Well, this is interesting:
Talks are underway between government officials and Michelin to publish the first local edition of the famous Red and Green guides.
According to sources at the Korea Tourism Organization and the Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, negotiations for the Korean edition of the Green guide are moving accordingly though they say it may take longer for French tire makers to decide whether to publish a Red guide for Seoul.
“The negotiations have been positive but nothing has been set in stone,” said the KTO.
Why is this a big deal?
Michelin is widely regarded as one of the most reliable makers of travel and restaurant guides through its Red and Green Guides – red for hotels and restaurants and green for tourism.
[...]
The Red Michelin Guide has been particularly vaunted for its influential star rating system for restaurants.To earn a three-star rating – the maximum – is the equivalent of an establishment being branded as one of the best restaurants in that particular country.
It is the most coveted honor for any premium grade restaurant worldwide.
It may take some time to crank out a Red Guide, though:
[T]here is speculation that a Red Guide won’t be possible for the “next couple of years,” according to the KTO. The current consensus is that this will only be possible when restaurants nationwide put themselves on par with Michelin’s standard of quality.
Making it undoubtedly more difficult is that the Seoul metropolitan government will have no influence over their decision, as they do not accept sponsorship money.
{ 119 comments… read them below or add one }
Would any restaurants in Korea get two stars, let alone three? I love Korean food, but are there world-class restaurants in Korea these days? Those stars don’t come easy.
Would the Red Michelin Korea have a section on Room Salons; after all, they are sort of combined hotel/eateries? I think Evan should ask the Minister of Tourism. Let’s see how Step’n Fetchit handles that one.
Hong Kong, Tokyo and now… Seoul? I love Korean food but Seoul isn’t exactly a culinary destination yet.
I’m skeptical that Michelin is even seriously considering this.
I feel terrible saying this, because I loves me some Korean food, but the best restaurants I’ve been to in Korea in terms of service, ambience and attention to detail were all foreign. It never ceases to amaze me that a $50 a plate restaurant in Korea uses paper napkins, and getting service involves either an obnoxious bell/chime or just yelling across the room. The charm wore off quite a while ago.
You mean toilet-paper, don’t you? I’d be delighted to get a real paper napkin.
I agree with most everyone here and would call this report nonsense unless the guide wishes to create a new standard in rating that is unique for Korea.
If one compares the guides for Hong Kong and Macau, the guide for South Korea would be thinner, more embarrassing for so many places and many of the better places would not be serving necessarily Korean cuisine as well.
Do you have any doubt that is exactly what ROKGOV is pushing for? “we’re so special”.
I think Seoul is one of the culinary capitals of the world, if you like Asian food that is.
By comparison, I found almost all restaurants in every capital of Europe to be overpriced, small in portion, and totally overrated. This included restaurants in Paris where I’d pay a few hundred euros for a dinner out for two — and it was not even comparable to little hole in the wall places in Seoul where I’ve had the tastiest dishes around for under $15 USD.
Don’t even get me started on Eastern Europe. Worst food (and service) in the world.
In fact, one of the best aspects of living in Asia is the FOOD!
I will confess my unspakable sin: i honestly ehm kinda don’t like much Korean food **GASP**
“I think Seoul is one of the culinary capitals of the world, if you like
KoreanASIAN food that is.”There, fixed that for you. I love Korean food, and I love Asian food. But Seoul is far from being the culinary capital for Asian food.
Hahahahahaha! That’s really really funny! But they’re a bit premature aren’t they? April Fools isn’t for another 3 weeks yet!
Not only are they premature on the joke, but the Seoul food scene is light years behind Europe, North America, South America, Thailand, Vietnam and pretty much anywhere else on the planet. The service is generally (though not everywhere) pretty poor, Korean food is terrible value for money, the ingredients are simply often not up to scratch, few people can actually cook here. And Korean food is generally very unappealing and lacks variety. They’re dreaming.
I do like some Korean food, but a lot of it is crap. I can’t imagine a Michelin inspector being impressed by instant noodles, restaurants ‘boasting’ that the pork they serve comes from pigs fed on shit, hotdog sausages, tortured dogs reared in filthy unhygenic conditions, live octopus, plastic cheese, soju, everything being smothered in the ubiquitous red sauce, having to cook their own meat and it being of inconsistent quality to say the least, the lack of subtle nuances in Korean cuisine, the general lack of any restaurants with any sense of decor or ambience.
I have had some very good meals in Korea, but it is very hit and miss and one of the things the Michelin lot do is check a place several times before they give a rating. I doubt Korea is worth a book on its food scene, maybe a small 4 page pamphlet but nothing more than that.
