Spaghettia[Jamsil]: Seoul, Korea 06/25/07

is a spaghetti chain in Korea, this year being its 10th year. It has lots of Asian fusion spaghetti that even people who do not like pasta seem to like. Though it is not my favorite place, for the quality depends on the location, always has at least one discount or free food coupons on-line that you can print out. Once that is taken into account, it is a moderate choice when you are out with a friend and there is not much to eat.

This month, they launched four different spicy dish, and one of them was the price you could get once you bother to go to http://spaghettia.co.kr/ and print it out. So I took mom and my youngest sister Jisoo out for lunch; sadly, I had to pay.

Garlic bread with basilico dressing. Unfortunately, does not offer free bread. This is a kind of garlic toast, pretty good but you need to pay 2,500KRW (approx 3USD when 10% VAT included) for four pieces of bread. Yet the bread is pretty good with a nice garlic flavor, and the sauce is refreshing.

This is the "Burning" spaghetti I got with the free coupon. With hot peppers, green peppers, sausage, and olive oil, this was actually the best dish of the day. The sausage wasn't authentic but tasty, and the noodle was, surprisingly, cooked nicely. I didn't expect to give me an aldente pasta. Anyway, though it was spicy, especially for many Americans I know, this was pretty nice. To me, it was just about the spiciness I could enjoy without getting my mouth burning painfully. After all, the other things I ordered weren't spicy, so they helped.

The Chicken Jalapeno Gratin with rice was actually what I was looking forward to, but turned out to be the worst of the day. I was expecting something spicy, not super duper spicy but with a tangy taste or something. Instead, it tasted more like teriyaki chicken gratin, rather sweet. Many people like it, but not my thing. This was a disappointment.

This was shrimp fettucine in garlic cream sauce, with a little bit of basil and sun-dried tomato within the sauce. Unlike the burning spaghetti, the fettucine was a little overdone. The shrimp was fresh and went well with the sauce. Though a non-cream lover may find this too rich, I thought the garlic and tomatoish taste made it bearable. It is a fine choice when you are sharing and the other choice is not cream base.

The bill was 23,100KRW (approx 25USD) including 10% VAT which I do not understand why would charge such thing. So, with a coupon to give you one free food, it's not a bad deal. However, some are good while other are not. Taking into consideration that Seoul is full of cheaper things to eat, I think I may be better off having either cheaper food or better tasting food at a fancier place. But with my sisters who like a more casual environment and limited budget, this is a nice place, especially when I have a location near my apartment. After all, they have some fine fusion pasta that I did not have today. Yes, I would have been happier if I didn't have to pay the whole bill! I am always short on money when I am in Korea, for I do not get allowance!

Yetnal Sonjjajang: Seoul, Korea 06/24/07

옛날 손짜장 is a place in Jamsil, near Sukchon lake. Jjajang-myeon is a Korean Chinese noodle that originated probably from Incheon, one of the biggest ports in Korea and currently the cite of the international airport.

They make the noodle with their hand, not machine. Therefore the noodle is a little thicker and rather inconsistent in thickness, but it creates a different texture some dislike and some love.

Dan moo ji(단무지: pickeled asian radish), onion and kimchi is self-service. I think this is nice; my family, who love kimchi, can eat as much as we want and those who do not eat kimchi very much don't get to waste it. The kimchi is hardly fermented, not marinated as a whole cabbage but marinated after it was sliced, a fresher taste. This type of kimchi, geot jeol i(겉절이) is common in many places because of its easiness and efficiency.

So here it is. I may later post the more typical type of jjajang-myeon, usually delivered from Korean American restaurants. This type, old style, has more onion, usually sliced big, and the density of the sauce is usually lighter and the noodle thicker. I liked it. It is 4,500KRW (approx 5USD) for regular size and 5,500KRW (approx 6USD) for extra big, and I am pretty sure men might want to order the latter. It is a little expensive compared to other places and typical jjajang-myeon(it is generally a cheaper kind of food, convinient for snack or a quick meal). I think it is worth a visit once in a while; it also has other 'Korean' noodle and rice dish, though this is their specialty that gave the name of the place.

