'the back kitchen'-seoul's first pop up!

The Back Kitchen Seoul...

Here's the story of two food lovers who met in Seoul through the wonderful world of blogs.
Wanna hear a nutty story behind our first pop up?
So it begins.

Joe McPherson from Zen Kimchi and I randomly discussed doing a pop up in a car ride back in March.  We never shared a kitchen before, let alone run a 40 seat pop up! So we decided to make our lives more complicated and fun by setting the date on Seoul's first pop up.  Yeah, we're nuts.  So what the heck is a pop up you may ask? Well, you may have heard of supper clubs or underground restaurants.  Similar concept, but you basically take over a space (preferrably a kitchen space in an existing restaurant), come up with a creative food menu, and feed folks who want to eat your food.  Oh by the way, there is money involved.  Either a set fee for the meal, or suggested donations.  For our pop up, the suggested donation was 35,000 won/guest for a 5 course meal.  Uhm, I think this was a steal! hahaha.

After racking our brains with what type of food we wanted to explore, we finally decided on the concept of
'Re-interpretation of Korean.'  Joe has been in Korea for about 8 years, and his palate in Korean food has developed into something quite amazing.  Then you add his southern American palate to the mix, and you really get something that makes you do a double take.

I grew up with Korean food all my life, as my family opened the first Samgaetang (ginseng chicken soup) restaurant in Chicago back in the 80's.  We also had a ginseng farm, in which I remember riding on big tractors and spending some summers on the farm.  With that said, my mom is quite the cook.  Not just your ordinary Korean mom chef…but her creativity in making Korean food more than just typical Korean items still amazes me today. I have to attribute my passion for creativity to her, and am truly thankful for her always challenging me in the kitchen!

So when Joe and I joined forces to do this pop up, most of our meetings over the menu consisted of giggling about some crazy ideas.  When it came down to it, it was collaborating our past food history, personal journey with food in Korea, and the vision we have for the unexplored.  

 The making of tea soaked marbled quail eggs...

We were quite amazed how it turned out!

The crazy menu:

Starters:  Cream of mushroom soup with perilla seeds and dates

Next up: Cajun style shrimp boil with 3 sauces: ketnip pesto (Korean sesame leaf), spicy mayo aioli, and pepper wasai (gochujang based sauce)

The hearty:  Sujaebee pasta made with potatoes, topped with soju tomato sauce

The main: Braised pork belly (galbijjim style), marbled quail eggs, pickled onions, served with cilantro kimchi

The sealer: Makgeolli cream cheese tarts topped with fresh blueberries, candied deodeok root

My fingers were pretty much done after peeling the eggs...Joe's rendered pork to the right before the braising. Yum!

 Testing out the makgeolli tarts...

There were only 40 seats available in this quaint, cozy cafe in Gaedong-Cafe Gondry.  We actually booked all of our seats within hours when we just tweeted the pop up, this was before our facebook announcement and our invite in 10 magazine! And we had a waiting list…now this started to make us nervous, since we had no idea how our food was going to turn out.  Seriously.

A ton of logistics and planning were involved.  Stress at every angle.  Sleepless nights.  It's one thing if you're cooking for a party of 10 in your home..but 40 hungry foodies, waiting to be fed all at once on a Saturday night? Ok we kinda knew what we were getting ourselves into.  Then the week of the dinner-the word crazy cannot be even describe what we went through.  Just the shopping alone at Garak market was let's just say 'it's called food delivery!' hahaha.  We just had to learn it the hard way. You know, we did this to make our story more interesting.  Joe carried around a 6 kg bag of onions and a 10 kg bag of pork! Then we took an hour long bus ride back to the commissary space where we prepped for the next few days. All this going on while I was putting in full time hours with my other work.

Kyotofu (Japanese dessert and sake bar) was very gracious in lending their commissary to do all of our prep work! It just would not have been possible without this space.  It was perfect.

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The chefs getting busy...

June Chang-the best sous chef!

Busy expediting...

The 10 Magazine crew-thanks for your support!

The day of: it rained. Yup.  Weather was perfect all week long, but Saturday was a bit of a down pour.  Yet we knew that our guests would come through!  Cocktail hour started at 6, and the room was filled by 6:45.  There were compliments after compliments between courses, which really encouraged our back of the house staff:)  

Cajun shrimp boil-we literally threw large prawns on the tables for everyone peel and share...