Christ, their signature that they’re trying to promote is bibimbap! A bowl of rice, with compost and an egg! Ohh, that’s really the height of culinary sophistication isn’t it.
This post on Marmot’s seriously made my day, the funniest thing I’ve read in a very long time.
And what’s worse is that the top ranked establishment in that pamphlet would be probably be “Outback”.
Maybe Keith can’t afford the finer restaurants in Seoul on his measly paycheck, but my experience has been totally different in S. Korea.
Amazing food, especially seafood in Busan. Blew away anything I’ve had in the US — which would in reality also be a wasteland for good food if it wasn’t for all the ethnic immigrants there opening up their own eateries.
I just put a Chicken Dopiaza in the oven, and prepared the Basmati rice so it wont be sticky muck. I don’t eat much Korean food.
There are better places than ‘Outback’ in Korea. If your lucky you live in an area where you don’t have to eat nasty stuff. I would much rather have a good Soo Galbi Sal dinner than eat in Outback. (see I’m not a total hater!) . If I want a good steak, a really good steak, I cook it myself.
I generally cook at home, as I’m a better cook than most people who aren’t charging obscene prices in Seoul. I can cook a good meal for the missus and me for less than 20 dollars. Why would I go out and pay 60 for a crap meal?
We’re trying to save a lot of money at the moment, my work schedule is pretty relaxed, we’re moving house soon, lots of reasons to cook for ourselves. And cooking is fun.
Going to restaurants is a lot of fun too, but with the randomness of the quality here, I’d rather cook at home. Maybe one in five meals are good if we eat at a restaurant owned and ran by Koreans, maybe one in five of my meals don’t turn out to be healthier and far tastier. I’m lucky as we have a pretty decent house, but even in a shit house it’s doable. It just takes a little more work.
Vanshingon, ‘My measly paycheck’? You’re getting a little ahead of yourself aren’t you? How do you have any idea how much I make? I’ve spent serious money on food in Korea and got OK food, I’ve spent next to nothing on food in many countries and had quality.
I cook at home most of the time, because I can do it better. My dinner-BBQ parties have actually become a bit of a legend in the last 3 years, amongst a certain community since I’ve had access to a decent kitchen and an outside grill. Don’t presume too much me old mucker.
I don’t look at cost with anything I buy, I look at value. That’s why we can afford a really nice new apartment in a desirable area of Seoul and aren’t sweating bullets about paying for it.
Enjoy your processed MSG laden noodles. We’re eating Indian food!
There might be stuff about which to complain in Korea, but the food? Really?
There are lots of “recent” interests in haute cuisine in Korea. i.e. in trying to take it to a level of “art-form” which the Japanese has been perfecting in their own and foreign cuisine for years. However, despite all the interests, I still have yet to experience real substance.
This is because all the greatest Korean cuisine is deeply rooted in what mums and grandmas make at home. Not just one’s own, but your friends’ grandmas and your mum’s friends. And the variation in taste depending on which province one is from. All the subtleties are there, just not commercialized. The restaurant goers will not experience this easily. Also, We have to yet see an influential Korean male chef, someone who stands out on his own.
robert, robert, is there anything about Korea you don’t like?
I don’t really care for the food at all…
English teachers?
(I kid! I kid!)
Seriously, though, sure, there are some things I dislike. And I’d say bitchy expats with a sense of entitlement ranks very high up there.
haha, how did i know that that would be your answer, weird, keep up the good work
Thanks. Glad to see the remedial English lessons are paying off:
http://www.rjkoehler.com/2010/02/10/dong-a-ilbo-with-anti-english-spectrum-dude/#comment-361612
Just goes to show that with a little effort, anyone can better him or herself.
I too would place Korean food low on the list of world cuisines I have tried.
I’m starting to develop a man-crush on Robert Koehler.
Co-signed.
I think we can rely on Wikipedia for a light topic such as this.
I was surprised to learn that Michelin Guides exist for a dozen cities or countries besides France, mostly in Western Europe, but also Japan. In fact, Tokyo was awarded far more total stars than Paris, New York, or London. If Michelin can do it for Japan (I’m sure the thinking goes), then why not Korea (or just Seoul)?
Also, Michelin omits restaurants their inspectors don’t like. Thus, simply being mentioned, even without being awarded any stars, is an honor.
