Carnivores rejoice at a prodigal’s return
Sausage platter.
Lovers of meat, potatoes and fine beer may have fond recollections of an Itaewon restaurant that closed down a year ago.
Run by Konrad Wermers, a famously doleful German, his Korean wife Monica and their snappy little pup Max, Memories was the spot if you wanted stick-to-your-ribs grub like your mother served ― assuming your mother was a large Bavarian matron ― washed down with top-quality German beer.
The Wermers decided last year to relocate from Korea to the sunnier shores of Thailand and sold out. But after taking a long hard look at the Thai real estate market and legal situation they had a rethink, and in August, Memories reappeared in the sunny alleyways of Songtan, one hour south of Seoul by subway and the site of the giant new U.S. base.
In a narrow street of stark concrete buildings, Memories stands out. It is a white, clapboard-style villa, complete with a wooden deck and al fresco seating. It would probably look more at home in the lower Alps than in Songtan, but it adds character to a district sorely in need of it.
Inside, it is decked out with white lace curtains, pine wood seating, a bar (more on that later), and a couple of dartboards. There is further seating upstairs ― this room can be hired for private parties ― but the decor there is rather suggestive of the Korean coffee shop it used to be.
Wermers, a former hotel chef, is a changed man.
He has shaved off his famous whiskers, had some desperately-needed dental work and ditched his former woebegone look. “I can smile a lot more now,” he says, flashing a dazzling set of new gnashers.
Fortunately, the menu remains largely what it was. On the booze front, German wine is on the way, and the bar offers an excellent selection of the beers, including a wide range from the splendid Paulaner brewery. I should add that Wermers’ prices were always a bit steep, but he has knocked a few thousand won off each item although the top quality remains unchanged.
We start with lentil soup (6,000 won) and beef tartare (11,500 won). The soup is a peppery load of lentils, celery, carrot and onion. Not bad.
The steak tartare is a triumph. A heap of minced, raw steak, it comes with anchovies, onions, pickles, mashed garlic, a pinch of nutmeg and a pinch of paprika.
Add the above to taste, seal it with a raw egg and a dash of red wine vinegar, and consume with gusto. Delicious: This is by far the finest version of this carnivorous delicacy I have eaten in Asia, right up there with the best I have had in Europe.
For the first round, the beer is a Paulaner Munchen (6,000 won) a Helles-style lager. Pleasant and approachable, this is a good beginner’s beer, lacking the bitterness of a pils, but with a hell of a lot more oomph to it than any local lager.
Konrad and Monica Werners. By Andrew Salmon
The platter is loaded with bratwurst, Nuremberg sausages, smoked pork loin, boiled pork belly, mash and sauerkraut. All excellent: Another carnivorous feast.
The schnitzel or breaded pork cutlet is slathered in a thick cream and mushroom sauce and served with roast spuds cooked with bits of bacon. Lovely, hearty stuff, the potatoes being especially outstanding.
The beer for this course was the Paulaner Premium Pilsner (6000 won). An excellent representation of the classic Czech style.
We finished with a plate of tasty apple strudel (4,500) let down a bit by being served with cream from a spray can.
Our final beer is a Paulaner Salvator (6,000 won), a Doppel Bock, and one of the brewery’s most famous offerings.
Heavy-bodied with a burnt, woody, caramel flavor, this is a master beer and well complements dessert.
Service needs work ― no butter with the bread ― and bread is charged for ― but I have no other complaints. A word from management. As most of his clients are U.S. servicemen who apparently add salt and pepper automatically, Konrad says that he minimizes the salt in his recipes, so be prepared to add this yourself.
Verdict: Hearty European-style home cooking. If you love spuds ’n suds and are not fussy about artistic presentation, there is nowhere like this in Korea. Worth the trip. Oh, and Konrad will be holding a mini-Oktoberfest this weekend with, weather permitting, a grill out front on the deck.
Memories
English: Spoken, as is German
Tel: (031) 667-4249
Address: 691-78 Ho, Shing Jang Dong, Pyeongtaek City, Gyeonggi Do.
Subway: Songtan Station
Parking: Spaces available
Hours: Daily11:00 am-11:00 pm
Dress: Come as you are
By Andrew Salmon Contributing Writer [andrewsalmon@yahoo.co.uk]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
To write comments, please log in to one of the accounts.
Standards Board Policy (0/250자)