Seems like everyone had a lot of fun!

Joe & June getting busy prepping the main course-braised pork.

The final course-Makgeolli tarts with blueberries and candied deodeok root!

I love this spot in the cafe-right by the front and it's tucked away by the 'Team button shop.'

Some of our close friends who came out to support us!

Love this shot.

Bernie & Eunice Cho taking the front end.  Thank you for your continuous love and support!

This photo taken by Dan So, one of our volunteers.  Must say, you have a great eye.

Another one of Dan's photo.

The evening was perfect.  It's pretty strange how things turn out, because everything really did come together at the end.  Depsite the rain and the somewhat stressful planning that was behind it all, it was truly a blessed evening!

Sharing the evening with those we love, new friends we met that came out to support us that evening, and most importantly doing the very thing that Joe and I really love to do, was what helped us get through the evening.

A special thanks to our volunteers-Bobby Choy, Jennifer Flinn, June Chang, Ravi Chandra, Crystal Kang, and Dan So.  A huge *hug* to Paulo Ghang for the countless hours spent helping us lugging everything back and forth to both kitchens, and for introducing us to Cafe Gondry!

Also a big thank you to Cafe Gondry for the perfect space, 10 Magazine for your support, and Kyotofu for the prep space! Finally, to all of our guests-Back Kitchen Seoul could not have been possible without your eagerness to try something new, your kind words of encouragement, and your open hearts in giving us a chance to be part of something amazing!

For those who missed out on our first pop up stay tuned for our next one, we will keep you posted! 

Photos in this post were taken by Dan So, Joe McPherson, Paulo Ghang and me.

Dan & Crystal enjoying the staff meal afterwards...

My partner in crime that night-Joe you're awesome!

Life is really too short not to eat what you love…every meal counts.

ghetto gourmet: dining in the rough, part 5

We had our ghetto gourmet dinner 5 back in January, sorry for the late posting! For this dinner, it was my turn to cook.  Let's just say, I think it took some time to get my gears going when I cooked this meal. However, all of our friends were so patient and helpful with making this dinner as smooth as it was!  Sid Kim is our guest writer for this post.  I met Sid over a few years ago, first when I made a guest appearance on his TBS food program 'Seoul of Asia' (back in the day when I was working for Edward Kwon).  Then from what I remember, the next few times we met, it involved wine in social settings.  Now we're food buddies. Sid is one of those guys where you just want to give him a big hug when you see him! Always a smile on his face, and for some reason if you're having a bad day, just chatting with him for a few minutes will make you feel better.  He's like the big brother you want to have.  Not to mention his food palette and knowledge is something else.  Perhaps Eunji's amazing cooking has 'spoiled' his taste buds, hahaha.  

A bit of info about Sid: He is the director and founder of Wise Education, an educational consulting company that prepares students for entry to prestegious U.S. schools.  "I love to eat, travel, eat, write, eat, drive fast cars, eat, ride motorcycles, and eat."

Thanks Sid for sharing your story on this dinner!

When I asked Sarah what the theme of our next dinner would be, she shrugged her shoulders and said, “It’s Korean, but not really.  It’s kinda fusion, but not really.  Actually, there’s no real theme, it’s just a bunch of dishes I threw together.”   Hmm…so much for my plan of writing a theme-based opus-an epic piece of literature bound together by a grand, unifying motif.   Oh well…

So with an open mind, unbound by gastronomic preconceptions, I ventured over to Tom and Jen’s apartment…er, excuse me…”flat,” as I’m sure our resident British pedant, Tom will be quick to correct.   Whatever diction one chooses to describe Tom and Jen’s place of residence, there is no doubt that the two are extremely generous hosts. 