*Recent Currency: 1USD is around 930-940KRW.

Gran Gusto: Seoul, Korea 06/17/07

Sunday, I met my friend Mirae, whom I wasn't able to see for a whole year. Unfortunately, she is not a person who indulges in gluttony. Yet she told me she likes noodles, and I chose Gran Gusto, "Great Taste", as our lunch place. Normally they have a nicely priced lunch course including an appetizer, soup, pasta and dessert for 19,000KRW + 10% VAT. But for the weekends, it starts from 32,000KRW including a main dish. So we went for one course menu and an extra pasta, for Mirae was short of budget.

Three kinds of bread were all pretty okay, though I wish it were served a little warmer. Yet it went well with olive oil with balsamic vinegar served on the side.

There were four or five appetizers to choose from, including squid and salmon, but I chose fried mozzarella with garlic and anchoby sauce. I like the green line with such a pretty color! It wasn't anything special, but the taste and texture of fresh mozzarella was nice.

Today's soup was made of green peas. Though I love peas, soup of peas isn't my favorite because of its texture. I usually like the soup creamy, while this one was rather light. However, overall I liked it, except that it was a little bland salt-wise.

This was the penne Mirae ordered. The server kindly asked if we wanted the extra pasta to be served in the course sequence or as soon as it is done, and we chose the former. Mirae claimed she is not big fan of western food and would go safe with tomato sauce, and I chose the penne with chicken and mushrooms. She liked how her pasta was done, and I did too. The chicken was very soft as well. Though it would be a nice dish for tomato lovers, I still think Gran Gusto has lots of better dish to offer.


Gran Gusto is famous for its creative menus, mackerel & leek pasta and anchovy pasta. Both are olive oil based and has a little bit of spiciness to it, but no fishiness or whatsoever, which is very surprising considering how fishy both mackerel and anchovy are. Today I ordered the former, and it was very satisfactory. I love how the spaghetti was perfectly cooked aldente. Mirae, fascinated by the taste, was willing to try another oil based pasta here when she is a tomato sauce lover.

Since my pasta portion included in the course was smaller than Mirae's which she ordered separately, I finished a little faster than she did. But my main dish was served at the exact moment I wanted, and we could finish the meal together.The course I selected offered either sea bream with saffron sauce, Chicken Diablo or wild pork with mustard sauce. Though the first one was very tempting, for Miare who does not quite like seafood, I chose the last one. I loved the grill taste of the pork, and the seasoning was just right. The only thing I did not like about it was that it had a minor part which was hard to chew, but in general the meat was good. Though it was named "wild pork with mustard sauce", the mustard sauce wasn't very strong. But I heard this is Gran Gusto's style, not covering the taste of meat with the sauce. I like seedy mustard and would have enjoyed it if it were strong, but it was still good.


I chose yogurt icecream for dessert, which is also made in Gran Gusto every morning. The coffee included in my course went to Mirae since I am only 13 weeks through my yearlong not-drinking-coffee plan. The dessert was also a delight.

I really enjoyed the lunch at Gran Gusto. The bill for me, the course, came up to 35,200KRW(approx 38USD) including the 10% VAT. Since Korea does not have a tipping culture, in these kind you have the 10% added. Certain restaurants even add 10~15% with another name on the VAT, but in general it is just 10% flat. I never spent this much of my own money before for a meal, but I was very satisfied that I would like to visit once more before I leave Korea. The more affordable one is the weekday lunch, excluding the main, which is 21,900KRW including VAT(approx 24USD).

The portion is not very big, the pork being about the size of my palm or slightly bigger (not the whole hand!), which is not that big. But at least they don't torture you by making you full before the good thing is served! The interior is calm, the servers graceful and very polite, and the food, especially pasta, superb. I love this place except that it torments my student budget.

*Recently(2007), 1USD has been worth around 930~940KRW, which is used for the conversions I did.

Ten Minutes

Ten Minutes

It mocks me.
The clock
The clickiti clack.
Pretty sure I had more
A lot less to deplore
Till my beloved arrives.

I am an artist
Recognizing art
That of cook’s smart
I am a sinner
Indulging in gluttony
Accused without attorney
Fine with that.

