I went out on a sunny weekend. First I stopped by the Seorae Village branch of Paris Croissant, then bounced back and forth between Incheon and Seoul, and late at night ended up at 2chef.
Paris Croissant in Seorae Village
By now they have probably moved to a new spot. The inside was really cramped, yet it was packed with people. It is a popular neighborhood bakery.
I bought one of each kind.
The bread was more disappointing than I expected. It just did not quite come together, if that makes sense. It is a notch above a regular Paris Croissant, but not good enough to actually impress. At this level there is no reason for me to go out of my way to Seorae Village, which is a pain to get to. I was about to kick off a bakery tour, got discouraged right here, and stayed away from the bread world for a while.
I finally had some time at night, so I dropped by 2chef for a bit.
Tuna tataki.
It looks great, but maybe because we came so late, it was not quite as fresh.
A plate of snacks
You need something to nibble on if you are going to keep drinking.
Oban
The Oban Double Matured Distillers Edition is not sold in Korea. I recently went to a single malt shop, and the only Oban they carry in Korea is the 14-year-old. So while this Oban was a really elegant, smooth and beautiful single malt, I would hesitate to recommend the 14 as a substitute. Being Double Matured, it must have spent time in sherry casks, so the taste is probably very different. I did not expect much when I bought it, but when I tasted it, it was a knockout. The world of single malts is wide and deep.
Next we moved on to Factory. I have already introduced the single malts I drank at Factory in another post..
Spaghetti Napolitan
Perfect when you get peckish late at night. In Japan I often ordered pasta at bars late at night, so I was surprised you can order it in Korea too. That is Factory for you~ the best~ As those in the know already know – and as anyone who has watched Midnight Diner knows – spaghetti Napolitan has nothing to do with Naples in Italy; it is a Japanese creation. It is spaghetti made with loads of ketchup. That is why it tastes even better with a fried egg on top.. They nailed the key points of the flavor, which made it all the more impressive.
A closer look
This is the perfect pasta for feeling guilty about eating at night. Of course, once you are drunk, you do not feel anything like that.