December's things to do

Talk about chicken and rice to any New Yorker and they can whip up stories of the famous Halal Guys cart on 53rd and 6th. I, myself, can tell you how after four years of living in Seoul, the first place I visited as soon as I dropped off my bags was 53rd and 6th. The cart is not just food, but a legend amongst the millions of people who visit there – including Woosik John Kim, who once studied in upstate New York. “When people go abroad, they talk about how they want this and that in Korea. Chicken and rice was one of those infamous dishes.” After having scoured every corner of the city for even close knock-offs, I didn’t let myself get my hopes up when headed to Jil’hal Bros in Chungdam-dong. At the small yellow-colored restaurant, my combination platter equated to slices of grilled cuts of spiced chicken and lamb over turmeric yellow rice and a bed of lettuce and tomatoes topped with its signature white sauce and red sauce. The white sauce is normally concocted with variations of Greek yogurt, miracle whip and mayo while the red sauce has variations of chili peppers, garlic, vinegar, cumin and olive oil – with Woosik’s particular recipe being secret. Unlike its New York muse, the dish isn’t Halal certified, doesn’t drip with oil and the spices (cumin and chili pepper) are nowhere as strong. Yet, dinnertime fills with expats and Koreans (lots of Korean-Americans) alike wolfing down one plate, and taking one to go. One preppy looking twentys-something (possibly former...

Salmon sashimi lovers, here’s one for you. Mibbeudong is famed for its tomato salmon noodles – a refreshing, cold tomato broth packed with vegetables and long strands of salmon sashimi cut lengthways to resemble noodles. If you’re a little less excited over this, another popular item on the menu here is the Mibbeudong itself, a rice moat topped with a tower of mixed sashimi, uni and ikura.

This establishment is the Seoul outpost of the famed Pierre Hermé dessert shop that has spread from Paris to locations around the world. Pierre Hermé, known as the “Picasso of pastry,” is lauded for raising dessert into an art form. He received the Légion d’Honneur in 2007, one of the most prestigious awards in France. In other words, he's kind of a big deal—and with good reason. This luxurious dessert shop not just another brand name on a department store wall, its an art gallery in its own right. The most famous item is, of course, the macaron. They come in a variety of flavor like rose and pistachio, but his signature touch is the combinations like the famous Mogador macaron, a mixture of passionfruit and chocolate. Already an expensive confection in their native France, these macarons are priced at 4,000 won each, which is perhaps more understandable when you learn that they must be shipped daily from France to Korea. It's always a balancing act between quality control and logistics, but this shop is certainly doing its job of sharing world-class macarons with eager Seoulites.