Also a student am I
Right now an intern
Waiting stern
Ready to rise
Once the needle tells my eye
That I may go and pursue
The artistic desire of mine
That some despise,
But fine with that.

Ten minutes till lunch
Long till I crunch
The bunch o munch
Not fine with that, but
Now a little shorter.

JiWon Moon
06-14-07

Ten minutes before lunch time is feels painfully long. Since I normally skip dinner or eat some fruit, lunch is the meal of the day and I, food lover, look forward to the very moment. Actually, this was written right during those 10 minutes and I went to get lunch pretty soon.

Daily Food 6/6~6/10

Sandwiches Lizz and I had outside Christ Chuch, Cranbrook. The carrots I do not eat raw! So Lizz took it all. This one was a small sandwich, but perfect for the day.

It had some kind of spicy seed mustard. The cheese was good. I prefer the one Linnea made last time, with sourdough bread and aoli, but this one was good too.




Rick made egg in the basket the morning I was leaving for summer. This is one of my favorite breakfasts, because the runny eggs smearing into the bread is such a delight. I also like the cute round and crunch piece, and of course bacon to occasionally add flavor. Lizz didn't like the grainy bread but I am growing to like its sweet taste.


I had Kyu Katsu Don at Sora, a Japanese restaurant in Detroit airport. I tried the beef katsu instead of the traditional pork because I had one last time. Yes, the egg is suppossed to be half runny and soft, and this one barely has it. It needs more onions between the rice and meat, and the meat itself wasn't that great either. Yet I do like it... I just like this dish. And actually altogether it was okay. Nevertheless, it is not worth around $13 + Tax.
Though I am not totally satisfied with the meal experiences here, I still like to go here before the flight because I do not eat in the plane for around fourteen hours till I get to Tokyo. I have a hard time eating in the plane not just because of the poor quality of plain food but the general atmosphere; I just can't eat during the flight.



I ordered kitsune(fried bean curd, marinated sweet) udon at a snack place in Tokyo Narita Airport. They seriously need to build some more places to eat, but after a long flight of hunger I am fine with this. They are super fast, taking only a minute or two after order, for they have all the ingredients ready to go. The soup is not the greatest, but the noodle is good. And I always like fried bean curd and scallions to go with it. It was something like 650-700 yen, maybe. I paid with dollars.

Happening 06/13/07

1. Today was the first day of my internship at Korea Times. I will be writing a 700-800 word short article for the student column section. So today I spent most of my time going through the old newspapers to see what other people wrote for the column and brainstorming the issues I would like to write about. I am not totally comfortable with the work environment, not just because it is my first day but also because out of four, I am the only intern who is not a college student, but I will find a way to deal with it. Everybody was very kind though, and we get free tickets for lunch at a nearby place where many people from different companies come to eat. The food was actually pretty good, especially compared to dorm food I am used to.

2. And yes, I am skipping dinner, for I go to sleep pretty early compared to what I am used to. I go to sleep at least before midnight, usually around eleven, so that I can wake up early the next day instead of sleeping in till ten. I am trying miserably to avoid the temptation of various icecream stores, especially Hagen Daz which is only about 5-7 minute walk from my apartment and which I always pass by on my way to the subway station. Anyway, I am still happy because I will be meeting my friend Mirae, whom I didn't see for a year, to have a nice meal and maybe watch a movie or go shopping.

3. I am so tired! It's only my third day and I hardly have jet lags, but still working for eight hours suddenly is very tiring, even if you enjoy it. I do have some pictures enough to make at least couple posts but I am too tired to connect my camera and go through bunch of pictures not yet labeled with proper names but sneaky numbers. Well, gdnite.

Beau Jack's: Bloomfield Hills, MI 06/07/07

So before going to St.Dunstan's production Amadeus out in the Greek Theater, Cranbrook, my host family and I went to Beau Jack's for dinner. Originally Linnea was going to cook something, but decided that eating out would be faster and therefore a better choice to get to the theater on time. Yet, though we only waited 10 minutes to get a seat despite its crowd, the food was served rather late and it did not make much difference. However, I still enjoyed the meal here.