Personally, I had a couple of meals in Korea that really stood out. Most notably a beef dinner in the village of Cheolma in the hills above Pusan. Yes, Korean cuisine is farmers’ food, and yes, most nights I’d prefer the W5000 dweji gukbap down the street over anything fancier (just as I’d prefer a home-grilled steak or my mom’s chicken fried steak in the U.S.); but I don’t think Michelin or anybody else will have any trouble finding very nice destination Korean restaurants deserving of special praise.
Love Korean food, especially the soups and stews. Can do without the spam and weenies. Rarely find any fusion food that’s palatable. To me it’s just an excuse for a poorly-trained-in-two-cuisines chef to gouge the diners.
If/when Korea gets a Michelin Red, I’d bet that Byeokje Galbi in Songpa-gu and Songjukheon in Unni-dong make the list. I can’t really think of any other Michelin-worthy Korean places.
Villa Sortino in Itaewon will probably make the list for Italian food, and for its decent wine selection.
No doubt the pickings are pretty slim, though.
DLB
‘I too would place Korean food low on the list of world cuisines I have treid.’
i wonder if a japanese person would say the same. as for my own ratings, korean food is at the top of world cuisines followed by vietnamese with french and italien food at the bottom. just my opinion.
#2: Room salon…is that what they’re really called? While I recall something along the lines of the description you gave, it’s the first hearing that term used for’em. Also…toilet paper at a restaurant? Haven’t even seen that for road food.
I do think Korea has some damn fine chefs, though it does lack volume in high tier/specialization restaurants to justify a Michelin food guide. Still, if there are any non-Korean judges who would appreciate Korean food even on a first try, it’d be the French (I recall hearing that most of the judges are French…correct me if I’m wrong) so at least they have that going for’em.
That would depend on the person, wouldn’t it? My guess is that most who have tried a variety of other nation’s foods would agree. As for you, well, I’m not surprised that you place Korean food at the top.
I’m not saying Korean food is bad, mind you. I just don’t think it’s nearly as good as, say, Thai, Vietnamese, Indian, Mexican, Turkish, and Puerto Rican cuisine, to name a few. Just my opinion.
At least it’s free. Chinese restaurants usually charge for opening the packet of tissues on the table. Even if you leave the packet unopened, they’ll add the charge on the bill and hope you won’t notice, so
shut up and eat your kimchi.
Korean restaurants in China charge for banchan. The nerve!
Do they? The ones I frequented didn’t. Some were owned by Joseonjok and others by South Korean nationals. Even the North Korean place in town didn’t charge for banchan although their prices overall were higher and food quality and quantity lower.
My Taiwanese friend just came back from the mainland (Shanghai) and took the in-laws to a Korean bbq place. He said the bill even itemized the banchan… which he didn’t even order.
The only bad cuisine in Asia in my experience was Mongolian and Filipino. Korean “Chinese” is nothing to blog home about either.
I had a friend who studied abroad in the Chaoxian (Korean) autonomous prefecture in Yanbian. She went to a Korean restaurant. She looked at the menu. Right next to bulgogi they had a picture of bulgogi. Next to bibimbap they had a picture of bibimbap. Next to boshintang they had a picture of a smiling (and alive) yellow retreiver puppy with a rubber ball in its mouth.
korean food is popular in japan. it’s largest chain restaurant is based on korean food. telling us korean food isn’t good may be true for people from the west say but it may not be the same w asians. i like to remind you folks about that because it seems that many of you believe that whatever western people say about korean food makes it true when it actually does not.
btw, most asian people think french food sucks w italien close behind.
@37 – The rubber ball is critical to the taste.
Calm down, Pawi. As much as you’d like to attribute it to an east vs. west thing, that’s not the case. Look over my list again. Three of the countries I listed are Asian. Just because I think Korean food is not all that, it’s no reason for you to have a hurt 기분. You don’t give a shit, remember?
That would explain the hordes of Italian restaurants in Seoul, I guess.
# 39,
Well… the assumption was that the photo was not one of a dog almost ready to be cooked alive, but it was just the restaurant taking a stock photo and, uh… repurposing it.
Yeah, Pawi. Italian, and not just pizza, is hugely popular in Japan and South Korea.
Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if Kim Jong-il had at some point had French and Italian chefs abducted for his dining pleasure.
Korean food (if not “cuisine”) is one of the best things about the place, but if the country has an equivalent to Masaharu Morimoto, then I haven’t heard of him.
Maybe David Chang should open up a branch of Momofuku Ko in Seoul!
(Over to you, TK.)