Anyway, on to the food!   As we sat down at the table, Sarah announced that the first course would be a homemade soup.  Yet before she could mention what type of soup, I already knew.   The unmistakable waft of cream of mushroom, thick and mealy, greeted my nostrils like an old friend.   Immediately, I was transported back to my middle school days in the United States.  My father had started a weekend swap meet business to supplement the household income.  So for three years, while other kids my age slept in or watched morning cartoons for hours while dressed in PJs and eating big bowls of cereal, I was awoken by my mom every Saturday and Sunday morning at 4am to help my dad with the weekend business of selling $3 watches.   Obviously, I hated getting up that early, especially on weekends.   Nevertheless, one thing that made the whole ordeal bearable was the piping hot bowl of hearty cream of mushroom soup my mom had waiting for me on the dining room table.   Like an invisible rope, the aroma dragged my still half-asleep body out of bed and ready for a 12-hour day.   As I sat at the table, my mom would look at me with sorrowful eyes – eyes lamenting the fact she had to send her young son out to earn money for the family’s sustenance.  To her, all she could do was to provide me with a robust breakfast for yet another backbreaking day.  To me, that bowl of cream of mushroom soup symbolized a mother’s endearment of her son.  The soup reminded me of the Korean word 정 (jung).  It’s one of those words that are almost impossible to translate.  A word encompassing the feelings of love, affection, connection, sacrifice, all rolled into one.  

Sarah’s cream of mushroom soup was much more complex than the simple once-condensed offering from my mother.  A little less cream, and a little heartier mushroom flavor, topped with thin slices of dates and freshly cracked peppercorn.  The soup had a deeper, more sophisticated taste.  I’ve always been confused when people have tried to explain the taste of umami to me.  “Tastes like roasted mushrooms,” they would inevitably say.  Well, one taste of Sarah’s cream of mushroom soup and I “got it.”  So this is what umami tastes like.

The second dish was Sarah’s take on stuffed baked potato, but instead of using Idaho’s finest spuds, she used a biscuit-sized sweet potato or  고구마 (goguma), as we call it in Korean.  Again, I was transported back to my childhood days.  When I was in elementary school, I would pretend to be a gourmet chef, whipping up lavish concoctions in the kitchen.  My main gastronomical canvas?  The versatile potato.  I would bake it, then stuff it with garlic, butter, bacon bits, fried onions, cheese, sour cream, or whatever happened to be available in the fridge at the time.  My little brother would wait anxiously in the wings to taste my spud fare.  It was his favorite dish, and I made it for him a hundred times at least.  It was my way of taking care of him and making sure he was fed when my parents were working.  As latchkey kids, we had to find a way to feed ourselves, since back then we weren’t privy to Nickelodeon kids meals and Hot Pockets.  The stuffed potatoes were my expression ofjung to my little brother.

Sometimes fusion dishes work and work well.  Sometimes fusion dishes should be left in Dr. Frankenstein’s lab, like the time I made an oxtail, pepper jack cheese and kimchi burrito.  I’m happy to say that Sarah’s sweet potato dish was one of the former.  Sarah took a baked sweet potato and topped it with crispy bacon, onions, corned beef, caramelized kimchi, and Korean chives called 부추 (boochoo).  The sweetness of the goguma and the slight bitterness of the kimchi had a strangely synergistic effect – sort of like a sweet and sour Chinese dish.  The corn beef was an interesting addition as well, giving depth to the course.  Overall, this was Eunji’s favorite dish.  She absolutely loved the combination of goguma and kimchi, and mentioned that in her hometown of Wonju, it’s common to fry kimchi and eat it on top of goguma.   So to her, it was the epitome of comfort food.  This makes sense since these two foods are staples of the country’s diet.  You could literally see the familiarity and nostalgia in her eyes as she took her first bite of dish.

Checking on the potatoes...taking so freakin long! haha

Jen making sure I'm doing a good job, haha.

The third course was a Korean soy marinated 차돌박이(chadohlbaggi), which is very thinly sliced beef usually cooked over a grill.  Those of you familiar with Korean barbeque (actually the first thing that comes to mind for most foreigners when you mention Korea is North Korea, followed by kimchi, and then Korean barbeque) will probably know that meat is usually cooked over charcoal, wrapped in lettuce along with garlic and a red pepper paste called 쌈장 (ssamjang).   Customized iterations can include marinated scallions, diced peppers, rice, and soy marinated onions.  Those of you who have gone to these barbeque joints with Koreans will probably know that it is a sign of affection to create one of these lettuce rolls and feed a person close to you.   “Ahhh…” they would say, as they stuff the slightly too large wrap into your mouth.  Mothers will carefully wait for the meat to cook and make a lettuce wrap perfectly sized for the tiny mouths of their sons and daughters.  Boyfriends and girlfriends will take turns feeding each other instead of feeding themselves.  Of course, you wouldn’t do this for just a stranger (unless you were a friendly ajumma working at the restaurant).  No, this ritual is reserved for only those you care about…only those of whom you have jung. 

