Restaurant Review - Vapiano 바피아노

The concept of Vapiano definitely brings it back to New York with quick service and ordering to eat at different stations within the same restaurant. This Italian specialty restaurant cooks up everything Italian which includes pastas, pizzas, salads, sweets and more. Simply order from each station that you desire, creating your own dishes by swiping a card that is your "bill." When ordering, you will be given a buzzer that allows for you to pick up your orders when ready. 

Vapiano offers two floors of seating as well as an outdoor patio that has picnic style benches. It is the perfect place to go to enjoy an Italian meal with high benches and a different style of seating. The atmosphere is welcoming to the busy businessmen during lunch hours and a romantic atmosphere into the later hours at dawn. It is such a popular place that foreigners and Italians themselves go to Vapiano to enjoy a true meal. The difference of Vapiano and many other Italian restaurants is the fact that there are foreigners cooking up the goodies. 

With an open kitchen, you can see everything being made by a true chef. Dishes average at a price of $15 and portions are fairly large. It is definitely recommended to be shared between guests, but not recommended for foreigners because the Italians were able to down a few sample platters themselves. 

There are two locations in Seoul, the address and phone number is as follows:

Samsung 945-27 Daechi-dong Gangnam-gu, Seoul 02-554-7257

Dongdaemun 591-53 Jeonnong-dong, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul 02-3707-1708

Hidden Treasures - When Pigs Fly

When Pigs Fly is a new Italian restaurant that opened in the Nambu area offering a twist to traditional restaurants. The concept is simple, amazing food paired with music. When Pigs Fly cooks up the basic Italian dishes which includes salad, pastas, and of course pizzas. They incorporate a mix of different pasta noodles, and ingredients to each dish that they make, offering something different each time. 

Although the salads and pastas are more on the cliche and common types that you can find anywhere, their pizzas are over the top. They incorporate ingredients that makes their pizza stand out. For starters, there is no one who tops a pizza with and over easy cooked egg or with actual pieces of shrimp. When Pigs Fly definitely blows the fish out of the water with this concept. 

Another great thing about the restaurant is that they stray away from skimping guests on their food. A lot of restaurants that uses seafood in their dishes use the smaller portions, smaller sizes. When Pigs Fly actually goes for the gold with meatier pieces and chunks that you can taste when biting into. There is a full blast of flavor and the choose to keep it that way. 

In addition to fresh ingredients and great food, they offer wine and special events that allows for their private room to be utilized. The facility can be rented out where they cater to small parties. The one thing that When Pigs Fly offers that other restaurants do not is a special event of music held twice a month. Their "Salon Concert" theme is used to create a new type of environment that people are not able to experience on the regular. They theme the night around two dinner sessions used to promote music of Korean performers in the area that can be enjoyed by guests of all ages.

The concept is simple: an hour or so of music that allows for you to "set the mood" for a special night or just to enjoy as a luxury hobby. Followed by that is a dinner of a set menu that the restaurant offers and stirs up fresh. There is nothing better than being able to enjoy a live performance in a romantic setting with a menu of Italian goodies. Be sure to call the restaurant ahead of time to make reservations for these events because they do go fast since it is just priced at $49 a person. The service there is amazing, with a manager that speaks English, catering to the foreign community, encouraging all guests to attend and enjoy their facility. 

Address: Seoul Seocho-gu Seocho 3 Dong, 1446-11 Hyundai Superville 101
서울 서초구 서초3동 1446-11 현대 슈퍼빌101호
Phone: 02-523-5277

Restaurant Review - VivaPolo

VivaPolo is an Italian restaurant in Garosugil of Sinsa-dong that creates an urban touch to their dishes. Their creativity revolves around their pasta dishes where a whole crab is served on top of a plate of spaghetti. VivaPolo is one of the fewest restaurants in Seoul that serves up a tomato meat sauce. The most common in Korea is a cream sauce which is available at VivaPolo as well. The suggested dish is a seafood bread bowl where cream pasta is served inside a baked bread by removing the inside. 

Dishes range from the price of $16-20. Portions are considered to be small in size, but are extremely filling. It is the one recommendation to be made for anyone looking for a full on Italian meal in Korea with dishes full of flavor.

Straight from exit 8 of Sinsa station on line 3, take a left when you reach Tous Le Jours bakery on the corner. Go straight along the famous Garosu-gil shopping street until you see Viva Polo on your left. It is upstairs on the corner after walking about four or five blocks down.

Restaurant Review - Mad For Garlic

Mad for Garlic, a restaurant chain in Korea that is known for their Americanized dishes which includes pasta, seafood, and steaks. It is definitely my one favorite Korean chain restaurant for Italian and steak. The decor is like those back in America, a great meal that brings me back home. The food is delicious, but it is one of the pricer chain restaurants in Korea.

One of my ultimate favorite appetizers is garlic bread. The garlic tower, which is a half loaf of freshly baked bread topped with garlic and cheese, is brought to the table standing and served by a waiter. The tower of garlic and cheese goodness on top is stuffed into the loaf of bread. It is then ready to be cut up and enjoyed. 

Their entrees are also extremely tasty. With dishes that average at $20, it is definitely worth every penny. The Mushroom Risotto is one of my ultimate favorite dishes. Topped with a freshly baked chicken, it all blends and compliments each other. For those who are looking for a pasta dish, their Alfredo sauced pastas are comfort food as well. There are a handful of choices, but none with tomato sauce. A recommendation is the seafood pasta or shrimp and lobster that is served with linguine pasta.

For those who are dining in, it is suggested to order a bottle of wine rather than going for a cup of soda at $8 a cup. If you are on a budget, you can definitely share sodas with your significant other. It is common among locals so they know to provide you with two straws.

Overall, the experience was great, they even have an English menu for those who cannot read Korean. It definitely helps to make a pit stop for Korean foods every now and then, especially for those who are living in Korea for quite a while. Mad for Garlic is a restaurant that is highly popular with locals as well!

Restaurant Review - Bella Vita

Bella Vita
211 West 43rd Street
New York, NY 10036
(212) 730-1479

Catching up with an old friend is always great; catching up with an old friend over food is the best part! I was going to order a salad (since it’s day one of my diet) or a traditional dish of pasta today at Bella Vita off of Times Square, but I couldn’t help the comment from the family sitting next to me, “This is the best pizza I ever had.” Personally, I am not a big fan of thin pizzas and I told myself I need to diet but I went ahead and ordered a slice anyway. I have to admit, it wasn’t the greatest pizza I’ve ever had so I don’t recommend it, but what I do recommend is the piece of Panini I stole from my good ol’ friend. It was full of flavor plus it comes with a side of salad. That’s a great take for a lunch!

For a New York restaurant, especially one in tourist attraction area, Bella Vita does not overcharge for their food. I definitely recommend family style meals because the plates are just HUGE! Pizzas can be ordered in a large and small, a small can just about make two tummies content whereas a large can fill three. If you're a pizza lover and can tolerate spice, definitely go for the Buffalo Chicken and let me know how it tastes (I was bummed I couldn't try it since the waitress said its VERY spicy).

For the price and amount of food they give, it’s definitely worth a trip. Just remember to balance your meals because I have to admit, I gained a heck of a lot of weight my second year of college since I ate pasta for dinner every night. How did I get by? I really don't even know. I recommend ordering their Arugula salad that's full of other goodies. So the next time you're out in Times Square, drop by for cheap, abundant, filling eats!