On my culinary tour I was not the only one to enjoy fine, elegant and delicious meals.  Here you can see a GIANT PILE OF HUGE BUNNIES EATING THINGS.

I think you’ll enjoy it.

P.S.

nom nom nom nomnomNOMnomNomnom

Gaya

My first night back in Korea saw me heading without delay straight to one of my favorite places to drink on earth – Hof Gaya.

A great start.

In Korea the custom is to drink from evening until morning in traditional beer houses called Hofs (호프).  Hof comes from the German hoffbrau and basically just means a hybrid restaurant/bar where you can drink copious amount of beer and soju while eating a lot of tasty Korean style bar food.  In our time in Korea we spent a few (probably more) nights exploring district by district in search of the best of the best, but at the end of the day most Hofs are more or less the same.  The exception to this rule was Shinchon’s Gaya.

Classy (ish), Dark, Awesome, Tasty, Social.

This Hof can be found in Shinchon just off the main street a few stories below ground.  The whole place is covered by slightly raised platforms with cutouts for each table which is lit by its own spotlight.  The effect is a classy, social, and overall just fun place to drink.  The food is good, the prices as with most hofs, are quite reasonable.  And we certainly had no problem spending hours here.

It doesn’t matter if you’re just visiting Seoul or a resident, you owe it to yourself to spend a solid night drinking and eating here.

Shinhye rocks the soju crown.

We have had ourselves no shortage of  good nights out while we were there and have actually written about this place before (worth a look).  But I think this image sums it up pretty well.  And while our friend Shinhye is not the offical spokesgirl of Gaya, I for one think that she should be.

Dear Readers,

It’s been some time since you’re heard from me in an adventure capacity.  I think it’s time to change that.

Just about two months ago we got an amazing opportunity – head to South Korea and experience (and share) a whole new side of  it.  The side that involves tasty intricate food and nearly endless culinary adventures.

Over the next few weeks I’ll be sharing my story of a six day period over Thanksgiving where I was shown some of the most delicious/interesting food and venues we have experienced anywhere.   Some of the food was on fire (flaming chestnuts), some was ridiculous (crabs dancing under the moonlight), and some was just incredible (the salad of four seasons).

In true Jet Set Zero spirit I flew out of NYC the same morning North Korea attacked, and then while there managed to meet up with a whole cast of our old friends and even end up partying with an up and coming Brooklyn based rap group.   For a trip about food it really managed to provide quite a lot of entertainment.

Get ready for a fresh set of stories.  This is going to be fun.

-Brian

Disclaimer:  The KTO (Korean Tourism Organization) covered the flight and accommodation for this trip.  They were all awesome and pleasure to work with.

Let’s see. What did Michael, Joanie, and I do in Pai?

• Eat
• Sleep
• Read
• Eat
• Sleep
• Hike
• Eat some more

Yep, that pretty much sums it up.

As soon as we arrived Joanie and I couldn’t stop gushing, “It’s so cute!” Seriously, Pai is just one of those sweet little towns you can get sucked into – most likely while swinging in a hammock. Sitting on cushions on the floor of bars is a norm, reggae music and bossanova versions of Western Pop hits fill the streets and restaurants, and the smell of amazing Thai food follows you almost everywhere. The best part, however, is the people themselves. Their smiles are always without judgement and carry a warmth that will make anyone just want to relax and enjoy. Highly recommended. But a warning: if you are prone to motion sickness, knock yourself out because its a long, windy (and ultimately rewarding) road up the mountain to Pai.

Peace, love, and Pai, dude!

What happens when its dinner time in Thailand and the power goes out?  Well, you just have to get creative.  Jean Pierre certainly has one solution…

This week’s slightly delayed (sorry!) release brings us the second city on our Italy tour: Brescia.

As the girls finally meet up as a group they now set off to explore the local countryside and begin their jobs teaching with ACLE.  Gorgeous vistas, delicious dinners, and farm life abound.

This Wednesday’s release is another short from Quito, this time a look at some classic Ecuadorian cuisine with best pal Amy of www.amyblogschow.com.

In our first short from Season 7: Italy, enjoy a brief peak into the cooking of an idyllic Italian family dinner.

all this deliciousness for 2 bucks. really.

For me it was love at first bite with llapingachos, it was a wonderful combination of spicy chorizo, creamy avocado, corn, fried eggs,  beets and 4 of these amazing little cheese filled hash browns.  I could probably eat this all day, everyday but have yet to find a place in Quito that can even come close to the quality of this stand in Baños. If you are lucky enough to have an Ecuadorean mom or live near an Ecuadorean restaurant, then I highly recommend giving this a whirl sometime.