The weather is turning slowly into a crisp autumn. The nights are cool, the afternoons warm if you're in the sun, cold in the shade. I love the changing of the seasons, and what better way to spend them than outside, walking into unknown neighborhoods, finding new spots that add to our whole perception of this giant city, Seoul. We set out of our humble abode unsure of where we will go, deciding on the fly to take the number 360 bus to the end of the line, to the western end of the city, where lies Yoeido, the island in the Han river that is home to a plethora of parks, including a wetland marsh, and a major business area, home of the tallest building in Korea, that giant pink "sixty-three" building. The Koreans are very proud of this building. Like Portland's "big pink" it towers over one edge of the city, next to the river.
After reaching our walking limit we headed to Iteawon to meet up with our bunch of people to taxi en masse to the eastern edge of the city for a much raved about chinese restaurant in an obscure university neighborhood near Ttukseom. This place must have been the right spot, for on a street lined with chinese restaurants and shops this one stood out for it's line of dozens of people waiting in the cool night for a table inside. A man with a killer mullet acted as host and griller of lamb skewers outside over an open flame, just inches from us hungry patrons, waiting for a seat.
Being as we had a large group we waited a long time, but the wait was worth it for the food was supreme! I am not a huge fan of chinese food, based on my experiences with the greasy grocery food chinese food I am used to in the States. This was something entirely different. Authentic and spicy and still greasy, but in a good animal-fatty kind of way as opposed to a bunch of vegetable oil. We sat in the brightly lit restaurant, with a knack for all things pink, and drank big bottles of Tsingtao beer (a real treat compared to the crap beer that Korea has to offer) and ate course after course of lamb stir fry, glazed chicken, lamb skewers, sticky buns, steamed grass with fried egg, and of course the usual panchan (side dishes).
A saturday well spent. And because it is a long weekend the adventures did not stop there...
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