Sarah’s chadohbaggi wraps were pre-assembled for our convenience.   But instead of using green leaf lettuce, Sarah used butter leaf, which gave it a slightly creamier texture.  And instead of red pepper paste, she topped the meat with wasabi mayo, carrots and cucumbers.   The mayo added to the creamy texture and the wasabi gave it the bite usually provided by the red pepper and the garlic, but in a different way, of course.  The carrots and cucumbers gave it a fresh “crunch” to remind you that the dish was healthy, similar to when you bite into a roast beef and cheese sandwich with lettuce and cucumbers.  The lettuce and cucumbers work to lessen your guilt a little bit so you can enjoy the meal – kind of like ordering a Super Sized Big Mac Combo Meal and then ordering a Diet Coke to make you feel better. 

The next dish was Panko breaded chicken thighs with a special “Great Seas” Chinese sauce that Sarah had smuggled in from some exotic locale.  Wow!  The sauce was like nothing I have tasted before.  It was tangy, but not vinegary.  It was spicy, but not overpowering.  I could have sworn that I tasted a hint of oyster sauce, but I wasn’t quite sure.  There was also a smoky quality, and dare I say, an inkling of umami?  (I think that from now on, if there is a taste I cannot describe, I will just call it umami)  In any event, the choice of thigh meat was a good one because the dark meat complimented the sauce perfectly.  I think that the sauce would have overwhelmed white meat from the breast.     

So how am I going to connect the chicken thighs with jung?  Well, if you don’t think fried chicken is the epitome of jung, then I have nothing else to say.

The fifth course was a pasta dish.  When you think of pasta, what comes to mind?  Gourmet fare created by Mario Batelli?  Or maybe something special from the godfather of Italian cooks, Chef Boyardee?  Well, when I think of pasta, I think of a middle-aged, overweight Italian woman hauling out a large bowl of pasta the size of small child.  As seen in many movies and television shows throughout the years, the stereotypical Italian “mama” doles out huge servings of pasta on your plate and will keep serving you whether you like it or not.   Many people believe that Koreans are the Italians of the East.  They are loud, love to eat, and love to drink.  And if you are a guest in a Korean’s house, you will be stuffed beyond recognition, since just like in Italy, one of the most commons ways to show affection is to feed you - again, and again, and again.  You’ll receive a second, third, or even fourth helping regardless of your appetite.  The more jung you have, the fatter you will get.  When looking at me, many people comment that I must receive a LOT of jung.

 *Jen battered the chicken and layed it out so nicely, there was no mess! 

Sarah’s pasta dish might as well have been brought out by an Italian “mama” or a Korean “ajumma,” or actually a combination of both.  It was a huge bowl full of pasta goodness with an Asian twist.  Mixed with crispy bacon, onions, diced tomatoes, garlic and Korean sesame leaf or 깻입 (ketnip), I could easily picture my own mom mixing up a similar concoction at home and heaping a Mt. Everest-sized portion on my plate.  With this dish, however, no one had to force me to go back for seconds or thirds.  I found myself reaching back to the bowl for helping after helping.  This was comfort food.  This was food that satisfied the palette as well as the tummy.  Bacon, onions and garlic should go in ALL pasta dishes, in my opinion.  The addition of the ketnip, contrasted perfectly with the sweetness of the tomatoes, giving the dish a more abstruse, more intricate flavor. 

Sid & eunji setting the lens to take some photos...

Cream of mushroom soup topped with perilla seeds and dates

At the end of the evening, after six courses, wine, beer, and the company of great friends, I realized what the theme of the evening was – jung.  Through food I am able to conjure up many fond memories of the important people in my life.  I remember the first time my mother attempted to bake a 20-pound turkey for Thanksgiving.  I believe it was only the second year in the States for our family, so this was her way of trying to say we were “Americans.”  Every time I eat turkey, I think of her.  Any time I eat In-N-Out, it reminds me of my friends who used work there in high school, and how envious I was of them and their “dream” jobs.  When I visit the States, I will inevitably make my pilgrimage to the home of the Double Double, then hop onto Facebook to send a note to my friends from decades ago.  In the future, whenever I eat goguma with kimchi or see a large bowl of pasta, I will think of this night.  Westerners say, “food is love.”  I say, “food is jung.”