DLB
AAK will pay Joe McPherson (@ zenkimchi) to give it a shitty review…
french and italien food are not popular w asians. not in korea and not in japan. indeed, korean food is much more popular in japan than either of those two. just a reminder, what westerners say doesn’t make it so. koreans would be wise to adopt such a truth. but then, that would require them taking their face out of the western man’s ass, wouldn’t it, minister kim?
I’m starting to believe you’ve never been to Korea, Pawi.
I think you need another sabbatical, pawi. You’re slipping back into sheer illogic and delusion, rank chauvinism and racialist thinking. And during your next break, you need to ACTUALLY VISIT the countries whose people you claim to speak for. Maybe just watch Tampopo, for starters…..
Cuisine popularity is not a zero-sum thing, in any case.
You know, now that I think about it, Pawi may be right. Koreans DON’T like Italian food. The reason Koreans pack the hundreds of Italian restaurants here, stuffing their faces with pasta, is because this blog’s Italian friend – gangphe – is forcing them to. They have no choice.
‘That would explain the hordes of Italian restaurants in Seoul, I guess. ‘
what does ‘hordes’ mean?
***
this is a good example of a westerner speaking w a forked tongue. when it’s convenient, they’ll complain all day and night about the the derth of good italien, mexican, and french restaurants in korea. of the resaurants of those ‘cuisines’ that do exist, they’ll go on and on about korean adulturation. however, when the aforementioned becomes inconvenient, they’ll start talking about ‘the hordes’ of italien restaurants in seoul.
fyi, french food is is simply garbage. so is italien w mexican not far behind. all of it rubbish.
Read your own post for the answer (but ignore the spelling).
They’ll complain about the dearth of good Italian, Mexican, and French restaurants in Korea.
pawi,
Italian fusion food is very popular in Japan and it’s getting increasingly popular in Korea.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_cuisine#Foreign_food
Besides that… I like pawi version 2.0. Keep it up.
wk, i know all of that already. it’s funny how defensive people get about the food they like, no?
****
‘ (but ignore the spelling). ‘
that all you got? i never correct spelling and don’t proof. this is just a blog.
again, what does ‘hordes’ mean?
ps italien FUSION.
I thought of something else I don’t like about Korean restaurants (and again, I do really like the food itself!). The liquor menu is obviously created not for people who enjoy drinking, but for people who enjoy getting drunk. This is different from my other gripe about service and attention to detail, because Korea could easily improve these things if it became priority*. However, in my time here, Korea has totally failed to produce any alcoholic beverage that I enjoy, except for maybe dongdongju. I don’t think I’m being picky: Korea is the only country I’ve been to about whom I would make this statement.
* Interesting that it apparently isn’t a priority to Koreans. Fair enough, to each their own. However, what with all this talk of Michelin critiques, I wonder if this could lead to a situation where Korea bends over backwards overhauling restaurants’ service policies just to make the foreigners happy. We’ve seen this before, no? It’s actually kind of sad.
There was a series on this in Asia Times
I made pizza for Kim Jong-il
He wasn’t abducted though just recruited through the government.
A ball-gag for the dog? Why am I not surprised?
In the usual vernacular, it means “a lot”.
Define “westerner”. Is it defined by where they live/were born? Or where their grandad and grandma came from?
Well pawi is right insofar as what passes for Italian in Korea is giant pancakes topped with sweet potatoes (ugh) and unidentifiable cheese product. You’d be hard pressed to find an actual Italian restaurant in Seoul.
Pawi lives a kind of fact-free existence imaginable only to say … a Korea Times journalist.
Here’s some food for thought:
http://blog.hotelclub.com/top-10-international-cuisine/
ZZOOzzoo,
I like Koreanized pizzas. It’s pizza for women…
Americans have done equally hideous things to the pie from Italy.
slim,
Indian food doesn’t belong on the list… ick…
Lebonese food is ranked wayyyyy too low.
The best dining experience I’ve ever had was at a restaurant in a 5-star hotel in Delhi last February. The two Koreans in our group didn’t like the food though. I guess maybe it’s an 입맛 안 맞는 것.
I agree about Lebanese food, though. Should have included it on my list – along with Chinese, Greek, and Italian.
Nah, he’s alright. He just has his good days and bad days. He’ll work it out.
Iceberg,
It might be because the curry they use in India is just sooooo different than the curry that Koreans are use to. Indian curry is all watery and stuff. I’d hazard to guess that many Japanese people may not be that big into Indian food either.
WK936 -
Not my list, of course, but Indian/Pakistani food would be on my top 10 list. I’d move Japanese and Lebanese up and swap out Greek and Spanish for Vietnamese and Korean to round out the list. But few people who have not been to Korea or had extensive exposure to Korean food would rank it very highly, IMHO. My top 10 list would have Asian cuisines above Italian and French.
