Travel – Page 69

Seoul: Korea Samgyetang and Kkanbu Chicken

March 3, 2016 mmm-yoso Korea, Korean Restaurants, Seoul, Travel

As the sun set on Seoul, we realized what a full day we'd had, crisscrossing Jongno, from breakfast on Supyo-ro, then off to Gyeongbokgung Palace only to find that the palace was closed that. It was then onward to Bukchon Hanok Village, only to find that place crawling with tourists. Then deciding to walk to Changdeokgung Palace and a wonderful tour of the Secret Garden, followed by a walk through Insadong with lunch at Gogung. Whew. When evening hit, man, we were pretty hungry. The Missus had Samgyetang, ginseng chicken soup, on Her "wish list" and who am I to deny Her?

So we headed out….the Missus wanted a different route, so we headed down to the Cheonggyecheon Stream area, once an elevated freeway area and crossed over to the very busy Myeongdong area, bustling with post-work and pre-Christmas shoppers. Around this time of the year, lanterns adorn the stream.

Walking past Lotte Department Store, we headed in the direction of City Hall and soon heard some loud singing. It was this guy singing his heart out….unfortunately, it was just to an empty field of grass.

That didn't deter him from giving it his all though……

This palace is Deoksugung, which had evening hours. After getting the Missus Her Samgyetang we returned but decided one should only visit so many palaces a day and decided to pass.

A busy intersection and few blocks away was our destination; Korea Samgyetang, which claims to be the first Samgyetang Restaurant in Seoul, opening in 1960.

The place has four floors. We sat on the first floor which was pretty empty when we arrived, but quickly filled up. A mix of tourists and locals.

As the Missus loves Her Black Chicken, She ordered the Black Bone Chicken with Wild Korean Ginseng Broth and Abalone……which I think came out to something like $30!

Things started off with some panchan and some (free)ginseng wine, which I found a bit too medicinal for my taste.

I think I already mentioned how good the kkandugi was in Korea, this one was probably the best….not too salty, not bitter, slightly sweet, and with a nice crisp, but not hard texture. It must be the type of daikon used as the texture is totally different from what we have here in the states. That raw garlic…was quite potent.

Like I mentioned above; I'm not a big fan of Samgyetang and this didn't really change my opinion. Personally, kind of flat tasting, the abalone was very tough and hard…..same could be said for the black chicken stuffed with glutinous rice, dried dates, and ginseng. The Missus? She loves black chicken and really enjoyed this….

The place sure does get busy. As we were finishing up, a group of Thai arrived. When we were leaving I started cracking up as I saw a Ziploc bag of Thai Chilies being passed around from person to person.

The service was efficient, if not a bit perfunctory. I was happy for the Missus…..

Korea Samgyetang
55-3 Seosomun-dong
Jung-gu, Seoul

And while Samgyetang is traditionally "hot weather" food, the Missus seemed energized by all that rubbery chicken and ginseng floating around in Her belly, so we decided to walk around for a bit.

King Taejo, who founded the Joseon Dynasty, chose Seoul to be the Capitol in 1392. Security of the center of government was important to Taejo, so he ordered that a wall be constructed to protect his city. The wall had 8 gates, which also is the number of mountains which surrounds the city. So you'll come across many gates during a visit. This one is Souimun (Seosomun).

I was again struck by the contrast of the ancient and modern in Seoul……

We made our way back in a roundabout way, finally deciding to walk along Cheonggyecheon Stream to admire the lanterns.

We fully intended to stop when we got to the apartment, but for some reason we just kept on walking down Jongro….pass a shopping street where the Missus said, "you can't go down there….you're too old."

Somehow, we ended up back near Supyo-ro and I was feeling a bit hungry. I remembered a "KFC" (that would be "Korean Fried Chicken") place I saw the previous evening and was suddenly hungry. You can't go to Seoul without getting some KFC, right?

Which how we ended up at Kkanbu Chicken……..

We ordered the Crispy Chicken, which came with a bowl of popcorn (?!?) and water kimchi. Man, this was like a whole chicken!

The chicken was super crisp, the batter very light, the chicken very moist…..but the flavor seemed bland and in need of seasoning to us. The Missus looked at me and said, "you'd kill for a bottle of Crystal hot sauce right now wouldn't you?" The chicken sure did need a bit of flavor and something to cut all of that…friedness. Some of my Roasted Ghost Pepper hot sauce would have been killer…heck, if I'm coming back to Seoul, I might invest in those tiny keychain bottles of tabasco!

On a cute note; there was a young couple who sat on the table next to us. We saw some kind of fruity soda and a mug of beer arrive at the table. To crash those stereotypes; it was the tiny young lady who had the mug of beer and the guy had the soda. I did notice that the girl only ate the kimchi and nothing else though, which I found kind of strange…the guy just whacked the whole chicken.

The service was nice, though I was really looking forward to the KFC place I had on my list scheduled for a few nights later.

Kkanbu Chicken
202 Nagwon-dong
Jongno-gu, Seoul, Korea

By this time I was kind of feeling all those miles and I was looking forward to hitting the sack. But it was not to be…at least not right away. As we got to the highrise where our apartment was located, the Missus kept on walking…..we ended back up on Sejong-ro on Gwanghwamun Square, staring at the statue of Admiral Yi Sun-Shin.

As we got back to the apartment the Missus looked at Her smartphone and said "perfect….we just put in 20 miles of walking today!"

What?!? I needed a shower and a good night of sleep…….

Thanks for reading!

Seoul: Changdeokgung Palace, the “Secret Garden” and Gogung (Insadong)

March 1, 2016 mmm-yoso Korea, Korean Restaurants, Seoul, Travel

Since we had pretty much struck out at Gyeongbokgung Palace (wrong day of the week….damn you jetlag) and Bukchon Hanok Village (crawling with tourists), we went for "Plan C", Changdeokgung Palace. Walking over, the place looked quite busy, but once inside it was rather sedate.

