Lorri and I squandered some of our Christmas money on ourselves, hiring a sitter and heading out to a restaurant I have been wanting to visit for months. Depending on which sign or advertisement you read, the restaurant is called "Indus Velly," "Indus Velley," or "Indus Valey." They specialize in Indian and Pakistani food, and yes it is owned by a gentleman who is from the India/Pakistan region. One thing I dig about Korea, or at least Songtan--dining is relatively inexpensive, the service is always friendly, and fine dining can be done using a paper towel as a napkin (as it was on this night).
At any rate, I ordered a mutton dish. I had not had lamb since Easter 2003, when I was on the USS Bataan and we had rack of lamb for Easter dinner. Lorri ordered the Chicken Pandoori. Both came with naan--Lorri's had some garlic rubbed on hers. Appetizers included some type of tasty soup and a salad of pickled cabbage with tomato and kiwi. Lorri enjoyed a glass of mango juice during her meal. I had a cup of hot Indian tea following the meal. Dessert was a plate of fresh fruit--apple slice, banana slice, canned peach.
Final judgment--I loved it. My mutton was absolutely delicious. Lorri's chicken was a bit more spicy than she is usually comfortable with, but she was a trooper and stuck with it. I thought her dinner was delicious as well. All in all, worth the 5 minute walk from the front gate. Following dinner, as we paid the bill, the owner's wife gave us each a little bag of cookies to eat later.
We wandered around Songtan for a few minutes afterward, trying to work off the dinner we had just enjoyed. In the market we had a Songtan Sally sighting, but could not get the camera out in time to try and catch a photo of the elusive icon. Sally has been servicing US servicemen here for 20 years and is still at it.
As with any evening in Songtan, we inevitably made our way to "From In," a little coffee shop we accidently found when we first got here (and where you can get a great kiwi smoothie). It is by far our favorite spot in Songtan. The owner is a very friendly lady who always remembers us and who also has a special fondness for Jacob. She recently remodeled the shop, expanding it in size significantly. We asked her about the expansion project. Apparently the condition placed on her by the owner of the building for expanding into an adjacent vacant room was not monetary--all she (the shop owner) had to do was go to church regularly.
While at From In we ordered a mocha latte and cappuccino. The owner threw in a few slices of tiramisu that we shared with our neighbors Pat and Lisa who happened to wander by the shop while we were there.
The Happy Couple
The scene of the crime
The market all lit up
Inside "From In." Note the cave in the back on the left.
Mmmm! Delicious!
