[http://stuffnoonetoldme.blogspot.com/]

I upgraded to WordPress 3.0 and I hope to have an update of the blog ready by the end of summer.  :)

In May of this year, I was asked by Joe SeoulPodcast (and ZenKimchi) if I would be a guest on his show.  I agreed and we recorded a 2+ hour show on a Wednesday night through Skype.  It’s hard to admit, but I never mentioned it on my blog because 1) I don’t like hearing my voice, and 2) I didn’t think anyone would be interested in the random things I had to say.  They’re actually terrible reasons, I know.  Well, a couple months later, I ran into Joe at David’s daughter’s birthday.  He told me my podcast episode was the most downloaded (and still is) at 1433 downloads.  That’s pretty cool, since I was on Episode 9, and SeoulPodcast is on their 27th episode now.  (Coincidentally, David’s episode was the second most downloaded.)

It’s really too late now, but six months later, I’m going to share the link to my episode on SeoulPodcast.  You can listen to me talk about outdated news and try to sound witty here.  As a reward for enduring through my awkward banter “on air,” you’ll be able to find out my real name, which hardly ever comes up on this blog.

I bring up the podcast now, because I’m set to record another one this Wednesday.  Joe invited some of the more popular guests for a round table discussion.  There’ll be seven panelists, not including the hosts – Joe and Jennifer.  I’m not sure how much air time I’ll actually get because it’s such a large group, but I promise to let everyone know when the episode airs this time.  PROMISE.

Ras called the restaurant (02-529-8248) to find out when it opened and to make a reservation.  Since it was 1pm at the time, the call was forwarded to Chef Kim’s cell phone, who took the reservation himself.  At first, we weren’t sure if a reservation was even needed at 5:30pm, when the restaurant opened its doors.  Upon arriving (late) at 5:40pm, Chef Kim smiled towards Raswan and said, “You must be Ras.  Welcome.”  We were led to the back area of the restaurant and saw that all seven tables there were reserved.  We were then relieved to have made the call after all.  The two larger tables in the front of the restaurant were the only ones not reserved.

When we entered the restaurant, we were only the second party in the restaurant.  Menus were given in both English and Korean.  Ras and I already had an idea of what to order, having read ZenKimchi’s blog post.  As a starter, we opted to skip the BulGalbi and Grilled Mushroom Organic Salad and get some other mushroom appetizer with bread.  Upon hearing of our order, Chef Kim came out of the kitchen, kneeled down to our table, and offered to give us advice on what to order.  He said the mushroom/bread starter was just a regular dish, nothing special.  Instead, he advised us to get the BulGalbi and Mushroom salad.  Hey, who are we to argue with the chef?  We agreed, he smiled, and went back to the kitchen to prepare the salad.

While we waited, this came out: broccoli with garlic oil and sprinkles of deep fried garlic pieces.  Delicious!  Ras and Kevin ended up fighting for the last pieces of the deep fried garlic.

Our salad then came out.

Wow.  We were not disappointed by this.  Utterly delicious.  The meat was tender, the mushrooms were perfectly grilled, and the dressing was robust and flavorful.  Out of the four dishes ordered last night, we all agreed that this was our favorite.

The next dish was Million Won Samgyeopsal Jjim with aged kimchi.  It’s very much like a tender, but thick piece of “bosaam.”  Since I love bosaam, I loved this dish.  The guys did too.

Then came Sweet and Sour Beef (Tangsooyuk).  While this was delicious, the batter crispy and light, and the saucy not gooey, it’s still Sweet and Sour Beef.  There’s a Chinese restaurant near my university that also has a similar tasting “tangsooyuk”, although it’s with pork and not Australian beef.  I wasn’t disappointed, but it wasn’t anything too special.  We all agreed we wouldn’t order this one again.

The last dish was Fried Whole Mullet.

As Ras commented, this is not a fishy fish.  The cilantro, ginger, and onions were a great combination to the fish.  The waitress came out and de-boned the fish and squeezed the lemon on it for us.

Dessert: Apple Snowman

It might not look so good because it was melting fast, but it was delicious.  The first two layers are apples, and then vanilla ice cream on top.

The service at the restuarant was great.  The staff took great care to bring out our dishes right after we finished the previous one.  There were no long waiting periods.  Instead we were constantly eating and drinking, as it should be.

The head waiter was top notch and it was obvious he had good training before working at this restaurant.

Last, but not least, this restaurant is not cheap.  A couple dishes start at 10,000 won, but most are in the 20,000-30,000 price range.  For the three of us, we had four main dishes, a dessert, and three bottles of wine over the course of three hours, for 220,000 won.  While this is 73,000 won per person, we all thought it was absolutely worth the price.  The food was fantastic and we can’t wait to go back with a larger group of friends next time.