Completed in 1412, this was considered the "second palace", after Gyeongbokgung. You enter through the Donhwamun Gate into a large courtyard that fronts the Injeongjeon, the throne hall.

The markers you see indicate where the court stood….basically in terms of rank. So of course the Missus stood next to rank 1 for Her photo and took one of me in front of the last rank! Not really knowing much about the history of Korea, the Missus was fascinated to see that Chinese was used as the written language.

From this throne the king received envoys and oversaw ceremonies.

We walked along Daejojeon Hall, the official residence of the queen.

This was all very nice, but there was one area I'd read about and really wanted to visit; "Biwon" (비원 The Secret Garden). This area can only be visited via a guided tour and you need to purchase tickets. Also known as Huwon (후원 Rear Garden), this series of pavilions and ponds were originally created for the royal family.

We had a hint of things while walking around other parts of the palace.

There are times when travelling when everything just seems right, your timing is perfect. In spite of the other 50 or so folks on the tour, this was the highlight of our time in Seoul. Our guide was so very knowledgeable, She explained the use of Chinese writing and the transition to Hangul to the Missus later on during the walk…..she was oh so very patient, keeping a group like this together was like herding cats. And listening to the three Filipino girls was a hoot; "pleeease, no more hills", "what, more steps?", "ok, enough leaves already…."

The colors were stunning as was the backdrop.

The photo above show the area named Juhamnu; this is where the Royal libraries were located. The pond in front of it is called Buyongji Pond.

One of the most stunning sites was the next stop; the "Love of Lotus" pond and pavilion (Aeryeonji).

We don't have an intense changing of the seasons here in San Diego, so just the colors had us mesmerized.

For a kid from Hawaii like me….this was like being on a different planet…..

This is the Jondeokjeong Pavillion, known for the double roof.

This is the Soyoam Rock. Notice the carving in the rock. Along with the name of the area carved by King Injo, there's a poem carved into the rock by King Sukjong.

At the end is a Chinese Juniper Tree that is supposed to be over 750 years old.

It was nothing short of spectacular to us……the timing was just perfect; the next few days were quite windy and somewhat rainy which I'm sure changed things. Sometimes you just get lucky!

We were getting hungry, so we headed down to the bustling streets of Insadong, full of shops, little restaurants….tourists and locals.

In the basement of the very popular Ssamziegil Mall is a restaurant named Gogung, famous for their Bibimbap.

The restaurant specializes in Jeonju Bibimbap, supposedly a specialty of Jeonju which was declared one of the Creative Cities for Gastronomy by UNESCO. Jeonju Bibimbap is supposed to be serious stuff; sometimes with up to 30 ingredients used for a single bowl!

The Missus really enjoyed Her meal here and considers it Her favorite meal in Seoul.

There were two items that arrived with the panchan that caught our attention. The first was Deulkkaetang a perilla seed and mushroom based soup. The flavor was quite interesting, like basil, mildly sweet with an anise finish combined with the earthy flavor of the mushrooms. This was nice, but I found the fragrance kind of odd, mildy fishy-earthy, not sure if my olfactory was working well on this day.

The second being some fermented thick cabbage stems which smelled almost exactly like the suan cai we make at home. Funky fermented flavor. So of course the Missus just loved this.

We noticed that folks on the other tables pretty much stayed away from this….the Missus was tempted to grab them……..but She displayed great restraint.

The Missus went with the Jeonju Dolsot Bibimbap; which might have been one of the best dolsot bibimbap I've ever had. Amazing textures, especially the bean sprouts which tasted oh so good.

As the rice crust formed things got even better; adding a layer of nuttiness and even more contrasting textures to the dish.

The Missus though, really enjoyed what I ordered; the Yukhoe Bibimbap. The amazingly clean tasting raw beef had perhaps a bit too much minced Asian Pear in it, making it a tad to sweet for me; but the Missus really loved the flavor and texture of this.

She polished this off in no time.

The traditional Sujeonggwa was served as dessert/digestif.

We both enjoyed it as this was not as sweet as most versions back in the States, making it quite refreshing. The prices weren't too bad at all; the Dolsot Bibimbap at ₩ 11,000, about $8.75 and the Yukhoe Bibimbap at ₩ 15,000, about $12.

Gogung Insadong
44 Insadong-gil
Jongno-gu, Seoul

After lunch we wandered around Ssamziegil Mall, through all the little shops; but mostly people watching…….

Kids are the same everywhere, aren't they?

Soon enough, our afternoon nap came calling and we headed back to our apartment amongst the highrises of Jongno-gu……..

We'd already put in a good amount of mileage, but little did I know we'd put in another big chunk this evening.

Thanks for reading!

Seoul: Our Arrival, Imun Seolleongtang, and Kimchi Jigae for Breakfast

February 26, 2016 mmm-yoso Korea, Korean Restaurants, Seoul, Travel

Ah yes, Seoul, I need to get around to my posts before all the memories fade. Why Seoul, I'm not quite sure…..it had something to do with those K-Dramas the Missus was watching. I told my coworker "SJ" about this and she laughed……"it's really nothing like those soap operas….." but she was excited about my travelling to Seoul where much of her family still lives. I mentioned wanting to really try the "standards", "Seoul Food" if you will, and she came up with a huge spreadsheet of choices, recommendations from friends, family, and her…..we managed to visit a couple of these places as well as a few I did some research on. Yet, the Missus had Her heart set on eating at Pojangmachas….which SJ found to be quite amusing.

