Because I really enjoyed the Thanksgiving dinner at Cali Kitchen, when I saw that Chuck, Jayden, and Jimi were going to do a Christmas dinner, I forked over 25,000 won for what I knew would be a wonderful experience. And I was not let down at all. The meal was marvellous, and I had a wonderful time with the people who came.
First, we were offered a choice of home-made eggnog, peppermint vodka, or a non-alcoholic drink like apple juice or Jarritos or sodas. My friend got the home-made eggnog, and I opted to get the peppermint vodka. The peppermint vodka was a bit strong for my taste, but I did like the peppermint flavour . . . but in some ways it kind of reminded me of cough syrup. I should have taken Chuck’s suggestion on adding more cranberry juice or something. The eggnog, on the other hand, was fabulous. I never liked eggnog — having only tried the ones sold in the cartons — but I really liked the way Chuck made it. The whipped cream on the top with cinnamon really added to its creaminess! If I were to do this again, I’d definitely choose the eggnog over the vodka!
Next up were the devilled eggs. I admit to being wary about this particular dish because I suffered from a real bad case of food poisoning once. However, I blocked out my past experience and gave in to trying them. I tried the one with the Sriracha sauce first, and I ended up liking them. I’m no expert on devilled eggs, but these were well-flavoured, and I enjoyed them a lot. I tried the one without the Sriracha sauce, but I much preferred the one with the Sriracha sauce because that spicy kick really made a difference.
Next up were the main course and its sides. For the sides there were broccoli salad, loaded potatoes, and creamed corn. The raw broccoli came dressed in a vinegar-mayonnaise mix with cashews and raisins. The dressing was light and paired well with the broccoli, and the addition of the nuts and raisins complemented the whole salad. The loaded potatoes were chunky mashed potatoes with cheese and bacon. Then there was the creamed corn. The corns were first roasted, which gave it a different flavour and texture. Of the side dishes, I devoured the broccoli salad the most. It’s not often, I get to have raw broccoli salad!
Finally, the chicken roulade. Oh. My. Yum. Prior to this event, Chuck shared a video of what a chicken roulade was, and now I will share the video.
There were two things Chuck didn’t do that occurred in the video. He didn’t use the chicken skin, and he didn’t use Activa to bind the chicken. That meant our chicken wasn’t well-bound, but that didn’t matter one bit because the chicken tasted fabulous. It was so juicy and tender! Whatever seasoning Chuck did to the chicken gave it a fantastic flavour. I even told Chuck that this chicken reminded me of a chicken cordon bleu without the cheese and the ham filling. Just, yum. This chicken was a winner!
And thus ends my Christmas dinner at Cali Kitchen. I had a wonderful meal there, and I highly recommend you all to try Cali Kitchen special dinners in the future. I hope everyone else had a great Christmas/holiday meal! Happy holidays!
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070-8836-4723
5, Hoenamu-Ro 12-Gil, Yongsan-Gu, Seoul, Korea
서울특별시 용산구 회나무로12길 5
From Noksapyeong Station, go out of exit 2 and keep going straight until you reach the underpass. Go under, cross, and go out the left exit. From there, follow the sidewalk up the street, bypassing the big church. Keep going straight, passing by Paris Baguette and Well-Being Mart. A little bit past the Well-Being Mart, there is a side street on the right. Go up the street past Maloney’s, and CALI Kitchen will be in the alleyway on the left, next to The Seoul Honey Company.
7,000 ~ 15,000+ won budget per person