Category Archives: Food & drink

Downtown Food & drink Gyeongju restaurants tips for tourists

Restaurant Review #13: Sam-po Ssam-bap (삼포 쌈밥)

09/15/2010 – 23:02
Sampo Ssambap Restaurant, Gyeongju

Sampo Ssambap Restaurant, Gyeongju

Looking back on my blog I realize that it’s been months since I’ve posted any restaurant reviews.  To make up for this oversight, I hope this will be the first in a series of reviews that focus on restaurants both unique and accessible to tourists.

Sampo Ssambap Restaurant, Gyeongju

Sampo Ssambap Restaurant, Gyeongju

To start off with, I have to mention group a of “Ssam-bap” (쌈밥) restaurants just east of the Daereungwon (대릉원) parking lot.  If you’ve not had “Ssam-bap” before, it is a culinary force to be reckoned with.  Any Ssam-bap joint worth its salt will bring out no less than 20 plates of Korean side dishes: all known manners of kimchis, veggies, fermented fish, spiced squid, marinated tofu, pickled eggs, and peppered salads along with a couple of dishes of soup and pork or beef. read more »

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Buddhist culture Food & drink guest writers Korean culture shopping

The Korean Way of Tea (다례) Part 2: The Ceremony

08/27/2010 – 22:23

By Don Baumhart

Continued from Part 1…

Boseong Tea Plantation (from www.absoluteshinhwa.wordpress.com)

Boseong Tea Plantation (from www.absoluteshinhwa.wordpress.com)

Harvesting Tea

Unlike the powdered tea used in the Japanese tea ceremonies, the Korean ceremonies use loose leaf green tea. Traditionally, this tea is referred to as “Jakseol-cha” (작설차) which literally means as “sparrow’s tongue tea,” as the small curled leaves resemble the tongues of sparrows.  This “sparrow’s tongue” tea is well known for its exquisite flavor but, like everything involved the Korean tea ceremony, this depends a lot on timing. In his written guide to the tea ceremony, the 19th century monk Cho Ui (조의) noted that the flavor of the tea is adversely affected if the leaves are not picked at exactly the right time. It’s for this reason that Korean green tea is harvested in 4 different stages, which in turn determine the quality and thus the price of the tea.

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Arts & crafts Bomun-dong Buddhist culture Downtown East Sea Food & drink Geumcheok-ri Gyeongju Gyo-dong hiking history Namsan-dong Outside Gyeongju Ruins & remains shopping Sites to see Statues & carvings Temples & shrines tips for tourists tombs Top 10

Itinerary: 10 Days in Gyeongju

08/06/2010 – 15:35
Tongdosa Temple, South of Gyeongju

Tongdosa Temple, South of Gyeongju

Not to become a broken record or anything, but most tourists just bounce down to Gyeongju for a long weekend, hit up the big tourist sites, and head home Sunday night. It’s a shame really. You can barely even scratch the surface of what Gyeonju has to offer in 2 days. To finally prove what I’ve been harping on so long, I’ve cooked up a 10 day itinerary for visitors to Gyeongju. That’s right: over a week and a half of things to see and do in the area.  If you don’t have 10 days, feel free to pick and choose what suites your liking.  But here are some ideas for exploring a deeper side of Gyeongju and Korea as a whole. read more »

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Food & drink Namsan-dong restaurants tips for tourists

Restaurant Review #11: Kalguksu (칼국수) on Mt. Namsan

05/29/2010 – 09:30
Chilbulam Restaurant, Mt. Namsan, Gyeongju

Chilbulam Restaurant, Mt. Namsan, Gyeongju

Along with temples, ancient Buddhas, and funny-shaped boulders, Mt. Namsan (남산) has also been blessed with a fair number of kalguksu (칼국수) restaurants. If you’ve not tried it before, Kalguksu is a hot and hearty noodle soup; perfect after a hike. Kalguksu literally means “knife noodles” as the noodles are cut by hand and quite thick. Kalguksu has a mild savory flavor, but it comes with a side jar of soy sauce with green onions and chilies which you add to your liking (I’d suggest starting with just a dolop or two to see how you like it). It’s served without meat, so it’s vegetarian friendly (though I can’t vouch for the broth). read more »

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Buddhist culture Food & drink guest writers history Korean culture