I was dark and rainy when we arrived from Narita, something we got used to since we had only one really clear night during our trip. It would have been quite difficult finding our way to our AirBnB amongst the highrises around Jongak Station. But our host left us amazing instructions….with photos and landmarks! The apartment was comfortable, cozy, and had all the amenities one could wish for. And the location couldn't be beat. It's probably one of the best and well set-up AirBnB units we've stayed in. They even had pocket wifi to use during your stay. Thanks Mark!

So we headed out into the night and straight for the Pojangmacha near Supyo-ro….and reality hit the Missus, the food looked like it had been sitting all day, rain was dripping on it…and while it would probably hit the spot after a hard night of drinking…we weren't that drunk yet. So, I went to my list and thought some Seolleongtang would just be perfect. And we set out to find Imun Seolleongtang, one of the oldest, if not the oldest restaurant in Seoul. According to Seoulistic the place was established in 1902. How we found the restaurant, in the darkness and drizzle, I'll never know. But tucked away from one of the main streets, we found the place……a gentleman was walking in and we asked him "Imun Seolleongtang?" He smiled and nodded and waved us in…turns out he was one of the owners/managers of the place as he stationed himself behind the cash register.

Most of the customers looked like older folk, a good sign in my book. We were seated and took a second too long to order so the older woman, totally a "Ajumma" just ordered for us…..hilarious. We wanted Seolleongtang anyway.

A couple of notes; we found that the baechu kimchi in Seoul was delicious and not as "pickled" and salty as what we have at most places here in the states.

It wasn't always to my liking, but it was a nice change for me.

Meanwhile; I found the kkakdugi to be really great just about everywhere; so crisp, refreshing, not too salty…….

And boy they love their scallions here…..

Baskets or huge bowls are passed around when you order Seolleongtang or Gomtang. I found that I really enjoyed adding a pile of this to my soup as it added crunch and a nice pungency and flavor to the broth…along with the sea salt and crushed red pepper (gochugaru).

So now is when I mention my SD card failure once again. Unfortunately, my SD card malfunction ate my Seolleongtang photos…so you'll have to bear with my description. The broth was milky white, highly defatted, but still having that collagenic tongue coating feel to it. The flavor was beefy and not much else; it was up to you to add what you needed. The slices of wha loked like brisket had that nice texture of not too tough and not falling apart.

A perfect tummy coating soup for a rainy and rather chilly Seoul evening……

Imun Seolleontang
30-22 Ujeongguk-ro
Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea

Arriving at night in a city or country you've never been in before can be a bit disorienting; but we're kind of used to it now, so we just took things in stride and had a good night of sleep.

The next morning we awoke hungry and decided to head on out……..but first we needed some sustenance. Where….well, I wasn't sure. I recall seeing a couple of places neat the pojangmacha the night before so I suggested we walk on over to Supyo-ro. Looking over places, we decided on this one.

Sorry, neither the Missus nor I read Hangul. But the smells coming from the place was inviting….there was a group of "guys" finishing up their meal as we entered…..they were still drunk and were trying to sober up.

The panchan was decent, but nothing special….though I will say again, it wasn't as salty as what is standard here at many Korean restaurants.

I got the Doenjang Jigae – the soybean paste stew. It was decent, nice flavor, hearty, the tofu was especially good. The Missus enjoyed this more than I did.

Meanwhile, I really enjoyed the Kimchi Jigae….it had the nice fermented flavors of kimchi, wasn't too salty, was nice, thick, and plain delicious…..though the pork was really tough, which was to be expected based on the price.

And while we had a version later on that was plain delici-yoso….this hit the spot.

And yes, the price…..well 6500 won, about $5.20…not bad for breakfast, eh?

Seoul was an interesting city for us. A mix of the old and new, folks pushing carts around while using smartphones, the" juxtaposition of the old and new" is a phrase I used a couple of times while describing the city.

It was our intention to visit Gyeongbokgung Palace on this morning, at least that's what the Missus decided the night before….that's how She rolls. Most of the time She'll decide what She wants to do the night before. It's sometimes a bit of a scramble, especially when She gets hungry. I have to prepare and have options for everywhere, which can be a bit of a challenge at times.

The palace was literally a few blocks (albeit long blocks) away from where we were staying, but we were early. So we decided to have a cup of coffee…..man, the prices of coffee in Seoul was pretty expensive. Like $4+ a cup! After checking out a couple of places, we found a schoolhouse themed coffee shop called Coffee TeaCher; complete with schoolhouse desks, seats, and even lockers!

We both started noticing things right away. There was a group of office workers sitting when we arrived having drinks. When we left 30 minutes later they were still there taking a "coffee break"! We started keeping track when having a cup of coffee and noticed the same thing…..folks take some pretty long coffee breaks here. And then there are the "smoking blocks" outside office buildings……

We headed to Gyeongbokgung Palace a bit after 9am, but quickly noticed something…..

The doors looked closed…….

The time/day differences and jet lag had gotten to us. It was Tuesday and the palace was closed. Which didn't bother us too much since we were literally a quarter mile from the place.

So we walked on over to Bukchon Hanok Village which was just a few kilometers away. This is an area, between Gyeongbokgung Palace and Changdeokgung Palace where traditional Korean homes "Hanoks" are located in a community that was once set aside for high ranking officials and the nobility.

It was quite beautiful. The only thing being the groups of loud tourists…some of whom would climb up walls…my goodness, folks are still living here…..

The Missus and I decided to return early on another morning and headed to "plan C", which turned out to be the best decision we made during our trip.

Stay tuned and thanks for reading!