Frying with the frying master...Linus Kim.

Sharing stories over wine...love this group!

toh lim

What is one's Korean American experience with Chinese food?  For me (and I'm sure many others may share this experience) it was growing up with Korean/Chinese fusion: jjajangmyun (black bean paste noodles), jjampong (spicy seafood soup) and some form of sweet and sour pork amongst others. Then again, I think this is what's most popular in Korea as well, and many may actually think this is authentic Chinese!

Over the years, I wasn't the biggest fan of Chinese food.  Although I'm still planning on checking out the real deal in China someday.  So when I heard that Michelin Star Chef Cheng Kam Fu from Hong Kong was in town to do a special one week event at Toh Lim Chinese restaurant inside Lotte hotel, it peaked my curiosity. He teamed up with the current Executive Chef You Kahung to do a special 7-course meal for KRW 125,000, that included items such as chicken wings stuff with bird's nest!  Ok, never thought I would put the words 'Chinese + fine dining' in one sentence before. 

Chicken wings stuffed with bird's nest

What I discovered at Toh Lim was a delightful surprise.  Nothing was too heavy, over seasoned, or too sweet. I wasn't crazy about each and every dish, but every dish had a purpose.  A purpose that led to the next course, then the one thereafter.  My guest and I shared the special course by Chef Cheng, as well as a KRW 85,000 7-course meal that is part of their current lunch menu, which was nicely executed.  To be honest, I think I would prefer this course over the special course for various reasons.  For one, they served jjajangmyun noodles! Yes, definitely hit the spot for me. Hahaha. My guest ate like half of my noodle dish:(

At this point, some of you are probably thinking 'why is Sarah raving about Chinese fine dining' when at the end she's content with the black bean noodles?  Oh geez.  I guess even with Chinese fine dining, it's ok to finish off with the comfort foods that we grew to love.  One more thing-I was happy to find out that there was absolutely no msg in their food! After my experience at Toh Lim, I am definitely on board with exploring more of Chinese cuisine.  Hmmm, wonder what's next...

Braised whole abalone in black bean sauce to the left; Shark fin's soup with crabmeat to the right (this was amazing!).

Sea cucumber to the left; Stir fried escalopes of beef tenderloin with pepper sauce to the right.

Jjajangmyun (black bean noodles)

Toh Lim

1, Jung-gu, Sogong-dong 100-070, Seoul, Korea/ 서울특별시 중구 을지로 100-070 
Inside Lotte Hotel-Myungdong, 37th floor
(+82) 02.317.7101

Subway:
Euljiro 1-ga station, (line #2)
Exit 7 or 8, you will see Lotte hotel to your left

afternoon getaway

Just as Spring started to say 'hello', Eunice, Barbara and I went antiquing and enjoyed a nice Korean lunch spread in this quaint town in Gyeonggi-do province (northwest of Seoul).  It was that one first warm day in March that welcomed us with sun! The photos here are these random boat houses that we spotted by chance, right behind the restaurant we ate at (sorry, can't remember).

Ahh, it was great to take a quick getaway from the city...

back kitchen seoul

Seoul in the City and Zen Kimchi will host Korea’s first ever pop-up restaurant! Yes, Joe McPherson and I will be cooking up a storm! These (usually) secret temporary restaurants have been a popular trend from L.A. to London. Called “Back Kitchen Seoul,” this first endeavor will open for one night and one night only on April 21^st from 6-10 p.m. The theme will be re-imagined Korean ingredients. There is no official charge for the family-style dinner, just a W30,000 suggested donation for ingredients, time and effort. Drinks are extra.

This is a good chance to try food you won’t find anywhere else in Seoul while meeting interesting folks. The pop-up will be at Café Gondry in Anguk-dong. You can get more information and RSVP at zenkimchi.com.

Hope to see you guys there!!!