Peninsula Italian restaurant Lotte Hotel, 1 Songong-dong | Jung-gu, Seoul 100-070 South Korea
Overview
We ate a second time in the Peninsula restaurant at Lotte Hotel. This was mostly because by this time, we’d eaten quite a lot of Korean food and – even though it was good – we were just ready for a change and needed something nearby. It’s hard to get closer than a restaurant within the hotel you’re staying in, so we decided to choose amongst the options offered in-house. The Lotte hotel has Korean, Japanese & Italian restaurants, a French buffet (which didn’t look very French to me – unless dim sum has been reinvented as French cuisine) and a British pub. We decided on the Italian restaurant for a second time, as our first experience there had been decent.
Creamy pumkin soup
The meal started again with their excellent bread, with olive oil and balsamic for dipping. This time, instead of pizza, I opted for a soup (creamy pumpkin) which was recommended to me by my companion who’d taken it last time, followed by an Australian sirloin steak. We chose a bottle of New Zealand Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir, 2007 to accompany the meal. This was mainly out of curiosity – Cloudy Bay is well known for its sauvignon blanc and several other white wines, as is the Marlborough region of New Zealand in general. Increasingly though, pinot is being produced in Marlborough, so we decided to try it.
Australian sirloin steak
My pumpkin soup was fantastic – really very creamy and with an excellent sweet (but not too sweet!) pumkin flavour. It made me wish I’d tried it the previous time we ate here. The second course was an Australian sirloin steak, which was fantastic – perfectly cooked, slightly charred on the outside to give it lots of flavour, nice and pink on the inside retaining all its moisture and tenderness. Really an excellent piece of meat. I like the Korean habit of writing on the menu the origin of the main parts of every dish, as it helps the diner to make informed choices about what you’re about to order.
Cost and conlusion: the bill was 295,000 Korean won (about £145) for three starters, two main courses and the bottle of Pinot Noir. Not cheap, but considering the good quality of the meat, the wine and the excellent preparation of every dish, I consider that to be good value for money. If I’m ever back in this hotel, I would certainly eat this meal again.
Yao Ching Chinese restaurant Seoul, South Korea
Yao Ching is a chinese restaurant in Seoul, Korea. It was about 15 minutes drive from the Korean Transport Institute (KOTI), and they seemed to be on the outskirts of the city. I went there for a working lunch. This was good as there were 5 of us, which allowed for taking a range of dishes to share, and also because 2 of us could speak Korean 😉
Jellyfish and pickled duck egg
The first dish was a slice of beef with jellyfish and pickled duck egg. The jellyfish is the pink shredded stuff in the photo, whilst the pickled duck egg is the thing that looks very slightly like an aubergine. Actually, it was all quite good. The jellyfish did have the sort of rubbery texture you might expect, but it had a surprisingly good flavour. Even if not something I necessarily want to eat daily, it was quite good. Likewise, the pickled duck egg was quite rubbery but again a good flavour. I would have no fear of trying either one again.
Prawns with shitake mushrooms & sea urchin
The same on my plate
Next up was a dish of prawns with shitake mushrooms and sea urchin. This was very good, with lots of different flavours. Definitely worth trying if you’re anywhere that does authentic (as opposed to western-style) Chinese food.
Sweet & sour pork
The sweet and sour pork was good. It was fried in a light tempura batter, which remained crispy even with the sauce. The sweet & sour sauce was good – not too sticky and not too sweet.
Butterfly prawns in chilli sauce & kau chi dumplings
The next dishes were excellent. These were butterflied prawns in a spicy chilli sauce, and some kau chi dumplings (pork & prawn) that you can see in the background. The dumplings were excellent dipped in a soy sauce – a bit like mini steamed dim sum. Both I’d certainly take again given the opportunity
Chicken stir-fry
Next up was a tasty chicken stir-fry with a variety of vegetables including bok choy, peas, etc. Again a very tasty dish, with a very good mix of flavours.
Stir fried vegetables & mantou
The last dish was was a range of stir-fried vegetables in a sort of chilli sauce. This was eaten with the light milk ‘bread’ called mantou. Really very good – the mantou provided a perfect foil for the vegetables, which might otherwise have been quite acidic. By this point, we were all feeling very full, but it was a good dish to end on.
Cost & conclusion: I was not the one paying for this meal. The range of different dishes and flavours were very good, and the service was prompt and efficient. I would certainly return if again in this area of Seoul.
