Korean street food in Washington DC

Rice bowl with spicy squid

We recently visited BUL, restaurant located in Adams Morgan specializing in Korean street food.  Their menu is quite diverse: soups, Korean tacos, small plates of seafood and chicken, rice bowls and noodles.

For an appetizer, we tried their octopus-based dish garnished with dried seafood (I think), mayo and a soya-based sauce. Although I would not say that I was able to distinguish the taste of the octopus from the seasoning, this was my favorite of all dishes I tried.

Fried flour with batter/stuffed with octopus

BUL served a few types of fried chicken with a variety of sauces, both sweet and spicy. We tried one supposedly spicy variant of the sauce and were a bit disappointed, especially when I compare it to Bonchon chicken. Edible though.

We also tried a rice hot bowl which was topped with a lots of semi-cooked veggies or blanched greens sitting on a bed of sticky rice (and served with a spicy sauce on the side). It was fine.

The restaurant has a cosy ambiance. The customers appeared to consist mostly of young college-goers. Prices were quite reasonable given its location and the food was definitely good. 

French fried with a home-made bell pepper sauce and cheese

Ingredients
1 bell pepper
3 corn cobs
4 small red potatoes
1/2 cup mozarella cheese.
Salt and pepper to taste.
Dried dill (optional)

Step 1: Boil the corn cobs and separate the corn from the cobs.
Step 2: In a dish, saute one red bell pepper along with the corn. Add some chilli powder, salt and pepper.
Step 3: Grind it all to a thin paste.
Step 4: Cut the potatoes, add salt and pepper. Shallow fry them.
Step 5. When the potatoes are almost cooked, add the sauce.
Step 6: In a separate baking pan, add the mixture. Add the mozarella cheese on top and bake for around 10 minutes until the cheese in brown. Sprinkle some dried dill.
Step 7: Serve hot. (I served it with guacamole). 

My Dutch food diary

Fresh salad at Zondag

I spent a week in the Netherlands, where I had the chance to try some of the local food. Lots of cheeses (gouda, in particular) and freshly baked breads were characteristic of most of the breakfasts and lunches. Dutch dinners, however, are, like the people, usually warm. I tried their traditional mustard soup on a couple of occasions as well as some seafood (salmon and white fish) served with sides of carrots or french fries. I loved it all!

Dutch dinner at Groningen

The local fish, although cooked with only a mild level of spice, was delicious. White fish is commonly found on menus. I tried this in several restaurants cooked in different styles including French. It was generally fresh and often accompanied by a side of veggies that you should not miss. Not sure if it had something to do with the time of the year I was visiting (summer), but I really enjoyed the veggies served with the main course.  My favorite was a veggie salad with fresh mozarella cheese along with baked salmon and potatoes that I had at Zondag in Groningen. Finally, the famous Dutch fries with mayo is a must try at least once. They were made to order and not very salty.

Although I did not have a chance to try the popular Dutch pancakes (pannenkoek), I had waffles with a chocolate sauce in Bruges at a tea room. These were pretty good. Then there were the Belgian chocolates which you must try if you have a sweet tooth.

I got some gouda cheese and Belgian chocolate to try some home-made fondue. Looking forward to trying it.

Belgian Waffle with chocolate