South Korea: Jeju Island Pt. 2

Waking up early the next day, we enjoyed complementary breakfast of eggs and toasts before setting out to meet our taxi driver for the day. Our first stop was the teddy bear museum which boasts to a huge collection of bears of various Themes. The little darling decided to become a bear too!  She was beary beary happy! Wedding Bear!

Naughty  X Terracotta Bear!

Did a little traveling and we stopped by another tourist site but I was not sold by the stone formations. I preferred eating more :)! So it was fish cakes and hot radish broth along with some sweet red bean filled cakes along the way ;)! 

Delicious fishcakes in radish broth are everywhere! And that includes some or most 7elevens too!

One of the catchy tourist spot I enjoyed most was the mysterious road. An optical illusion where cars roll uphill and water flows upwards. A  bloody amazing sight. Or at least much more impressive than stones xD. Views of the terrain also caught my sight. The driver explained that the bulge were actually graves caused by the effect of the volcanic ground. Other places were flat because live stocks roam freely, applying pressure and keeping the ground flat. The graves were unaffected due to the rock perimeter preventing livestock from entering.

Next was a UNESCO heritage site. A waterfall site which looked good but fell way short of majestic. Nevertheless, the rock sculptures formed out of volcanic rocks in the area were really eye catching yet so symbolic of knowledge and bravery!Waterfall!  Told you it was not much… :(

We then went on to the Sunrise Peak but not before a lunch of locally caught mackerel cooked in the simplest manner on the grill.

  While the cooking was simple, it freshness was unbeatable!  But we got ripped off! Jeezus!

It was a gloomy day and it shows from this picture! But it was a good thing.  It was not really too hot or anything :)!

Sunrise peak!

But believe it or not, the amazing part of this place was the “lady divers”.  People who carry on the tradition of catching seafood by diving despite this horrible winter chill!True story!

As you can see, the ladies are pretty old! Even the youngest is about 60 years old.  Thus they joked the “between us, we share more than 300 years of experience!”.

Me and live octopus.  And only moments later….

Abalone and octopus sashimi.  ACHIEVMENT UNLOCKED.  Almost died there… @@!

On the way down, I really enjoyed the views of this little town.  Despite this trip being more than 2 months old now, I feel a growing sense of attachment.  South Korea really is a beautiful place :)!  Oh btw, the tent was setup for the first sunrise of the year event.  An event celebrated every new year’s eve!

My last scenery shot before we headed back to the city area.   It was extremely pleasant!  Our taxi driver commented that n summer this place is full of chicks. NOTED.

And the most important part of the day, a delicious meal to end the night on a high!Another meal of fantastic barbecue.  This time, even the cabbage and bean sprout kimchi goes on!  Not the healthiest thing, but as the belly crisps, its oil cooked the kimchee even more, giving it an unforgettable aroma.  All then gets wrapped in a lettuce.  ENJOY!

When we were close to finishing, the owner came out and cooked the remaining pork belly and kimchee with rice.  Cheekily, he made a love shape out of the rice.   Hospitality in South Korea is unbelievable.  Everyone here is so helpful and caring right from the start till the end.   Even from the start, an old aunty has been keeping an eye on us making sure we were alright.  Consistently asking her helpers to bring more food to us.  What can I say?  It was lovely.

<3! While I wish I know the name of the place in English, I do not :(! Nevertheless, the owner left us a card:

Took this with my iPhone ;)! Hope this helps anyone who needs a good barbecue place in Jeju Island!

After that the little darling and I walked a bit more before settling down to relax over warm drinks @ Tortini café.  Just the perfect way to end our last night in Jeju! Green tea latte, hot chocolate and….

A delicious slice of moist baked cheese cake! :)!

  Both the drinks and the cake were yummy. I do not drink coffee at all and luckily for me, green tea latte has no coffee.  Just really delicious matcha stirred into frothed milk! Delicious! The hot chocolate that darling had was not any lesser too.  It was creamy, rich and sweetness just at the right amount.  The biggest surprise for the night was the baked cheese cake which was so yummy.  It put most cheesecakes in Perth to shame!

Next stop?  Mount Sorak!

