6.178
2 (Thu) July 2015
Sliders
3.0
at Conrad Seoul [room service]
-Youido, Seoul-
solo
Mission to Korea + Personal Deviation, Day 2 (see previously 6.177 Bulgogi).
In Seoul. Arrived yesterday evening. Here to support a parliamentarian forum on global health — a high profile event, the Organization represented in full force by the RD, DPM, DSE, and … me — today and tomorrow. Going home for the weekend. Back to Manila on Sunday night.
Tasked with drafting the meeting’s Outcome Statement for review at breakfast tomorrow morning, I declined to join the Welcome Dinner, stayed in my room to complete the work, and ordered room service.
Bibimbap was a strong contender (see 6.043 Bibimbap) — if only for the opportunity to post on a bibimbap that would’ve cost 42,350 won (35,000 + 10% VAT + 10% service charge), an astronomical price that’s impossible to find, even half as much, outside of a hotel* — but the sliders won out — if only for the opportunity to post on mini burgers** that each cost 14,117 won.
*Once previously, I had a bibimbap for around the same price — maybe 36,300 won (30,000 + 10% VAT + 10% service charge) — courtesy of Number One Fan LY, when she’d visited Korea on a business trip — before the blog — and stayed at the Ramada Renaissance, where I’d dropped by at dinner time and, for reasons that I can’t recall, we ordered room service instead of going out.
**The “sliders” here were not actually sliders.
The mini burgers were pretty good. Too much “onion marmalade.” Cheese could’ve been more melted — and should’ve been something other than brie. But the buns were nicely toasted — fortunately, they weren’t really brioche, which are generally too sweet and fluffy for burgers. And the hanwoo beef patties were beyond reproach. Good enough per se — though certainly not worth the money.
I spent roughly the same amount on McD’s delivery at 3 am in a Hong Kong hotel. Got four large big Mac meals with drinks and fries, and an 18 piece chicken nuggets. And assorted freebies.
No, it was not particularly good, but it was hot and oozed with both grease and nostalgia.
4 big macs and 18 chicken mcnuggets.
…in HONG KONG???!!!
In my defense, it wasn’t my idea.
But we were on a budget, after all…not everyone can afford fancy room service. Also, I had probably consumed a fair amount of gutter oil from eating cheap ass street food.
don’t understand. in your first comment, you said that you’d spent the same amount on MCD delivery — presumably meaning about $40 USD (which, incidentally, seems very high for MCD, in any country) — but then subsequently you said that you were on a budget.
anyway, regardless of cost, my point was that HK has so much excellent food available at all hours, so why go with MCD?
Due to certain circumstances, we were unable to leave the hotel that night, which left us with the choices of delivery or room service.
The $40 was split between five people. It’s rather cheap compared to prices where I live.
But one friend had a sudden urge to order McDs for the novelty factor, and so that’s the route we took. Some people you don’t even want to argue with. Especially not at 3 am.
awwwww another fun memory. why did we stay in and buy crazy expensive bibimbap??
i seem to recall that you had some work to finish, and I was just curious to try such an expensive bibimbap, so we ordered one. i’m pretty sure we ended up going out later.