FatManSeoul

For once, a competition Fatman can enjoy without being picked last in gym class! Sure, the Korean team may have been knocked out of the World Cup, but you can always enjoy a cup of makgeolli in consolation.  Or, take a more celebratory tone by turning your attention to the Makgeolli World Cup ~ this [...]

Draft 막걸리?!? This is one innovation Fatman is kind of psyched about (한/영린크): Baesangmyun Brewery, the maker of one of the leading brands of makgeolli, said that it has opened a micro-brewery in southern Seoul around its head office where visitors can buy and take out fresh makgeolli. The Seoul-based outfit plants to establish around [...]

Deep tipping of the fat hat to Gusts of Popular Feeling, who found this Korea Times article on the effects of the World Cup on sales of makgeolli vs. beer, and how they think it’ll play out . . . shockingly, the beer companies maintain that beer is not only the most FIFA appropriate choice, [...]

Note:  A version of this review appeared in the December issue of Groove Magazine. Places to drink in Seoul tend to fall into discrete categories:  The chicken hof, the trendy cocktail bar, the neighborhood beer pub . . . looking for something outside these is often a challenge, and there’s a dearth of mid-range pubs [...]

Yes, you can get a glass of absinthe here. But startlingly, rare alcohol plays second fiddle here to a wide range of very delicious coffees and the best cupcakes in Seoul. Got that? The best, bar none.

Fatman and Zen Kimchi recieved a very gracious invitation to dine at the W Hotel  (of X Burger fame) for an evening of contemporary Korean cuisine. Nobody with tastebuds and the sense God gave geese would turn down an invitation like that, so off we skipped for a truly remarkable dinner . . . The [...]

Rumor has it that Daedongkang Beer is sporadically available south of the DMZ, and Fatman would be especially thankful for some leads on where we might aquire some. Anybody know? Has anybody tried 대동강맥주 before?

Myeongdong is generally better known for its many chain restaurants and crowded commercial streets than a place to grab really delicious food.  The high holy days here are all for shopping, not for feasting.  But hidden in the myriad alleys of boutiques and stores are some real gems . . . one of them being [...]

Ichon is the gathering place of Seoul’s Japanese population, but many a visitor has trekked out that direction only to be a little confused: Instead of sushi joints and izakayas, there seems to be a swank European-style cafe on every corner, stylish Italian restaurants in between, and the occasional American-style pie place just to spice [...]