Pub 210 – Seohyeon

Wednesday is wing night for me and my excuse to overeat my favorite bar food. The anticipation of the binge is the best way I’ve found to get through the first half of the week.

My favorite spot to grab my hump day celebratory reward is Pub 210 – it’s a small, English-friendly bar located on the third floor on the main walking street of Seohyeon near AK Plaza. They have darts and pool, and for all you crazy kids, a beer pong table. For my fellow nerds, they have Monday showings of Game of Thrones. During the week, it’s an unassuming atmosphere where you can relax, watch some hockey and chat with the friendly staff. On the weekend, it can be loud and packed and fun. In short, it’s a nice neighborhood spot.

Creamy Buffalo

These wings are crispy, fresh, and piping hot. Done in a variation of the classic bar style you’d expect from an American or Canadian pub, they easily leave your hands sticky and your appetite satiated. A small (around 8) and a large (around 16) order is usually enough for Eric and me. If you can’t pick just one flavor, a large order can be split between two sauces for a small fee. The creamy buffalo is the most delicious, but all the sauces I’ve tried have been pretty tasty.

Spicy Barbecue and Thai Chili

In addition to wing Wednesdays, they also have 10,000W burger Thursdays. This particular Thursday, it was two nicely seasoned patties, bacon, cheese, lettuce and tomato on a soft bun served with a side of steaming hot potato wedges.

Their regular menu also features a bunch of finger food to keep you upright while you take advantage of every day happy hour or the Wednesday night bottomless draft. Pepperoni fries, pulled pork sandwiches, and other offerings make good snacking to share while playing pool or darts. Word is, they’re also coming out with a brand new menu that is supposed to widen their offerings.

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Manimal – Itaewon

Manimal has been the talk of the town lately. I took all the raving with a grain of salt, not wanting to be disappointed in decent, but not fantastic barbecue. I needn’t have worried – Manimal is scrumptious and totally worth the commute any day.

After you enter through the incredibly steep stairs in the alley on the left side of the building, you’re greeted by the enormous smoker. It has its own little room and takes up about an eighth of the entire dining room floor space. They are not kidding around here. It was a sign of delicious and wonderful things to come.

Like always, we started off with a few adult beverages. Eric got my first choice – the I Shot the Sheriff made with black tea, bourbon and honey. I chose the Lush Blush, featuring vodka, fresh maple syrup, and strawberries. Both were great, refreshing summer cocktails that went perfectly with the wonderful breeze from the open windows at our counter seats. The Sheriff was a smooth, sweet concoction that tasted a little like an iced hot toddy. The Lush was very sweet, but with just the right amount of maple syrup. Both were complex and mellow enough to be enjoyed by even the pickiest of drinkers.

Chile, cheesy heaven in cast iron

I had a bit of a crisis when I had to choose side dishes. I simply wanted them all. Fresh baked corn bread, bacon braised beans… how could I leave without sampling everything? We finally settled on the chipotle lime potato salad and the green chile mac and cheese. I really don’t think you can go wrong at this place. The mac and cheese featured a flavorful and spicy sauce that gave depth to an old classic. The potato salad was constructed beautifully, red potatoes and hard boiled egg elevated with the addition of the chipotle sauce and tasty mustard. The slightly more complex flavors took a side I usually avoid and made it into something I couldn’t stop eating.

To borrow an expression -These ribs? I can’t even.

The ribs were just this side of perfection. It’s not an exaggeration to say these were the best I’ve had in Korea. The rub and glaze were amazing – they’re so good naked, they don’t even need a lick of sauce. The meat was tender and smoky. Describing how good these are is hard to do without more synonyms for delicious. I really need to invest in an eating thesaurus. The brisket, in comparison, was definitely tasty, especially when doused in the vinegary, slightly spicy barbecue sauce, but not nearly as mind-blowing. Do yourself a huge favor – go early and grab a slab of ribs before they sell out. I’m not kidding. We got to Manimal exactly when they opened, and the ribs were 86’ed before we ordered dessert. We were told by staff that the chicken is stellar, the pulled pork certainly looked good, and the brisket was indeed quite yummy, but the ribs are definitely the star of the whole show.

One of the biggest surprises of the night was dessert. We usually plan on going to a second place, since we can usually end up with something a little better at a place that specializes in sweets. Don’t make that mistake and miss Manimal’s ice cream, though. House made, very vanilla ice cream served with bananas, crispy vanilla wafers and crumbles, and chunks of sweet cake. Our waiter told us we needed to try this, and he was completely correct. It’s delicious for being so deceivingly simple, and is totally one of those things I’ll be back for over and over.

