Travel | Seoul 28 Oct - 2 Nov 2014 | Dr. Bang Masan Monkfish 方박사아구찜 @ Sinsa-dong Ganjang Gejang Alley

Ganjang 간장 means soy sauce and ge 게 means crab while jang 장 means condiment.  Ganjang gejang simply means raw crabs marinated in soy sauce. Yup, that's right, raw crabs. Sounds like something that Andrew Zimmern would eat? Actually, this seasonal delicacy was rather yummy. It was on my "die die must eat" list we visited Seoul in late Oct last year.

Was at Sinsa-dong 신사동 Ganjang Gejang Alley to find a place to lunch at. Convenient as plenty of shops sells the same stuffs, so we didn't know which one to choose. For tourists, Pro Ganjang Gejang is often cited. Their service staff was uniformed and looked like valets.

We wanted to find out if their prices were similar, so we went around asking about the prices. Outcome was yes, most have priced their ganjang gejangs similarly; 2 small crabs for ₩55,000 with banchans. Usually, the minimum order is 2 small crabs.

Finally found a place that can do two small crabs for ₩50,000, inclusive of rice. On top of that, we requested for one crab in marinated soy style and the other one spicy yangnyeom gejang 양념게장 style.

Dr. Bang Masan Monkfish

dining area

Yes, this is another place where one needs to remove their shoes.

side dishes with the crabs

Not a whole lot of side-dishes, just 4 types. The konbu and blanched cabbage were eaten as wraps. The soup was bean paste soup with some vegetables that tasted like dried vege that's used to boil soups.

soy sauce marinated crab 간장게장

yangnyeom gejang 양념게장

Raw marinated crabs have very soft flesh. Very much like raw shrimps. To eat it, one simply squeezes it from bottom up and suck on the soft tasty flesh. Plastic gloves are provided so that your hands don't get too dirty.

We squeezed out some of the flesh onto the blanched cabbage (or konbu) and wrap it with some hot rice. The hot cold combo with soy or spicy, tasted awesome! For the soy crab, put some rice onto the shell, top it up with roe and mix well. The umami taste was just heavenly!

rice with millet

The spicy version was very shioks and its spice level was about a scale of 3 out of 5.

Enjoyable experience. Saw the locals indulging in a pot of red stew with noodles. That should be the agu jjim 아구찜, a braised spicy monkfish. Huge pot meant for 2 pax. Ganjang Gejang Alley was used to be known for its agujjim, but nowadays it is more popular for raw marinated crabs.

Travel | Seoul 28 Oct - 2 Nov 2014 | San Nae Ri 산내리 북촌점 @ Insadong

Was in Seoul last year during autumn, and was looking for hanjeongsik 한정식 or Korean table d'hote to try. Had to abort first attempt at Samcheonggak as we failed to secure a reservation. Second attempt was a walk-in at this restaurant in Insadong, called San Nae Ri (山内里).

signboard to San Nae Ri

There were plenty of locals that day, and we were the only tourist in sight. Informed the lady at the door that we would like to lunch there and she motioned for us to wait a while. Was watching the other customers and seemed like this place is popular with elderly folks!

A table was available for us, so we were ushered inside pretty quickly. This place requires guests to remove their shoes, prior to entering the dining area.

dining room

decor

Our dining room was quite spacious and there were just three other tables occupied. Menu is in Korean, and service staff speaks only Korean. My friend does not take beef and as with most hanjeongsik, the lunch full course menu does contain beef dishes. Staff was helpful though we had difficulty in communication. As there were 2 dishes that contain beef, she would change one item to soup while one of the beef main course item remains.

Course menu starts from ₩30,000 and minimum of 2 pax. Individual set meals of one main dish, served with rice and side dishes are available too with quite affordable price tag.

The cold dishes were served first. Quite like the tangy white kimchi. Salad was refreshing with the sesame dressing. The portions are meant for 2 pax but in actual fact, the portions were more than generous.

white kimchi

salad in sesame dressing

meat salad

We could not figure out what kind of meat it was but it tasted tender, almost like venison. Very likeable.

Next dish, was an icy cold dish of frozen fish slices with spring onions, cucumber, spicy sauce and topped with ground peanuts. Truly exotic and can't help wondering if we were eating this the right way...

cold dish - sliced frozen fish

Thankfully, the next seafood was spicy octopus and it tasted very good. Very tender and pretty spicy. Served with blanched kongnamul 콩나물 or bean sprouts.

spicy octopus 낙지볶음

Next up, the main course of braised beef ribs. So glad we didn't trade this dish away as it was excellent! (and it was all mine! *hiaks hiaks*)

braised beef ribs 길비찜 with mushrooms

The ribs were huge and the meat was fork tender. So yummy and flavourful. The mushrooms were meaty too.

peppery fish soup

Originally, beef doenjang jjigae 된장 찌개 is in the menu, so we exchanged it with this soup. Tasted quite peppery, which was nice in cold weather.

fried fish with spicy sauce

fried pumpkin

The fried fish was rather dry, and not much flavour. The fried pumpkin, on the other hand, was fantastic. So sweet, and soft. Almost like a dessert.

