Annie Namba

Annie is always on the lookout for new tastes, as well as faithful examples of traditional dishes.

An accomplished home cook, she recreates hard-to-find American, Asian and European dishes, and creates new fusion dishes of her own.

Through this web site, she hopes to bring world cuisine to Korea, and Korean cuisine to the world.

Likes: 냉면, pho (vietnamese noodle soup), 분식, beef stew, slow food, izakaya
Dislikes: anything with cumin

Restaurants/ 레스토랑 추천

Donburi (돈부리)

Donburi (돈부리)

There are lots of things on the menu, mostly okay, but just skip past it all and go straight for the salmon dishes!

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Restaurants/ 레스토랑 추천

麵屋 三代目/멘야 산다이메 (Menya Sandaime)

麵屋 三代目/멘야 산다이메 (Menya Sandaime)

This is my current favorite ramen place, the perfect way to beat the winter cold.

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Recipes/ 레시피

콩나물밥 (Soybean Sprout Rice)

콩나물밥 (Soybean Sprout Rice)

A simple Korean comfort food that you can make in your rice cooker. It's a bit like bibimbap, except that the ingredients are cooked together, so the vegetable and meat flavors actually infuse the rice.

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Seafood Dynamite Casserole

Seafood Dynamite Casserole

We tried something called "Sushi Pizza" at a Japanese fusion restaurant in Hawaii years ago. We really loved this dish and made our own version at home. But over time, I realized that the nori (Japanese seaweed) lining the bottom sometimes made it difficult to serve and eat... and thus the casserole version was born!

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Restaurants/ 레스토랑 추천

울트라麺 (Ultramen)

울트라麺 (Ultramen)

Wintry winds got you down? A hot bowl of ramen will warm you right up.

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Recipes/ 레시피

Mexican Lasagna

Mexican Lasagna

Sadly, we still can't find reasonably-priced ricotta cheese to make real lasagna, but this Tex-Mex version is just enough to keep the cravings at bay.

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Recipes/ 레시피

Thai Red Curry with Shrimp

Thai Red Curry with Shrimp

I missed the Thai curries we used to enjoy in the U.S., but in Korea, restaurants charge a lot just because they are made with imported products. So I decided to make my own!

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Restaurants/ 레스토랑 추천

새마을식당 논현본점 (Saemaeul)

새마을식당 논현본점 (Saemaeul)

This 70s-themed restaurant (Korea's 70s, that is) rocks great food and casual drinking atmosphere.

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Recipes/ 레시피

닭갈비 (Dakgalbi)

닭갈비 (Dakgalbi)

The bold flavors of curry powder, chili pepper, garlic and soy sauce combine to form a wonderful base for this chicken and sweet potato stew.

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Restaurants/ 레스토랑 추천

버드나무집 서초본점 (Budnamujip)

버드나무집 서초본점 (Budnamujip)

The picture says it all: melt-in-the-mouth kalbi. A wonderful place to celebrate a special occasion with your favorite meat lover!

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Recipes/ 레시피

Steak Bibimbap

Steak Bibimbap

Bibimbap can be difficult to make, so I created a version that is simpler, yet still healthy-tasting and full of flavor.

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Restaurants/ 레스토랑 추천

bibigo (강남 삼성타운점)

bibigo (강남 삼성타운점)

For a fast, fresh, and even healthy lunch, try this bibimbap served in a hot stone bowl. While the dish itself may be familiar to many, the bibigo experience is worth a try.

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Recipes/ 레시피

Yaki Udon

Yaki Udon

This quick, Japanese-y dish is a favorite in our house, and also serves as an excellent fridge-clearing dish. Make it even quicker by cheating a little and use a premade sauce. We won't judge.

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Photos: Gil-dong Market (길동시장)

Photos: Gil-dong Market (길동시장)

A few days ahead of 추석 (Chuseok), we went to visit my mom's uncle's house. As it turns out, he lives literally right next to a traditional market, which operates daily, offering fruits, vegetables, and even fresh fish and meat.

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Recipes/ 레시피

감자전 (Potato Jeon)

감자전 (Potato Jeon)

Chuseok (추석), also known as Hangawi (한가위), is Korea's harvest moon festival. It is one of Korea's two major holidays, and it is coming up soon! This year it falls on September 12th. As sort of a pre-celebration, try making some potato jeon this weekend!

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Restaurants/ 레스토랑 추천

해피소뿡이 (Happy Soppungi)

해피소뿡이 (Happy Soppungi)

These "toast" shops have been popping up lately in the subways. While their product is almost certainly not very good for you, it does make a tasty and filling (occasional) snack when you're in a rush!

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Recipes/ 레시피

Easy Homemade Bingsu

Easy Homemade Bingsu

When the calendar says fall, but the thermometer says summer, try this simple and cheap treat made at home. So easy it can hardly be called a recipe. All you need is flavored milk and a resealable bag. (And a freezer, of course.)

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Recipes/ 레시피

김치불고기버거 (Kimchi Bulgogi Burger)

김치불고기버거 (Kimchi Bulgogi Burger)

This is more of a sandwich than a burger (although it is served on a hamburger bun), but as this recipe is actually our attempt to revive a menu item from a now long-gone restaurant in Hawaii, we thought it'd be nice to retain the original name as well. Bulgogi + kimchi may seem odd at first, but it sure tastes great!

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Restaurants/ 레스토랑 추천

갓덴스시 강남점 (Gatten Sushi)

갓덴스시 강남점 (Gatten Sushi)

Expats in Korea know how hard it can be to find decent sushi. This looks promising: one of Japan's famous conveyor belt sushi chains has opened its first location in Korea.