Manimal is a pretty small place, and it’s probably a good idea to call for a reservation or at least show up right when they open. A lot of the seating is counter seating at the windows, and there’s really not a lot of room for a group any bigger than 6. As I mentioned before, they may start running out of ribs, corn bread, brisket, and other items as the night goes on, so show up early and make sure you order your goods right away. Don’t miss the ribs. You’ll hate yourself when you see other people eating them. This place is definitely going to be a regular stop for me.

***EDIT – Looks like Manimal doesn’t take reservations – make sure you get there early!

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Bad Farmers – Sinsa

I’ve been trying to eat a little better lately, but in a city full of sugary, fatty, salty, and other flavors that get me out of bed in the morning, finding an actual honest to goodness healthy option isn’t as easy as you’d hope. We needed a destination for a lengthy bike ride and after a bit of research, we discovered that Bad Farmers offers hearty and filling salads made with ingredients sourced from small local farms.

The run of the mill Korean salad usually consists of dark greens topped with a bit of balsamic vinaigrette. While you won’t hear me complaining about the chard here in Seoul, it’s hard not to yearn for a more interesting and filling set of ingredients. The Sweet 30 has kale, dried cranberries, grilled chicken, grapes, apples, walnuts and wild long grain rice. The mixture was so tasty, it almost didn’t even need the splash of balsamic based dressing. The nutty whole grain bread was served with just a bit of what tasted like classic New England corn chowder.

Bad Farmers also offers a selection of fresh juices and flavored waters, all house made. We sampled the beet/carrot/apple/lemon mixture. Many may scoff at a 7,000W price tag, but the quality and freshness make it worth a try. I’m not exactly on the detox train that seems to have rolled into town, but darn if it wasn’t super tasty.

Eric’s salad boasted a generous portion of avocado and grilled chicken. Topped with a portion of a sour cream like dressing, tortilla chips and fresh lime, and tossed with red onions and cherry tomatoes, it was a perfect mix of Mexican inspired ingredients.

Salads range from 11,000-18,000W. There are a dozen or so tables inside overlooking the street. The outdoor patio is a charming place to eat – surrounded by flowers and shady trees, it’s a great spot catch lunch on a beautiful day. After a 15 mile bike ride, Bad Farmers was the perfect spot for us to fill up for the return journey.

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Robin’s Square – Hongdae

It’s common to find cocktails in Seoul. It’s less common to find well crafted concoctions and original recipes that stray beyond shots or bombs. It doesn’t look very sophisticated from the graffiti at entrance or the basement door, but when you walk inside Robin’s Square you are confronted with the sharply dressed bartenders and rows of shelves stocked with almost anything you can think of. It’s the kind of dimly lit and comfortable bar that I could easily peg as a Friday night favorite. If I lived just a bit closer, I could see spending quite a few nights of conversation while working my way through the list of signature cocktails.

The leather booths tucked away into corners were relatively free when we entered around eight, but by the time we left, the bar was filled. Even at capacity, Robin’s isn’t one of those places that turns annoyingly loud after dark – instead, the funk kept playing at a reasonable volume and you could still hear each other over the din. I think that’s most likely my favorite thing about the place. Below is a list of the cocktails we sampled. The full list of drinks is too big to post, and besides, I wouldn’t want to take away the fun of perusing such a varied menu.

Porma Dolce – I still have no idea what was in this, but it tasted like a lightly flavored orange flan in alcoholic drink form. It was my favorite of the night.

Grapefruit Mojito – Not bitter like you’d expect, this version is very refreshing, incredibly heavy on mint

Honey Hemingway – One of their signature cocktails – mellow with a lot of lime

Caipirinha – Classic relaxation drink, a bit like a mojito, Cachaça is the main component

Old Fashioned – One of the better versions we’ve tried in the city, complete with a fresh cherry instead of its sad Maraschino cousin

Frozen Margarita – Standard margarita, well blended

Strawberry Mojito – Made with the local strawberries that have been so sweet and delicious this season

Collection of brie, sweet, smoky and pub cheeses, grapes, apples, crackers, salami, honeydew melon and prosciutto – not the most amazing meat or cheese, but varied enough to make a great nibble between sips