Brussels: Marche du Parvis, Brasserie Egalite, Friterie de la Barriere, and Moeder Lambic (Saint Gilles)

February 25, 2016 mmm-yoso Beer, Belgian Cuisine and Restaurants, Belgium, Brussels, Markets & Grocers, Pubs and Pub Grub, Travel

On our return trip to Brussels I booked an apartment in the Saint-Gilles neighborhood. Part artsy, part somewhat run down, quite diverse, urban, we really enjoyed staying in this part of town….it seemed quite "real".

Our flat was quite large as well.

Since we had arrived too early for check-in, we dropped our stuff off and headed out….not quite sure what to do. I had a farmer's market, Marché du Parvis (Parvis Market) de Saint Gilles, marked on my map so we headed off in that direction.

Where there was indeed a farmer's market.

We decided to take advantage of the huge kitchen in the apartment and self cater. Picking up some eggs; charcuterie, vegetables…..and a nice amount of cheese from the fromage-mobile.

Marché du Parvis de Saint Gilles
Sint-Gillisvoorplein
Hours:
Tues – Wed 730am – 1pm
Thurs 12pm – 10pm
Fri 730am – 1pm
Sat – Sun 730am – 2pm

We took a look around for something to eat, but decided to duck into this "brasserie"

I liked the looks of the place……

There was a huge cold case with beer that you could just select yourself and a rather large listing…..

Wanting to just have fun, we selected two beers we'd never heard of before. The Missus a blonde ale; "Den Tseut" from Huisbrouwerij Den Tseut, which was pretty disappointing; very light and "Pilsner" like. I decided to "go big" and went with a Goliath (Gouyasse) Tripel from Brasserie Des Légendes, a nice straight up tripel; very yeasty-bready, slight hops, only 6% ABV, so it really wasn't Goliath like in my book.

I'm not sure the place even serves food….but there was none on this morning. The woman working here was a hoot; she spoke not a word of English.

We opened up the cheese and charcuterie and made eating motions and she nodded in agreement. We then asked for a knife making a sawing motion….in a moment she figured out what we needed and replied to our pantomime with the knife across the throat gesture with sound effects! It was hilarious; and yes, we got our knife. You gotta love it!

Brasserie Egalite
Parvis de Saint-Gilles 47
Brussels, Belgium

Instead of heading back to the apartment which I don't think was ready yet, we strolled around and actually found a friterie that I had on my list; Friterie de la Barriere, which is a little frietkot on Avenue du Parc.

It was just past 11am and there was a line. So I took a peek and one of the guys in front of me who was chatting with his friends in Flemish, turned to me and said, "no worries. this place makes the best frites in the area….." Say no more……

So I got the frites, with aioli. I thought these were pretty good, not greasy, crisp exterior, fluffy exterior, but nothing special overall. After having several versions of frites in Belgium; the Missus claimed to not get what the love of frites was all about….and then she'd proceed to attack it…….

Friterie de la Barriere
5 Avenue du Parc
Brussels, Belgium

By now it was time to check-in and a nap……

We awoke made a simple dinner with what we had……

And headed out to the one destination that I had planned out for the day. We had enjoyed our visit to the Fontainas location of the legendary beer bar Moeder Lambic, but I had wanted to visit the original location, which was one of the two reasons I choose to stay in Saint-Gilles. And we weren't disappointed. Things in Brussels always seems relaxed and chill to us, but it was even more laid back here.

Of course the Missus had something from Cantillon, Cuvee Saintt Gilloise, which She loved. The sour-tart tones were balanced out with what I can only describe as an earthy flavor. Very nice and refreshing.

I tend to enjoy tripels, so I went with the Val-Dieu tripel. I really enjoyed this; there seemed to have an apple-honey background, while not being too "bready" or boozy. Man, his was a nice beer. I need to find a bottle of this here in San Diego….though I've found that versions of the Belgian's I've had here don't taste quite the same.

And while I really enjoyed that Val-Dieu, it was the next beer I had that really made my day. I decided to try something named "Hop-Ruiter". Man, this was really good….just enough hops for me; that would be south of an IPA; yet quite floral to the nose. The flavor doesn't quite go into dubbel-tripel territory, yet the honey flavors and some citrus tones are there. We'd return to Moeder Lambic the next night so I could have this again. I did find bottles of this here in San Diego, but the overall aroma and flavor was totally different.

The Missus tried the Caulier 28.

We really enjoyed Moeder Lambic; the folks here were very nice and it seemed less touristy than the Fontainas location.

Moeder Lambic
Rue de Savoie 68
Brussels, Belgium

While the Saint-Gilles area seemed a bit more "gritty" than Central Brussels or St Catherine, it seemed to have much more of the local color which we enjoyed.

We got to sleep early, tomorrow was going to be a full day…..

Thanks for reading!

Granada: A walk around town and Saint Germain

February 20, 2016 mmm-yoso Granada, Spain, Spanish Restaurants and Cuisine, Travel

After a much needed nap, we decided to take a walk around Granada before heading to our dinner location. We took off in a random direction to the end of Calle Animas finding that it was a shortcut to Calle Cuchilleros and Catolicos.

And ended up in this pretty little square; named Plaza del Padre Suarez.

Lovely colors…..

Right across the street from the square is the Casa de los Tiros, which is now a museum. I loved the coat of arms above the door. A sword stands poised over a heart with the inscription "El corazón manda" (the heart is in command).

There's a restaurant at the end of the plaza, we impulsively made reservations for dinner the next night…..I thought we might want something other than tapas by then.

The Missus saw some stairs leading in the direction of the Alhambra….of course we had to head up those stairs.

We loved the arteries that lead down along the way and the views of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in the background.

I thought we had seen enough, but the Missus was determined to make it to the top.

At the end of the trail was what looked like a fortress….this is the Hotel Alhambra.