La Cigale Montmartre 123-33 Itaewon-dong, Seoul South Korea 02-796-1244
Outside of restaurant
Interior
La Cigale Montmartre is a French restaurant located in the Namsan (South mountain) area of central Seoul. There are many foreign restaurants in this area – above la Cigale is an Italian restaurant, and right beside is an American buger joint.
La Cigale – Montmartre got its name because the French chef wanted to introduce two styles of French cuisine in Seoul: the Mediterranean style – La Cigale – and Parisian style – Montmartre. The restaurant is famous for their mussels and they are cooked in many different styles.
The menu reflects the two styles of cuisine. For example you can have the tartare de 3 façons (saumon, tartare de boeuf aux anchois et Saint Jacques au citron vert – salmon, anchovy, beef tartare & lime scallops – W24,000), the tarte salée de 3 façon (tarte feuilletée aux escargots, tuile parmesan au jambon cru & mesclun, quiche – puff pastry with snails, parmesan crisp with salad and prosciutto quiche scallops – W35,000), the foie gras de 3 façons (terrine mi-cuite, escalope de foie gras poêlé aux pommes, en crème brulée – foie gras terrine, one slice pan fried with apple and foie gras custard cream – W35,000), the traditional soupe à l’onion du bistrot (onion soup – W12,000), the salade niçoise (olives, thon, anchois, oeuf, tomate, poivron, laitue – olives, tuna, anchovy, artichoke, egg, tomato, lettuce – W16,000). Then we have grilled dishes like the filet de boeuf grillé et escalope de foie gras poêlée (grilled beef tenderloin with pan seared foie gras, 150gr of Australian beef – W40,000), the entrecôte au grill, sauce bleu, poivre vert ou beurre maître d’hôtel (grilled ribeye, blue cheese, lemon butter or green peppercorn sauces, 200gr of Australian beef – W35,000), the T-bone steak en marinade courte puis grillé, beurre d’herbes au citron (T-bone steak in short marinade and grilled, herbs lemon butter, 400gr of Korean beef – W38,000), the Côtelettes d’agneau grillées marinées, ail, zestes de citron et huile d’olive vierge (lamb shop marinated with extra virgin olive oil, roasted garlic, lemon zest, 3 pieces of New Zealand lamb – W40,000) or the escalope de saumon sur le grill, béarnaise et garniture du moment (grilled salmon steak with béarnaise sauce and daily garnishes, Fresh Norway salmon – W27,000). Beside the various kind of mussels, their signature dishes which are the quenelle de volaille à l’ancienne, bisque et gambas flambées (chicken quenelle old fashion style, crustacean sauce and flambed prawns, Korean chicken – W26,000) and the tarte de boeuf coupé au couteau et préparé par nos soins, frites du bistrot (bistro style steak tartare, chopped raw beef, served with French fries, 150gr of Australian beef – W35,000). Add a 10% VAT to the prices as they do not include it.
La Cigale placemat
Overview of the table
Trio au foie gras
The three foie gras (terrine, pan fried and crème brûlée) were actually very good. The bread that accompanied them was a bit hard and tough to eat, but the foie gras itself was pretty good. My favourite, naturally, was the pan-fried I’m a little less convinced by foir gras crème brûlée, which comes out tasting somewhat like a crèpe. Overall though, it really was quite decent. The mussels were also very good, with a sort of cream and bacon soup that tasted rather like a carbonnara sauce. The meal was accompanied by a bottle of the house red wine.
Cost and conclusion: It was 146,000 Korean won (about £72) for the trio of foie gras, salmon, two bowls of mussels and a bottle of red wine which fed four of us. Perhaps still not that cheap for Seoul, but considering the foie gras, was overall a reasonable price.
Italian restaurant Peninsula Lotte Hotel, 1 Songong-dong | Jung-gu, Seoul 100-070 South Korea
Spacious restaurant
Nice distance between the tables
I ate in the Peninsula “Italian Trattoria” restaurant at the Lotte Hotel shortly after arriving there. Why Italian in Korea? No particular reason – except that just after a +15 hour journey, it looked more simple and relaxing than any of the (many) other restaurants in this large hotel. In keeping with my desire for something simple, I took a pizza.
Mega CC beer
The meal started with a basket of freshly baked bread. This came with extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar for dipping. The bread was excellent – wonderfully fresh, crispy outside and moist in the middle. I could have just eaten that and would have been happy With it, we both took a local beer called Mega CC which was very cold and refreshing. Our starters were a salad (nice and fresh) and a creamy pumpkin soup – which my colleague reported to be excellent.