More soon :)

WenY

South Korea Trip: Jeju Island Pt. 1

Late 2012 the little darling and I embarked on a journey to South Korea and Hong Kong. I have to say, the trip to South Korea despite its language barrier and differences in cultures, was every but enjoyable. Food wise, it did not disappoint either. Finishing the Hong Kong trip late at night we flew to Seoul in the wee hours of the morning. Awesome flight on the a380! The highlight was probably Korean airs very demure looking ladies which the darling agreed!

First stop of our trip was Jeju Island! 6am and no place to check-in gave us the opportunity to experience Korea Jijinbang where we slept in the common hall to regain some strength. Never quite slept with that many people around me before! Maybe around 100 plus beds in that hall? Other levels had spas for men and women. But woke up to the most awkward moment with the little darling when there were no one else but us.  Must have snored too loud! *oops*!

Random bike shop

 

Jeju on hindsight felt like a dead town at first. But walking into their fish market famed for sashimi grade produce, it was super lively.   But we were so hungry we decided to hunt for lunch first and ended up eating the best bowl of Tteokbokki during our trip.  It was filled with delicious Mandu (dumplings) and Odeng(fishcakes). This was absolute joy for $3! Other snacks we had was the doughnuts which were pretty good. They had plain fried ones, some filled with red bean paste and savory ones with vegetables! Pretty damn nice when the weather is 0 degrees!

Later on we walked through Jeju Island’s underground shopping areas which felt more like an emergency shelter due to the size of it! Oh and facial products were everywhere! A girls heaven for sure.

Walking out of the shopping place, we soon found ourselves at a little traditional government house turned tourist attraction in the city :)!

The entrance

Main building grounds

A few pics of the building features :)Pretty good workmanship!

CRaftyyyyyyyyyyy!

And to finish the night, the famous black pig barbecue! The highlight typically revolves around the superior quality of the pork which is identified by small little black pores on the skin but for me, it was the discovery of a new leafy vegetable that carries a beautiful fragrant and buttery taste when ate with the pork. That for me was spot on.

Obligatory Korean Barbecue.  Pictures is the La Galbi of beef ribs!

Does anyone know the name of this heavenly vege? :)! It was superb!!

Keep a look out on this space for part 2!

WenY

Bites: Hong Kong BBQ @ Francis Street, Northbridge.

Mom and dad were here last week so it was only reasonable if I had brought them out for a meal.  But dad’s preference for Chinese food is a little tricky to work with as my sister does not really like roast.  So when she is not around, I brought them to HK BBQ on Francis Street.  Leaving home for awhile now, decadent roast meats are never too far away thanks to a few restaurants which I frequent including this one and Good Fortune.   For me, both are equally lovely but when it comes to dining in, nothing beats the revamped interior of Hong Kong Barbecue.

Large roast came with crispy skinned roast pork and deliciously flavored roast duck.  Finger licking good!  No need to provide a description but what is better than that crunchy bit of skin followed by juicy roast pork with the savory bottom bit?  Nothing. Nom nom nom!

The fried tooth fish is another crowd pleaser.  Its crispy on the edges and the buttery fish just flakes of layer after layer.  Not to mention, HK BBQ has the perfect condiments and sauce to make what normally is a common fish, a super treat!  Funny thing how the fish is kept frozen upon being caught from the artic yet stays perfectly in shape.  But the local fish shops in the area always condemn the quality of the tooth fish!  Do not even know why!! This is yummy!!

Braised bean curd with vegetables!  A final course of greens, bean curd and mushroom to finish the meal. While this was not the most refreshing vegetable course, it provided a subtle finish to an already delicious meal!

 

Being a frequent customer of HK BBQ, I never quite knew what this restaurant ranked in urbanspoon.  Looking it up at work today, this restaurant landed a well deserved 3rd place out of all the Chinese restaurants.  Definitely a kickass place which I would frequent over and over!  SWEET.

 

WenY

Bites: Café Latay @ Northbridge

“Nothing is from the bottle! Sauces, curries, marinades are all homemade!” exclaimed the lady boss who operates Café Latay.   I have been coming down here often and she often looks at us little graduates with care but mainly concern on whether our meager salary can afford the $10-20 dollar lunch she serves.  Working at Hatch for 1 year now, I have often do quick takeaway Café where I enjoy tuna croquettes, curries and their salads which I would not call cheap in anyway but in terms of quality, it was there.  In fact, takeaways usually start at $5-9 dollars which is decent.  Or one could get a mass produced unhealthy meal at Maccas?  Or that ever so boring roast chicken from Coles.

