Friday, July 31, 2009

Beer

When I first arrived I strolled the aisles in search of an alternative to Korean beers Hite, Cass, and OB. To my surprise I did find a few Belgian and Mexican beers. The bottles were dusty and expensive. For our obligatory housewarming party I bought damned near ever good beer available from every E-mart, Lotte, and Homever. Eighteen months later the selection seems to have improved but the price has not. I do not expect those prices to change either. I adjusted my expectations on beer prices and continue to politely say "no thanks" to the Korean beers while coughing up the dough.

Below is an ongoing list of the places I frequent near Songdo and what non-Korean beers they have. I'm not saying all of these beers are what I call good so I marked an astric next to beers I feel are exceptional for the area. If it does not have a notation, it may suck or I have not tasted it yet. This list will continue to be updated.

I'll leave you with one comment on K-beer. I was recently back to the states twice. On both occassions I had the pleasure of cruising nice Korean supermarkets. In all occassions a few Korean beers were available in the large 2 liter bottle...and they were dusty and lonely. Koreans may miss home when they move to the States but they don't miss their beer. But, Korean beer does have it's place with the food. No, Korean food is not bad, it just goes well with their beer and in a way unlike I've ever seen. Crisp, light, and tastless is a good compliment to offset the variety of Korean flavors.

Homever (Has the best selection but is a bit more expensive)
Erdinger Weiss
Erdinger Weiss* (dunkel) This is outstanding!
Duvel*
Leffe Blonde*
Leffe Dunkel*
San Miguel*
Hoegaarden*
Moosehead
Budvar
Coopers
Paulaner in several styles*
Paulaner in mini kegs!* (warning: same price as buying bottles)
Sam Adams
Tesco brand Lager
Heineken and Heineken Dark (sometimes)
Heineken mini kegs (again, same price as bottles)
Guiness
Oettinger
Asahi
XXX (sometimes)
Corona (sadly, limes are not available in Korea)
Miller

E-mart
Duvel*
Leffe Blonde*
Leffe Dunkel*
San Miguel*
Hoegaarden*
Heineken and Heineken Dark (sometimes)
Guiness
Miller
Oettinger
Asahi
XXX (sometimes)
Corona (sadly, limes are not available in Korea)
Budweiser

Lotte Mart
Duvel*
Leffe Blonde*
Leffe Dunkel*
San Miguel*
Hoegaarden*
Heineken and Heineken Dark (sometimes)
Guiness
Miller
Asahi
XXX (sometimes)
Corona (sadly, limes are not available in Korea)
Budweiser

Monday, July 27, 2009

The Seach for a Good Cappuccino Ends Here

Last week I navigated the coffee joints I assumed could provide me with a good cappuccino. The results varied greatly and ranged from WTF!? to passable but never great. This week I am happy to announce a couple additions to the list, one being acceptable and the other being just outright fantastic in all ways. Coffee Apa comes out on top of all in every way a Westerner might want.

Business Name: Coffee Apa
Services provided: Coffee, baked goods
Address: On the corner by Paris Baguette in Central New Songdo, accross from Dunkin Doughnuts
Phone number: C 010-8745-6164 T 032-831-8555
Speaks English: A little. Enough for specific coffee instruction
Hours and days of operation: 10-8pm
Price: W 4,000
Elapsed time to make drink: 4 minutes
The good: This site is run by a man and wife and they are very warm and sweet to deal with. Coffee temp was about 150. Foam, milk, coffee ratios were about spot on with full thirds each. Coffee flavor was the richest in town with a great deep flavor and no after-bite. Foam was small celled and thick as cream. In my top 20 I've ever had. This was the first time I heard what sounded like properly made foam, I heard almost nothing. They may have hand frothed the foam which is fantastic. This place roasts their own beans! Great location. Non-tacky decoration. Nice benches give communal feeling. non-smoking.
The bad: Not a single complaint so far.
Final evaluation: This is THE coffee place for Songdo. See you there!



