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Opened in the fall of 2019, this cafe offers trendy flavors in dishes that use red bean as their main ingredient. It was launched by OTD Corporation, a company renowned for space curation projects such as Arc Book and the Seongsu Federation. With the slogan ‘capture the right moment,’ Café Jeokdang sells snacks made from red beans. Red beans are known to be rich in iron, and help regulate anemia. They are also rich in vitamin B1, which breaks down fat and thus can contribute to weight loss. Chef Kim Taehyeong, who won second place in the cooking survival TV show ‘Master Chef Korea season 2,’ took charge of operations. Made with red beans boiled for long hours and additional ingredients, its main dish, Yanggaeng, offers the unique flavor of Jeokdang. It has attracted attention thanks to its creative reinterpretation of the traditional yangggaeng – offering varieties such as chestnut yangggaeng, green tea yangggaeng, milk tea yangggaeng, hazelnut yangggaeng, black sugar yangggaeng, orange yangggaeng, raspberry yangggaeng, and pistachio yangggaeng. Its yanggaengs provide a new flavor by combining healthy and delicious ingredients. Of the beverages available, the red bean latte is definitely one of the most popular. People of all ages can enjoy it, as it is not too sweet and has a flavor that mildly spreads in the mouth. In addition, the café offers a range of other beverages including fruit tea and Elderberry Ade. Sit in front of a glass window with a clear view of the bamboo trees outside, and taste the sweet red bean jelly served on a ceramic plate. It's a great way to spend a quiet time in a crowded downtown area. Try yangggaeng served on a ceramic plate while seated in front of a big glass window overlooking bamboo trees. It is a perfect spot to enjoy the slow passage of time in a bustling city.
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The owner, manager and staff of Sukara, a cafe featuring seasonal dishes near Hongdae, jointly opened a fermentation cafe called Qyun. The restaurant offers unique sandwiches and beverages made from fermented ingredients using fungi. They also sell their own pesto and fermented vegetable pickles. Steamed vegetables and siso bagna cauda hot sandwiches are baked with Daegwallyeong autumn radish, Ganghwa lotus root, and Boseong sweet pumpkin, then siso paste and bagna cauda sauce are added. Made from beet – the miracle vegetable – today's soup is also quite impressive. It is a deep pink soup made of boiled Hongseong beet, flavored with Shiokouji, and is garnished with fermented cashew cheese. The Ginger Ale is made from home-grown ginger with ginger syrup boiled overnight and the lemon juice from Jeju farms. As you savor the dishes, you may feel as if you were getting healthier thanks to the magic of fermentation. Workshop information offering the wisdom of fermentation is available on Instagram.
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Between the sky and Earth, there is a place where one can find the deep taste hidden in nature. Based on the long-standing wisdom of Korean cuisine, Gaon has appreciated in value over time. Gaon is ecstatic but not strong, plain but refined. Particularly remarkable are the dishes inspired by Surasang (King’s table), the best of the Joseon Dynasty. Under the theme of ‘the King's food,’ Gaon reinterprets the ingredients obtained from the mountains and seas. "We work to find the best ingredients, study their taste and try to convey their deep taste and aroma," says Gaon’s head chef Kim Byung-jin.Gaon is a Korean fine-dining restaurant run by Gwangjuyo Group. It has received 3 Michelin stars for the last four years. Its interior is the perfect combination of tableware, alcohol, music, interior decoration and service. This harmony points to the fact that Korean food culture isn’t just about taste. When you order a dinner, warm tea is served first and then wasong juice is offered, which strangely resembles kale juice. Each dish in the course is a result of great devotion, including a cold lobster salad consisting of lobster meat, cucumber, and oriental melons mixed with pine nut juice, and Pungcheon eel smoked on rice straw. Finishing the meal with buckwheat tea and rice tofu ice cream, I feel replenished, with good energy.
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Chef Hoyeong Seo’s Olheum is a modern Korean fine-dining restaurant based in Cheongdam-dong. Its name comes from the Korean word meaning ‘to be correct,’ or right. Guests at Olheum will experience Hansik created based on a philosophy of ‘creating honest food’. Olheum’s distinctive feature is its open kitchen, which allows guests to see the whole process from preparing ingredients to finishing the dish. All dishes are supervised by Chef Seo, which is how he ensures the creation of a perfect dish. It also means he is confident. “I chose an open kitchen because it shows everything to our guests. But it is largely for myself, so I can catch the reactions of my guests. I want to see their expressions, reactions, even small gestures so that I can give immediate feedback on the spot.” He uses organic vegetables grown by his parents and sources meat from nearby farms to ensure its freshness.Olheum’s food is completed with creative recipes that combine a variety of styles. It is characterized by its familiar but new Korean taste, while incorporating many cooking techniques he learned abroad. His dishes show his great attention to detail, as he works hard to create Hansik that is easy for everyone to enjoy. For example, he blended traditional paste or joetgal (salted seafood), into a sauce, and pairs it with dishes that complement the taste and flavor so that everyone can enjoy them.