 

Knowing my background as an amateur foodie, she asked me to come down and sample some of her dine-in options.  Packing with me a crew of 4 guests, we happily headed down for a free meal last week. I have to say we were beaming with joy.  Who would not for a free lunch?MC’s lunch for today was the satay with rice, sauce and a cucumber salad.   If you like your satay flavorsome matched with a slightly spicy yet extremely rich peanut sauce, this is kick ass.  Deceiving satay felt hard to dismember using utensils but fell off the skewer effortlessly when bitten of the stick.  It’s the way we roll back home in Malaysia!  Served with rice though, felt unusual as we were more used to the traditional “ketupat” but that was a difficult thing to serve as the Australians do no quiet understand it. YET.  For me this dish was quite on the mark in terms of the flavors that I was looking for but putting health aside, I would have like a slightly unhealthy cut of meat.  A little skin on the flesh just the way it is done back home.  But this all in all was nice although MC found the rice a little dry or undercooked!

 

Steph decided to go for steak as she has a slight gluten intolerance.  To her joy, the steak was cook spot on which she found was really amazing for the $20! She commented on how most steaks in that price range always turn out overcooked but this was purrrrfect! But due to my poor ordering skills, she ended up with a mushroom sauce and not a sundried tomato sauce which she wanted.  Nevertheless, she enjoyed the sauce which I have to insist felt really delectable!   It was a mixture of saltiness and sweet with a hint of sourness.  Over all,  a good lunch which she enjoyed!

 

Café Latay changes their curry on day to day basis.  For that day, Ness had the Lamb Rogan Josh with rice, papadams and a side of raita.  Ness started enthusiastically only to find herself  struggling to finish the lamb (the serving was huge).   Sampling her curry, I found the flavors of the Rogan Josh very authentically composed.  However, as a matter of personal preference, I would have liked a higher amount of acidity from the tomatoes in a way that it is really rich.  For the meat, I typically choose lamb chops and take away all the excess fat and sinewy bits.  I like a cut of lamb that balances  well between its leanness and fattiness, all when cooked together becomes rich and full of beautiful flavors. 

 

Andrew who has sandwich every day could not depart with his routine.  His sandwich journey continued with Café Latay’s steak sandwich.  Amazingly enough, it looked like a really big sandwich and Andrew was happy that everything was put to order.  More importantly, it came out warm with the steak still tender.   In fact, he found that the one served here beat the steak sandwich he had at the Village Bar @ Subiaco which was was voted the best steak sandwich in WA.  No bad at all!

 

For my lunch, I was craving for something a little more unhealthy.   I had the Chicken Parmagiana with a side of chips and salad.  Biting into the chicken, it was delicious.  Fried to golden crisp especially on the sides, the rich sauce and cheese was a pleaser.  In fact, this was the kind of richness I was looking for in the Rogan Josh.  Just that little added acidity made wonders.  While the chicken was superb, and the chips OK, I struggled with the salad.  I think it needed a little reviving and temperature to them.  Fridge temperature is normally my preference when served with a deep fried goodies.  To add moisture, a good swirl of olive oil does the trick before being tossed with sauce :)!

 

When we were done, I believe no one felt hunger anymore.  For approximately $16 each, Café Latay had us filled.  We might not be the biggest eater but it was great value which the lady boss need not justify.  It was clear that Café Latay caters not only honest, homemade and quality food, but equally healthy ones too! A little imperfections here and there but there was no compromising on quality which I thought was acceptable.    Of all the food we had, I have to say that some dishes really set itself apart from the rest.  One that I liked particularly a lot was the satay although the rice needs changing.  Its flavors were spot on.  Other than that, the curry was also served in a manner that felt really complete with the side of raita and papadam but maybe a little fixing in the sauce to my liking.  If you asked me whether I would return for my occasional lunch spend? Definitely so.

WenY

Revisited: L’ Atelier de Joel Robuchon @ HK.

