Exploring the world one bite at a time

Month: April 2017

Dining Noeul: “Lovely Italian food”

I was invited for lunch in this Italian restaurant by some Korean business partners. The restaurant has a really modern feel to it and staff is really professional. I have to say I really enjoyed the meal Neoul served. I ordered the porcini risotto, which was no less than excellent. Very tasty and the cheese was perfectly balanced. As a starter we got some equally excellent salad and to finish off our lunch, staff brought some slices of pizza to our table. To be honest, I was very full after the superb risotto, but couldn’t resist trying a small slice of pizza. And yes, the pizza was as good as the other dishes. Very savoury!

Highly recommended.

Dining Noeul, 145, Hoedong-gil, Paju, Gyeonggi-do 10881, South Korea
http://www.diningnoeul.co.kr/main/main.php
+82 31-955-0070

Visited March 2017. You can find my review about Dining Noeul also on TripAdvisor. My scores: service 5/5, food 5/5.

Bibigo Incheon Airport Departure Area: “Bibimbap chain at Incheon”

I landed on Incheon airport at about lunchtime. So the first thing I did after collecting my luggage was looking for a place to eat. Bibigo looked promising: it was quite busy and who doesn’t like a good bibimbap?

I ordered at the counter and got a number matching my order. I found a nice table at the window and waited for my lunch to arrive. Of course I went for the bibigo bibimbap. Always choose the dish with the name of the restaurant in it!

The bibimbap was tasty, but I found it sad that the meal itself was a bit too cold. As if the waiters had not taken my order immediately to my table. Which is strange, because I really got served very fast. A little bit disappointing.

Bibigo Incheon Airport Departure Area, 271, Gonghang-ro, Jung-gu 3F, Incheon International Airport First Passenger Terminal Check-In Counter G Area, Incheon 22382, South Korea
http://www.bibigo.com/index
+82 32-743-7360

Visited March 2017. You can find my review about Bibigo Incheon Airport Departure Area also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 5/5, service 3/5, food 3/5.

Insa-myeonok: “Cheap food”

Insamyeonok is a very basic restaurant in Seoul. Nothing special or fancy about this restaurant, but ok if you want a quick no fuss meal. I had some bulgogi hotpot, which was fine, but nothing out the ordinary. But it certainly was cheap: only 8500 won for a decent filling meal.

Insa-myeonok, 35-3 Insadong-gil Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea
+82 2-723-1442

Visited March 2017. You can find my review about Insa-myeonok also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 5/5, service 3/5, food 3/5.

Sagyejeol Hanjeongsik: “So may delicious dishes!”

I enjoyed a really exceptional lunch in this fine restaurant. I was invited, so I have no idea about the price of the meal, but it sure was something to remember. I loved every bit of it. We started off with some lovely salads, to continue with some soup covered in a soufflé (not really traditional Korean, but tasty nonetheless), galbi, squid, salmon, kimchi and of course the meal ended with some rice and side dishes. Each course was very tasty. I also enjoyed trying, for the first time ever, abalone, seafood resembling a mussel. Very nice! Service was excellent: our group was seated in a separate room and we just needed to press a button and our waiter was there.

After 14 courses I felt like I didn’t need food for a couple of days but I just had to try everything because it was so delicious.

Highly recommended if you like Korean food with some European influences.

Sagyejeol Hanjeongsik, 49, Anyangpangyo-ro 1201beon-gil, Bundang-gu, Seongnam, Gyeonggi-do 13539, South Korea
+82 31-708-7115

Visited March 2017. You can find my review about Sagyejeol Hanjeongsik also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 4/5, service 5/5, food 5/5.

Ellie: “Lovely place for drinks with friends”

Cosy bar with lots of wood. The bar is divided into separate area’s, which adds to the cosy atmosphere. You have to order at the bar. I found the cocktail list too limited to my taste, but this is an ideal environment to enjoy a drink and have a chat with some friends.

Ellie, 21-6, Supyo-ro 28-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul 03133, South Korea
+82 2-2135-3360

Visited March 2017. You can find my review about Ellie also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 3/5, service 2/5.

Gyeongbokgung Palace: “Not to be missed”

The Gyeongbokgung Palae is de biggest of the five grand palaces built by the kings of the Joseon Dynasty. The magnificant Gwanghwamun entrance gate is situated right in the hear of Seoul and one of its most famous landmarks. if you don’t have much time for your visit to Seoul, this place can’t be missed. The palace buildings are mostly reconstructions, because lots of the buildings were destroyed during the Japanese occupation. The Koreans took great care in reconstructing the building as faithfully as possible.

The site is very big, so you’ll at least need two hours to see everything. When in a hurry make sure not to miss Gyeonghoeru, a beautiful construction sitting on top of 48 stone pillars. reflected in the surrounding artificial lake. Likewise he trone hall (Geunjeongjeon) is a National Treasure which will leave a lasting impression.

Don’t miss the traditional changing of the guards ceremony!

Gyeongbokgung Palace, 161 Sajik-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea
http://www.royalpalace.go.kr/html/eng/main/main.jsp
+82 2-3700-3900

Visited March 2017. You can find my review about Gyeongbokgung Palace also on TripAdvisor.

Ajisen Ramen: “Not so great ramen”

When looking for a quick lunch at Fiumencino airport, I ended up in this ramen restaurant. Ramen is my favorite fast food, but the ramen here was slightly disappointing. Thee meat wasn’t tender and the noodles itself were a bit overcooked. Luckily the spicy broth was tasty. The spicy beef ramen filled the stomach, but that was about everything.

Ajisen Ramen, Aeroporto Leonardo Da Vinci, Terminal E, 00054, Fiumicino, Italy
+39 041 456 1111

Visited March 2017. You can find my review about Ajisen Ramen also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 3/5, service 2/5, food 2/5.