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Eum Teahouse is a quiet tea room with no visible sign based in Buam-dong. Stepping in the front door, guests are greeted with green mountains and a garden outside the window. While guests take a seat, the owner Ju-hyun Park prepares tea cups for “seuruyo” and gaiwan (lidded bowl for infusion). Without much fuss, Mr. Park quietly infuses the tea with brisk movements, then pours the honey-scented leaf tea ‘Dongbang Miin (beauty of the East)’ into the teacup. It makes one wonder how tea can produce such a beautiful scent. This is the charm of Taiwanese Oolong tea. It gives off a deep flavor, without compromising the scent. Run by 3 friends who enjoy Taiwanese tea, Eum Teahouse started out selling imported Taiwanese tea. Now it is a well-known tea room among Taiwanese Oolong tea lovers. “Our teahouse is a private tea space that receives only a small number of guests. As we open the doors only to those who truly enjoy tea, we don’t need to put any sign outside,” says tea curator Juhyeon Park, who studied pure tea in China and later worked in tea plantation management at the Taiwanese government organization Taiwan Tea Experiment Station. She works hard to secure tea leaves grown during the prime season from local tea plantations. Guests can try rich tea by taking part in the ‘tea tasting course’ offered at Eum. In the course, the tea maker “paengju” offers three different kinds of teas, and explains the tastes and flavors of the teas, and the characteristics of various tea plantations.
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The old phrase Yakshikdongwon means that food and medicine have the same source; thus, good food is like medicine. In Seonggwabang, which was one of the six royal chambers of the Joseon Dynasty, the servants used to prepare special meals for kings and queens that included healthy raw fruits, jeonggwa, and dasik. This living room has been brought back to life in Gyeongbokgung Palace. Based on the Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty, the chamber offers a program for everyone that presents the royal byeongwa (refreshments) and royal court medicinal tea that were enjoyed by kings. Omija tea, with five flavors, is said to have been served to King Jungjong when he suffered chest pain, fever and thirst. This five-flavored tea instantly resolves blocked circulation in the body. Gamgukda is a royal herbal medicine tea made to support the health of King Sukjong and King Yeongjo. With its soothing aroma, it has a calming effect on worries or anger. In addition to this, you will find yourself on a healing journey accompanied by savory royal refreshments including yakgwa and rice cake. The attentive guide of Nain in a graceful hanbok (traditional Korean dress) also brings peace of mind to travelers. The space is open only for a limited period of time of the year, and you might come across Saenggwabang like a gift during a walk around the Gyeongbokgung palace. If you do, we hope that you can try the desserts of the royal family of the Joseon Dynasty and fill your body and mind with happiness.
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There is a place that offers royal cuisine and banga, the seasonal dish enjoyed by noble families, based on ancient cookbooks. In this season, a dish recorded in Si Eui Jeon Seo, a cookbook from the end of the Joseon Dynasty, was brought back to life for our meal table. It is Gyuban, the space of Chef Jiyeong Kim, who directed the royal cuisine in the popular TV series Daejanggeum. It serves Myeoneo Pyeonchae made from brown croaker – the ingredient used for the palace bokdarim celebration (the custom of cooking hot soup with pieces of meat on boks, 3 separate days marking the hot summer season) – and Cheolli changwa (lettuce wrap), in that order. Cheolli changwa takes the form of the meat jaban described in Si Eui Jeon Seo. It comes with Jangddokddogi, which got its name from the sound of the clean cut of the meat (the cutting sound of ‘ddok ddok’), marinated high quality Koren beef sirloin nubianie, jeolmi bean paste chochi, and green leaves.“I don’t make up dishes from my imagination. I read a lot of books and research papers, and consult with experts. Gyuban’s menu consists of two meals – an ‘ochan’ lunch course combining seasonal food and special occasion food, and ‘manchan,’ a full dinner course for evening gatherings or meetings. All dishes are made using the freshest seasonal ingredients, which are used on the same day they are delivered to the restaurant. Gyuban has three private rooms, which can be reserved. As it does not prepare ingredients in advance or store them in a freezer, to guarantee the freshness of its food the restaurant accommodates only a specified number of guests.
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With its wide space on the second floor, the tea bar called Matchacha overlooks Seoul Forest out the big glass window. Based in Seongsu-dong, the bar offers a variety of specialty teas, including matcha. CEO Yeni Lee says, “I hope people experience peace with a cup of tea, and leave with happiness from memorable moments.” We tried a leaf tea offered by Paengju, the in-house brewer. The aromatic scent of the tea softly touches the nose, and the mild taste slowly spreads in the mouth. I could feel my tense body and mind start to unwind with the aroma. The temperature of warm tea melted even our minds.Matchacha has a variety of tea courses, including on dasik and seasonal specialty teas produced on Korean tea plantations. One highly appealing aspect is that individuals and small groups of two to three people can enjoy the tea course in a private tearoom, which they can reserve through Naver Booking. A one-day class is divided into leaf tea and matcha sessions. Paengju guides the session to help participants have a genuine tea and dasik experience. It is a great 90-minute program if you want to have a good time in comfortable environment filled with the smell of tea.