Making Smoothies in Korea - MediHeim Multifunction Blender

Last year I decided that I wanted to try and be a bit more healthy. It's still a work in progress but who knows one day I might get there. Anyway I decide to try and make some smoothies. I have a large blender but I thought that one of the smaller bullet type ones that I could make and drink in the same container would be a good option.

I did some research and had a look at what was available in Korea. Then I just decided to go with a cheaper option because I was not sure how much I would actually use it. I am a great one for buying things with the best of intentions and then using it once or twice and never touching it again.

I went on Gmarket and found one that looked pretty good, it has a good motor speed so can chop ice, and was quite cheap. It's called the MediHeim Electric Mini Blender on Gmarket but the name is the MediHeim Multifunction Blender. It comes with different cups and blades so is a nice starter set. It cost about 26,000 won. I figured if it was not that good then it would not matter too much as I was not spending a huge amount of money.

It comes with 9 pieces which includes the base, two blades, three cups of different sizes, one mug and two lids (one with a drinking spout and one just flat).

So far this has been really good. I have not used it consistently but I'm just getting back into it now so thought I would post about it as I'm really enjoying using this blender.

It is super easy to use - it just has the one button so you just plug it in and go. It chops everything up pretty easily - it's not as smooth as a bigger blender would be of course but I don't mind a bit of texture. For the price I think this was a really good investment for me.

I've been neglecting this blog for a while so what I might try to do is post a few of my smoothies that I make. I will let you know where I get my ingredients and such and hopefully it might inspire me to post a bit more. If you have any questions about this blender just let me know in the comments. This is the link for where I bought it on Gmarket.

Pizza Hut - Getting Pizza Delivered in Korea

I did a post a while back about getting McDonalds delivered in Korea, they have an English site so it is super easy even if you are not so good at reading Korean (like me). I was recently speaking with a friend who told me that he was getting Pizza Hut delivered, I did not realize that they had an English site so was happy to learn about this. I am actually not really a fan of Pizza - well not western pizza, I do like the original ones with the really flat bread and just basic tomato, basil and cheese but every now and then it's nice to have something easy delivered like this.

It is super easy to do, much easier than the McDonalds site I think (at least for registering) however I did think it was interesting that the choices are limited on the English site, if you look on the Korean version then there are more options available for sides and things (perhaps it is a work in progress as I did find out it is pretty new). You can find the English order website here.

I know that you can get other pizza's delivered of course, pizza delivery is a thriving business all over the world however this is the only one I have tried so far. I ordered for the first time on Monday night just gone and it all worked out fine, you have to register by putting in your name and phone number - they will then message you a code which you enter back at the site. You then enter your address which is mostly from drop-down menus so very easy, you can either choose your building name from a list or you can write it in yourself - mine was already listed so I just used that and then there is one more free-form address line so I put my apartment number here. 

My pizza came in about 20 minutes so everything worked out well, the website is very basic and it is pretty easy to follow. I did also find this youTube video about ordering with this new English site so if you want to check it out from the blog 'Kyle Living in Korea' the link to the video is here.

McDelivery - Getting McDonalds delivered in Korea

One of the many great things about Korea is its commitment to making life easier for the average citizen and one way that this is evident is in the range of takeout and delivery services from restaurants. Even McDonalds in Korea has a delivery service.

I've been in Korea a couple of years but to be honest my Korean is not that great, I can say the basics but I'm still pretty shy about using it in most cases as my pronunciation is not very good.  I've know since I got here that you can get McDonalds delivered and I was immediately interested, I'm pretty lazy at the best of times so this sounded like a great idea. There are videos and blog posts about how to go about ordering through the phone order system but it still required some Korean, you had to be able to decipher what they were asking and tell them your address.  The one time I tried to call the person who answered did not speak English and basically just hung up on me so I did not really bother again, I also had a look at the website but it was all in Korean too - there is an app too but also in Korean. So while it was possible and some people had more successful tries than me I had not really looked into it further.

Recently however a friend told me that he had ordered online, I was surprised and asked how  - it seems that the site now has an English delivery form.  Great news if you have been wanting to get some McDonalds delivered right to you door. It's really easy, I tried it tonight and it worked fine - my food showed up in less than half and hour.

Here's how:

Go to the McDelivery Website, https://www.mcdelivery.co.kr
This is different from the McDonalds Korea website.

It should look like the image below and it had the options for Korean or English at the top, you can change it to English and then in the top right had corner is a registration link and your login place if you have already registered.

To register you enter your details, make a log in and password - you have to activate the account when they send a number to your email address. After that you can enter your address, you will need to know it in Korean but most people have it written down somewhere - it's all drop down menus so you just select the ones that match for your city, dong, gu and there is a place to write any additional details if you need to clarify.

Once you have done all that you can order what you want, the prices are all there and it adds it up as you go - you can select different drinks or sauces, if you want one item or the set - it's all very easy.  Once you order it gives you an estimated time of arrival and you can track your order.

