Aaron Namba

With all the great eats in Korea, Aaron would be 300 lbs by now (er, 136kg) if Seoul had any fewer stairs. His only disappointments are the dearth of craft beer and proper baked goods.

The craft beer scene is improving, but on the baking front, he is actively working to recreate the cookies, breads and other treats he misses. His efforts will be shared here.

Travelers: Check out Aaron's book, the Seoul Survival Guide! A steal at $7.74.

Likes: pizza (both making and eating), burgers, chicken & beer, & 막걸리, street food, anything delivered
Dislikes: 깻잎, 멍게, 홍어

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2012 Makgeolli Festival (우리술대축제)

2012 Makgeolli Festival (우리술대축제)

If this year's Makgeolli Fest is even half as good as last year's, it is not to be missed! There were dozens of booths all offering free samples of makgeolli in the hopes that you'll buy. It's like wine tasting, except all in one place and all free. However, the site is mostly Korean (and some of the English bits aren't so great), so I thought I'd translate parts of it and add a bit of explanation based on last year's experience.

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In-N-Out in Seoul!

In-N-Out in Seoul!

When I heard that In-N-Out was coming to Seoul, I wondered if it could really be true. Well, it was, but just for one day. One glorious day!

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A Taste of Hawaii

A Taste of Hawaii

Hawaii is often described as a cultural melting pot, and nowhere is this more evident than in the vast array of traditional and fusion food in Honolulu, where Annie and I have spent most of our lives. We visited Honolulu for two weeks in November 2011, and over those weeks, we revisited our old favorites and found some new ones, including a few food trucks. We also made sure to fill up on a things that are expensive or difficult to find in Seoul, yet plentiful in Hawaii (like sushi and pie).

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Restaurants/ 레스토랑 추천

Vatos Urban Tacos

Vatos Urban Tacos

This just-opened taqueria is my new favorite, featuring incredible tacos at great prices, paired with excellent drinks. Located in Itaewon, it is bit of a trek for us, but it is worth it! As a bonus, for those of you still struggling with ordering in Korean, you can definitely use English here.

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Eating our way through San Francisco

Eating our way through San Francisco

We didn't forget! Here's the promised blog post on our food adventures in San Francisco. Better late than never!

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Time for a little vacation!

We have been posting continuously like clockwork since April! But sadly, there will be no restaurant review today, and indeed, for most of this month we will be on hiatus.

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Restaurants/ 레스토랑 추천

캘리포니아피자키친 강남점 (California Pizza Kitchen)

캘리포니아피자키친 강남점 (California Pizza Kitchen)

Oh CPK, what happened to you? CPK Korea is not nearly as good as CPK in the U.S., but there are still some bright spots. Read on to find out.

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소노야 신논현역점 (Sonoya)

소노야 신논현역점 (Sonoya)

If you're hungry, you've got 5 minutes and 5000원 and it's 5°C outside, I strongly recommend you hit up 소노야 (Sonoya)!

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Molten Chocolate Banana Muffins

Molten Chocolate Banana Muffins

The weather is cooling rapidly, and that means it's baking season again! Ease back into baking with a quick and simple treat.

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Suji's Restaurant & Bar

Suji's Restaurant & Bar

This weekend, enjoy a classic American brunch at Suji's, complete with bottomless coffee and, if you can handle it, a selection of cheesecakes! (And of course, they also offer lunch and dinner during the week.)

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Announcement: Seoul Survival Guide

Seoul Taste and K4A Press present: The Seoul Survival Guide, authored by Seoul Taste contributor Aaron Namba.

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김대감봉평메밀촌 교보타워점 (Bongpyeong Memil Chon)

김대감봉평메밀촌 교보타워점 (Bongpyeong Memil Chon)

Naengmyeon, the chewy Korean cold noodle dish, does a great job of beating the summer heat, but by now you may be looking for something new. If you are looking for a similarly cold lunch and like the taste of buckwheat noodles give this makguksu a try!

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Taco Rico

Taco Rico

Back when I attended college in Southern California, tasty, cheap Mexican food was everywhere. In Seoul, 10,000km from Mexico, we are not as lucky. When you do find good Mexican fare, the prices take some getting used to! Still, when I need my taco fix, Taco Rico is it!

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Green Tea Muffins

Green Tea Muffins

It's always convenient to have matcha (powdered green tea) on hand, as you can make hot or cold tea in an instant. As it turns out, it also makes for some delicious and colorful muffins!

