On my last evening before heading back, my final get-together was near Apgujeong-dong. The trouble was that early January had a three-day holiday weekend, so booking a restaurant at short notice was not easy. I’d originally thought about booking a place called Yountville, but when I called they said they were full. I tried a bunch of other places too and there was nowhere left to go -_- so we ended up at Mad for Garlic, where you don’t need a reservation. First time in about three years? ^_^ For a family restaurant, Mad for Garlic serves food that’s actually decent, so it’s nice that you can go there without worrying too much about the food.
Steamed mussels
The portion is fairly generous, but the ingredients weren’t that fresh. Still, all things considered, I was satisfied..
Anchovy fondue
I’ve had something similar at Acqua Pazza in Hiroo. But it only looked similar; the taste was quite different. There weren’t enough vegetables, which was a bit of a letdown.. I guess that’s the difference between the Korean and Japanese styles. Still, for the price it wasn’t bad.
Meat pizza
It had some fancy name, but I’ve forgotten it. You couldn’t call it an authentic Italian pizza, but maybe because it was loaded with toppings, it was pretty good. We ordered a decanter of Cono Sur, a Chilean wine, but I seem to have forgotten to take a photo. The wine list was decent overall, but I was in no state to drink, so I couldn’t order by the bottle. Having eaten sirloin since midday, that was only to be expected..
Sizzling-plate fried rice
This one also had some cool name, taco rice or something like that.. Pretty good for this kind of place. The fried egg on top felt nostalgic. Of course a specialist would do it better..
San Miguel
I had the San Miguel after we left Mad for Garlic and went into the coffee shop next door. It’s the famous beer from the Philippines. The taste.. hmm.. Japanese beer is still the best..
And that was the end of my whirlwind trip to Korea. There wasn’t a day I didn’t overeat or a night I got home early.. but it was so much fun that I want to go again.