodles out at the right time.

I admit, it’s not a complex dish containing multitude of flavours but there’s something about the right balance of texture and simple flavours that keep me coming back for more each time.

I’ll make a fan out of you, I know it!

Plus once you’ve finished eating – you can take a lovely walk around the Samcheong-dong area right opposite the palace and continue to fill up the ‘saved’ calories! AT least that’s how I justified my afternoon snacking.