One of the greatest longlasting gripes of expats, chefs, and especially bartenders in Korea is the utter non-presence of limes. Whenever I see limes at a Mexican restaurant or bar, I ask where they got them. They get a sheepish look and say they have a connection with the U.S. Army base. Most of the limes in Korea are smuggled from military bases or bough on the black market.

We always wondered why limes were so hard to find. Lemons are everywhere. Is Korea–known for being an extremely protectionist economy despite multiple recent FTA treaties–trying to protect some market? Is there really zero demand for limes despite screams from bars and restaurants?

I was exploring the Korea Food Expo, and I wanted to see the Jeju section. One of the men in charge noticed my interest in a lot of products and took it upon himself to show me around. He pointed to one section.

“Limes.”

“Limes?”

These fruits were green like limes. They were sort of shaped like limes. They handed me a cup of juice. It tasted more like limes than lemons. Actually they tasted closer to the yuzu juice I got from Fukuoka, Japan. I was very excited. I guess I showed my enthusiasm in the extreme because they gave me a free care package of juice and tea.

In Korean they’re called yeonggyul 영귤 (pronounced YOUNG-gyool). They have started growing these in Jeju, and one of the hotels on the island is already using them. After researching online, I found that they are called sudachi and are related to yuzu and kaffir lime. They mostly are grown in Japan’s Tokushima prefecture and are harvested in the fall. According to Wikipedia, it’s considered to have a “zestier flavor and aroma” compared to lemons and limes.

So now they’re grown on Jeju, and you can order them at jejugreen.com. They don’t have any fresh fruits on sale now, but a jar of juice is W10,000, and a jar of tea is W15,000.

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The Vietnamese hoagie that was trendy in America is popping its buns up in Korea. This chicken version was sighted and eaten at Paris Croissant in Yeouido. I’m no Banh Mi connoisseur, but I liked it.

Incoming search terms:

• banh mi korea

I have had a love-hate relationship with Paris Baguette over the years. When I first came to Korean in 2004 they pissed me off every time. They tended to put sugar in every one of their products, even their ham sandwiches. They’d throw ketchup, mayonnaise and cheese on white toast and call it “Pizza Bread.” And they’d put green tea in everything else.

I still can’t find green bread appetizing.

But Paris Baguette and its rival Tous le Jours have been competing to improve and become more international and cosmopolitan. I’d say these days that PB has won the bakery wars. Both of them have been churning out gorgeous cakes from the beginning. But PB has been the one that has been most innovative in the savories department, giving them that edge. Some favorites of mine they’ve introduced in the past few years are focaccia pizzas, pineapple-bacon pastries on a stick, ham & cheese croissants, seafood wasabi sandwiches on butter rolls, grilled vegetable salad (the best salad I’ve had in Korea), cinnamon buns, English muffin breakfast sandwiches, and the highly addictive gut busters–baby choux.

I was really surprised when I walked in and found that they were selling Bulgogi Burritos. Despite their growing popularity in America, the Ko-Mex trend is not happening here. Mexican food is still alien. Only foreigners and young Korean women go to the Mexican restaurants. So seeing not only burritos but Bulgogi Burritos at PB showed that they believed that this could go into the Korean mainstream. And it’s now their big promotion.

I bought a couple for under W4,000 each and brought them home. They come with a little packet of hot sauce. I threw them in the toaster oven to heat them up. And you know what–not bad. They’re filled with bulgogi, mozzarella, and what they call “Mexican rice.” The bulgogi could use more flavor, but with the hot sauce it filled my Taco Bell cravings. And the price is about half what you’d pay at a restaurant.

So Paris Baguette, you win again.

Incoming search terms:

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Seriously, Ranch dressing has been one of those elusive items that American expats had always taken for granted before coming to Korea. The only places to get it were shady foreign food markets, military base connections, or Costco–and even Costco didn’t always have it. I had even researched on ways to make it at home to post on the blog, but it required items that were also hard to get your hands on, like buttermilk and sour cream. And making my own sour cream required a sour cream culture, so that made it pointless.

Foreign brand Caesar dressing started making small appearances a couple of years ago, but it looks like Ottogi has recently launched both Caesar and Ranch dressings. I bought the Ranch and tried it with some deep fried pickles (oh my, so good).

The taste is just like Ranch. It’s not sweetened, folks! The only thing you need to be prepared for is its consistency. It’s as thick as mayonnaise, if not thicker. So it’s not the best for salads, but it’s perfect for dipping and putting on sandwiches.

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Now, the highly esteemed Korean Supreme Court can get their Jamba Juice smoothies within walking distance. (Tammy Quackenbush photo)

SPC Group, most well known as the owners of Paris Croissant, have aspirations of Korean smoothie conquest as they launch their fifth Korean Jamba Juice franchise location in five months. It’s also their fourth location “south of the Han.” The only exception is their first location in Incheon’s airport.

The most recent opening is in Seocho near the Daebeobwon, South Korea’s Supreme Court.

“The Jamba brand continues to be enthusiastically received by the South Korean population,” according to Thibault de Chatellus, Jamba Juice’s senior vice president International in a company press release, “We are pleased with our early success in South Korea and look forward to growing and developing our brand in other international markets.”

If you want to find it for yourself, the exact address is 서울 서초구 서초동 1327-1 홍우빌딩 1층, which translates roughly as Seoul, Seochu-gu, Seochu-dong on the first floor of the Hongwoo building. The quickest way to get there is to take the subway line 2, to the Gangnam station, exit 4. Walk about two blocks south from exit 4 and it will be on your left.

