Korean BBQ and Vegetables at "Tea Story"

Because I blog about food myself, I also enjoy reading other people's food blog and visiting restaurants that they have featured to get my own take on the food. Tea Story restaurant in Insadong, a neighborhood with lots of traditional Korean flavors, is a place that I have found out about through food blogs.

The restaurant's name is definitely a misnomer because it's not a tea place/cafe, but a restaurant. Like most restaurants in Insadong, the exterior was made with wood. The wooden door was quite heavy, if I remember correctly (or maybe I was just famished and didn't have much strength?)

Before we even ordered, the waitress brought us different types of vegetables. All these have their unique flavors: some are bitter, some bland, while others are sour and coarse. But they all taste very natural.

The banchans tasted very simple, but the mushroom in sesame oil was too greasy for my liking.

Ssamjang on the left is bean curd paste with seeds that you put in wrapped rice and meat with vegetables. It has a very strong flavor and curd-y texture. The kimchi was also tasty.

The spicy squid tastes great with steaming bowl of white rice. The pickled radish tasted plain.

I didn't eat the fried tofu on top. The mook, which has jelly-like texture, doesn't really heavy any flavor besides the soy sauce on top. The greens in chili sauce on the left tasted similar to kimchi, but slightly more bitter.

I understand a little bit why the restaurant is called "Tea Story." Apparently they cook the rice in green tea instead of in plain water to bring out the rich, green tea flavor in the rice. The rice was served in a bamboo shoot.

Underneath the cover is the green tea rice with jujube, beans, dates, and other flavorings and seasonings.

The highlight is probably the meat. Koreans love to eat meat barbecued right on the table. We ordered bulgogi and galbi meat. The meat tastes a lot tastier when cooked right in front of you because it retains its warmness, freshness, and juiciness.

The meat cooked rare is the best or else you don't taste the meat itself! The galbi meat was slightly fatty (which probably made it juicier and more tender).

Meat and vegetables wrapped together with a piece of kimchi and a dash of ssamjang!

Korean food always look like such a feast when laid out on a table.