Heading back down we meandered through the streets of the Realejo neighborhood, taking time to stop and admire the Iglesia de Santo Domingo.

We ended up on Carrera de la Virgen and really enjoyed walking around. At the end of the street is Plaza de Humilladera and nice green space. For some reason, I really love this photo.

And the Fuente de las Granadas.

Notice the pomegranates? You'll see them everywhere in Granada, as it is the official symbol of the city. In fact, the pomegranate is called "granada" is Spanish….makes sense, huh?

There seems to be so many fountains in Granada. This one, on Plaza del Campilo is named Fuente de las Batallas - the Fountain of the Battles.

According to this post, this is where folks in Granada celebrate their soccer victories.

There was a reason why we were down in this area and killing time. We had reservations for dinner at a shop named La Oliva. The owner holds special dinners a few times a week. Multi-course dinners that feature the local olive oil and wine, with typical local dishes. I'd made arrangements a few months ahead of time for one of these dinners. Unfortunately the owner had taken ill so dinner was cancelled.

So it was time for plan B. We took our time making our way back up Calle Catolicos, a major shopping street….then cutting through Bib Rambla and the back of the Cathedral, then back up Gran Via until we turned down a side street to a wine bar named Saint Germain.

The place had a rather extensive listing of over 30 wines by the glass…..all from Spain in addition to Cava and beer.

We loved the atmosphere….we both ended up with our favorite wine…

The Missus ended up enjoying the house Blanco Seco, while I really liked the Encaste, a nice red, I believe a Cabernet from Ronda.

And of course, there was a free tapa with every glass. We really enjoyed what this place put out. First off, a wonderful olive oil-cheese-onion tostada, with nice oregano flavor, the bread so crisp.

Then a remarkable arroz-verde, rice with cheese and mushroom that was a pure joy to eat. Everything in balance, savory-salty-earthy, the rice cooked perfectly. This was perhaps the Missus's favorite single dish in Granada.

By this time, the Missus had discovered the joy of wondering what tapa would come out with Her next glass of wine. We were disappointed when it was a rather simple salad.

And rather surprised when something that looked just like a Mexican Flauta arrived. This was delicious by the way; the creamy, savory cheese-béchamel filling was very good.

I loved the fried fava beans too. I asked and was told this is a "canelone", a Spanish version of cannelloni and a specialty of Catalan, which was thought to be brought to Spain in the 19th century. You learn something new everyday.

By this time the place was filling up.

We had intended on ordering some food, but ended up stuffed on tapas. Our bill? 20 euros….which put us at less than forty bucks for lunch and dinner, crazy. By this time the place was full….on this evening full of locals and college students. We'd end up coming here on every evening while in town…..there would be a combination of locals and folks from the hotel up the street. We never had the same tapa twice……it became sort of a game for the Missus…..the let's see what we get kind of thing. I can't say I didn't enjoy playing along.

Saint Germain
Calle Postigo Velutti 4
Granada, Spain

Granada: Bodegas Casteneda

February 19, 2016 mmm-yoso Granada, Spain, Spanish Restaurants and Cuisine, Travel

Our train was scheduled to leave Atocha Station at 0745……we're not quite used to things being pitch black dark at 7am in the morning so that was somewhat disorienting to us. And yet, it was neat watching the sun rise over the horizon on the train…at 0845 no less….

We were of course, well prepared for any pangs of hunger. Armed with the Jamon Bellota from Ferpal. Part of the "fun" when travelling are the interesting characters you see. In this case, the middle aged, somewhat eccentric Japanese gentleman who brought a huge suitcase with him, in addition he wore two watches to go with the two cameras around his neck. He stuffed the suitcase on the seat next to him….only to find out that someone had that seat reserved. He quickly moved the gigantic suitcase to the storage area……then, in a strange twist of fate, the guy who sat next to him suddenly realized he was on the wrong car! Bummer…… And yet, not all was lost as he bought a bocadillo and assumed what I consider to be the classic "bocadillo pose".

After his sandwich; I watched him bring out a huge folder with tabs and review notes….about what, I'm not sure. Then I saw him bring out a smartphone….which led me to wonder why he needed two watches?

Since the tracks to Granada are being repaired we had to change from the train to a bus at Antequera-Santa Ana Station. Our good man ended up sitting right across from another eccentric looking middle aged Japanese gentleman who had a huge file folder of notes carrying a huge camera tri-pod. Aaaah, when soulmates meet! They had such an animated conversation during the bus ride to Granada Train Station which was going thru some major road work.

We were told to catch the bus on "LAC" – Avenida de la Constitucion, then transfer to the bus on Gran Via….of course we decided to walk.

The location of the AirBnB apartment was great, right off Plaza Nueva on Calle Animas…though we did find that so much was tourist based here. Finding a simple market or decent bakery was a bit difficult. Yet, it was so close to the Judicial Gate of the Alhambra (right up the street) and many of the popular places it was a great location.

A big plus was the location of the Alhambra Bookstore where we could print our prepaid tickets for our visit, thus being able to take the nearby Judicial Gate the next day.

Granada takes pride in still offering what we were told is "traditional tapas"……free tapas with every drink. Two of the most highly recommended places were within a short walk of our apartment; Los Diamantes and Bodegas Casteneda. Los Diamantes seemed very touristy, right on the main drag….though we did see the original location a bit later on which seemed less so. Bodegas Casteneda an alleyway off the main drag seemed to have a more local clientele…….based on the older local folks who seemed to be making the rounds after (before?) church on this Sunday.

A lot of older couples would just drop by; have a drink, then move on……perhaps to the next place.

Our free tapa…with the glass of tinto for the Missus and my beer was a rather generous portion of bacalao (preserved cod) with a very nice tomato sauce.

