Overworked. Underfed.

Dungul Anago

My food journey through Busan involved a lot of firsts and new discoveries. While grilling pork or beef is old hat, salt water eel is a whole new ballpark for me. Area Codes really wanted us to try the best of what Busan has to offer. Seafood is the specialty of Busan, which I experienced…

Mapobonga

I do love Korean BBQ and I do love Korean cold noodles, or naengmyun. Mapobonga serves some of the best of this side by side. It’s a pretty unassuming joint with no frills and maybe no more than 10-15 tables. We sat on the ground yet again, which can be uncomfortable even for me after 15…

Wonjo Unyang Bulgogi

After a post breakfast stroll taking in the gray morning mist of Haeundae Beach… …we headed over to Gwangalli Beach where we were treated to a stunning view of the Gwangandaegyo Bridge or “Diamond Bridge.” The bridge may seem a little underwhelming here, but it is beautiful at nighttime.

Wonjo Jeonbokjook

We started off day 2 with a drive back to Haeundae Beach for a taste of Busan’s tastiest abalone porridge. Chinese and Koreans are really big on abalone. Koreans seem to like making it into porridge. I’ve seen abalone flavored instant porridge and ramen at the Korean supermarkets, but never really had any fresh versions…

Shigol Hanwoo

I haven’t been to many places which specialize in samgyeopsal, or pork belly. Beef always seems to reign supreme when it comes to Korean BBQ. The most recent samgyeopsal place I visited was Eight, which isn’t exactly traditional, but nonetheless very delicious. The offering at Shigol Hanwoo, is straight up pork belly without any bells…

Hamyangjip Bibimbap

Area Codes was the most generous host during our visit to his hometown. On top of providing us top notch accommodations at his waterfront condo in the heart of Busan, he took time away from his busy work schedule to cart us around the city. We ate only the best Busan had to offer. If…

Sam Sam Hwe Jip

I’ve always considered myself to be fairly experienced when it comes to Korean cuisine, considering I am not Korean nor do I have many Korean influences in my life (i.e. Korean friends, etc). My trip to South Korea proved me to be quite the noob. I tried so many different Korean dishes I never even…

Chile Verde

My work has a cafeteria that serves some pretty crappy (ie healthy) food: low salt, low fat, low flavor. I don’t blame the place. I mean it is a hospital after all. How can such a place justify serving the very type of food that contributes to obesity and all the associated conditions that causes people to…

Strawberry Cream Scones

I’m a strawberry fanatic. I can’t help but pick up a package of strawberries every time I go to the store, even if I already have some at home. Sometimes I find myself drowning in strawberries. This wouldn’t be such a bad thing, but even at the peak of strawberry season I still get a batch…

Eleven Madison Park Granola

It seems like a lifetime ago when I experienced the BEST MEAL OF MY LIFE at Eleven Madison Park, the now highest ranked American restaurant on The World’s Best 50 Restaurants coming in at number 3. While the dinner was memorable on its own, the take-home breakfast presented at the end of the meal was an…

Vaca

Vaca 695 Town Center Drive Costa Mesa, CA 92626 Yelp My first experience at Chef Amar Santana’s Broadway Bar was a bit underwhelming. While things were good, I was expecting more pop considering Chef Santana made it all the way to the finale of this past season of Top Chef. Going into Vaca, I still…

Bouchon

Bouchon The Venetian 3355 Las Vegas Blvd. S Venezia Tower, 10th floor Las Vegas, NV 89109 Yelp The name “Thomas Keller” is almost synonymous with delicious food. This is a man who has built a strong reputation for himself in the fine dining world with his 2 Michelin rated restaurants Per Se and The French…