Star Chef:   Seoul, Gangnam-gu, Dogok-dong 417-2

Map here.  Line 3 – Maebong Station

02-529-8248  (Opens at 5:30pm, reservations recommeded)

He gives a different link for people seeking legal advice.  I definitely agree with this:

And finally, have enough money available to walk if you need to. Do not come 5000 miles around the world, to a foreign country, without a cash-advanceable credit card that has about $3500 in available credit on it—so you can have a place to stay, meals to eat, and a return ticket home if you’re screwed over by the hagwon. I get a lot of Friday night calls from desperate hagwon instructors looking for a white knight to intervene and restore order to the world by Monday morning, because the instructor doesn’t have enough money for Cup o’Noodles. And the sad fact is, the legal system doesn’t work with instant remedies, if any remedy is available at all. So there’s nothing I can do for these poor, benighted people.

I can’t believe people would come to a foreign country and not have any way to leave, if a bad situation should come up.

Watching this video makes me happy, and miss traveling.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlfKdbWwruY[/youtube]

Carribean Bay
An indoor and outdoor swimming pool located in Everland based on the Central American Carribean Sea of the 17th century. It has an artificial beach and several water attractions. There are also two cafes where you can eat and drink. It is open all year and you don’t have to bring money inside the pool area because all purchases can be made with a barcode hand-ring which you receive upon entry. More information on Carribean Bay and how to get there by public transportation.

• If anyone gets a chance to go to Ocean World in Gangwon-do, don’t hesitate to go.  It’s similar to Carribean Bay, has been open one year, and is lots of FUN!

Lotte World Swimming Pool
Within the sports facilities, Lotte World offers a mega-size swimming pool with lots of other attractions. The swimming pool itself is located under a clear glass dome which makes you feel being outside. They also provide a sauna and a King Cobra Slide. It is open all year round but the prices vary for low season and high season. If you like to swim, take a sauna and use the slide it is better to buy a so called “Free Pass” which gives acces to these facilities without paying upon entry. You can also buy a combined ticket for swimming pool and sauna.
Lotte World Swimming Pool information.

Hangang Parks
Along the banks of the “Han River”, which flows through Seoul, are 13 parks with all kinds of outdoor facilities. The parks are named after the districts they are in and in the following districts you can find large-sized outdoor swimming pools: Mangwon, Yeoido, Ichon, Jamwon, Ttukseom, Jamsil and Gwangnaru. Open hours: 9:00 am. – 8:00 pm. On particularly hot night, the pools stay open until 10pm.  Fees: children (4-12 years) 3,000 won, teenagers (13-18 years) 4,000 won and adults 5,000 won. Parking is available but the charges vary from park to park. For information call: 02-3780-0777

• I blogged about about the Yeoido Pool last year.
• How to get there by public transportation.
• Get there early!  The Yeoido pool has a capacity of 3,400, so image trying to find space to set out your towel.

The Sheraton Walker Hill opens its outdoor pool to non-members during the summer. For more info call 02-453-0121.

• I called the hotel and the person who answered didn’t speak much English.  The only information I got was that it cost 60,000 won for adults to use the outdoor pool.  There was also a “gold membership” option for 85,000 won.  She didn’t say if this included a buffet lunch, which I’ve sometimes heard rumors about.

Hotel Seoul Kyoyuk Munhwa Hoekwan

Furnished with the exciting Wave pool, High-slides and various kinds of Adult pools, separate Children pools and Running water pools, it is Korea’s biggest outdoor pool which will cool the steaming summer heat right down.

Open season: June 26th ~ August 22nd

Open hours

- 09:30~17:30 (Weekdays) / - 08:30~17:30 (Weekends and July 17th ~ August 15th)

Open hours

- tel) 82-2-526-9641 - email) sports@mail.temf.co.kr

• This doesn’t look bad, especially since there are lounge chairs, lots of room, and located in Yangjae, closer to where I live.  I can’t tell where this is, in relation to the Yangjae Costco.  Now, I’ve got to find out how much this place costs.

Hamilton Hotel Swimming Pool

• This hotel is located in Itaewon.  I heard this place is more of a pool party atmosphere – young people drinking and sunbathing, trying not to get caught checking each other out.  Get there early if you want a lounge chair.

• Open from May 24th to early September
• Hours: 10:00 – 6:00 pm
• Rates:  Weekday: 12,000 won; Weekend and holidays: 15,000 won
• Optional:  Locker: 1000 won, Towel: 2000 won, Lounge chair: 10,000 won
• Telephone inquiries: 82-2-6393-1247

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