The inside was dark, maybe a little too dark for me, more like a bar than a dining place. After all, Thursday to Saturday (Maybe Sunday as well), starting at seven they have a jazz piano going on, though you really should sit on the bar to hear it because the noise of the dining crowd takes over.
Normally when I complain about the light, it is usually because I cannot get good pictures with my camera. However, this place was pretty dark, that when I checked my pictures taken with flash, I was surprised to find out that my bearnaise sauce was so yellowish, while on the table the white crab meat and bearnaise seemed pretty much blended in color. Other colorful schemes such as Owen's nacho chips were clearly visible though, and I didn't have any other problems...... so I guess it is all about pictures again.


I like the coleslaw here. They are freshy, crunchy and not too sweet.

The bread was served warm, but not the butter. I wish the butter was a little warmer because it was rather cold. I do enjoy cool butter as well, and the butter did melt on the warm bread. However, when cutting the round butter, trying to put some on my plate, it did not work very well, and certainly not when the bread was not as warm as it was at first. This was a more doughy style bread, I should say, dense in the middle rather than light and soft. Not my favorite kind of bread, but still nice and warm.


Owen got what I call Monster Nacho, which is truly monsterous in its size. With the colorful chips and bunch of cheese and meat, it surely tastes pretty good. After all, it is Owen's favorite; I don't remember him ordering anything else, aside from the question whether it is the best choice.


Linnea ordered a Caesar Salad, which also came in a monsterous portion. It looked like a "If you finish in 5min it's free, but if not price doubled" kind of event dish. Can people normally finish that huge pile of salad? The taste was not the greatest but okay.


Lizz got a nostalgia burger, a triple decker with thousand island. This used to be my favorite and now hers. I used to believe that ketchup and maybe mustard is the only thing that goes with burgers, but I actually really liked thousand island sauce, which gives the name "nostalgia" to this burger. The burger is nice but so are the fries.


Since I had a T-bone steak the night before, the steak was out. Do I want fish? Nah, not today. Let's skip the burger since I already ordered it twice before, once a Nostalgia Burger and once my own creation. The honey mustard chicken with pecans sounded nice, but then I saw the veal on the menu.
Actually, though I like the tenderness of the veal, I prefer the flavorful beef. Yet maybe because veal is something I do not eat everyday, once I see it on the menu, especially as a daily special, I tend to go for it. Today at Beau Jacks, when I saw Sauteed Veal Oscar, I had to order it.



Breaded thin veal medallions were topped with Alaskan King Crab meat and Bearnaise suace, garnished with grilled asparagus. Asparagus is quickly gaining my favor ever since I tried it for the first time three years ago upon arrival to United States, for it goes very well with almost any meat, including poultry. Though I do like crab meat, I wonder if it is the best choice to go with veal, since it always has not much, but at least a bit of natural fishyness of a seafood. However I liked it, mainly because of its texture. I was happy that I ordered this, which is not always on the menu.

So, I would say my daily special dish, Veal Oscar, was the best among today's order. The Nostalgia Burger was good too. Though I did have some better burgers, the burgers at Beau Jack's are always a satisfactory choice. The nacho and salad were okay, but really, something has to be done to the portion. Nacho and salad are not something that you would be happy eating as a left over, soggy and unfresh.
Though I like Beau Jack's food, it is not a super duper restaurant. The food is good but not all of them are very impressive. Yet there is something, along with the interior and atmosphere, that makes me want to go there. Somehow I always enjoy the food and leave satisfied. Always ordering a burger, this time I tried something different and I liked even more. It is a comfortable family place.

Salvatore Scallopini: Birmingham, MI 06/05/07

So today, I went to Salvatore Scallopini in Birmingham with Lizz. Though I had a nice experience last Friday, today was not as satisfactory as I expected. First, the construction going on was even worse today, blocking the whole sidewalk. Second, our waitress forgot to bring the bread basket, and did not realize it till I asked her after I finished half of my minestrone soup. The soup was good again, though. Unfortunately, trying to remember bringing my umbrella, I forgot to bring my camera. Though deeply disappointed, I had Lizz's cell phone camera instead.

