August 10, 2011

• Song of the Day
  

  Sojourn in Seoul (II) – Gyeongbokgung Palace + dinner - We started early in the morning and visited the Gyeongbokgung Palace . First constructed in 1394 and reconstructed in 1867, it was the main and largest palace of the Five Grand Palaces built by the Joseon Dynasty. The name of the palace, Gyeongbokgung, translates in English as “Palace of Shining Happiness.” Nearly destroyed by the Japanese government in the early 20th century, the palace complex is slowly being restored to its original form prior the destruction. The Korean government started a 40-year initiative in 1989 to rebuild the structures that were destroyed by the Japanese government during the period of Japanese occupation of Korea.

  Making sure the camera is working properly prior to the day trip…..
  

  Geunjeongjeon Hall (근정전; 勤政殿) was originally constructed in 1395; it is the throne hall of Gyeongbokgung where the king formally granted audiences to his officials, gave declarations of national importance, and greeted foreign envoys and ambassadors during the Joseon Dynasty. The building was designated as Korea’s National Treasure in 1985…..
  

  Geunjeongmun (근정문; 勤政門), aligned and located directly to the south of Geunjeongjeon, is the main gate to the courtyard and to Geunjeongjeon. The gate is divided into three separate aisles and only the king was allowed to walk through the center…..
  

  The inner courtyard…..
  

  The multi-tiered and colourful eaves…..
  

  Good signage helped us find our way easily inside the palace grounds…..
  

  Dinner- Somehow, I neglected to take note of the name and address of this very nice restaurant, serving traditional Korean cuisine. I remember this eatery is somewhere near the royal palace and is very easy to locate. Once inside the restaurant, we were seated inside a private room with a low table, known as a gyoja-sang (large dining table). All the dishes are served on one table at the same time as an open space pattern. Banchan (side dishes) are arranged according to the recipes, ingredients, colors and temperature of the food. There are 3, 5, 7, 9, and 12-course table settings according to the number of side dishes.

  The traditional table setting with a small bowl of pumpkin jook (porridge)…..
  

  Closeup view of the jook…..
  

  Gujeolpan – nine compartments dish, all the items are thinly sliced – beef, fried egg, fungus, pickled cucumbers, carrots…..
  

  Mixing and stacking the tidbits in a neat bunch…..
  

  Side dishes…..
  

  

  

  

  

  Grilled duck…..
  

  And these are the smaller banchan (side dishes), mostly vegetables such as cabbage, spinach, kimchi…..
  

  We also shared two bowls of this hot n’ spicy vegetable soup…..
  

  Last dish – mixed vegetables salad…..
  

  Korean style is to mix in some rice…..
  

  Add some spicy sauce…..
  

  Mixing everything together…..
  

  The final product, very delicious rice dish to end this multi-course meal…..
  

  The entire dinner took us almost four hours. It was very enjoyable as I listened to W chatting with his relatives in half English, half Korean, adding in some sign languages. One of his little cousins is only seven and she is very knowledgeable about the menu items. I think eventually, she’ll be a future foodie! The tab was at least US$250 for our party of six, it was reasonably priced and very delicious afterall!

  • 1:33 am
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