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The Hebrew word chametz includes yeast and other leavening products and bread products made with those products, such as bread, tortillas, cakes and scones. Chabad of Korea can help you deal with these items appropriately. (Tammy Quackenbush photo of Yuja Marmalade Butter on buttermilk buscuits)

If you’re of the Chosen in 조선 Joseon (a Jew living in Korea) and wondering what to do and where to go for פסח Pesach (Passover, which begins the evening of April 18), contact Chabad of Korea. The Jewish outreach organization has been in Korea since 2008.

Matzah is the Hebrew word for unleavened bread. It's a simple mix of wheat flour and water that is baked within 18 minutes after the flour and water come together. (Jeff Quackenbush photo)

Through Chabad you can order מצה matzah (unleavened bread eaten during the seven-day festival), sell your חמץ chametz (leavened and leavening items such as bread and yeast) and sign up for a seder (Pesach observance meal) so you can celebrate Pesach with other Jews.

Rabbi Litzman of Chabad Korea said, “There is no deadline at all,” for putting in your order but be realistic and put in your order as soon as possible to have it in time for Pesach.

“Hey Joe, wanna see what I got?”

“In public?”

He unwrapped it to reveal a beautiful sandwich on a golden baguette.

“It’s roast beef.”

“Roast beef in Korea?”

“It’s at the High Street Market, just a few doors down that way. You haven’t been yet?”

People say that phrase to me regularly, as if food writers instantly check out each place as it opens and have psychic powers to know where every good restaurant is.

I looked down at the last bite of sad overpriced Paris Baguette sandwich I was stuffing in my face on the way to class. I really should see if this place lives up to the hype.

This isn’t a review of HSM. I haven’t taken any pics of the Whole Foods mimicking interior. This is just a report back that it’s pretty good there. I don’t want to hype it too much because people are always let down when you do that. I’ll just say that I may be a regular there.

For one thing, those sandwiches are just W7,000–much less than the equivalent at the western chain sandwich shops, and there are no unfortunate surprises (ham and cheese with strawberries) that you get at Korean bakeries. They had three sandwiches available that day, and I got the roast beef. It came with lettuce, tomato, jalapenos, horseradish and mustard. The mustard was a bit heavy, but that was a satisfying sandwich.

The items in the freezer and refrigerator cases are what makes HMS stand out from the other import markets. They have corned beef and pastrami, along with western cuts of meat at competitive prices. Also breakfast sausage (links and patties), thick cuts of steak and even a few packs of foie gras. Many of the cuts were butchered inside Korea and were merely vacuum packed and stamped for HMS, so they were fresh. What caught my eye was a pair of thick cut on-the-bone pork chops for around W6,000. I remembered Paul Ajosshi saying he got some and loved them.

The freezer case had some frozen vegetables that I couldn’t find in many places. I got a small package of peas and took them home.

For lunch today, I simply and liberally seasoned the pork chops with salt and pepper, seared them on both sides and finished them in the oven. I steamed the peas and some frozen corn I had gotten at Home Plus and served them with some of that rich homemade butter. After resting the pork chop, I set it down on a layer of EJ’s homemade apple jam with a dash of cinnamon.

O-M-effin’-G!

I never was a pork chop person until I came to Korea. But Korean pork just has so much flavor. I’m gonna do this more often. I gnawed on that bone.

High Street Market is across the street from Marakech Night, going towards Hannam-dong from Itaewon Station. I hope this place sticks around for a while.

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Popular expat-owned bookstore What the Book? has moved from its location in a basement off of Hooker Hill to the second floor of the building next to Burger King and the post office in Itaewon. It opens on July 8th.

Gonna have to change my landmarks.

Incoming search terms:

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Eggplant caviar with porcini veloute at The Spice

This month’s 10 Magazine has a barrel of food articles to keep you satiated for the summer. This month’s restaurants and features include the following:

• Edward Kwon’s The Spice – Celebrity Chef Edward Kwon is out to prove that you can have a fine dining experience in Korea without the bloated price tag.
• Churrasco – The little Brazilian secret in Anyang
• Saffron – A Saudi Arabian eatery that uses fresh ingredients and the fruitiest olive oil I’ve ever tasted
• Jina & Franco Trattoria – A rustic yet modern Italian eatery near Seoul National University that is quickly becoming the hot spot for romantic nights out
• A piece by Matt Crawford on Hongeo, the infamous fermented skate dish
• Ansan Asia Town gets another nod in the English press, with recommendations for Uzbek, Indonesian, Vietnamese and Nepalese.

Also check out this month’s issue for a rundown of Korea’s water parks.

Calling all writers

Since I’m also the dining editor of 10 Magazine, I need to bring more quality writing and great finds for our readers. I can’t do this all by my lonesome. So if you have a secret restaurant you are dying to tell everyone about, contact me with a proposal. We’re specifically looking for unique restaurants outside of Seoul. They can be Korean restaurants, but they’d have to offer something that different that would make people want to make the journey when they have nothing but Korean restaurants outside their door. I will say upfront that I’m a stickler for solid writing and photography. Don’t let that scare you off, though. Show us what you got or give us a tip on a place.

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From eatshow&tell

Graham, who runs a foreigners club with his mates in Okpo on Geoje Island, shared this food find with us. Those of us who miss good crunchy kettle cooked chips (like my beloved Zapp’s from Gramercy, Louisiana) have a source for them on Gmarket. Just go to gmarket.co.kr and search for “Herrs.” A good array of chips pop up starting at W2,500 for small bags. Not the cheapest of finds, but I think many of us are used to paying premiums for little tastes of home.

Here are the flavors I see available:

• Jalapeno
• Salt & Vinegar
• Reduced Fat
• B.B.Q.
• Mesquite B.B.Q.

Got a scoop on where to get some great food? Don’t keep it to yourself. Share it with us.