koreana review

first and foremost, i apologize for the wretched photos being paired with this wonderful post.  i have misplaced my camera for now- it’s somewhere in my mess of an apartment back in portland- that’s right 207, i’m MIA, so i had to use an iphone camera.  for those who are curious about my technological vices- No! I do not have an iPhone, nor do I plan on splurging on one.  I’m a bit confused by the touch-screen and other complicated features like that.  for starters, this post is not about technology, it’s about food, like i tend to write about, so no worries foodies, this blog is not catering to techies, it’s catering to you!

exactly one week ago tonight, i found myself in cambridge, ma at the entrance of koreana.  as i had posted way back in august, i am on a korean food bonanza ever since returning from seoul on august 21st.  koreana in cambridge is the only korean barbeque restaurant in the vicinity of portland, maine, and i knew that if i wanted to get the wine sam gyup sal, i’d have to make this trip down to MA.  obviously, i have other reasons to visit boston/cambridge area, so i did, and this is where i ended up.  walking into the restaurant i was immediately greeted by two korean hosts with warm hospitality- they didn’t even flinch when i mentioned that i was a party of eight, and soon enough we were seated at a bbq table, and our drink orders were filled.  it was swell being in the company of family last friday evening, and seeing as i got to share a part of my recent life with them, it made it all the more special. 

we started the evening off with an order of the pan-fried gyoza and a veggie korean pancake.  the serving size for the pancake was just right- eight pieces, cut like a pizza would be.  every bite had delicious pieces of scallions, shrimp, and onion.  the gyoza were small, but fried crisp, and the filling was savory yet satisfying- pork, scallions, ginger and onion.  the sauce was well blended- not too much soy sauce or too much sesame oil, just the right combination.  following our tapas, we ordered our entrees. three guests settled on shrimp bi bimbap, while another three settled on bulgogi, i chosed the wine sam gyup sal, and one chose the salmon teriyaki.  k & i used the bbq table, while the others prefered the have theirs cooked for them inside of the kitchen.  i like cooking on the grill on your table, because it gives you the chance to cook it to your liking, fry garlic until its crisp, and preoccupy your hands and cooking urges.  my portion was quite large- though it was said to feed one, it fed both of us quite well, and k’s serving of bulgogi fed us both too.  both of our meals were served with traditional sides, an assortment of kimchi, bean sprouts, fish cakes, rice, salad, and kelp, and post meal, we all got the fantastic korean digestif- Sujeonggwa- a tea made from cinnamon, ginger, and persimmons.  that made me miss seoul the most.  everyone was pleased with their meals, and i, well to be honest, a bit distressed.  it made me quite nostalgic, and then all of a sudden, i wished i were in seoul.  though i found myself traveling to 1369 cafe, where i treated myself to a nice hot vietnamese coffee.

i enjoyed the overall atmosphere in koreana, it was clean, classy, and modern.  the decor was aesthetically pleasing, black and wooden, and the lighting was nice and intimate.  the space is large, but it does not feel over-crowded to say the least.  a bar is off to the left side of the restaurant where you can watch the sox game, and eat sushi.  the owner was quite nice, when i said, Anyong-haseyo 안녕하세요.  he bowed, and responded with an “anyong!”.  the staff was attentive and quick, and they were all so pleasant when you spoke with them.  the food was delicious, as i’ve previously mentioned, for it transported me back to korea.  it’s a shame that there aren’t too many korean options in maine.  sure there’s happy teriyaki, soju, fuji, and nara, but if you want traditional korea as well as korean bbq, it’s worth the hassle to come down to cambridge for a day.  besides visiting koreana, you could also go to sweet cupcake in harvard square or cafe algiers.  a trip to lush and anthropology may also be in order, and to finish your night, post-koreana, i suggest doing the same thing i did- and that is to go to 1369 and have your caffine fix.  I love Koreana, and I strongly reccomend it.

i don’t take credit for cette photo; all courtesy of the koreana restaurant website.

PS: there’s a new korean restaurant bound to open on exchange street sooner or later- no it’s not korean BBQ but it still may be delicious, and you best believe that i’ll be reviewing it once it’s broken past the first 3 month stench.  oh ja, i’m also headed back to the infamous 207, so no worries, my leave of absence will be broken as of tomorrow evening.