Calzone pizza
Whilst my colleague chose pasta, I decided on a simple calzone pizza – with four kinds of cheese. It came in one piece, but the waiter cut it in slices in front of me (not needed, as I would never eat pizza with my fingers in a restaurant). Sadly this restaurant didn’t have chilli oil, though the pizza came already drizzled with olive oil. Overall, it wasn’t at all bad. I figured I was probably taking a bit of a risk with pizza this far away from Italy, and it wasn’t exactly the light and crispy pizza base I most like. But at the same time, it was far from the thick, stodgy bread base that ruins many a good pizza. So overall, I left quite happy.
Cost & conclusion: The bill for two starters, one pizza, one pasta dish and two beers came to 246,000 Korean won (about £120). That is certainly far from cheap, and without any doubt I could have got better and cheaper by going outside. It’s hard to talk about value for money in a hotel restaurant though, and there is a price to be paid for convenience.
Café du Village 11 Bellevue Road, Wandsworth Common London SW17 7EG
Café du Village (was The Brasserie)
Inside, it is quite spacious.
Interesting décor
Café du Village (formerly The Brasserie) is a restaurant wonderfully located right in front of Wandsworth Common. It pretends to “offer great value cuisine with just a hint of French influence”. With the restaurants Chez Bruce next door and Bellevue Rendez-vous a minute walk away we certainly see more “French influence” in this area (not to mention the Café & patisserie l’Amandine there too). Actually the only true French restaurant is Bellevue Rendez-vous where the owners and staff are French. I think the staff at Café du Village were from Poland.
It is possible to eat outside but we prefered to go inside. It is spacious and smartly decorated although a little impersonal.
As starters we had the Moules Marinieres (Mussels with shallots in white wine with a dash of cream, served with a half baguette – £5.75) and a Garlic & mixed herb bread (£2.95).
As main courses we had a Poulet à l’Estragon (Pot-roasted chicken supreme with mushrooms, onion & bacon in a red wine & tarragon sauce – £10.95) and a Char-grilled Sirloin (21 day aged sirloin with French fries, new potatoes or mash – £16.95) with a Béarnaise sauce (£0.75). As drinks we had a small bottle of sparkling water (£2) and a large glass of an Argentinian 2007 Tarquino Malbec red wine (£7.75).
Other interesting main courses were the Salmon Fishcake (Oven baked fishcake with buttered spinach and a lemon & chive cream sauce – £9.50), the Calves Liver and Bacon (Pan-fried Dutch calves liver and bacon served with creamed potatoes and a red wine & port sauce – £12.95) or the Seafood Linguini (Pan-fried king prawns, squid, clams, mussels, garlic and chilli with an extra virgin olive oil & white wine sauce – £11.95).
Original presentation
The two starters
The garlic bread to start was a little miserable. It was three slices of grilled baguette smothered in butter. There was very little garlic taste though, and overall it was just a little too greasy and overcooked.
Moules marinières
The mussels were good but a little on the small side. Also, one or two were closed. It was a very rich meal with plenty calories because it was so creamy that the sauce was thick. I am into butter and cream so it was perfect for me but some people might find it overpowering.
The two main courses
Poulet à l’estragon
Close-up
The chicken with the taragon sauce was excellent! It was perfectly cooked with a crispy skin. The sauce with red wine and taragon was great. The bacon was good too, not too strong as can happen sometimes. I was quite pleased with this meal and the wine was very nice too.
Char-grilled Sirloin
The chargrilled sirloin was actually quite good – and better than its appearance in the photos might suggest. I had ordered this done ‘medium’ – which in the UK tends to mean overcooked. So it was on this occasion, which is just another reminder to me to ask for my meat rare when I want medium, or else I’ll get well done. Nonetheless, the meat was tender and with a nice flavour. The bearnaise sauce was also very good, and not greasy as can sometimes be the case. The mashed potato was excellent. Very nice and creamy, the right amount of butter, and beautifully textured. They were just the accompaniment, but they really made the dish.
Cost and conclusion: it was £53 including the “discretionary gratuity of 12.5%”. I am against this automatic gratuity added to the bill in many places in London, it should be left to the discretion of the client. That said, the service was friendly but very slow. It took a long time to get our starters. After, things went a bit better. The value for money is not bad, the food is decent and the location is fantastic. It is a good place for a pause after walking at the park, especially since they do snacks like croque monsieur, salads, breakfast, fish & chips etc. If you prefer to eat more authentic French dishes (boeuf bourguignon, confit de canard etc), Bellevue Rendez-vous is the place to go!