We were already feeling full by then. Little did we realise, the course meal comes with rice set.

kimchi soup, blanched spinach, kimchi, pickles and rice

The rice was so good. How can we not eat the rice? Plus the pickles, and the spicy kimchi really did work up the appetite again. It was like a dilemma; can't eat anymore but felt the need to finish. The soup was tasty too. Loved the bean paste soup~

Lastly, we were served a bunch of grapes and a cup of omija. The grapes were super sweet. Similar to kyoho grapes.

to end the meal

The meal costs ₩60,000 nett for two pax, and both of us ended up being super duper full! An interesting experience indeed.

TODAI @ Marina Bay Sands

Can you believe how fast time has snucked past? Still remembered when TODAI first landed in Singapore. In a blink of the eye, fast forward to 2015 and TODAI is celebrating its 4th Anniversary! 축하해요!

As such, TODAI Marina Bay Sands is offering a March promotion of "Experience Birthday Dishes around the World at TODAI". Interesting to not only find out, what dishes do the other cultures eat during birthdays but we get to taste them too without having to leave the country.

experience birthday delicacies from various continents

When we think of TODAI, what's the first thing that came to mind?

cold crab legs

steaming hot

There were plenty of people during weekdays, so only managed to snap a few photos for your viewing pleasure.

oysters

sushi

pizza

tempura items

desserts - chocolate fountain

When thirsty, an iced cold draft beer is always a welcomed.

draft beer, order from table (alcoholic drinks not included in buffet)

My choice starters? Crab leg and oysters. Liked the briny oysters best.

cold seafood

The sashimi was pretty good too, especially the swordfish and salmon belly.

sashimi moriawase

Done with the cold, in with the hot food. But before that, a swig of that beer. Yums.

oxtail stew, spicy pork belly, beef short-ribs, crispy tempura pumpkin, teppan beef tenderloin and escargot

The oxtail was likeable. Tender yet firm texture, sweet sauce but not overly so. The short ribs was thin, slight chewiness, sweetish but tasty. The paper thin pumpkin was crispy but a tad oily but deep fried pumpkin always tasted soo good!

Beef tenderloin, best eaten when sliced into smaller pieces. I gobbled one (hey, it looked bite sized okay!) and it was hard to chew but when sliced into quarters, it transformed into tender flavourful bites.

Escargot, was one that I couldn't fathom. How do you cook an escargot that it became so tender yet crunchy? Similar to button mushroom texture. Amazing.

deep fried battered scallop balls, grilled wings, sausage, more crab and stir fried asparagus with prawns

Back to birthday dishes, what are the customary food that one eats? My Hokkien grandma would cook mee sua soup with pork and mushroom slices, and a hard boiled egg for her sons' birthday.

Chinese custom usually associates longetivity in birthday dishes such as longetivity buns and noodles. Live long and prosper!

shoutao 寿桃 - longetivity bun

yi mein 伊麵 - longetivity noodles

In Korean shows, we always see the birthday boys and girls having miyeokguk, or sea vegetable soup in the mornings of their birthday. This soup is highly nutritious in calcium and iodine, and women consume it after giving birth.

miyeokguk 미역국 - seaweed or wakame soup

But I didn't know that Japchae is also a birthday dish. Nice. Love these sweet potato noodles that's chewy and smooth.

Japchae 잡채

From the exotic countries of Nigeria and Ghana, here are its birthday dishes; Jollof Rice and Oto.

Jollof Rice

Jollof Rice is kind of paella-like, in the sense of its moist rice texture and taste. Appetisingly sourish, and with some spices.

Oto

The Oto is a sacred dish, and eggs in Ghanaian culture symbolizes purity and fruitfulness.

But where's the birthday cake?

From Russia, we have the 4-layer birthday cake. It's a doppleganger of rainbow cake! Rich, buttery creamy and not too sweet.

Russian 4-layer Birthday Cake

At TODAI, one gets to experience not only tasty food in its abundance and variety, but also an appreciation of different cultural context and meaning, especially in these birthday dishes from around the world.

After a whirlwind tour of the world cuisine, let's wind down by having desserts.

For some, dessert would mean wine and cheese.

Sauvignon Blanc (not included in buffet, chargeable)

cheeses

For most of us, desserts mean cakes, sweets and ice cream!

pretty

cakes galore

If you are at TODAI in March, you may even get a chance to win TODAI Free Pass. Check out the March promo at TODAI's website.

Special thanks to Brandon and Nisha for your hospitality, and HGW for the invite.

잘 먹었습니다~

TODAI SINGAPORE

Location: #b2-01 The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, 2 Bayfront Avenue, Singapore 018972
Contact: +65 6688 7771
Website: http://todaisingapore.com/
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/TodaiSingapore