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Recipes/ 레시피

김치 순두부찌개 (Soft Tofu Stew with Kimchi)

김치 순두부찌개 (Soft Tofu Stew with Kimchi)

Did you know? 순두부찌개 (sundubu jjigae, soondubu chigae) is a simple and delicious stew you can make at home!

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The Great Patbingsu Roundup 2011 Part II

The Great Patbingsu Roundup 2011 Part II

Better late than never! The follow-up to the first half of our patbingsu roundup is finally here. (Although it is late for a dozen reasons, I choose to blame Meal Top. Heh.)

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Recipes/ 레시피

Spam Musubi

Spam Musubi

Hawaii has acquired a (deserved) reputation for consuming an incredible amount of spam per capita, in a variety of forms. Of those, spam musubi is probably the most popular (for good reason!), and we'd like to share this tasty snack with you. We make it from time to time to enjoy a little taste of Hawaii's local food.

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Restaurants/ 레스토랑 추천

교동전선생 (논현점) (Jeon Seonsaeng)

교동전선생 (논현점) (Jeon Seonsaeng)

While the name "Fritter Teacher of Gyodong" is a bit comical when translated, sure enough, this 막걸리 and chain store does seem to make the best jeon in town.

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Recipes/ 레시피

김치볶음밥 (Kimchi Fried Rice)

김치볶음밥 (Kimchi Fried Rice)

I recently found out that people go out to eat kimchi fried rice, and I couldn't believe it! This is an easy one to make at home.

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Restaurants/ 레스토랑 추천

Vapiano (강남점) (바피아노)

Vapiano (강남점) (바피아노)

You can get good Italian food, including fresh pasta and the right cheeses, at a reasonable price! As long as you don't mind the dining hall-esque self-service system.

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Recipes/ 레시피

닭볶음탕 (Spicy Chicken Stew)

닭볶음탕 (Spicy Chicken Stew)

Got some chicken and vegetables? Try this easy to make dish, found more often in Korean homes than in restaurants.

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Recipes/ 레시피

돼지불고기 (Spicy Pork Stir-Fry)

돼지불고기 (Spicy Pork Stir-Fry)

A classic Korean home-cooked meal. Delicious, healthy and simple to make to boot.

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Restaurants/ 레스토랑 추천

텟펜 강남점 (Teppen)

텟펜 강남점 (Teppen)

Celebrating a special occasion? Or just having a bad week? Live it up at Teppen! The lively Japanese atmosphere and great food are sure to brighten any mood and create happy memories.

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Recipes/ 레시피

Vietnamese Summer Rolls (with peanut sauce)

Vietnamese Summer Rolls (with peanut sauce)

Not being a big fan of the Korean-style summer rolls at local Vietnamese restaurants, I decided to roll up my sleeves and make my own version. These rolls do not contain any pickled turnip!

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Recipes/ 레시피

떡볶이 (Ddeokbokki/Tteokbokki/Topokki)

떡볶이 (Ddeokbokki/Tteokbokki/Topokki)

떡볶이 (ddeokbokki, often translated "spicy rice cakes") comes in many forms in Korea. But when you have some time, this home-made version is the best!

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Restaurants/ 레스토랑 추천

부일갈비 (Bu-il Kalbi)

부일갈비 (Bu-il Kalbi)

This is a kalbi restaurant, but actually, we have only tried their kalbi once. Rather, we go for the 냉면 (cold noodles)!

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Recipes/ 레시피

Braised Pork in Soy Sauce

Braised Pork in Soy Sauce

I used to make this dish in Hawaii with choisum instead of green peppers and mungbean sprouts. This dish is hearty slow food with melt-in-the-mouth pork and eggs, with a little kick from the peppers and crunch from the mung bean sprouts, all tied together by the sweet soy-based sauce. I can eat this any time!

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Restaurants/ 레스토랑 추천

아비꼬 (강남역점) (Abiko)

아비꼬 (강남역점) (Abiko)

Abiko says spicy Japanese curry is their specialty, and after trying it, we agree - it's perfect! Here, we review their newest location in Gangnam.

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Restaurants/ 레스토랑 추천

강남교자 (Gangnam Gyoja)

강남교자 (Gangnam Gyoja)

Located in Gangnam, but at the end of a less-than-inviting side street, you won't find this restaurant unless you're looking for it. But this is my "mom-approved" place to get a taste of the famous 명동 칼국수 (Myeong-dong hand-made noodle soup) without braving the crowds (and stressed-out servers).

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Restaurants/ 레스토랑 추천

아키노유키 (논현점) (Aki-no Yuki)

아키노유키 (논현점) (Aki-no Yuki)

That this gem of an izakaya is tiny and hard to find only makes us love it more.

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Restaurants/ 레스토랑 추천

678찜 (압구정로데오점) (678-jjim)

678찜 (압구정로데오점) (678-jjim)

갈비찜 (braised beef ribs) is pricey, making "shopping around" an expensive proposition. Fortunately, we scored a half-off coupon for 강호동 (Kang Ho-dong)'s 찜 restaurant, so we decided to check it out.

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Restaurants/ 레스토랑 추천

유랑 (U-Rang [CLOSED])

유랑 (U-Rang [CLOSED])

Not your usual chicken and beer joint! A classy, but relaxed atmosphere, more sophisticated chicken dishes, and fresh draft Asahi that's a cut above any other restaurant.

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