The Roadhouse Cafe, Kathmandu, Nepal

Genre:         Western Food (American, read on and you will understand) / Pizza

Location:     Kathmandu, Nepal

Rating:         10 out of 10

The Roadhouse Café in Kathmandu, Nepal turned out to be one of the biggest surprises in my food explorations.  And I love surprises.  After eating a lot of Dal Bhat (lentils and rice) on this visit, and really enjoying it, it left me wondering if there was much else available in Nepal that was flavorful.  I mean, as far as countries go, this is still a developing country and people are lucky to have food.  That is why The Roadhouse Café was such a surprise.  Because of the rolling electricity allotments in the city, this restaurant is equipped with authentic wood-fired ovens.  They cook the majority of the food this way which really adds a unique experience and taste to the dishes.  I ordered a pizza and un-anticipatingly waited, more enjoying the company of my Nepali friends and having great conversation than thinking about the food I ordered.  And then it arrived, slid off the wood paddle onto the table in front of me.  The smell was divine.  The presentation simple yet stimulating.  I pulled off the first piece and took a bite.  Heaven is all I can say.  Nepal is known for many “heavenly” sites (the Himalayas), but I had no idea “heaven” in Nepal for me would be a pizza.  I can honestly say it is the best pizza in the whole entire world.  Fresh ingredients, made from scratch dough, and a wood fired oven equals bliss on top of the world, literally.         

Address:       27° 40' 34.0896" N, 85° 18' 46.5336" E

                   Located in the touristy Thamel district in Kathmandu

Telephone:   N/A

Cost:           Prices are definitely affordable!

The actual pizza, definitely the best!

The Roadhouse Cafe sign, Thamel

Aix en Provence, Jeongja, South Korea

Genre:         French – Italian

Location:     Jeongjadong, South Korea

Rating:         9 out of 10

Aix en Provence is one of my favorite restaurants in Korea.  It ranks in my top 10 favorites of all time.  It gets this distinction not only for the food it serves, but for the ambiance the restaurant accomplishes.  At the most recent visit, the restaurant was warmed on a cold winter evening with wonderful service, a violinist strumming lovely tunes, and what I deem as great comfort food.  As far as the food goes, there is quite a variety on the menu.  However, I generally go for the large set that includes wine, appetizer and salad, soup of the day, fresh baked bread, the chef’s pasta special, main course of either lamb chops, steak, or beef tenderloin, followed by dessert with coffee or tea.  Even though this set is created as a menu tasting for one, it is easy split between two with more than enough food for both.  The food is beautifully presented, tastefully created and overflowing with flavor.  It is generally what you would expect from the best of the best and incredibly satisfying. 

If you order off the menu, be sure to include the Tiramisu.  It is the real deal. 

Address:       경기도 성남시 분당구 정자동 성원상떼뷰 201동 106호

                   Located on the famous Jeongja café street near Jeongja subway station.

Telephone:   031-716-3317

Cost:           Expensive, reserved for special occasions.

*Reservations accepted only during the week.  No reservations on the weekend. 

*Valet parking available during the week.

Lamb Chops

Beef tenderloin with vegetables

Special dessert

Appetizer

Review Criteria

I love food, there's no doubt about it.  Rarely do I ever say something is truly magnificent.  That is a reserved comment.  Rarely do I ever say something is truly horrible.  That is a reserved comment.  Usually, if I don't like something, I will add what would have made it better.

When looking at the restaurant reviews posted, here is the criteria I use:

1 out of 10:     Not at all good, nothing would make it better
2 out of 10:     Not at all good, not much that would make it better
3 out of 10:     Not good, under-average
4 out of 10:     Good but under-average
5 out of 10:     Average, what you would expect
6 out of 10:     Good and better than average
7 out of 10:     Very good and above average
8 out of 10:     Great, unexpected, surprised at the results
9 out of 10:     Dazzled, great, not much that would make it better
10 out of 10:    Loved it, perfect taste, a favorite

Enjoy!

Burger Blues, Suwon South Korea

Genre:         Burger Joint

Location:     Suwon, South Korea

Rating:         7 out of 10

Burger Blues, located near Samsung headquarters, is a great little burger joint.  Decorated in the Bourbon Street or New Orleans jazz style with hand drawn and painted jazz greats on the wall along with great jazz / blues music playing in the background, this burger joint offers up some great American comfort foods.

Choose any burger in the "family" of Blues Burgers with all the traditional trimmings and maybe a few Korean pinches in there as well.  They also offer a Philly Cheese Steak and a chicken sandwich if you aren't in the mood for the beef.  Keep in mind that they all need to be eaten with a fork and knife as the meat is so juicy it gets messy if you use your hands.  

You can also order a fabulous Chicken Caesar salad, so fresh it looks like it came right out of the garden.  And the fries, oh the fries.  They are hand cut and taste wonderful.  Order them plain or get them doused with chili and cheese.   Also served are hot wings, chicken fingers and the traditional fish and chips.

Beer is available, but highly recommended is the soda as it comes in the old fashioned bottle.  This little touch finishes off a very tasty meal.

Dine in or take-out.

Hours:
Lunch  11:30 - 2:30

Dinner    5:30 - 9:00 

Address:       경기도 수원시 영통구 매탄동 1266-3 로진프라자 1층

                   Located near Samsung.

Telephone:   031-212-9777

Cost:           Prices are reasonable ranging from 6,900 to 9,900 for a burger.  Well worth it!

                                                    

Chili Cheese Fries

Blues Chicken Run

Blues Mama Burger

Set Up Anywhere, Anytime

What is always daunting in the restaurant industry is not the long hours, quality of the food, or happy customers, it's the overhead.  Start adding up payroll, rent, and insurance and one will quickly find themselves quickly in over their heads without serving one single dish.  The fun, interesting sight often seen on streets all over Asia is the long alley way full of food vendors that simply pushed their cart in and started serving up great comfort food.  Just the one little lady and her food.  No payroll, no rent, no insurance.  Just great local bits of heaven.