Samsung Hotel Buffet - Geoje

This week I was fortunate enough to be able to go to the Samsung Hotel for their Patio Barbecue Buffet. I went with the other teachers from the school and from what they said it was about a 50,000($50) meal. I know what you are probably thinking, Doug that money could have been used to feed starving children in Africa. To that I say, yes, it probably could have, but it's too late now, what's done is done.

I do have an excuse though because I didn't pay for the meal. The parents of some of our students got together and bought them for the teachers as a thank-you. It would have been a shame not to use them...

First off, this is by far the nicest place that I have eaten in Korea, comfortable chairs, relaxed atmosphere, and space. Coming from a culture where most things are quite crowded out of necessity it was nice to have some space between your table and the next. Adding to the experience the restaurant has big windows and a great patio that overlooks a small park area and the harbour. Another huge thing I noticed was the noise, there was almost none. It is set back from the city in a way that there are no through roads, this results in the absence of noise from the normal hustle and bustle of traffic.

To the food: the selection was quite good, there were a few different salads, soups, breads, and veggie dishes, a couple of cold meat dishes as well as a number of hot meat dishes. Also quite a bit of sea food, the usual option of raw or cooked salmon, shrimp and then a number of different kinds of shell fish. My favorite, for the novelty of it, were the small conch shells. 

Outside on the patio was the barbecue station cooking up a number(7) of different types of meat, all tasting quite delicious. There were other things like cooked potatoes and kebabs as well. Then there was the dessert, while nothing to compare with western treats, there was a good selection numbering around two handfuls and it was all quite edible. 

All in all it was a fine meal and well worth the price I paid. But if I was paying for it myself, there probably would not be a next time. While the food was delicious and the atmosphere was very comfortable, I would find it hard to justify paying 50,000 won. Especially seeing as it is 1/6th of what I lived on for the past month. That being said, if it is in your price range I would highly recommend it for two reasons. First the food it serves is fantastic, second it offers a peace seldom found in Korea.