Business Name: Ediya Coffee
Services provided: Coffee, baked goods, smoothies, sandwiches, wine
Address: 1st floor of the Get Pearl tower in East New Songdo
Speaks English: No
Hours and days of operation: M-Sat 10am - 8 pm
Price: W 2,800
Elapsed time to make drink: 3 minutes
The good: WoW, great price on the drink. It's W 1,200 less than all others in Songdo. The flavor of the coffee was rather weak. Too much milk but not by much, maybe 50% milk, 30% coffee, 20% foam. Foam was medium celled but good enough. Served in nice ceramic. Manager was VERY nervous about what I was doing and asked my Korean friend who assured her I was not copying her store. That's Korea I guess. The layout of the store is fine but a little foo-foo for me.
The bad: Smoking is not allowed but men smoke freely in this store and nobody said a word. Despite great price and fair coffee, I won't return unless I have business that has to be done there. It was VERY thick with smoke. Coffee to go is fine.
Final evaluation: Acceptable, almost good, cappuccino but smokers ruined it for this guy.

Monday, July 20, 2009

A Good Cappuccino

Coffee perks us up and can bring us together in the most exotic of places. Coffee can inspire perky conversation or allow for clarity of mind amounting to liquid inspiration. But what do we have in the new international city of Songdo? This depends greatly on your tastes.

For me, nothing defines proper coffee like a good strong cup of black but that's not that techinical and I can mess that up well enough at home. A cappuccino can define a coffee retailer as it combines espresso, milk, and foamed milk in thirds. In reality, there should be no other definition of this coffee drink but every culture imparts their stamp on things. In Korea it seems a simple ice coffee is sufficiant enough to call a place a coffee house and it is assummed that you will be happy with cinnamon on your drink. In fairness, in Belgium, a cappucino, called a Chantilly, comes with a massive glob of whipped cream on top so you must request "Italian" while ordering. Anyway, I ventured out to see what we have available. I'll try to keep it brief for each. As of this writing I don't have access to all the pics I took.

Business Name: Rotiboy Bakery
Services provided: Coffee, baked goods
Address: Near Duncan Donuts.
Speaks English: None
Hours and days of operation: Not on door
Price: W4,000
Elapsed time to make drink: 4 minutes
The good: Location. Nothing else, avoid.
The bad: Cappucino was absent of any foam and was merely some weak coffee with cinnamom on it. When asked where the foam was they shrugged, implying they cannot make it. Temperature was not taken on this sample as it really did not represent what was ordered in any way.
Final evaluation: Avoid

Business name: The Cafe
Services provided: Coffee, some premade baked goods, beers, some canned sodas
Address: South East corner of the 1st World Center (B125)
Speaks English: None, but generally the staff attitude was positive.
Hours and days of operation: Unknown
Price: W4,000
Elapsed time to make drink: 15 minutes!
The good: Great location.
The bad: My coffee drink was ordered as "dry" and I asked for no milk. This defies the definition of a cappuccino but works well in Korea where this drink usually arrives as a Latte, drenched in milk and lacking real foam. 5 attempts were made by "barista" to create foam. The fifth try was successful but yielded soapy, large bubbled, 1/2" of weak foam. We also observed 6 total shots being made but the Coffee still tasted weak. There was no bitter aftertaste which is sort of a plus. Bean source is unknown. Coffee temp at serving was 136 degrees F or 58 Celcius and we suspect cooling was due to the attempts to make foam.
The atmosphere was perverse with odd seating arrangement that mandates groups of <3 class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Wein in Yeonsu-gu area which is a fantastic place. Wall coverings included seven different wallpapers and faux brick finishes. A small junky radio spilled out K-pop. The chilled dispay counter had a waffle and a muffin along with some cans of soda type drinks. The drink cooler had other sodas and Budweiser, Cass, and Cafri.
Final evaluation: Avoid.

Business Name: Lloydd's Cafe'
Address: North West side of Dream city facing jobsite
Speaks English: No but understood when I mimed "dry" or "without milk"
Hours and days of Operation: Open after 10 AM
Price: W4,000
Elapsed time to make drink: 2 minutes
The good: Very fast service. First coffee temp was 155 degrees F or 68 Celsius. It was heavy with milk and had about 1/4 inch of soapy, large celled, weak foam. Coffee flavor was weak and left a strong, bitter aftertaste. Beans are supposedly Lavazza. The second coffee I asked for no milk and he showed me a steel container with some foam left in it and pointed to it. I agreed that that was all I wanted on my espresso shots. The result was a huge improvement constancy-wise. After having cappuccino at The Cafe anything was an improvement. Wait, I forgot about Rotiboy. The atmosphere was very good and large with the ability to host any number of different sized groups.
The bad: Espresso aspect of the coffee still lacked a richness and I was left with a bitterness for quite some time. The location is currently not a great one as it faces the most active part of the construction site but one must keep in mind that this will change rapidly as the project progresses.
Final evaluation: The final product improved upon request but was not a good cappuccino. I would still go here if friends invited me. I hope, with time and experience, they improve to meet the needs of the growing international community.

