HSK Restaurant Review--Star Chef

When starting off as an English teacher, you may find yourself consuming just as much (or more) ramen than you did in college. This may be because Korean ramen (ramyeon 라면) is awesome or your budget is tight in the first few weeks. Once the apartment deposits are finished being deducted, you may be ready to treat yourself to something other than the beloved ramyeon that you've slowly, but surely gotten tired of. If you're looking to treat yourself, Korea's got loads of gourmet restaurants that are moderately priced to extremely over priced. Kissmykimchi had been suggesting that we try this new highly touted fusion restaurant near Maebong station (orange line 3, exit 4) to put to the test the rants and raves we had been hearing through other Korean bloggers.
The interior of Star Chef was simple and inviting. The decor consisted of random posters advertising what I assumed to be the products used in their menu. The seating itself wasn't the epitome of comfortable (wooden picnic tables and benches), but what they lacked in decor, they made up for in the food!Despite the trouble we had finding this out of the way gem, we were not disappointed in the least. We arrived somewhat early before the customers who had RSVP'd for later dinner times. The hostess was very accommodating and offered us a quiet table before the dinner rush arrived. She kindly offered us an English menu, which was of great relief to our tired brains. The menu was quite extensive and included Western as well as Eastern dishes. We began with a complimentary appetizer of blanched broccoli with bacon bits. The three of us opted to order 3 dishes and share amongst each other. Our plates of choice were : Bulgalbi and Grilled Mushroom Organic Vegetable Salad, "Orgasm" Sausage and Potatoes with Sauerkraut, and Million Won Samgyeopsal Jjim with Stir-Fried Aged Kimchi. All dishes were perfectly balanced with an ample amount of each ingredient and without too much of any one ingredient to overpower the dish. My personal favorite was the "Orgasm" Sausage and Potatoes with Sauerkraut; a German-inspired dish that really hit a homerun in my book.

Bulgalbi and Grilled Mushroom Organic Vegetable Salad

"Orgasm" Sausage and Potatoes with Sauerkraut

Million won Samgyeopsal Jjim with Stir-Fried Aged Kimchi

*Dishes range in price from 20,000 to 40,000 KRW. If you're interested in paying a visit to Star Chef, I would highly advise a reservation! 02.529.8248