Pawi’s problem here, besides skipping his meds, is his confusion of the objective and the subjective. His or my opinion of Italian food has no bearing on the easily observable popularity of that cuisine in Japan and Korea.
Which country has the world’s worst cuisine?
Indian curries are more watery because they’re not thickened with cornstarch. The “stuff” is a unique blend of dozens of spices, creating complex flavors that taste nothing like the packets of yellow powder Koreans and Japanese use to make dishes they call curry. Indian food is one cuisine I’ve not yet been able to make successfully at home. Mediterranean and East Asian dishes are easier to make because of their reliance on a few key ingredients.
Which country has the world’s worst cuisine? — Mongolia, Tibet, many South pacific cultures.
So this is now a debate about which cuisine is worth eating!?
There is excellent Korean food here but one needs to look for it. I thought about this more and maybe it could be a good idea but it would take a lot of effort. There is far more to Korean food than sashimi or pepper-paste too.
I made my original comment based upon putting my nose into the guides for Hong Kong and Macau, which have many fair to excellent restaurants. If we stuck to Korean food only, it would take a while to compile the truly good places in Korea, including the so-named “royal cuisine” restaurants, which are truly great. One problem is that some of the best local restaurants I’ve been to look lousy on the outside or are truly private places that the general public would never find. One of my favorites is right next to a junkyard/recycling place. Would a Michelin reviewer know about this place? Probably not. Most hotel restaurants and tourist restaurants (Insa-dong) here are an exercise in raking in money (a hefty 10% VAT gouging does not help) and, IMHO, are mostly not worth the money. Other good restaurants that I enjoy serve food that is not Korean either but I do not see anyone making a pilgrimage to Seoul for them. How could they compare to, say, one restaurant in Macau that has one entire floor of their building dedicated to over 3,000 bottles of wine?
If a guide is compiled, than it should be much slimmer than the ones for Hong-Kong and Macau unless Michelin wishes to pad the guide with questionable choices (there are many). Perhaps this whole idea of having the imprimatur of Michelin on a city food guide is yet another PR wet-dream by someone in government here.
I recall a recent article about the Michelin food guide in the leading french newspaper: http://www.lemonde.fr/aujourd-hui/article/2010/03/03/resto-boulot-dodo_1313757_3238.html
at some moments it states that the company actually SENT inspectors to Japan with the GOAL to make it the country with the most stars in the world, as a MARKETING TOOL for their tire business in Japan. insightful.
in any case Japan certainly has numerous establishments of high quality (to the Michelin standard), and I personally think the result is not too surprising.
as for Korea, as I might have already stated, I love the food, but it’s not too diverse (to my taste). I think it’s very easy to find a good, tasty, cheap meal pretty much anywhere in the country, but Michelin standards are about a whole experience, and I think there are few places in Korea offering the whole package. Things are changing fast, though, and I think Michelin knows this, that’s probably why they’re starting operations there.
Xinjiang ranks low, too. Tough, fatty mutton + dry, stale bread = barely edible.
Traditional US midwestern food must be among the worst. I grew up on a diet of pork chops, pork steak, hamburgers, meatloaf, canned beans, peas, corn, or beets, and boiled potatoes almost every night, all seasoned only with margarine, salt, and pepper. I still have to cook this crap for my mom when she comes for a visit.
the top ten list is from a western perspective. from an asian perspective, very few of those cuisines would make the cut but korean food would.
P.S. We should have a kind of contest where after six months, anyone that cares to participate should create a list of the very best restaurants that they can find here (with details) and submit them for perusing. That might be a more interesting exercise than posting nonsense about which cuisine is the worst or best.
I don’t understand why everyone on this board gets their knickers in a twist whenever the subject of food is raised. You like what you like and to hell with everyone else. But mea culpa, I get my knickers in a twist whenever I think of Italian places here. Not one would last two weeks in Europe and I dearly hope Sortino’s would be the first to go. That is the finest example of an over-hyped, over-rated restaurant I have seen.
That said, no Korean joint would get anything more than a single or maybe double knife/fork rating simply because of the service. The food may be exceptional but having to yell across the room for a waiter won’t cut it for a Michelin rater.
Wasn’t there also some news recently about a Zagat’s for Seoul?
Sonagi,
I’m sure Indian curry is vastly superior technically to Korean and Japanese curries. I guess I like East Asian curries better just because I’m use to it/grew up with it.