It was a bit early for more drinks for us so I ordered "tapa" size portions of Fabes con Jamon (fava beans with jamon) which the Missus absolutely loves and berenjenas relleno (stuffed eggplant) which was very cold in terms of temperature and in spite of looks was on the greasy side and lacked flavor.

Not quite the most auspicious first meal in Granada….yet quite worth the 12 Euro price in our mind. So while we'd probably not return it was quite reasonable for us.

It's quite amazing that the servers are able to keep track of things, but they do. Bodegas Casteneda also has a full service restaurant next door; don't confuse this place with Antigua Bodega Casteneda right around the corner….there's some familiar connection, but to my understanding, has no true link to this location.

Bodegas Castañeda
Calle de Almireceros 1-3
Granada, Spain

Madrid: All Those Familiar Places; Restaurante Badila, Ferpal, and Metro Bistro

February 18, 2016 mmm-yoso Madrid, Spain, Spanish Restaurants and Cuisine, Travel

It was on the trip back from Seoul and Japan that the Missus told me She wanted to head back out ASAP…..in February to be exact…..crazy. I wasn't going to have a whole lot of vacation time and finally decided that Andalucia; super hot in the summer, would be nice during the winter. We'd be book-ending our travels with single nights in Madrid. I booked a Junior Suite at the AC Carlton which is a short 5-10 minute walk from Atocha Station. The suite wasn't that much more expensive than a regular room and I figured our chances of being able to check in early during the slow season would be good and it was. We were able to check in at 10am.

Even though I've flown extensively over the years, I've never been able to sleep on flights unless in First/Business. It was no different this time. We were both fairly pooped and since lunch starts late in Madrid….well, all of Spain we had time to take a nap.

Trying to figure out what to have for lunch was a snap for the Missus….She really enjoyed Restaurante Badila during our previous visit. So we were back at this small, but quite busy "menu del dia" (menu of the day) place. It was a nice, now familiar walk to Tirso de Molina, then down the side street to the restaurant.

Badila is one of those places that you really don't stumble upon. Menu del Dia is a great way to have a filling and economical lunch. You get three courses and a beverage for a single price.

Determining what to order is the toughest part. Of course the Missus and I share everything, which made this a fun lunch.

Our two primeros were the Judias Verdes (Green Beans) with Potatoes and simple, but very tasty braised beans and potato dish that could have used a bit more salt.

I went with the Calamar Encebollado con Arroz. While the rice was terrible, the amazingly tender braised squid, along with the caramelized onions, which added a wonderful savory-sweet component was a revelation.

The Missus always hesitates when ordering squid, but this changed Her mind about it. The salt was perfect; there was a hint of garlic, a very tasty dish.

Of course the Missus got the Rabo de Toro Estofado – the braised oxtails.

Perfect texture, nice beefy flavor along with the tender connective tissue.

I basically got what I ordered the last time the estofado in a white sauce; this time it was Carrillado – pork cheek, and the stewing liquid was sherry based (Amontillado).

Of course, the dry, unfortified sherry was used for the sauce, which was very tasty. More on Jerez in a future post.

This came with a pile of "chips" which was more than we could finish. We each had a glass of "tinto" as our drink and "café solo" for dessert as we both really wanted to head back to the room and nap after this meal.

Restaurante Badila
Calle San Pedro Martir 6
Madrid, Spain

We needed the caffeine as there were a couple of things we needed to do and headed up to one of the Missus's favorite spots in Madrid; Puerta del Sol….of course She needed to take a photo of the Tio Pepe sign…..

Of course, this being February, it was a bit colder than when we were here last……dipping into the mid-low thirties at night……

First stop was the El Cortes Ingles department store. I was able to get most of my Renfe (Spain's train operator) tickets online. However, we had a side trip to one of the White Hill Towns and after fruitlessly trying to get tickets online, I contacted the town's Tourist Bureau and found out that train tickets aren't released for that destination until a week before. El Cortes Ingles has a travel agency and the folks are very nice, unlike many of the ticket agents in Atocha. So we got our tickets……there will be more on this later as there was a bit of a mix-up.

Next stop….well, we'd have to keep our strength up during our ride to Granada the next day; so we headed back to Ferpal. I'm really not good a languages….but I know "cien (100) gram, Jamon Bellota Pata Negra para llevar (to go)". I went through this whole thing in previous posts…….if you're in Spain, do yourself a favor, find a good "cutter" and get the really good stuff; like the "5-J" Jamon Bellota (raised on acorns) pata negra (black pig).

It is claimed that the fat of jamon bellota is over 55% oleic acid…..actually making it rather healthy. I'll say this, the good stuff starts sweating almost immediately after being sliced.

The flavor is a balanced slightly salty and "sweet", the texture is luxurious, when sliced (by hand of course) well, it almost melts in your mouth.

Ferpal
Calle del Arenal 7
Madrid, Spain

We spent the rest of the time visiting those other familiar places.

Leaving time for yet another short nap before dinner. Folks eat late in Spain, even later in Madrid. The sunset at 620pm kind of threw me off and we both wondered if this would affect when folks have dinner….it didn't. Instead of waiting until 830 to eat, we decided to head back to Metro Bistro which opens at 7pm. We managed to snag the last table in the bar area that was available without reservations.

The menu was basically unchanged from our previous visit, which suited us well as there were a couple of dishes that we really enjoyed.

The Missus really enjoyed the Cava (sparkling wine) we had here last time so we started with that.

Lunch was still lingering with us, so we ended up only ordering three dishes, two of them starters. The only item we hadn't had before was the Foie Gras.

The guava reduction really added a nice touch….the portion size was quite huge and perhaps this might have been too much of a good thing….I know, this from the guy who had foie gras three times a day in France.