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The Great Patbingsu Roundup 2011 Part II

The Great Patbingsu Roundup 2011 Part II

Better late than never! The follow-up to the first half of our patbingsu roundup is finally here. (Although it is late for a dozen reasons, I choose to blame Meal Top. Heh.)

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Burger B (Apgujeong) (버거비 압구정점)

Burger B (Apgujeong) (버거비 압구정점)

Great burgers and great beer (pale ales and IPAs!), served in a relaxed atmosphere. Almost feels like home!

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KBS World Radio Interview

This might be more embarrassing than enjoyable (we were a little nervous), but here is our KBS World interview on Seoul Scene with Matt Kelley!

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교촌치킨 (Kyochon Chicken)

교촌치킨 (Kyochon Chicken)

Kyochon Chicken is one of the largest fried chicken chains in Korea, with over 1000 locations. They even have a few in the U.S. and China. They're a bit more expensive than the rest, but in this case, you get what you pay for.

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Making sandwiches the hard way

Making sandwiches the hard way

Every now and then we like to make sandwiches. However, we haven't found a sandwich bread we like, so I make my own, with whole wheat flour, oatmeal and flaxseed (a recipe borrowed from a book called 올 아바웃 브레드. I have to start mixing up the dough around 6am in order to have the bread ready in time to have lunch around noon... hence, "the hard way."

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Cinnamon Rolls

Cinnamon Rolls

Cinnamon rolls are common in American malls, but can be hard to come by in Korea. Making them at home can be challenging, but if you get a friend or two to help it'll be easy. It's worth it!

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The Butcher's Cut

The Butcher's Cut

It wasn't love at first bite, but this Gangnam burger joint (with ties to Smokey Saloon) has been getting better and better since it opened last year. Its back-to-basics burger almost satisfies my burger craving. Almost.

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땅 (Tang)

땅 (Tang)

Not your average Vietnamese restaurant! They aren't authentic, but then, they don't claim to be. Call it Vietnamese-Korean fusion.

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Chocolate Mochi Cake

Chocolate Mochi Cake

Years ago, I had a piece of this chewy, chocolatey cake from a little saimin shop in Hilo, Hawaii and have craved it ever since. I figured it would be years more before I'd find myself back there again, so I tried to make something like it at home. I believe the original uses coconut milk, but my version uses a more basic set of ingredients.

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Restaurants/ 레스토랑 추천

사보텐 (강남점) (Saboten)

사보텐 (강남점) (Saboten)

Yes, it's a chain, but no, I haven't found anything better, and actually, I'm not sure I need to! Saboten's katsu is excellent, as is just about everything else I've tried there.

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Sorry, patbingsu followup on hold...

Sorry folks, the patbingsu followup article is on hold for a while. Annie has been fighting a cold for almost a week now and tragically, has not been able to smell or taste anything.

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The Great Patbingsu Roundup of 2011

The Great Patbingsu Roundup of 2011

Summer in Korea brings three things: heat, rain, and my personal favorite, 팥빙수! Every cafe and restaurant offers their own version, which varies from year to year, so we've taken up the challenge of trying as many as possible, and presenting a roundup of the best 팥빙수 of the season.

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Quiznos

Quiznos

If you are looking for sub sandwiches, there are many Quiznos locations all around Seoul. Somehow, though, it feels like a waste if I go out to eat and end up at a sandwich shop. But if I'm sitting at home and want delivery? Oh ho, now sandwiches are fair game!

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차이란 (삼성점) (Chai-ran)

차이란 (삼성점) (Chai-ran)

When Koreans say "Chinese food" they usually mean 자장면 (noodles with black bean sauce, often spelled 짜장면 these days). And if you are looking for the best 자장면, give 차이란 a try.

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Welcome to Seoul Taste!

Okay, so our site has been live for over a month now, but since we are launching our blog today, I thought the first post should still be a welcome. So here we go...

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Restaurants/ 레스토랑 추천

타누키 돈부리 (강남CGV점) (Tanuki Donburi)

타누키 돈부리 (강남CGV점) (Tanuki Donburi)

Donburi (like the Korean 덮밥) is a simple meal: just a bowl of rice with toppings. But oh, the toppings! Tanuki Donburi is not only our favorite donburi place, it is one of our favorite restaurants, period.

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