The Korean Way of Tea (다례) Part 1: The History

05/26/2010 – 13:45

By Don Baumhart

Tea Ceremony for the Buddha, Dongguk University, Gyeongju

Tea Ceremony for the Buddha, Dongguk University, Gyeongju

If you want a glimpse into the soul of traditional Korean culture, you should try to experience grace and charm of the Korean tea ceremony. Like its Japanese counterpart, the Korean tea ceremony is meditation in motion. Each slow and mindful movement is carefully choreographed from start to finish. As in meditation, the purpose of the tea ceremony is to center each person in the present moment, to create a sense of purity, respect, tranquility, and harmony. read more »

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Festivals Food & drink Gyeongju Hwangseong-dong Korean culture photography tips for tourists

More Gyeongju 2010 Liquor & Ddeok Festival (경주술과떡잔치)

04/22/2010 – 11:37

 

2010 Liquor and Ddeok Festival, Gyeongju

2010 Liquor and Ddeok Festival, Gyeongju

It’s Thursday morning which means that we’re down to the final day of the Gyeongju Liquor & Ddeok Festival (경주술과떡잔치) in Hwangseong Park. Unfortunately I missed the Festival’s kickoff Saturday, though I hear it was packed with people and the weather was gorgeous.  By the time I got down there on Monday, this week-long bout of dreary weather had already set in.  read more »

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Festivals Food & drink Gyeongju Hwangseong-dong tips for tourists

Gyeongju’s 2010 Soju (소주) & Ddeok (떡) Festival

04/07/2010 – 06:28
Soju and Ddeok Festival, Gyeongju

Soju and Ddeok Festival, Gyeongju

As I’ve been trying to get the word out about events before they actually happen, I’m pleased as puddin’ to announce that it’s that time of year again for the Gyeongju Soju (소 주) & Ddeok (떡) , or Liquor and Rice Cake Festival. As always, the festival’s in Hwanseong Park. The official word is that it kicks off Saturday, April 17th and winds down Thursday the 22nd. I’ll be posting the actual daily events schedule as I get it. read more »

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Buddhist culture Festivals Food & drink Gyeongju hiking restaurants Ruins & remains Statues & carvings Temples & shrines tips for tourists Top 10

My Gyeongju Top 10

04/03/2010 – 02:00

I know it’s all the trend these days, but I figured it was about time I sat down and wrote out my personal top ten “to do” list for Gyeongju.  Some of these I’ve posted on already, and if I haven’t yet, I hope to soon. So here they are in brief; counting down from 10 to 1:

Bunghwangsa Temple, Gyeongju

Bunghwangsa Temple, Gyeongju

10. Take a walk around the ancient, 3-storied pagoda of Bunghwangsa (분황사) Temple when the fall leaves are changing. read more »

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Downtown Food & drink Gyeongju restaurants tips for tourists

Restaurant Review #6: Dweaji Sanyang (돼지사냥) Samgyeopsal

01/22/2010 – 01:36

Dweaji Sanyang (돼지사냥) Samgyeopsal Restaurant

Dweaji Sanyang (돼지사냥) Samgyeopsal Restaurant

So I’ve been in Korea for a while now and honestly I’m a bit over the whole fried meat thing.  One samgyeopsol (삼겹살) joint taste like another to me anymore… but then there’s Dweaji Sanyang (돼지사냥) .  It’s downtown, just a stones through from the Daerungwon tombs and if you’re looking for a different experience with Korean barbeque, I suggest checking it out. read more »

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Food & drink Korean culture links websites

More Links

01/05/2010 – 22:47

It’s been a little while since I’ve updated the links, so here’s a run down of a few websites and blogs I’ve dug up in the last month or so.

If you’re new to Korea or want to learn more about Korean food, my friend Pete hooked me up with a link to TriFood.com. It’s focus is on promoting Korean food in the tri-state area of New Jersey, New York and Connecticut, but it’s got a very thorough glossary of Korean Cuisine.  Not to mention, there’s a bunch of recipes worth trying out if you’re handy in the kitchen.

Speaking of Korean food, One fork, One spoon is a pretty awesome food blog by Grace Meng.  Grace covers Korean cuisine along with a fair mix of Mexican, Spanish and Argentinean.  She’s got dozens of posts including Korean recipes and restaurant reviews.  Keep an eye out for her Korean cookbook coming out soon. read more »

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