I also had a quick look at the app - I have it on my android phone and it has been updated now too - it just goes to the same website and you can select English or Korean.

If you need a quick junk food fix it now couldn't be easier. Thanks McDonalds Korea!

More Whittaker's Chocolate in Korea

I did a post earlier this month about finding some blocks of Whittaker's Chocolate in the Galleria Department Store in Ingye-Dong Suwon.

Just a quick update to say that they have two more new flavours available  - Berry & Biscuit and Dark Almond.

It's still expensive at 11,000 won for a block, but sometimes you are willing to pay that extra for a bit of home.  I took some into work and it went down really well.

Whittaker's Chocolate in Korea

I have heard that Whittaker's chocolate sometimes appears in random shops here in Korea, someone I was talking to said they found some in Paris Baguette once for example.  I have been here about 19 months now and have never seen it - until now.
 
I just happened to be wandering around the small grocery shop in the bottom of the Galleria in Ingye-dong today.  I don't really shop there as its a bit more expensive and the selection is smaller than the nearby Homeplus so I don't usually bother.  I was down there to get some fast food - the American chain 'Popeyes' has a branch in the food court there.  I thought I would have a look around while I was there and see what they had, sometimes they have things that you can't get at the bigger supermarket chains.

So this is where I found some Whittaker's chocolate - they have three of the 250g slabs available - Fruit & Nut, Creamy Milk and Almond Gold.  The kicker is that unless you are really craving it or are a die hard fan you probably won't want to pay the price.  One slab cost 11,000 won, they didn't have a price on them so I didn't find this out until I got to the counter.  I thought it would be a nice gift to take in to work after the holiday - I hope they appreciate it.

Seoul and Hell Pizza - A Day Out

Today I met a friend in Seoul for the afternoon, we met for lunch in Apgujeong because I really wanted to go to Hell Pizza.  Hell Pizza is a New Zealand pizza chain that has recently opened three stores here in Korea.  I've been wanting to go for awhile but wanted to go with another Kiwi to fully appreciate it.  My friend is recently back in Korea after a trip round South-East Asia so this was a good chance to catch up.

We were wondering if it would taste that same, although my friend has not lived in New Zealand for about six years so did not really remember it anyway. For me it was a bit different as I've only been here just over a year. One of the apartments where I lived in Wellington was really close to a Hell Pizza store so I ate it more that I usually would have. I'm not actually much of a pizza fan, I only really like Hawaiian flavor but I do like Hell's Pizza and its great that it is New Zealand owned and operated (in New Zealand).

There are three stores in Seoul, South Korea now. Two were opened first and then they have since added a third.  You can visit the Hell Korea website here for directions and details if you are interested (its in Korean but you can use the maps at the very least).  The locations are Apgujeong, Cheongdam, Jamwon (Bampo area). We went to the Apgujeong one and it was pretty easy to find although we were following some directions from online which seem to be a bit out of date so I will update here.

Directions to Apgujeong Hell Pizza:
Take the orange subway line number 3 to Apgujeong Station, take the exit number 2, when you come up out of the exit turn around and walk a couple of meters and then go around the first corner that veers off to the right.  Once you round the corner continue to walk straight for a while, you will pass a Dunkin' Donuts then a KB bank and then you should see the familiar black.  You can't miss it, there are lots of delivery scooters out the front.




Hell Pizza - Apgujeong in Seoul, South Korea

Our Experience in Hell:
The place is pretty small as I think their main business, as with most Pizza, is deliveries - while we were there we watched the bikes go out numerous times.  There are a couple of tables inside and a bench along the window that you can sit at so if you do go there you can eat in like we did.
The menu contains most of the favourites, its not as big as the New Zealand menu as Koreans apparently don't like a lot of choice.  I was happy however as my favourite was there - the 'Greed' pizza which is basically a Hawaiian (ham, cheese and pineapple).  My friend got the 'Wrath' one and we got some wedges to share.  All in all it was a pretty good meal, the pizza tasted just like it does back in New Zealand and the wedges were good too.

It was a nice (albeit expensive for Korea) lunch and I was a very happy Kiwi. I had been really feeling like something from New Zealand so it hit the spot.  Will definitely go back there some time.



Decor

After a long lunch we wandered around Apgujeong but there is not that much there unless you want to have Plastic Surgery (its the place to go for cosmetic enhancement). We decided to go over to Itaewon and go to the bookstore and foreign markets etc.  We taxied over to Itaewon because by now we had been walking for a while and it was hot. It only cost about 6,700won so that was pretty good, thankfully the car was air conditioned so we could cool down.

Itaewon:
In Itaewon we visited the English book store 'What the Book?' - you can find the link in my useful links list on the side. I couldn't really find any books that really jumped out at me and I have lots to read at home anyway so I was very good and resisted the urge. I did buy a magazine - crazy expensive (11,710won) but a bit of a treat as I don't go to Itaewon very often.