The Missus didn't order the Roasted Mushroom topped with 65 Degree Egg…..and I wondered why. So I ordered it.

And the Missus is glad I did…even though it takes 20 minutes to make. This was even better than what we had last time. The earthy mushroom flavors came through so well; this time around we could make out the celery flavors in the sauce, which added a nice palate cleansing, almost salty component to the dish.

And then there's the egg…….

Need I say more?

The Beef Tartar was just as good as before.

The only real difference was the little bottle with the dropper that was delivered to our table with the dish. We were told it was a spicy chili oil. Not wanting to mess up the dish, I tasted the chili oil, which wasn't very spicy and quite bitter. It really brought nothing to the dish in my opinion so I had the Missus try it….same verdict….pass on the spicy oil.

A full "all in" for the beef tartare…refreshing, the mustard seed and minced capers really harmonize the flavor of the dish…the foie gras adding a nice creamy component, the micro greens the touch of bitterness……you can mix and match and get a totally different experience with every bite.

Service was much improved from our previous visit and just as friendly. The young man who served us was pleasantly surprised to find that we were from the States…he's born and raised in Madrid, but spent several years in New York City. Overall a very nice meal which put us in a great frame of mind….we were back in Spain.

Metro Bistro
Calle Imperial 3
Madrid, Spain

Thanks for reading!

Where in the world are we (again) part 1

February 10, 2016 mmm-yoso Granada, Madrid, Spain, Spanish Restaurants and Cuisine, Travel

We had just returned from Seoul and Japan, almost the very next day as a matter of fact, when the Missus told me, "let's go somewhere in February". The planning window and time was short so we decided to revisit what has become my second favorite destination.

Starting in a very familiar spot.

With only a single day we stuck to some familiar places and are glad we did.

The next morning we headed out before the sun rose…….which isn't too impressive, since the it rises at about 820 am this time of the year. We watched the sun slowly make its way up from the train window.

With jamon in hand of course.

And after switching mid way to a bus ended up at our current destination. Once the greatest city in Spain, things are different here. There's a magnificent Moorish Palace on a hill.

Things are quite different from anywhere else we've been to in this country.

People here are especially warm, friendly, and as you see the views spectacular.

Tons of history…..a Moorish Quarter and a Gypsy Quarter.

The city is proud of its history and still keep with the tradition of free tapas with every drink. The Missus was especially fond of two particular wine bars here.

Of course man cannot live by tapas alone…..which is totally untrue, we did a have few regular sit down meals.

It's time to head out to our next stop in a few hours. We'll miss this place.

There's rain in forecast…….we're hoping to keep dry.

Thanks for reading!

Madrid: Metro Bistro

February 3, 2016 mmm-yoso Fine Dining, Madrid, Spain, Spanish Restaurants and Cuisine, Travel

It was our last evening in Madrid and we were feeling a bit, well, sad. The city was definitely much better the second time around. During our first pass through Madrid, we thought it, hot, loud, gritty, somewhat dirty….the second time around we took to the city, it seemed so vibrant, alive, for some reason it reminded me of China. Folks really seemed to have a good time and enjoy life. Perhaps it was the apartment right on Tirso de Molina, where we took such watching folks out socializing. At 630 in the evening, most folks weren't even thinking about eating.

Instead of having the obvious (tapas) for dinner, we decided to go with another recommendation from Emilio, a rather new (at the time), modern-fusion place named Metro Bistro. We even dropped by during lunch to make reservations for dinner.

They even started dinner service at the ungodly hour of 7pm! Our reservations were for 8pm and we were happy to not be the first customers of the evening.

The interior is quite modern, the staff, very nice, friendly, though some of the folks were somewhat eccentric and the service was a bit spotty as the pacing seemed a bit off.

Things started off quite nicely as we were brought a nice aperitif, a celery based cocktail that was like a celery mojito. Very nice, quite refreshing.

The menu itself was quite interesting, classic dishes with fusion-y touches. Braised butterfish with ponzu, Sweet and sour IberianPork, Salmorejo with Olive Oil "Ice Cream", stuff like that.

The bread was nice and made even better by the nice herb butters provided.

We started things off with Metro Bistro's take on the classic Catalan roasted vegetable dish, Escalibada (9,40 €). This version was topped with cold smoked eel, which added a nice savory-smokey flavor to the dish.

We were less impressed with the vegetables which were underseasoned and could have used a bit of color…..the vegetables were basically limp and flavorless.

The Steak Tartare (19 €) however, was excellent.

The wonderfully tender beef, which was rather lean was bolstered by having minced foie gras mixed in. The minced capers and more so the mustard seed gave the dish zest and a nice finish. The egg yolk added even more velvety texture, possibly overkill. The micro greens balanced out things with a touch of bitter and a nice crunchy texture. This was really, really, good.

What was delici-yoso was the wonderfully Roasted Mushroom topped with 65 Degree Egg (10,80 €).

Man, egg porn. The flavor of that egg was so pure, the yolk so rich and runny, you'd think it was the star of the dish. But for me, it was the intense, earthy flavors and meaty texture of the mushroom base and the crunchy and earthy fried trumpet mushrooms that really made this stand out for me. The Missus? Well, She's a big time egg lover…..'nuff said

The pseudo sousvidish Lamb Gigot (18€) was solid if not outstanding.

The truffle potatoes seemed a bit out of place in this dish and for some reason clashed with the gamey lamb. Still, eaten separately, each was tasty.

We had a nice Cava with dinner and the Missus destroyed the dessert.

