Tasty BLVD: Seoul, Korea 08/19/07

The last Sunday I am spending in Korea, I visited Tasty BLVD for the second time. Because I had a nice experience last visit, I took my friend, a meat lover, to this place for lunch. This lady, not having eaten breakfast, made me go to a cafe and have scone and icecream BEFORE meal. Well, we had a nice chatting time and walked to the place, dazzled by the painful summer sunlight.

This time, not making reservations, we went to the second floor. There were some big and small private rooms as well as hall seats. The warm bread was served again with olive oil and balsamic. Looking at the menu, we ordered one Lunch Course C (35,000KRW), this time without substitution to ribeye, and a Saffron Cream Risotto (16,000KRW).



The mushroom soup was very nice. This time I tried Kiwi dressing for the salad. It was sweet and refreshing, though I still prefer the balsamic dressing. This choice was made because my friend does not like balsamic vinegar-what a pity.



The small pasta included in the course was same as last time, olive oil based spicy vegetable pasta. My friend does not like olive oil either, by the way. So she was reluctant to try, but once she had it, she loved it. It could be a little spicy for some, like my friend, but I like this. I still wish there was at least another choice for the pasta, though.

The saffron cream sauce risotto with shrimp and broccoli-I would have been more happy with asparagus, which they sometimes serve-was of great portion. We were joking about how maybe we looked very hungry, for it was pretty unusual. Well, I should say it did not fully meet my expectations. I wish they used different rice, and the cream sauce was maybe too rich for such a great portion. Yet my friend, a cream sauce lover, devoured it. It was okay overall, but not the best.


The steaks included in the course were strip and lamb chop. Maybe a little bit small for two to share, for it is intended for one. Both meat were good with my preference being lamb, but not as impressive as the ribeye I had last time. I say, there is extra charge for a reason. Still, Tasty BLVD serves delicious steak and we both loved it.

Dessert was mocha mousse cake-I wonder if they give out different desserts depending on whether you choose coffee or tea-and it was far more satisfying than the whatever mousse I had last time.

The bill came up to 56,100KRW for two including VAT, which is around 60USD (when 1USD=930KRW). So we each payed around $30, for we shared all the meal. Yes, I had better last time, but I hope to visit this place once more to have another nice meal, including that amazing ribeye steak; unfortunately, that once more is likely to be next year.

PS: I just realized that the last time I visited was Monday Aug 13th, which was less than a week ago.

PS2: I also realized something I refused to recognize at the time I first did; my "gourmet budget" finally met its end. Fortunately(?), I only have less than a week till I leave Korea anyway.

Previous Review for Tasty BLVD: http://kimmoon.blogspot.com/2007/08/tasty-blvd-seoul-korea-081307.html

Tasty BLVD: Seoul, Korea 08/13/07

Isn't it lovely to have a friend with whom you can have a nice meal? With my new friend-I met her about a month ago-whom I took to Gran Gusto on the first day we met, I made my first visit to Tasty BLVD, an Italian restaurant in Cheongdam/Apgujeong area. Using the map from the Internet, the only difficulty in walking 10-15 minutes from the Apgujeong station (Orange Line, No.3) was the heat and light which summer emitted with passion!

We had a reservation for two at 2:00PM, and had to hurry a little to finish the meal, for the restaurant's lunch time ends at 3:00PM. Of course people don't just kick you out saying "Time Out", but it always feels better to have a sense of relaxation timewise. However, I could never make anything before 1:30PM this week, so was the time.

I ordered Lunch Course C (35,000KRW: Soup-Salad-Pasta-Steak-Dessert), and my friend ordered Lunch Course A (18,000KRW: Soup-Pasta-Dessert). The original steak in C was strip steak and lamb chop, but I substituted it with ribeye steak, paying 5,000 extra. For A, you could choose between Seafood Pasta (tomato or cream), or Spicy Curry Linguine. My friend went with seafood pasta with cream sauce.

The bread was warm and nice. The black bread with little bits of cheese was what I liked better, soft and chewy.

The soup, if I remember correctly, was carrot soup. I chose balsamic dressing for the salad, and I liked it. Both soup and salad were good, and my stomach was roaring for the next-did I mention that I did not have breakfast that morning as well as dinner the night before?


The pasta of the day was olive oil based, spicy and with seasonal vegetables. I asked if the pasta could be substituted for something else and was politely refused; this pasta was good, though. Did I, a meat lover, really like this veggie dish? Yes, it was nice. Maybe a little spicy, but that took away the danger of being too oily.


My friend's pasta was served and she liked it. The cream sauce was creamy and rich but not overly rich, and seafood used was fresh. As a side story, fortunately, my friend does not like scallops, which is one of my favorite seafood. She doesn't like the rather bland taste and mushy texture of scallops, she says; I totally think that texture is why scallops are loved! Still, she couldn't stand scallops even more with a cream sauce, however nice. I, therefore, triumphantly took all her scallops and devoured it.

Then, truly the main dish, the highlight of the day revealed itself. With the sound of oil heating and cooking, the hot dish arrived. It looked as if the meat was still being cooked on that thick plate. Without any sauce-they give you seedy mustard and horseradish if requested-and just several roasted garlic, the dish looked rather plain. Yet it was just beautiful.

Cooked perfectly medium rare, this ribeye steak-voted best of the house by the restaurant fans-was the best steak I've ever had. Though I had pretty high expectations from hearing a lot, this deserved its reputation. Once again I felt sorry for vegetarians who could not appreciate such taste-I am glad that my culture, religion, or any personal philosophy does not clash with my mundane instict.

On the side, roasted vegetables and mashed potato with some kind of wasabi influence sauce were served. I'm not a big fan of mahsed potato, but the roasted vegetables were good: especially paprika and mushroom.

The bill was around 47USD for me and 21USD for my friend, including 10% VAT as usual. This was the most money I've ever payed for food in my own expense, and surprisingly for a budget-tight student, I did not regret it. The ribeye steak by its own deserved the price, I thought-though I have to admit I will be a little reluctant in that case, for the steak here is not as huge as the ones in American Steakhouses.

But it was a nice experience. Maybe as some people pointed out, the serving speed of the course is slightly hasty, though I didn't have a problem and I didn't have much time anyway; therefore I cannot judge this. The service was polite and I like the location as well. Though it is not situated by a big BLVD like its name, less than 15 minute walk from the subway station is a big merit for a public transportation lover like me. Lots of the restaurants in Cheongdam/Apgujeong area, that is vast majority of fancy restaurants, are not always friendly to me as they are to cars.

PS: I am amused by my ability to half-regenerate the taste using my imagination; the picture of the steak I took isn't even that good!