After that we wandered again and then decided we were thirsty and needed a nice air conditioned cafe for something to drink and a sit down.  I decided on iced chocolate for me and then looking around saw a sign for a chocolatier cafe. I figured they would have iced chocolate and boy was I right.  Turned out they had several different kinds, I was not sure which one to pick - they also had lots of handmade chocolate and desserts available.  It was an upstairs cafe and nice and big and airy and I think it might be a chain.

It's called Cafe Jubilee and it's on the corner above QuiznosSub (at an intersection on the main drag). I had an iced chocolate the 'pure' one simply because it was the first one on the list and I was overwhelmed with having more than one choice. It was OK, kinda thick and not the best I've had but not bad or anything.  I think I will try a different one next time I go there and I am sure I will go again.  I noticed on the way out they had some little ice cream desserts that looked nice.


We split a choice of six chocolates, the selection at the front counter are all numbered and you pick how many you want and then which numbers to make up your selection.  We had the Dark Truffle and the Heart and then I had a hazelnut one and my friend had a caramel one.  They were all really good - the heart one was a pretty red colour and was not what we were expecting taste wise, you would think it would be something red but it was passion fruit (which actually makes sense).  It was our favourite anyway, nice presentation and nice taste.

We finished off the day by checking out a couple of the foreign markets, I didn't really need anything but I picked up a few things anyway - some Milo cos its always good to have some in your cupboard if you need some comfort, some Salt and Vinegar chips I think they are a brand from England (they were pretty good, I was eating them as I wrote this) and some Tim Tams - you can get these at Home Plus but when I bought them I found they were from Indonesia and they obviously make them different as they did not taste as good.  I checked the back of these and they are from Australia so they should be the good ones.



My Goodies

The last thing I bought was just on a whim as I was so enamoured with it.  You have to say one thing about Americans they think of it all.  Where as the rest of the world would think why put marshmallow in a jar the Americans say, "the hell with you" and go ahead and do it.  So I give you 'Fluff' its marshmallow in jar and apparently you can put it on bread (cos I've always wanted a marshmallow sandwich?), in drinks and on desserts; the possibilities are endless and I was intrigued. There is even a serving suggestion for a 'fluffernutter' which you mix it with peanut butter on a sandwich - ummmmm I think I will pass on that one all the same. Thank you America for making all my (never even imagined) dreams come true.


Marshmallow Fluff (America in a Jar)

 

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Finding Foreign Food in Seoul

I just found a great article about the Foreign Food places in Seoul so thought that I would share it here for you.

It's written by Chris Backe for travelwire Asia - Life in Korea: Finding some tastes from home

It lists some of the different places you can find some foreign foods in Seoul and also where and how to find these places. I've been to a couple of them in Itaewon.

Confessions of a Picky Eater

I am probably one of the most picky eaters you will ever come across (although I have actually met worse).  So you can imagine the surprise of my family and friends when I announced that I was going to Korea.  The most common first question out of every one's mouth was 'What will you eat?'.  That's because most of my close family and friends who have had the joy of dining with me on repeated occasions and the added joy of finding a restaurant where I will be able to eat, know only to well that I don't really eat much 'non-western' food and of that it's also pretty limited.

I had however already addressed this issue, its one of the first things that I have to think of when I am going somewhere.  I did my research and found that Seoul and much of the more metropolitan areas of Korea cater to many western tastes and that there were an abundance of 'western chains' available. I have found that it is true there are a lot of western foods so I am able to find enough to live on.

On the other hand I have found recently that I am getting bored with eating the same foods, there is a limit to what is available and to be honest a lot of it is stuff that's not really that healthy.  What I really miss are the snack foods like chips (I know also not healthy) that are readily available in New Zealand - Burger Rings anyone?  Lucky for me I have a great Mum who sends me over care packages with things like Vegemite to keep me going.

I do find myself constantly wishing that I liked more foods (and yes I do try new things - I like to try something before I say I don't like it). At this stage in my life I'm pretty good at judging if it's something that I'm going to like, if I know I don't like a certain flavour and that is in the dish then there is a very good chance that I'm not going to like it. It does annoy me when people are like 'go on try it', 'you don't know until you try it'.  While that is sometimes true, its not always the case.  I really can't eat spicy foods, I'm a baby when it comes to spice so 'no' I'm not going to like it if its super hot - I know that I don't need to test the theory.

I always feel a bit embarrassed when eating out and I don't like anything, I don't really care if there is nothing I like - that's my issue and not anyone else's problem.  What I don't like is when other people make a fuss, I'd rather just get something to drink be social and then I'll make myself a sandwich when I get home. Sometimes they are just trying to be nice and that's fine but you get the people who are like - 'You should have said you didn't like Chinese food!', however when you are in a group and everyone else agrees on Chinese food then what are you going to do - make everyone change just because you don't like it? Well I don't, I just go and try and find something that I might be able to eat, if all else fails I like rice so I'll just eat that :)