Seoul Food

As a food lover and food traveler, Korea has been on the top of my list to discover.  For years, I've been drooling over food magazines and television shows highlighting the best of Korean grills and the spreads of kimchi and banchan.

In my traveling experience, very few cuisines are as good abroad compared to their homelands.  There's a certain vibrancy to the food in their own respective countries.  It just tastes more right, as it should be.  So now that I was in Seoul, I was so excited to eat from the source.

Because of the comparisons to Japan, I was expecting the prices to be similar.  Despite it reputation, eating in Japan is actually incredibly affordable for the quality.  Surprisingly then, Seoul was really expensive.  Everything was surprisingly expensive, especially compared to the rest of Asia.

We varied our eating with restaurants, take out from the food markets, and also with room service meals at our hotel.  Before you knock it, room service at luxury hotels can be a phenomenal experience.  You have the comfort of your room, the fun of eating in your hotel robe, and the luxury of a fine dining setting all cooked by high quality hotel chefs.  After long, hot days out under the Korean sun and on our feet all day, taking a shower and eating in the atmosphere of our spacious room was just the best.

Aside from meals, I was impressed with the numerous coffee and bread shops and their food packaging.  There is a coffee and bread store almost in every corner of the city.  As for their food packaging in the groceries, it's admirable with the care they take for their products.  They also give so much importance to their fruits and vegetables.  They obviously learned from Japan and have made the produce thrive beautifully in their own country.

The fruits and vegetable were too nice just to look at, and because we flew back to Manila where you can bring back produce and meats, we were able to enjoy at home the apples, grapes, gigantic cabbages and radishes, and some of the sweetest sweet potatoes.   (Travel tip: Always pack a foldable duffel that you can put into your luggage.  That way you have an extra bag for goods on the flight back home.)

After a week of eating in Seoul, I'm really happy to find that some of the Korean food served in the states (the Bay Area and Los Angeles particularly) is actually pretty darn authentic.  The Koreans and Americanized Koreans have done a great job of upholding their cuisine.  I came back home from the trip more educated with how well the Koreans have lived over the recent years, post-Korean War.  They have educated themselves and can take pride in the good their country continues to produce.

Grilled beef and ban chan

The tables

Discovering Malaysian Cuisine in Kuala Lumpur

When it comes time to choosing a destination, I let my stomach do the deciding.  Kuala Lumpur was my chosen destination because it's a new city, and I had yet to really discover Malaysian cuisine.

It's so much fun to learn about a culture through it's food.  You learn about local ingredients, local diets, and how other cultures and countries have influenced them through their cuisine.  Over the course of a few days, we feasted of Malay cuisine, Indian cuisine, and surprisingly had a really great burger.

It may be "playing it safe" but I enjoy hotel restaurants.  When you stay at a good hotel (I'm talking about five star status), you have the reassurance of quality ingredients and handling.  And, many of the chefs are locals with a good background in culinary education which means the food they serve is not only authentic but possibly also with a higher level of thought and sophistication.

At the Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur, you get some of the best views of the Petronas Towers and some of the most enjoyable eating at their local cuisine restaurant, JP Teres.  It's Malaysian cuisine that's clean, classy, and quality - exactly how I like to eat.  We ate here for majority of our meals because it's that good.  Breakfasts and dinners, both a la carte and buffet.

Prior to discovering our hotel's restaurant, we also explored the selections at the nearby Suria KLCC Mall.  Madam Kwan's is a local restaurant serving classic Malaysian cuisine in a casual environment.  You can sample the country in one sitting.

For a brief break in between Malaysian and Indian dishes, we also enjoyed the view and burgers at the hotel's Thirty8 restaurant.  This is definitely one of the better burgers I've had in Asia.

Overall, the eating in Kuala Lumpur provides a unique diversity of cultures and flavors.  It's definitely worth a visit to explore and taste for yourself.

Breakfast at JP Teres
Nasi lemak, tosai,  and samosas
All this for $10 USD!  Not bad at all for a hotel restaurant.

Craving for Indian Food in Nepal

Indian culture is vibrant in Nepal. The people and the cuisine were surrounding us. So naturally we craved for some Indian fair, twice.

The meals were light and healthy. One was even pure vegetarian. I love eating healthy after long days of being active under the sun.

The healthy meals and long days were perfectly paired with large bottles of local beer. Those beers were our daily reward. What great vacation meals!

Laxman Restaurant

The slide show here runs on Flash. If you can't see it, check out my Flickr album: Indian - Pokhara

Indian Vegetarian Restaurant

The slide show here runs on Flash. If you can't see it, check out my Flickr album: Indian Veg - Pokhara

Taking a Break from Local Cuisine

Escapism appeared to be the theme this trip. Escape from our home cities. And now escape from the city we were in.

As much as I love exploring local cuisine, the chaos of the city had us wanting for a taste of something familiar.

American cuisine, jazz music, and the sight of white people were such warm, comforting images at New Orleans Cafe.

Mulled Wine heated up the chilly night. Fried Chicken and fries brought back familiarity among the foreign chaotic overload. Tandoori Chicken and Roti reminded us where we were. And the Apple Pie capped the night of escape.

Place your cursor above "Notes" below to read the captions for each photo.

The slide show here runs on Flash. If you can't see it, check out my Flickr album: New Orleans Cafe - Thamel