My top 10 would be:
1) Italian Food. Simple as well as complex sauces and cheeses and blend of flavors and the food goes well with wine.
Lebanese. Great Lebanese restaurants in the Valley. Very very much underrated and underexposed food. Lebanese and Korean food has to be the most underrated and underexposed foods in the U.S. (and the world) right now.
2) French. I haven’t tried a whole lot, but very impressed with what I’ve eaten.
3) (Mom’s) Korean Food. Hey, I grew up with it. Plus, it’s my list… I can do what I want!
4) Mexican. It’s everywhere here.. can’t get enough of it!
5) Japanese. Generally expensive as shit… but oh well.
6) Chinese. Northern Chinese, Southern, Szechuan and Korean fusion. The rest is a little gross. There is not an animal or a body part the Chinese won’t try to eat… Taiwanese food sucks donkey balls.
7) Thai.
9) Greek. To me Armenian is similar to Greek food.
10) American. Aw c’mon guys! I know it’s a hodgepodge of southern, northern and central European foods cobbled together and it’s generally bad for you, but it all tastes so good. Plus, there isn’t a place in the world that doesn’t have McDonalds, KFC and a Denny’s. It may not be highest quality per bite like French, but it’s everywhere in the world. That’s gotta count for something, right?
One more book to anger the Koreans!
I bet the first gaffe will be the “Sea of Japan” used to describe the body of water to the right of Korea.
I wonder whether the Michelin editors know of VANK?
Well, girl, you must have some awesome genes, or a killer workout regimen, then to have a .72 WHR.
)
“french food is is simply garbage. so is italien w mexican not far behind”
Sheds more light on how one could somehow think, there’s no difference between US and Aussie culture. This just screams “I have never poked my head outside my own door!” The more I read the more I think you actually know very little about America, or the cuisine you listed above, in spite of what you really really want to believe.
ps, fusion is great and all but, too often FUSION (pawi’s emphasis, not mine) in korea means taking 2 perfectly good things and doing to them what my intestines do, turn them into poo
Sorry to comment on my own comment, but (questions of relative prestige aside) wouldn’t Zagat’s be the preferred Korean “solution”? After all, it offers the greatest latitude for skewing the results – the Ministry of Tourism can create a special dept of Vankers to submit DNS-like volumes of positive evals of Korean restaurants. And they don’t even have to enlist Lee Kun-Hee to grease the ways; maybe just subsidize the Vankers civil service salaries (with free Room Salon coupons).
‘…there’s no difference between US and Aussie culture.’
you can’t make this comparison since one place has a bonafide culture (america) and the other does not (australia). of couse, i’m stll waiting to hear about ‘australien culture’. perhaps you could start w ‘australien cuisine’. do you know of any restaurants in the bay area that serve it? i’d like to try ‘australien cuisine’. (pawi snickers)
now rush to the ratings button so you can show me!
pawi’s top cuisines:
korean: so much flavor w so few flavorings. korean food is the best food on planet earth!
vietnamese: i love rice noodles and so do the vietnamese. my favorite is bahn cuon. their rice plates are the bomb! i’ll take com thit nuong, please!
mexican: if it’s made w lard, mexican food is oh so tasty. just love it!
chinese: love their soups and sauteed vegetables.
japanese: don’t eat seafood except for shrimp. love tempura udon and tendon. gyoza good too.
thai: i was thai before it was cool. i’m bored w it though, it all tastes the same.
arab: love this food to with all the beans and grain. love pita bread.
indian: all of it tastes similar but korma is the best! korma, rice, naan.
german: simply but hearty. love knoedel.
“you can’t make this comparison since one place has a bonafide culture (america) and the other does not (australia).”
Yeah, sure.
Maybe only 500 languages – with extreme linguistic diversity – but of course no bonafide (read Western) culture…
No disagreement here.
Pawi, 82 cracked me up. Good one.
What’s the lian->lien thing?
Perhaps Korea can then come up with their own “Kumho Guide” to dining in Korea, which they can use a 3 cabbage rating system to the best restaurants.
Problem solved.
I’ll say it — Japan.
OK, I wouldn’t call it the world’s worst cuisine. I even appreciate the effort and presentation. But seriously, it’s bland, over-fetishized and ridiculously overpriced. Which probably explains why Tokyo has 191 starred restaurants in the Michelin Guide.
(ducks for cover)
@Robert,
Yeah, but you’re a western man, so what do you know?
It’s okay Rob… we Koreans are spicing it up here stateside.
