Monthly Archives: April 2007

Feeding Hungry Travelers, Martina (at Incheon Airport)

Incheon Airport Restaurant - Martina2

(from the window)

It’s the day you need to be on board. As airport security gets tighter, you are advised to arrive at an airport at least 3 hours earlier nowadays. 3 hours! Man, how am I going to pass the time? If you are a frequent flier member of an airline then at least your membership can help you to ease your stress and hunger, but if you are not, you would wander around near the food court and think seriously about what you are going to eat that is good value.

I know if you are new to the place, it is not that easy to find a good place to eat. However it would help making a decision (not always though), if the restaurant got mentioned on TV or in the newspapers or won an award. Martina, where I stopped before boarding my flight to Australia, is in both cases. It is managed by Walkerhill hotel and is ranked as the best restaurant in Incheon airport in 2004. Not to mention, it was in newspapers several times as well. So here I gave it a try.

Michael ordered Kimchi bokkumbap (10, 000 won) and I ordered Bulgogi jjigae (13,000 won) and I have to say that they were the cheaper kinds of food from their menu.

Incheon Airport Restaurant - Martina3

Incheon Airport Restaurant - Martina1

Yet the food didn’t taste cheap. It was quite good. It better be. Although it is classed as a hotel restaurant, the combined price of 23,000 won (US $24) before service fees and taxes isn’t cheap to us.

The atmosphere was quite relaxing until the crowds of ajumas arrived. Yet after all, we were all travelers, so most people seemed to leave as soon as they finished their meal. One thing I didn’t like about the place was that we were seated very near the bar. It wasn’t a big bar, it was a quite small and short one. So you know what I am going to say. Yes, the cigarette smoke. We don’t like it very much, especially when we are about to have food. It made us very uncomfortable, but fortunately the smoking people didn’t stay very long. So if you go there, make sure to sit far from the bar.

My Bulgogi jjigae was quite hot. I nearly burned my tongue on the first spoon. It seemed slightly salty, but in general it was very nice. I got 4 side dishes (seasoned seaweed, stir fried mushrooms, soy sauce simmered radish, and Kimchi) compared to 2 side dishes (yellow pickled radish and Kimchi) for Michael (but he had soybean paste soup), yet I generously shared my side dishes with him. Though it was a shame that they served me only a small bowl of rice, because I couldn’t completely finish my jjigae without the rice. What a waste! I tend to like a restaurant better, if there are generous with the food. Be generous with rice, Martina!

Location and Info

  • Duty free area, 4th floor – near gate No. 11 (East side restaurant) or near gate No. 43 (West side restaurant), follow the sign “transit hotel.”
  • Open – 7:00~21:00
  • Menu – Korean food and Western style food (steak, pasta, and sandwiches)
  • Tel – (82) (0)32-743-3012
  • Service fee 10% of the value of the meal and VAT 10% will be charged on top of that separately.
  • Discount info – If you stay in the transit hotel, you can get 10% off the total price of the meal. Or if you have a “Leaders club membership card” (from SK telecom – the Korean mobile company) you will also get 10% off the total price.

Related Posts

Korean Buffet at Milky Way

Bulgogi Wrapped in Rice Paper

Stir fried Kimchi and Rice (Kimchi Bokkumbap in Korean)

What Kinds of Pear for Bulgogi?

William Pears

(William Pears – Sorry, I don’t think you are suitable for Korean cooking)

One of my readers asked me if I can specify the type of pear I use for making Bulgogi. Because my recipe just says “pear”. Well, since I could only get one type of pear in Korea (It might be different in other big cities, but at least that was my case) I didn’t understand your confusion. Sorry.

So this is the type of pear you can use for Korean cooking.

Korean Pear

(Korean pear, picture from Food for thought)

Its skin is a bit rougher and thicker, so you don’t eat the skin. However the flesh part is marvelously juicy (but not as much as watermelon) and sweet and has a crunchy texture like an apple. They are fairly expensive even in Korea, so I didn’t buy them often (about US $2-3 per pear).

Koreans usually add pear when they marinate meat. Because it makes meat softer (Apparently the enzyme called calpain does this part). You can substitute pear with kiwi or pineapple as well, but I prefer using pear. Also, if you marinate the meat too long the meat can go too soft, so watch out.

I heard that Korean pears are available at the green groceries in the US, but since I don’t live there I can’t give you the detailed information about them. So if any of you see Korean pears where you live (in any countries), please let us know (for your Korean food companions).

By the way, if you are in the US, it seems like you can buy Korean pears on the internet as well. So here are the links.

From Kgrocer

From Koamart

Related Post

What kind of cooking oil do Koreans use?

My New Cooking Wine – Temporary? or Permanent?

My New Cooking Wine - Temporary or Permanent 2

White wine for fish and chicken (left) and Red wine for red meat (right)

Koreans use refined rice wine fairly often for their cooking, including myself. It gets rid of the smell of meat and adds a refreshing taste to certain foods.

So I went looking for refined rice wine to add to our meal for the day. I went to a supermarket. Ah, wait a minute. I can’t get it at the supermarket like I could in Korea. So I went to a liquor store.

Of course I asked the wrong question and asked for cooking wine, and was given a red merlot and a white chardonnay. It cooked well with the meals, but I should have asked for the refined rice wine instead.

My New Cooking Wine - Temporary or Permanent 4

So I gave it a second try. This time the guy was puzzled until I said “like sake”.

Now I have found rice wine (It was Japanese sake), but at $27 Australian for 750ml compared to $8 for 1800ml in Korea I might have to rethink my recipe list.

Nothing is ever perfect, is it?

My New Cooking Wine - Temporary or Permanent 3

Chicken breast – I was going to use white wine for this, but I didn’t have a cork screw

My New Cooking Wine - Temporary or Permanent 1

Meal of the day – Club sandwich ( filling includes iceberg lettuce, baby endive, tomato, cheese and chicken fillet)

I will still try to find refined rice wine (a cheaper one) but if I can’t find it, I guess I have to stick with a red and white wine. How are you following my recipes about the refined rice wine? Do you use other wines instead? What is your cooking wine?

Update on Measuring Spoons

Update on Measuring Spoons1

(I have been using Korean mother style measurements for the past two weeks – a dash of this and a pinch of that – Do you like that style? No, I don’t think so. It is quite convenient when I am in a rush, but it doesn’t always guarantee sound taste.)

I finally found stainless steel measuring spoons which consist of 1 tbsp, 1 tsp, 1/2 tsp, and 1/4 tsp at Big W. It was by accident, because I was looking for a Tefal wok. I couldn’t find a wok but instead I found stainless steel spoons.

One home work is done and another to solve.

Update on Measuring Spoons2

(Both brand names are Wiltshire – Green spoons are made with nylon, about AU $13 and stainless steel spoons are about AU $ 6.20)

Testing My Kitchen and Comforting My Nostalgia

Testing Kitchen

(Bulgogi on rice – I substituted Korean pear with kiwi and I want to encourage you to Not to do so. It is OK but I didn’t like the feeling of chewing black kiwi seeds with the meat. Next time I am going to try Japanese nashi pear.)

This is what I have been doing lately. Testing my new Kitchen and comforting my nostalgia.

Don’t worry readers! You are not missing out any new recipes yet. I’ve been busy trying to catch up with my massive nostalgic appetite. I am also trying to get used to the electric stove. I wish mine was gas. What kind of burner do you have in your kitchen?

Related Post

Bulgogi Wrapped in Rice Paper