What makes a great restaurant I have asked myself over and over.  Ingredients?  Skill?  Creativity?  Sitting in a 2 starred restaurant just two days ago, I ate food that was of many sorts.  Delicious, normal and even boring.  Yet even the most boring of dishes did not feel lacking in ingredients, skill or creativity.  Nevertheless, time and time over, one restaurant have seemed to maintain their standards.  Starting with a two star reputation on my first visit and now the proud holder of its  final third star, L’ Atelier de Joel Robuchon has been a magnificent dining experience.  

 

CLICK to see my first visit to L’ Atelier de Joel Robuchon.

 

The start is a clean entrance to the restaurant where you are greeted by your hostess, brought to your sit and offered bottled water. But do not fret, you have a choice of tap too. The waiter then takes over and explains the meal and various dining experiences for this night.

 

When you are finished with the orders, out comes the best bread basket I have eaten.  Ever.

This was the bread basket for 3.  Your are spoilt for choices.  Easily, most diners at L’ Atelier have been quoted saying that they feel a need to finish it, but are worried about the coming courses.  Indeed you should.  Easily there are over 5 types of bread.  Maybe 6 or even 7.   If you are a bread fan, you would be sold.  But more importantly, there is something for everyone.  My favorites of the lot were the twists, croissants and the fruity roll.   It was simply sublime for something no penny is paid for.

 

Amuse bouche was a little parmesan biscuit with tomato and ham accompanied by a shot glass filled with a cream of artichoke with ginger and carrot.  Something so small yet so much impact.  The light parmesan biscuit was really airy with a delicious slice of ham and some tomato.  Imagine a biscuit and ham from the cold platter but a 3 starred version with a lot of substance and ingredients :)!

 

The combination for me was spot on.  It was still that lovely creamy taste!  That slices of carrot did not do too much but the hint of ginger throughout the cream was a pleasant surprise for some like me who did not like ginger.   But something about the warm chestnut soup I had earlier in 2012 makes me crave for that more.

 

For the soup course:

Corn veloute, beef jelly and caviar.  This was a decadent little bugger.  To be honest, I hated corn soups until now.  In fact, I never understood how does one enjoy corn in any soup! Even in the Chinese ones as the corn tend to overpower everything.  But in this case, the corn flavor was really subtle.  Something typical in cold soups where the taste of the main ingredient tend to be less intense but slowly picks up in flavors over ones tongue.  The beef jelly was a great addition to the soup as it slowly melted to the heat in your mouth.  Caviar, pop corn and little croutons were textural wonders for this little soup! A great surprise! 

 

The little darling got a little more posh with her starter.

Chicken broth, black truffles, parmesan net served with a side of black truffle toastie. Seriously.  Who serves black truffle puree in toast.  This was really yummy.  I could not help myself but dig into the little darling’s soup.  It was yummy.  One can really get  a good feel of flavor and aroma of the black truffles in there.  Sort of makes an ordinary experience into a gourmet one.  Nice!

For the darling, she did not deviate from what she had during her trip here before.

Black cod fillet with smooth daikon cream and olive oil.  The fish for starters were  cooked to perfection.  Flake by flake it fell apart.  However, the daikon cream albeit being smooth was a bit of a turn off for me.  It had a bitter aftertaste which the waiter say is typical.   For me, that is the difference of whether it was cooked well or not.  I have eaten daikon and every time it turns out bitter, it is sad when one insist that it is the natural way it should be.  Maybe a pre boil? This could have been an awesome eat!

 

My main presented before me again, looked very artsy.  Pork flap with greens and other edible leaves.  My expectation was something rather tough.  Perhaps somewhere around the ear haha.  Ear flap lols. I have never eaten flap meat before.  But this was just spectacularly moist.  And its accompaniment the mash (bottom pic) was legendary.  Obviously butter was a big player in this delicious mash but hey! Once in a while!

 

Who says mash cannot be brought to a whole new level!?  One of L’ Atelier’s bragging rights.

 

The little darling’s final course was something I recommended to her based on my liking.  She happily went with it. 