The big secret is that the Japanese know this too. Why do you think Korean food is so popular there?
(ducks for cover also)
Iceberg… he’s a western man who speaks (and reads) fluent Korean. Aye, der’s the rub.
WangKon936,
I was being facetious. Having said that, there are a few of us western men that can speak Korean.
Robert, I wouldn’t say Japan has the world’s worst cuisine, but it does sound like you’re reading my script about it.
Robert> seriously then, I do not agree with bland and ridiculously overpriced. and the over-fetishized bit has nothing to do with the food, but with the people, and the comment could be applied to a lot of “exotic” foods, including Korean.
Is THAT what Neil Young was nasalizing about?
#89: amazing how people can be so biased, doesn’t matter if it’s the blog owner or a crazy pawi.
Saying Japanese food or Italian food being the worst don’t even show that your taste buds are screwed up: those statements are just hate declarations.
Fine if you love Korean food and don’t like others. But to determine the best food, shouldn’t we listen to the people? I mean, a serious simple vote (not here) could confirm it: the more people who like this or that, the “best” this or that is. Too simple?
Obs.: agree on the commenst about Italian rests in Seoul. Pure garbage. Someone said Villa Sortino: an overpriced hole in the ground.
So when The Simpsons outpolls the Ceiling of the Sistine Chapel by a multipule of a million …
Pawi’s taste in food is obviously as deranged as his postings! I’ve had amazing meals and terrible ones in every country I’ve visited so I’ll play too and do my top ten (sorry it’s a bit long winded, but there are some suggestions as to where to find some decent food too;) :
1) British style Indian-Pakistani cuisine (never been to India so can’t comment on that) British style seem to be better going on friends who have travelled and lived there.
2) French, the food culture there is incredible. Get out of Paris to get the real stuff.
3) Thai, huge variety of dishes ingredients prepared in a myriad of styles with great quality ingredients.
4) Indonesian-Malay-Singaporean, possibly the most underrated cuisine I rarely had a bad meal in the 5 months I spent in those parts and their attitude toward preparing food in clean surrounding was amazing considering how dirty many areas of Indonesia and Malaysia are in the cities.
5) British and Irish, the pathetic jokes about English food being bad is now very outdated. It’s difficult to beat a good lamb roast dinner cooked correctly, very difficult. Also a lot of the world best cheese and beer is produced in those parts.
6) Italian, done properly is wonderful, what passes for Italian in Korea is a very sick joke.
7) Turkish, a lot of food that is really healthy tastes crap, a lot of food that is unhealthy tastes great! How the Turks (and too a lesser extent the Greeks) manage to make their food super healthy and so delicious is amazing. They also produce great cheese, and to my suprise (mostly Muslim country) I found also they produce some very good wine.
9) Chinese, the only reason it’s so far down the list is that it is so variable. It can be wonderful or it can be revolting. One of my favourite dishes on earth is crispy duck pancakes with cucumber, hoisin, and scallions. The crispy duck is so good I had to figure out how to make it myself! I literally can’t go a month without making it, even though the prep is very time consuming and messy.
10) American, there is some great food in the states, but like Australia it’s all a combination of the immigrant communities. It’s not all hotdogs and hamburgers. As very new countries US and Aus are nations of immigrants and one of the first thing an immigrant does is bring his-her cuisine to the country. Food is important, even more important than sex!
Honourable mentions go to Japan and Vietnam. I like some Japanese food, though it can be a little bland, Vietnam has some great food and amazing bread, but they lose points on my trips there due to some of the food being revolting (bee larvae anyone?) and in many cases Korean-style levels of food handling.
Korea is not even in the top 50, never mind the top ten. Korea is getting better, we have places like Bob’s BBQ in Hongdae which is run by a Korean who fell in love with Australian food during his time there, very nice meat pies! B Burger, also in Hongdae, courtesy of a guy who fell in love with hamburgers in the states and produces some great stuff. Some of the Indian places in Itaewon are reasonable, The two French places in Itaewon is also quite good, though the service can be lousy in the one next to Kraze Burger. Kevin’s Chili King place is pretty good in Itaewon also. Immigrants and expats are the ones who are really making a difference in Korea’s food scene!
Korea’s getting better, but has a long way to go before it can compete. If you want anything decent in Korea you have to pay through the nose for it. Getting rid of some of their ridiculous trade barriers would really improve their chances of getting some stars.
Is that code?
The Korean government ought to be careful what they wish for – the last thing they want is a elite team of food critics sampling the national mulch. Indeed, the very idea that Michelin could produce a restaurant guide to Korea is utterly laughable. There is such a paucity of fine dining here that Michelin would be hard-pressed to write so much as a text message.
