Hot Sake and Sashimi in Snowy Seoul

This past weekend it snowed in Seoul. I'm talking real snow - it reminded me of a Mid Western winter. Luckily the main roads were clear, but the sidewalks were icy and slippery. However, I was determined to check out the "french" neighborhood of Seorae. After going through numerous blogs, I discovered that the best way to get there was to get off at Express Bus Terminal, Exit 5, and walk. 

Now I have never been to France - but I love cheese. Being in Seoul these past few months, I have missed good cheese. I thought Seorae might have some cheese stores. However, it was not to be - by the time we got there it was dark. We wandered into the Paris Croissant, but there cheese selection was minimal. 

We did find a wonderful Japanese restaurant, right by the Paris Croissant - and ended up having some hot sake, Sashimi, and udon with sea food. A perfect way to keep warm on a cold snowy night in Seoul!

Cooking class in Seoul

A great way to understand a new place and cuisine is by taking a cooking class. I signed up for a Beginner’s Class last week, hosted by O’ngo Food Communications where I learnt to whip up a yummy chicken stew and the most amazing vegetarian dish: glass noodles with mushrooms. 

Our instructor was very friendly and patient - answering all our questions. We learnt that soybean paste forms a very important part of Korean cooking. Other interesting new insights:

I learnt that sweet potatoes make really yummy noodles with an interesting texture.  

Real soybean paste takes between 40-60 days to make. 

There are way more varieties of mushrooms than what I was used to in the US. 

We ended the class by visiting a street market near Anguk station, where our instructor helped us purchase some basic Rice wine, soybean paste, chilli paste and mushrooms. 

I highly recommend this class to anyone interested in learning about Korean cooking. 

Link: http://www.ongofood.com/