Kagoshima beef and foie gras burger with lightly caramelized bell peppers.  If you thought the wagyu sliders at Merrywell was good.  This was even better.  It was reach creamy and woah!  The perfect fast food meal.  Really a once in a life time thing considering how rich this was.  In fact, if you read one of my post about how I have eaten various foie gras which went from dry to creamy to rich.  On a scale of 0-100. This was 101.  See the post on Sage here.  In fact, when the little darling tried to press in down, the foie gras literally smashed into a puree.  It was a class act.  Shoe string chips were crisp but it was no killer side.  But hey?  Burger and chips are probably the marriage in the world! Nom nom nom nom!

 

My final course was the lobster risotto!  Lobster flesh was succulent being cooked just right.  Risotto sauce carried a decently strong flavor like a bisque.  But thicker.  As an avid fan of most shell fish, this was slurps!  The risotto was silky, each piece still separated not like some really bad ones that turned out gluggy.   Another thumbs up! Picture will come up once the little darling sends it over :)!

 

Last bit of the night were the desserts which I will let the pictures do the talking :)!!

The Chestnut which was part of my dinner set menu.

 

The Pear which was darling’s choice for the night.

 

The Apple which was my dining companion’s choice.

 

The final complementary course of the night besides the amuse bouche and bread were the  Petit Fours.  Small oven creations from the Robuchon kitchen are another magical part of the evening.  Faultless.

 

At the end of the night, I cannot thank L’ Atelier enough for being a great host once again.  Plate by plate each put together so meticulously with the emphasis on perfection.  I could barely fault with anything except the daikon cream that darling had with the black cod.  Otherwise, this meal was great.  However though, my dining companions who were not the keenest of fine dining found a few dishes to strong for their palate.  One such instance was the sea urchin with lobster jelly which was way too strong in seafood flavor.  I had a taste of it myself and found that it was a little heavy on the heavy side.

 

A meal at Robuchon like mine cost approximately $HKD780 while if you picked 4 individual dishes including a dessert, that would set you back approximately $HKD1000.  This really is no small sum of money.  On the streets, great feed start as low as $HKD30.  Not everyone likes fine dining and would compare it to being able to eat tones of street food.  Some like it, some hate it.  With a hate mentality like that, it is hard for one to appreciate the finesse revolving around effort of one putting together a plate of art with the hands of many.  Nevertheless, the few decadent meals every year does not revolve around the need for luxury, but rather a treat.

 

WenY

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Bites: Mend Street Cafe@ South Perth

Deciding on Tuesday dinner was another pick from the Entertainment Book.  Unfortunately, I found it very hard to give it any merits.  That probably explains the discomforting feeling one gets when you go to a restaurants half past seven and it is fairly quiet.   Mend Street Café should be a trademark of the beautiful South Perth.  Its dishes come out looking good but tasting lousy.  For dinner, I ordered the crispy skin pork belly with a salad.

Tragically, the skin was soggy and the meat dry.  Worst of all was the salad that came warm as if it was sitting next to the stove.  The dressing was stingy and I had to request more to relief the dryness.  Over all, it was just nightmare.  The only consolation on the plate was the prawns which were still juicy and nice.  The rest was just horrible.  Will I come here next time?  Maybe with a coupon.  And ordering more typical dishes which I would still worry about a mess up.

 

WenY

Bites: Village Bar @ Subiaco

Last weekend, the engineers and I decided to have a meet up.  Keen for a new space, I decided to look around town while avoiding all dim sum places which have become to frequent at our meet ups.  Searching around for something casual and relaxing, I stumbled upon a the Village Bar on the Queen of Bad Timing’s blog.  You can see her share of the review here.  Village bar distinct itself from other bars as this was more of a gastropub than your regular one.  The food here is pretty good and the bar prides itself with the title Best Steak Sandwich in WA.  But I was not sold to get one.  I know how overrated titles can get. 

 

For me,  I decided to get the Honey Vodka battered fish and chips.  It was every bit delectable.  While it was not cheap @ $22, it had my respect.  The fish was fresh, crisp and so moorish.  Beer battered chips were in a league of its own.  But typically being fish and chips with a serve of garlic aioli and tartare sauce, this basket of goodness soon becomes a little greasy. 