So let's talk about the food then. I ordered Penne Palamino e Pollo($8.95). Basically a tomato and cream sauce mix, it was pretty okay. I thought the penne was a little overcooked but it was acceptable, and the chicken was nice. I just had a better experience with the same dish last time. Though Lizz loved it, I thought it had a cheesy taste to it; a slight spiciness could reduce that, perhaps?


Lizz had a Chicken Parmesan sandwich($7.95). I didn't try because I was not in a sandwich mood, but Lizz said it was good and I remember the veal parmesan was pretty good here last time. I liked the parmesan chips.

So first, unlike the graceful lady on Friday night, today's server was not on top of things. The meals were okay but not very special. Maybe I should have tried something different, like Pasta Fresca or my own creation. I enjoyed Penne Palamino last time and for some reason today was not the best day. I prefer the dinner menu, especially the Chicken Tosca I had last Friday. Anyway, the meal wasn't bad. It is just that I was expecting something better when I walked 40 minutes for lunch, and that I had a much better meal last time.

Previous Review for Salvatore Scallopini: 06/01/07

Brio Tuscan Grille: Troy, MI 06/02/07

So today, I went to Brio Tuscan Grille in Somerset Collection with Linna. I was on the escalator while I was taking this picture. This is the inner enterance on the South section of the mall. You have to proceed all the way in to meet the other end, the outer enterence, in order to be seated. I was a little confused at first but the servers passing by kindly explained.

I thought the interior was cute. The color scheme was pretty nice, the frames interesting, and the stripy chairs. I wonder how it would look when it is darker.

The bread was warm, almost hot when first served. Again, I liked it because it was not heavily salted nor spiced. I like basic bread with nice texture, so it would go well with soup. In that sense, this bread was very nice, and so was the butter.

Originally aiming for an appetizer, I ended up ordering Lobster Bisque($5.95). Unlike the one I had at Capital Grill before, it did not have a chunk of lobster but latter bits of shrimp, which really didn't matter for a non-lobster lover like me. With the slight fishness of a lobster, this creamy soup was pretty nice. I only wish they would serve this also in a cup size rather than this bowl size. Taking SAT subject test this morning, waking up 5 in the morning to study, I skipped breakfast. Therefore I was hungry enough to devour this and then have the main dish, but I would prefer the smaller one. Eating too much of it decreases the satisfaction.

Linna ordered Petite Chicken "Under the Brick"($10.95), petite being the lunch portion(they also have the regular for $13.95). It came with mushroom marsala sauce, roasted vegetables and mashed potatoes. Geez, my opinion towards chicken breast is changing from yuckyhardtochewnoflavor to softgrillyblendswithsaucewell. Though overall the dish was nice, I did not find the sauce very impressive, and I would surely like more mushrooms. And the sauce was pretty good, just not spectacular. To my taste, the Chicken Tosca with lemon wine sauce I had at Salvatore Scallopini was better, but it evens out because I like the roasted vegetables......

I ordered Tournedo Di Manzo($13.95), a 4 oz. filet with romano crusted tomato and mashed potatoes. I guess the dinner portion has two, making it 8 oz. I ordered it medium rare and it came just the way I wanted. I liked the Hollandaise sauce as well, which I never tried with steak before. It was a little bit salty for my taste, but I could stand it because the meat was very good. The romano crusted tomato, which is under the filet, was something I wasn't even aware about when I was ordering, but gave me some pleasure as well. The only thing I did not understand was why they would give such a huge portion of mashed potatoes... which I could barely finish half. Anyway, I was happy with what I ordered.

So? The bill was $31.40 + Tip for two. This was the last-weekend-in-dorm meal for this year with my roommate. I would definitely visit this place again, next time probably pasta or Pollo Nicola. And some appetizers! They have some dinner only menus I would love to try, so maybe dinner once I get the chance. I really like their menu. Lots of interesting stuff to try. It was a satisfactory lunch, not just because of the meal but also pleasant service. Ah, the only problem is that I am a student and I do not always have money to spend here! Maybe with the money I do not spend on coffee anymore, perhaps? Anyway, my yesterdays' and today's meals are possible due to my end-of-the-year savings(?), which is quickly running out!