In what ended up being the evening's entertainment, we watched one of the Server's struggle with opening a bottle of wine….first breaking the cork and then fiddling with whatever was left, pushing the cork into the bottle. He should have just quit and gotten a fresh bottle. It was somewhat painful watching him struggle…..I felt like standing up and grabbing the bottle away from him…..it was like passing that accident scene….you just can't help but looky-loo. Still, we enjoyed our dinner. When the flavors and textures "clicked" it was really good. We found the prices to be not too bad. It was nice finding a place like this around tourist Plaza Mayor. We'd gladly return.

Metro Bistro
Calle Imperial 3
Madrid, Spain

We picked up a nice bottle of Crianza on the way back to the apartment. Popping it open, we opened the window and watched the action below…..this is Tirso de Molina at 1030pm. Notice the kids playing……

Some folks are just starting to eat dinner….this was a Thursday mind you…..

At midnight, folks were just starting to eat at the place further down the block!

Talk about really knowing how to enjoy life! Of course, at 8am the place looks like a ghost town.

The next morning we walked the mile or so down to Atocha Station and caught the airport express. Remember the Jamon we bought at Ferpal? It came in real handy. The international gates at Madrid-Barajas Airport is like a cattle pen. There's no place to buy snacks, coffee….just vending machines. That package of Jamon Bellotta Pata Negra was sweating away in my bag. Man, it was delicious. Just looking at the photo makes me want to head back to Spain.

Thanks for reading!

Madrid: Maestro Churrero, Buen Retiro Park, Buying Jamon at Ferpal, and Lunch at La Posada de la Villa

January 30, 2016 mmm-yoso Breakfast/Brunch, Madrid, Spain, Spanish Restaurants and Cuisine, Travel

We really hadn't planned on getting Chocolate con Churros, even though it's a favorite breakfast for many. I'm just not a big fan of Churros….as we know it in SoCal. But Emilio, one of the owners of the apartment we were staying in really said that we should try the Chocolate con Churros (for some reason folks tend to call it Churros con Chocolate) at Maestro Churrero in Plaza de Jacinto Benavente, which was quite close to the apartment. So on our last morning in Madrid we headed over. We cracked up when we found the place; we'd passed it once at least everyday we were in Madrid. It really looked like some fast-food joint.

So, how did we like it? Well, the churros weren't overly sweet, but crisp, light, and reminded the Missus of youtiao for some reason. The chocolate was thick like pudding and not overly sweet either. The Missus enjoyed it much more than I did, so I'm thinking we may have this again if we're back in Spain.

Maestro Churrero Cafeteria Churreria
Plaza De Jacinto Benavente 2
Madrid, Spain

After this we headed back to Puerta del Sol. While the Missus loves the Tio Pepe sign, my favorite landmark is the Bear and The Madrono Tree, which is the National Coat of Arms of Madrid.

While the sun was shining brightly, the temperature was still fairly mild, so we headed down Calle de Alcala……

Here you can see the top of the Metropolis Building, a landmark on longest and one of the oldest streets in Madrid.

We walked to Puerta de Alcala…..

Then right into Retiro Park, a very nice green area that was once the lair of the Monarchy in Spain.

There are gardens, sculptures, galleries, and a lake…..called "Estanque del Retiro", Retiro Pond, which is does not resemble any "pond" I can think of.

The grand structure you see in the photo is the Monument to Alfonso XII.

After a nice stroll in the park we headed up Calle de las Huertas, then, somehow ended up on Calle Concepcion de Jeronima…and the intersection of Jeronima and Calle Toledo. The Missus immediately recognized the shop on the corner Calzados Lobo. this store specializes in espradilles; shoes and sandals and has been around since 1897. The Missus suddenly just "needed" some sandals. Though it looked pretty mellow from the exterior, it was packed……

I just tried to stay out of the way and hide in a corner while the Missus went about things.

Actually, the guy that helped the Missus was a total pro; the Missus told him Her size…..metric of course, which he brought, in addition to a size smaller, which he thought would fit Her better and did.

The Missus was quite happy, until She came upon Casa Hernanz….which claims to have been in business since 1845….check out the line.

Talk about buyers remorse. I didn't feel so bad though, as I really didn't want to stand in this line. As we walked around the streets near Puerta del Sol, the Missus reminded me of how boring my tastes are in clothes….so I ended up buying some bright, bright, blue loafers….I was actually going for the red; but even the Missus backed down on those.

We had a flight the next morning and started thinking about having something to snack on….and Ferpal, which we'd visited earlier came to mind. So we stood in line…..

And got some of the Jamon Iberico Pata Negra; the top of the line Jamon……as you'll see in a later post, even at 160 euros a kilo, this was worth much, much more…..

It was getting close to 1pm….early for lunch by Madrileno standards, but we were hungry. Emilio had recommended trying La Posada de la Villa, which, for some reason we had never seen during our visits to Calle Cava Baja.

This restaurant, built on the site of an inn which dates back to 1642 is full of character. From the somewhat formal, though still relaxed service, to the chairs, which have the names of famous customers carved in them.

Want to know who this dude was? Well you can find out here…… there's even some scandal involved!

The meal started rather inauspiciously. The croquettas didn't impress. The Revuelto de Esparragos was nice, the eggs fluffy, but the dish wasn't anything special.

The mushrooms were nice, the portion size amazingly large.

But it was the Callos Madrilenos, tripe stewed in the style of Madrid that really got us. The "stew" was thick and just coated your belly, rich and slightly gelatinous.

06072015 2204 The texture of the tripe was perfect; not too chewy, but toothsome; the morcilla was fine, nothing special, but it just fit well in the dish. This was a nice, hearty dish. and while we were a bit afraid that the place would be a tourist trap, it was not. In fact, if we're ever in Madrid during the winter season, we might just stop in for the house specialty; the roasted kid lamb for two!

Posada de la Villa
Calle de la Cava Baja 9
Nadrid, Spain