Business Name: Cafe Tiamo
Services Provided: Coffee drinks, Italian Gilato, small sandwiches.
Address: South East side of main Business area next to Olive Restaurant
Speaks English: A little
Hours and days of Operation: After 10 AM Monday - Sunday
Price: W4,000
Elapsed time to make drink: 5 minutes
The good: Consistently acceptable cappuccinos. Foam varies from slightly large celled to small celled and rich. Foam depth was about 1.5 inches. Coffee is supposedly Illy and leaves no bitter aftertaste but is not that rich either. I did not have my thermometer with me so I took no readings but the coffee required a moment to cool which is good. Outside seating is available and inside seating is usually available.
The bad: Not open early when you NEED a nice coffee, although they used to be closed on Sunday and they've finally seen the error of their ways. Note that during the summer months outside seating can expose you to fog provided by the mosquito fogger trucks that roam the streets spreading toxic fog. This is not limited to this restaurant.
Final Evaluation: Of the four places I have reviewed, this is the very best in service and quality for a western cappuccino pallets. I go there without hesitation.

Stan Crocker RD, LD

Saturday, July 18, 2009

Bicycles and Accessories in New Songdo City

Business Name: Happy bike Bicycle Cafe (I assume this from the business card)
Services Provided: New bicycles and parts sales, service and repairs on used bikes
Address: Next to Baskin Robbins Ice cream
Speaks English: Nope, but he tries to make it work and succeeds. Point at what you want or bring a picture.
Hours and Days of Operation: 12PM - 8 PM Monday - Saturday (nothing posted on store but these are times I've stopped in.
Web Address: http://www.happybike-songdo.co.kr/ (not working as of 18/7/2009)
The Good: Very attentive. Strives to communicate. Prices are very reasonable on bicycles which can be insanely inflated in Korea. After a few purchases he seems to give an automatic 20% discount. If you buy something from him installation is free but I am sure bike shorts are excluded from this deal. When I need something done, he starts immediatly and never says come back in 2 weeks like they do in the states. There are other little shops in New Songdo but this is a real shop with more than little Strawberry Shortcake bikes. Is he the best mechanic? I don't know. He has made small errors but quickly corrected them. He may be nervous. I trust him at this point and I am a fair mechanic by most standards, I just don't have my tools with me.
The Bad: Sizes of bikes and accessories are limited to Asian sizes so folks over 5'8" may have to request he order something. As with ALL Korean bike shops, you cannot test ride bikes. This is a HORRIBLE business practice for the consumer but standard in Korea.
Other options: There is a great store by Munhak Stadium. Those guys have busted their butts for me and I consider them friends but a trip to Munhauk is not always possible.

Friday, July 17, 2009

Bio: Stan Crocker (moderator)

Name: Stan Crocker

Origin: Saint Louis, Missouri, USA

In Songdo Since: March 2008




Professional Background: Registered Dietitian (R.D.)

Current Job: Male home technical director (house hubby), sport nutrition lecturer, bike mechanic, home chef, moderator for this blog.

Interests: Nutrition, cooking, mountain biking and road bike racing, guitar playing, hiking, beer adventuring and reading.

Attached Image: Taken on Songdo pedstrian path over new train tracks while in construction.

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Welcome to Songdo for Rookies

Hello and welcome. I've been living in Songdo, a small city in Incheon South Korea, for the past 18 months. During this time I've often had to rely on friends, strangers or simply venture into the unknown to satisfy my non-Korean speaking Western needs. It is my hope that this info center will provide some helpful shortcuts for your stay in Songdo. The information provided will include evaluations of restaurants, businesses, resources, events and activities in a simple and efficient format. I won't be doing this all by myself as others will be invited to contribute. Each contributor will provide a short bio and picture so that you can feel comfortable saying hello when you see us about town. Stay tuned.

Stan Crocker