While I enjoyed my fish and chips, others decided to try to steak sandwich which unfortunately was just over lukewarm.  I find this things always happen when one tries to serve 10 dishes at the same time.  As a foodie, I reckon the kitchen should do what it does best at its own pace.  So long as the food comes out delectable and hot, everyone will be extremely pleased.  Over all, Village Bar is a pretty impressive bar.  It’s décor was nice, waitresses keen to help and food delicious.  Will I come here again?  Definitely yes, compared to the Brisbane, this place is a downright winner. The only value that is hard to beat is the $15 ribs @ The Shed!

 

WenY

Bites: Ha Lu @ Mount Hawthorn

Sis have been complaining that I have not bought her a birthday meal for awhile now.  So deciding on what to have for her birthday this time had to be special.  While I was thinking of something a little more fancy like Matilda Bay Restaurant, Friends and such, she wanted something a little more casual and with more choices of food.  In the end, we ended up at Ha Lu.  Perhaps the best small plate option where everyone gets to try a lot of food.  At Ha Lu, I have been impressed once and this time was no exception.  It was equally good!  The dining style here is Izakaya which has a similar concept to tapas.

 

That night we shared 9 dishes among us and all but one was great!  We started of with a refreshing course of vegetables and meat:Root vegetable salad with onsen egg and sesame dressing.  A delicious recommendation from the waitress.  The root vegetables of all sort were fried before being mixed with some fresh leaves and tossed in sesame dressing.  It was a textural marvel with all the different type of root vegetables with varying consistency contributing to its flavors!

 

While I used to hate sashimi, I somehow took a U turn and have started loving this little fish delights.  Now, it is almost obligatory.  Then again, I found $26 for 9 slices a little steep.  My take on having a delicious sashimi was Ha Lu’s Sashimi Tartar of the day @ $14 below.  It was fantastic.

 

This was a fantastic dish which I had in my first visit.  More importantly, it still was.  Marinated in soy and some spices, the tartar was served with a side of crisp and wasabi mayonnaise.  All the magic ingredients for a foodgasm.

 

The wagyu tataki was nice  with the dressing but I would have very much preferred it to be served with a side of finely sliced onions.  The fried onions were a tad too heavy on the palate.  In my mouth, it sort of reaches to that extent where it was just too oily to partake in such fresh flavors.

 

Moving on to the deep fried course:Dude food with a twist I must say.  But the twist was not in the chicken but rather the concoction of mayonnaise and ume plum mayonnaise.  It provided a hint of ripeness to the sauce making what usually is a rich (sometimes cloying) dipping sauce, light and delicious.   Welcoming addition which added a nice touch to the Kara age.

 

A classic favourite of scallops sitting on a fried lotus root topped with some micro herbs.  Finish with a little heat from the Chili Mayonnaise.

 

Finishing the savory course with braised and grilled foods!The Pork Belly Kaku-Ni is a slow braised pork belly in soy sauce.  No need for praises here.  Just imagine melt in your mouth pork soaked in a fragrant and rich soy braise.  All with some steamed rice.  Enough said :)!  Cannot wait to replicate this dish in winter.  It is going to be heaven.

 

The last time we came to Ha Lu, we had to order this twice.  Maybe thrice.  But this was so small! But oh my god.  This was good! Only complain could be the chicken was not as tender as I remembered it to be!  The flavors though, are your typical teriyaki.  Just a lot better. :)!!

 

Another fish on the table.  The  Miso Patagonian Tooth fish was my biggest disappointment of the night.  It felt like Ha Lu was trying to do Nobu’s Black Cod Miso but this was just not what I expected.  I wanted more quality.  More delicateness in flavors.  And the fish itself felt horrible.  This was a big no no for me.  Sorry Ha Lu.  Terrible.

 

To finish the night, we had our desserts.  This time David decided to opt out as he was not a person who enjoys sweet food.  I do not either but I reckon I would not mind having it with my sister.  It was her birthday lols.  A little sad to have it by herself!Mine was the Black Sesame Tiramisu while Sis had the Panna Cotta.  Both were delicious but perhaps mine was marginally the better of the two.

 

Over all, Ha Lu is still a damn good eat.  The first Izakaya I had still packs the great quality it had from day 1!  

 

WenY