The two typhoons just swept by Japan. There was no effect on Korea. A bit warm in Seoul, but no rain. I went Korean yesterday for lunch and dinner. Concierge Monica Park of the W Hotel was an angel.
I asked another concierge for the best Korean lunch place and where to go for kalbi (spelled here as galbi), a teriyaki-like short rib barbecue. I was sent to Yongsusan for lunch, and I can only speculate that this was a friend's restaurant because it was hard to find and for most of the time, if there weren't two old Japanese ladies eating close by, I would have been the only one there. The communication was non-existent. I asked for a kalbi lunch (yes, but I would have gone somewhere else for dinner), and instead came a teriyaki hamburger:
Mind you, all the above was after ten small dishes of appetizers. The food itself was okay, but the ambience was lacking and there was no thrill to the experience. I also had to remind the waiter twice about bringing my beer. However, the total cost with beer was one-tenth of Pierre Gagnaire. Later, I went to Trip Advisor, and found out Yongsusan ranked #4 of 482 restaurants in the city. Wow, what did I miss?
I then walked around Seoul and took only one photo:
How would you like to be a graduate of this university?
The W and Sheraton complex on Walkerhill (it is named after General Walton Walker and is on a hill, but there is no space in the spelling of this location) has a barbecue restaurant called Myungwolgwan. The kalbi was fine:
The problem came at the end when the waiter asked me if I wanted cold or spicy noodles. As no rice was served thus far, I thought this came with the meal. But, no, when I looked at my bill, they added this bowl, which cost exactly half that of the kalbi. I was not happy, but that happens when you don't speak the local language. This was not a scam, I hope. Oh, the total cost with this almost inedible cold spicy noodle lump was about five times cheaper than Pierre Gagnaire. Myungwolgwan ranked #99 in Trip Advisor. As I was leaving the restaurant, I took a photo of kim chee, their national dish:
What has that bird got to do with kim chee? Don't know.
My flight to Osaka was uneventful, which is the best kind. The transfer from the airport was a bit confusing, as I had to catch a bus to Osaka Station, and there are two stops here. Finding a taxi was a pain. The whole land transport cost around $30. The St. Regis here might now be #1 as my best hotel in Japan.
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