Bulgogi Brothers and Peggy Pie at Jongro

I gathered up a few Couchsurfers to meet up with my aunt and her classmates from English academy for dinner. One Polish girl, whom I was expecting to host tomorrow night, cancelled on us, but the rest made it: an American couple Breanna and Mike, and a Korean-American guy Doug. My aunt brought along a girl named J, a guy named Taylor, who brought a Swiss friend Larissa (the one I mentioned in my last post), and a military officer named Kevin.

Side note, I think it's interesting that Koreans all make "English" names for themselves. As if there is something wrong with the names they already have! I don't understand why they change their names for Western people's convenience. But on the other hand, it does seem fun to be able to create a name for yourself.

I digress. So we met at Bulgogi Brothers, which is a pretty popular chain that I'd never tried before. I'd seen it on TV a couple of times, and it seemed like a typical enough Korean dish to introduce to foreigners. I got a bit skeptical, though, when I entered the restaurant and found it nearly empty, on a Friday evening in the city center. That aside, the place was very clean and modern, with induction stoves in the center and fancy brass traditional tableware.

Bulgogi (beef) menus

Regular menu

As the name suggests, the place specializes in bulgogi (marinated barbecue beef). We couldn't bring ourselves to try it though, because they're all pretty darn expensive! The cheapest meat menu starts at 9,900 won, but you have to order at least 2 portions because one is "not enough." Then why list the price for only one when you can't order it like that anyway? To make it seem less expensive than it actually is, is what I think.

After some contemplation, the members of my table (me and the Couchsurfers) decided to each order a regular menu, then order two portions of the cheapest bulgogi to share, just to try it out.

Preparing to cook

Cooking

All done and ready to eat!

The meat tasted pretty good, especially paired with the assortment of sauces provided. However, the portions were woefully small. I'm glad we didn't order the expensive menus because it would have been utterly disappointing and a huge waste of money. We did notice that the amount of beef for each menu was only 150 grams, which is basically an appetizer, and which is why we steered clear.

Bibimbap

Bean paste soup (된장찌개)

Pretty bowl of rice

I don't know how the bibimbap was because it's not the one I ordered, but I didn't hear any particular complaints. As for my soup, it was a bit on the saltier side, not exactly horrible. I would say average at best. Aesthetically displeasing and a bit pathetic looking, though.

Mike, Doug, Taylor, Larissa, J, Eunice, Breanna

The best part of this dinner was the insightful conversations I had with these people. It was good enough that I could overlook the food. I really enjoy meeting new people, especially people with awesome travel stories and unique experiences. I particularly enjoyed listening to Mike's experience in Japan and his encounters with the society and its people there, in the countryside. Other than that, I was able to learn new perspectives I'd never considered before, which helps expand your own horizon of thinking and in my opinion is one of the most valuable things you can take away from a dinner with good company. So long story short, food was meh, overall dinner was great.

For dessert we decided to go to Peggy Pie, which was on the floor below the restaurant. I think Breanna and Mike both wanted normal pie, which is not easy to come across in Taiwan, where they currently live. I'm always on the hunt for good dessert, so I was definitely game. I'd been to Peggy Pie once before, but considering I couldn't remember the taste very well, I guessed it wasn't yummy enough to leave an impression on me. Anyway, we arrived 30 minutes before closing time, and rushed in to order our pies.

Seoul Jongno-gu Kwancheoldong 5-12

I ordered the coconut cream pie, Breanna ordered caramel apple, and Mike ordered blueberry. Larissa got a coffee and cookie, while everyone else didn't order anything. Mike's pie turned out to be a cheesecake with a bit of blueberry on top, so he didn't get what he expected. I don't think the caramel apple pie was much different either. As for my coconut cream pie, it was actually quite nice. Not too sweet, with the right hint of coconut. The crust did seem a bit dry though, and I felt unpleasantly full after I finished. Probably because I ate the pie without any coffee or tea.

Coconut cream pie

I would say, out of all the pie places I've tried, Tartine was by far the best, even though my strawberry rhubarb was a bit of a fail. But it wasn't bad, and I can say for sure that I had a pleasant evening. Might even meet up with the gang again tomorrow, because Taylor is a drummer in a band that performs tomorrow night. We'll see.

These two make such an adorable couple. :)