(And before the crackpots start up, we’re talking haute cuisine here, not mum’s kimchi and Otteogi noodles. Having only recently come indoors to eat, Korea hasn’t had nearly long enough to develop a proper restaurant culture, but I do have high hopes for the coming decade.)
If getting these guides to come to Korea means getting a real restaurant culture off the ground in Korea, that includes quality service, specialties in localized cuisines from outside Korea (i.e., Oaxacan, not Mexican or Tuscan not Italian) and an overall memorable experience, then I’m all for it. It’s interesting to note that the link above to the “worst cuisines” survey had as the top 2, the 2 countries with the absolute best restaurant selection in the world. Related?
As to a certain someone saying Mexican is better when made with lard, just stop if you don’t really know what you’re talking about.
‘Pawi’s taste in food is obviously as deranged as his postings!’
well, you’re the one living in a place you hate amongst a people you obviously despise. who’s really deranged here? i think a little less name calling is in order here, lil guy.
‘ outside Korea (i.e., Oaxacan..’
oaxacan food is pure crap. mexican food w lard is the way to go!
“oaxacan food is pure crap. mexican food w lard is the way to go!”
You’ve never had it, and having lived in Mexico, and with Mexicans in my family I can tell you lard is as foreign to Mexican cooking as cheese is to Korea. I don’t think you’ve had mexican, or been to Australia, or actually believe anything you have said. Bottom line is a think you’re making shit up only to poke peoples’ nerves.
Pawi? Make shit up? Whaaaatttt??
‘You’ve never had it,’
well yes, i have.
‘and with Mexicans in my family I can tell you lard is as foreign to Mexican cooking as cheese is to Korea’
not w the mexicans around here.
‘ you’re making shit up only to poke peoples’ nerves. ‘
f+ck you.
In Mexico, lard is, ironically, a traditional cooking fat that has mostly been replaced by US brand Crisco and other hydrogenated oils, which first appeared on store shelves about 100 years ago. The only brand of lard sold in local supermarkets has bilingual packaging.
pawi version 2.0 appears to have undergone a critical system error. After rebooting, the system appears to have reverted to pawi version 1.2.5 B.
‘The only brand of lard sold in local supermarkets has bilingual packaging. ‘
that’s true here too and the package is small. however, if you go to a mexican store, they sell lard in much larger containers. refried beans made w lard is just the best.
As Microsoft has demonstrated over and again, upgrades still have plenty of bugs that need fixin’. I’m eagerly awaiting Pawi v3.0.
Hey DLB… you might like this one:
http://creativity-online.com/news/creativity-50-conversation-with-kogis-chef-roy-choi/142739
IHBB will might go on and on about my RSS feeds… but me no care.
“If a Korean guide were published, it would be only the third in the region alongside Japan and Hong Kong/Macau.”
What region?
Delete *will*
WK,
Damn you have a wicked talent for finding obscure stuff. You are definately “da man” in my book!
Now, about the KORUS FTA….
DLB
There are some *very* serious and talented Korean chefs and bakers here, who have studied overseas, but they are an elite minority. I am optimistic about the growth of quality in many areas, here in Korea.
I don’t doubt that restaurants in Korea could ‘get serious’ and go all ‘chi-chi’ in an effort to enter the Michelin system. Wouldn’t be too hard, as the food’s certainly up to it. There are a few up-market Korean restaurants about the place (I recently read about some ‘designer Korean’ restaurants opening in Japan) and have encountered the odd ‘up-market’ one elsewhere.
The Michelin listing would be good for reputation, promotion, tourism and for contributing to a sense of ‘national brand’ (which marketing and tourism people get very excited about).
But is the Michelin system really what Korean food is all about? I love the non-Michelin-ness of Korean food. Wandering off a busy street into a crowded restaurant for a hearty bowl of bibimbap or sundubu jigae and a beer or two (OK, three). Love it. Don’t go too ‘chi-chi’ Korea… your hearty, bustling, informal dining is what really appeals to this food lover.
Why the hell does Michelin need to “negotiate”???
If they want to publish a guide, do they need the KTO’s permission? That doesn’t make sense; if Michelin wants to do a guide, it can simply publish one.
Well, _I’ve_ lived in Mexico and I have seen lard (so common they have a word for it: “manteca”) used in Mexican cooking for frying tortillas, and many other uses. As he who shall not be named also noted, it’s also commonly used by ethnic Mexicans in California.
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