Korean Tourism and Cuisine Night

I was so excited to be invited to the Tourism and Cuisine night put on by The Korea Tourism Organization Los Angeles. A special thanks to Christopher Mora.  The unique tasting event took place at Yong Su San Restaurant in Koreatown, a restaurant I had always wanted to try but was waiting for a special occasion because it’s a an upscale restaurant. The very talented blogger/Youtuber Julie Thai joined me at dinner.

I’m am dying to visit Korea again after the event. I had visited Seoul as a teenager with my family but all I remember about the vacation was how unusually beautiful all the women were. The food didn’t stand out for whatever reason that first time around.

The meal was epic! Our first course was Jook, a soft creamy porridge. It was light but rich at the same time, I was starving so it was the perfect bit to whet my appetite before starting the meal

Kaesung Namul – Mixed vegetable salad of bean sprouts, radish and apricot. This dish was so bright and refreshing, the tanginess definitely woke up my tastebuds

Tang Pyeong Chae – Thinly sliced mung bean jelly marinated in sesame oil. This was definitely one of my favorite dishes and I’m guessing that its probably pretty easy to make at home. The sesame oil was doused generously on the noodles and the mushrooms added a nuanced umami essence to the dish.

Kaesung Bossam Kimchi – Kimchi stuffed with radish, pine nuts, dates and a pickled mix of seafood. This kimchi was next level! After we feasted on the outer leaves the server came to cut the inner leaves to reveal an assortment of tasty surprised hiding inside the leaves.

Paeju – sea scallop with mushroom sauteed in sesame oil. At this point the reporters and writers at the table are getting annoyed with the constant photos being taken by us food bloggers.

Gujeolpan – a colorful platter of nine ingredients (beef, mushroom, assorted vegetables) to be wrapped with small thin crepes) What a beautiful presentation! This was truly a delicate bite, the rich plum (?) sauce brought the wrap all together.

Two separate courses of Jeon -seasonal assorted pan fried dishes. This first Jeon was a shiso leaf

Flaky fish jeon

Dae ha Yori – Egg battered king prawn. Nearing the end of the meal and I am so stuffed but the prawns are crunchy goodness surrounded by a light batter and crispy squash

I’m dying at this point but I have to have a couple pieces of meltingly soft Galbijjim – slow braised short ribs, radish, gingko and dates in traditional soy based marinade

Bibimbap!

I made sure to make room for the Neangmyeon – it was so refreshing and bright that I almost forgot that I couldn’t eat another bite of food

Eumryo – a traditional Korean punch, the perfect end to the mean. Super sweet and heavily tasting a cinnamon it was a perfect palate cleanser, no need for an after dinner mint!

Several beautiful destinations in Korea that I have never heard of but are now on my must see list

Jeonju

Ilchulbong Peak

Jeju Island