HSK Restaurant Review--Le Saint Ex

As you've probably already noticed from previous blogs, despite Korea's separation from many other cultures by bodies of water, it still has quite a wide variety international cuisine. Often times you may find that the cuisine is catered to Korean taste buds and somewhat lacking in authenticity. However, once in a while, you'll come across an establishment that offers a bona fide cultural cuisine alongside a tranquil ambiance. A few friends and I were able to find this experience in the French restaurant named Le Saint Ex in Itaewon.

Tucked away in the backstreets of Itaewon behind the Hamilton Hotel, Le Saint Ex is a dimly lit small restaurant with a menu to impress. A plat du jour is offered and at medium-ranged prices, they offer hearty dishes and are not at all stingy when it comes to portions! French baguette comes before the meal and the servers are more than happy to refill your bread basket once empty. HSK and friends opted for a cream-based beef and tomato soup and a toasted brie salad as a starter. As as main dish we tried the plat du jour, which was a braised pork cutlet with roasted veggies on the side. Others selected salmon paté salad and a lamb dish.
Our overall dining experience was pleasant and filled with good conversation, always a great accompaniement to a delicious meal!
** Attention : The menus are in French or Korean. If you are not familiar with French cuisine or language and/or unable to read Korean menus, you might want to consider this before paying a visit to our friends at Le Saint Ex. However, the staff is very friendly and eager to explain the menu in English and Korean!

HSK Restaurant Review--Macaroni Market

Looking for a place to grab some gourmet mac and cheese? Macaroni and cheese from a box not doing the trick for you? Well, Seoul's got a great dish that can be found at Macaroni Market in Itaewon. Macaroni isn't the only exciting thing on the menu at Macaroni Market. (In fact, there's only one macaroni option on the menu.) The gourmet baguette sandwiches, poultry and meat dishes, and desserts are also worth taking a look at.
Once entering Macaroni Market, you'll feel as if you stepped into a contemporary and branchée lounge. The lighting is dim, the furniture is simplistic, and the music is calming. Although the seating is limited for the amount actual space in the restaurant, there is a lively buzz coming from the crowd. In addition to the restaurant, there is also a separate room that serves as a lounge. It includes plush furniture and dampered fluorescent lighting with more upbeat electronic music. The staff at Macaroni Market are dressed in simplet yet chic black pants and white collared shirts and are very happy and eager to accommodate as much as possible.The menu consists of somewhat of a variety of dishes, which makes it hard to identify exactly what genre of restaurant it is. Judging from the couple of times I visited there, I would classify Macaroni Market as contemporary Italian. The nice thing about Macaroni Market is that it uses authentic ingredients without resorting to Korean ingredients in order to appease the Korean palate. For example, the macaroni and cheese dish comes with 3 or 4 different kinds of imported cheeses and is garnished with french-fried onions. Delicious!
Every time I frequent Macaroni Market, I opt for the hearty and satisfying macaroni and cheese. Other dishes to try are the baguette sandwiches and the eggplant bruschetta. (The bruschetta choices change from day to day and rarely disappoint.)

To get to Macaroni Market, take exit 2 from Itaewon station (brown line 6) and walk straight past the Hard Rock Cafe and Helios bar and restaurant. You'll see Praha restaurant on your left and Macaroni Market is right above it.

Getting a custom-made suit in Korea

As an English teacher, you may or may not be required to wear formal, professional attire to work. Even if this is not the case, for all you men out there, you might be interested in getting a tailor made suit at an affordable price. There's several stores offering this service, but as a foreigner who doesn't speak Korean, you may be somewhat limited if you can't get a Korean to go with you as your interpretor.

In Itaewon in Seoul, there's a great spot called Hahn's suits. It's just at the entrance of Itaewon coming from the direction of Express Bus Terminal. (Right around the corner from McDonald's, walk straight out of Itaewon station, exit 4 until you come to the end of the street. The boutique is on your lefthand side.) Mr. Hahn comports himself with the utmost professionalism and makes the greatest effort to cater to your needs.

Hahn's Suits has got a wide variety of materials and textures to choose from along with multiple style selections. His English is impeccable, so any miscommunication about what you want is unlikely. He offers an initial consultation during which you let him know what you're looking for in color and style. He'll take your measurements and then about 1 week later, you can come back for a fitting and alterations. A week or so after the first fitting, Mr. Hahn invites you back to pick up the final product.The approximate cost for a 2 piece suit and 3 tailor made collared, button up shirts is about 450,000 KRW, which is well worth the quality and service that you receive at his store. Mr. Hahn also offers tailor-made items for females!!!

Nightlife hotspots : Itaewon

Itaewon

Itaewon has been a nightlife hotspot for quite some time now in Seoul. It is just around the corner from one of the main American military bases and has been the hangout spot for not just Americans, but many foreigners. Proof is found in the multitude of restaurants offering international cuisine, opened by expatriates of Korea. Take your pick from Austrian, French, Persian, Italian, Indian, Thai, Korean, and many more varieties of food for a nice night out for dinner with friends or a quick bite to eat before hitting the bars. (One of the editor's favorites is Chez Meili, which offers a great, authentic Austrian menu.
As far as bars go, there's quite a few to pick from in this approximately 2 mile stretch of things to do. There's the Wolfhound Pub and Rocky Mountain Tavern for more of a "pub" feel. Gecko's and Helios offers a sports bar and grill atmosphere. For more of a "club" ambiance, try Cancun, King Club, or UN Club. My personal favorite, is Reggae Pub, owned and managed by a more than amicable Korean named Lim. If you're into reggae roots and culture, Reggae Pub is where it's at!Many of these establishments offer drink specials (to the ladies in particular) starting on Thursday nights, which are the infamous "Ladies Nights." Hit up one of these places in particular to take advantage of the free drinks, or hit up all of them for a bar hopping night. Either way, Itaewon is a pretty lively and fun place for a night out on the town.

HSK Restaurant Review : Chez Meili

The editor (me!) of this blog happens to be a German/Austrian food fanatic. So you could imagine my surprise when I came across an Austrian deli and restaurant in Itaewon (in Seoul.) It goes by the name of "Chez Meili" after the owner and head chef, Christian Meilinger. Herr Meilinger hails from Salzburg, Austria and runs the privately owned business with his Korean wife.
My first time there was a warm afternoon with some friends. Despite the warm weather, I was ready for some heavy duty eating, knowing very well what to expect on this Austrian's menu. I opted for the rich and hearty Goulash (an Eastern European stew like dish traditionally consisting of a tomato based sauce with potatoes, carrots, onions, stewed beef and pork) with spaetzle (an egg noodle). My friends on the other hand decided to go with cold cut sandwiches made with imported salami and emmental cheese...weaklings!
On other visits, I went with the kaesespaetzle and on a separate occasion, wiener schnitzel. (Similar to the Korean donkasseu, but in my humble opinion, 100 times better!) There was also one time when Chantrelle mushrooms were in season and Meili offered a special menu that included these tasty fungi. Be on the look out for his specials including kaiserschmarrn (fig pancakes chopped up into big chunks served with a cranberry or apple compote.) DELICIOUS!
Look for Herr Meilinger's restaurant out of exit 4 of Itaewon station, just beyond Gecko's Bar and Terrace. Mahlzeit!