Pea Soup, Ddaro Guk Bap, and Cold Ginger Tea at Todam Restaurant

I went into this Korean restaurant, once again, and did not know what to order. I wanted to eat something I have not had much of so I ordered Ddaro Guk Bap.

The meal started off with a Korean styled split pea soup. Honestly, I cannot differentiate between split pea soup at a American restaurant and split pea soup at Todam. It was hearty and was a welcome start to the meal.

Then came the main dish, ddaro guk bap. This dish is basically a spicy soup with beef, scallions, bracken fern, onions, and more. Extremely spicy and delicious. I dumped my bowl of rice in the soup and ate it together. If you are not a fan of spicy foods, I do not recommend this dish.

The meal ended with a cold ginger tea which cleansed the pallet. Overall, it was a very good meal.

344 Broad Ave
Leonia, NJ 07605
201-461-9111

Hearty Corn Soup

I had this bowl of corn soup for lunch today. This has always been my favorite soup while growing up. I have made this a couple of times and it is quite simple and quick to make. Click here if you are interested in the recipe! Also, John noted how plain I made it so he added a bit of soy sauce to it. You can add whatever that pleases you. When my mother makes this soup, she usually adds some chicken to it.

Raisin Bun

I had this raisin bun for breakfast today. It costs only $0.80 from a Chinese bakery. The dough is very soft and sweet with a slight lemon filling. It is a good snack if you are ever on the go!

Patbingsoo at Tous Les Jours Bakery (Inside H Mart)

Went to H Mart’s food court which features a bakery called Tous Les Jours, which serves patbingsoo or shaved ice with fruits. It was so hot outside and this was a welcome treat.

My patbingsoo was topped with bananas. kiwis, strawberries, sweet red bean, oranges, pineapples, peaches, and rice cake cubes, all on top of a bed of ice. I mixed it altogether and it brought back memories of childhood.  I remember the last time I had this was when I was about 10 years old.

112 Linwood Plaza #130
Fort Lee, NJ 07024
201-947-7800

Raisin Toast with Butter

I had this delicious raisin toast with butter for breakfast this morning along with a cup of milk. You can find this loaf of bread in Chinese bakeries for $2!

Savoring Lobster

Lobster rolls, lobster mac & cheese, etc. The list can go on….I love lobster! Yum.

Strawberries and Blueberries

I am currently trying to get my fair share of fruits and vegetables in my system. My favorite summer fruits are strawberries and blueberries. What are yours? 🙂

Half of a Blueberry Bagel

Came into work this morning and found some bagels in the break room.  Someone already took half of a blueberry bagel so I took the other half.

I did not toast it neither did I put any butter or cream cheese on it.  I wish you guys were there because the smell of the bagel was wonderfully fragrant.  Right when I opened the plastic wrap that encased the bagel, the smell of blueberries permeated my office space. I did not feel that I needed to add anything on it. Enjoy the picture!

Sam Gye Tang at Bang Ga Ne Restaurant

My boss decided to treat me out to lunch because of “bok nal”, which translates into the hottest days of summer. Traditionally in Korea, people would eat foods that would heat up the body which in turn would get rid of all the toxins in the body. My boss took me to Bang Ga Ne Restaurant and ordered me a boiling broth of sam gye tang.

Sam gye tang is a whole young chicken stuffed with glutinous rice boiled in a broth of Korean ginseng, dried seeded jujube fruits, garlic, ginger, wolfberry, various medicinal herbs.  The broth tastes amazing and after you picked the chicken clean, you would dump some more rice in the broth and finish it up.

This dish is very tasty and also very good for you. I was seriously sweating up a storm and my body felt hot all throughout the day.

1355 16th St
Fort Lee, NJ 07024
201-224-3319

Kimchi JJigae

Kimchi jjigae, literally translated into kimchi stew, is a traditional Korean dish. My mom made this with the obligatory kimchi of course, and also threw in some pork chunks, which taste amazing if stewed in the broth long enough.  I personally do not know how to make this how my mom makes it, but I would love to know how.

Here is a wikipedia article on kimchi jjigae. Enjoy reading and to those of you that have never ate this dish, i encourage you to try it.

Warning: For those of you that don’t like spicy foods.