-enfin

the highlight of my life (live octopus)

live octopus.  most squirm at the thought of little sea creatures with 8 legs and suction cups and ink sacks, so who in the right mind would care to eat one? cooked- they’re delicious, and honestly, not much of an accomplishment.  especially in korean cooking, octopus is rather common.  but as i sat on a 15 hour flight on korean air, headed to seoul in search of some of the greatest food from all over the world, i couldn’t help but be intrigued by the idea of eating live octopus.

anthony bourdain, the master of eating all things odd, when traveling to seoul, did in fact, eat live octopus.  and according to many accounts of videos on youtube, there are a good amount of people who have taken quite the interest in eating this delicious fishy-poo live.  not raw mind you, live.  still breathing, still moving, still sucking on.  so i added it onto my to-do list while in seoul, which also included kareoke, getting a new tattoo, finding the best kimchi, and spending sometime at a bhuddist temple.  14 days, in an asian country is not enough, any smart person can tell you that, so i assumed, like most that as i would be leaving seoul, there would be parts of my to-do list that remained undone.  deep down, i had a feeling that eating live octopus would be on the undone list.

but one night, after trekking around sinchon and myeongdong, i decided to gather a small group of fellow foodies, and journey to the seoul fish market.  of course, we had no idea where we were going, how we were getting there, or how much it would cost.  so the four of us piled into a taxi, with a post-it that said “to the fish market” in hangeul, and trusted our driver.  right before getting into the taxi, i stepped into a trench of wet-cement, so my legs were burning, and heels were getting heavier by the moment.  i’m pretty sure it was our taxi driver’s first time seeing 4 seventeen year olds ask to go to the fish market.  oh right, during rush hour.  we sat in traffic for an hour or so, and finally, after being carted around the back-areas of the city, arrived at what appeared to be a very sketchy looking alley.  our cab cost us 10000 won, or $10.00.  so cheap, in comparison to ABC taxi, which will bring you from concord trailways to the state theatre for that amount.  our driver motioned us towards the alley and said, mmmmmm fishies, so we took his word, and ventured down.  we were shocked with what was inside, tons of produce stands, selling everything from garlic, to bok choi, to sesame leaves, dried magots, and mangoes.  the old women sat on the ground with their products, and men zoomed past them on the mopeds.  we were  unsure if we would find any fish, but we all got a waft of seafood, and decided to venture further inward.  needless to say, we finally arrived at the seoul fish market, and couldn’t believe our eyes.

10lb lobsters, 3ft king crabs, sea urchins (uni), octopus, flounder galore! being a seafood fanatic, i took deep breaths and reminded myself that i had no means of cooking while in seoul… also i made a mental note not to purchase anything with the intention of bringing it back to campus.  the first stall i went to had a tank of large octopus, and i’m pretty sure my eyes lit up.  i pointed at the tank and jumped up and down and asked the man if i could eat one.  i forgot about the language barrier, so he pulled the octopus out of the water and pretended to eat it, and i nodded my head.  he pointed me to a restaurant next door, so i grabbed the troops and spoke with the owner.  we purchased two octopus and were seated.

while we waited, a server brought us sesame leaves, lettuce, jalapeno hybrids (crossed with cukes, go figure), red pepper paste, chili paste, kimchi, and soy sauce.  the wife of the owner brought us a platter of squirming tentacles and octopus head, and of course an entourage from the kitchen.  they all looked at us with smiles on their faces, and we didn’t really know what to do.  so i began, picking up a tentacle with my chopsticks, dipping it in soy sauce, and then putting it in my mouth.  i chewed it and chewed it, and chewed it some more, and finally, when the little suction cups stopped hanging onto my tongue, swallowed.  very fresh- like all raw seafood, and very salty.  i was pleased, and so were my guests.  we eventually decided to make ssam- or we wrapped the octopus in the leaves and garnished with kimchi, and ate it like a little roll.  the owner liked our company so much, that he bought us shrimp, and let us feast on that for free.  all in all, our entire meal, for 4 people, cost 10000 won, or the same as the taxi ride there. 

supposedly, eating the octopus is supposed to make you strong like a warrior, and i suppose it did.  from what i gathered, it tasted quite good- similar to that of a raw oyster, required a lot of chewing, and was quite the feat.  (you could potentially die from eating it)- clearly i haven’t died, seeing as i’m telling you all this now… in a healthy state.  i didn’t find the texture to be daunting- it was a bit slimey, but isn’t all seafood slimey? in all sincerity, i found the octopus to be delicious, even when it was squirming and sticking onto my throat.

later that night, while we discussed the days events, i realized that every single thing, on my korean to do list, had been crossed off.  i guess 14 days was enough to get all my goals accomplished.

so for those daring enough, i suggest you go eat some live octopus, because its quite delicious, and it will make  you strong like a warrior.