Cycle 4 – Item 162

16 (Sun) June 2013

Lamb Chops

3.0

at Braai Republic

-Itaewon, Yongsan, Seoul, Republic of Korea-

with SP

My old friend SP is back in town, here to facilitate the Training Program for the WHO Tool to Assess Health Law in Countries last week (see 4.160 Hansik Buffet).

Just the two of us on his final night, South African fare was an appropriate choice for dinner.   Having had nothing but Korean food for the past couple days, he was up for something not local.  I’m always up for something not local.  In consideration of what he might like, I recalled that he’d lived/worked for many years throughout Africa and now owns a vacation home in South Africa – he also happens to be Dutch.

The food was good, though not as good as I’d remembered.  I ordered the lamb chop set, which came with garlic potatoes and slaw.  While I’d previously been very impressed by the lamb’s “exquisite simplicity,” it seemed like a very competently if unremarkably prepared piece of meat this time.  SP, who ordered a plate of sausages, cleared his plate but didn’t comment either way.

On a positive note, SP put on his sommelier cap and introduced me to two excellent South African beverages.

The first was Savanna Dry Premium Cider, made from apples, crisp and dry, fruity but subtle, lightly carbonated, served ice cold with a slice of lemon.  It was just the thing for a muggy summer evening, not surprising that South Africans would develop the perfect drink to wash down the heat.  After an initial sip, I chugged half the bottle in a single go.  I had another one during the meal and found that it provided a nice counterbalance to the heavy food, the way that a demi-sec sparkling wine would.

To finish off the meal, we each had a glass of Amarula, a cream liqueur flavored with the fruit of the marula tree, sweet and nutty, somewhat reminiscent of Kahlúa, though not as intense, served on the rocks.  It was like dessert in a cup.  Although I don’t really like dessert, this I could do.

(See also BOOZE)

(See also GLOBAL FOOD GLOSSARY)

(See also RESTAURANTS IN KOREA)