Chik's Crib: November 2018

27 November 2018

Solely Seoul: A 7-Day Vacation to Korea is Seoul Fun! Part 3

Travel November 27, 2018 0

Don't get me wrong, Oxtail soup and porridge's fine for breakfast and all that, but sometimes a guy craves something a little richer. And that's how we found ourselves at Bongchu Jjimdak in Myeongdong, getting some of their hot chicken stew.

We almost couldn't handle the heat even at 'mild', but the stew was so fragrant and delicious, we polished off the food. There's something irresistible about these soft potatoes and tender chicken, mixed in with a hefty portion of chewy glass noodles and stewed in their spice blend.

We like their Crust of Overcooked Fried Rice, the crisp texture is a welcome addition to the stew though it can get a little oily towards the end. Definitely meant to be shared.

Bongchu Jjimdak

We were lucky enough to get tickets to the complimentary Hanbok Village walking. But as it started to rain heavily mid-walk to breakfast and didn't let up after we were done, we weren't sure if we wanted to travel to Anguk for the tour. Still, we soldiered on and fortituously, the heavy morning rain cleared up in the nick of time. There was 7 of us, all Singaporeans, and led by an effervescent local guide. He's in his 70s, but nevertheless, more active and alert than anyone else in the group. As we walked up and down the slopes and hills over the next few hours, he outpaced all of us young 'uns and left us breathless in his wake.

This confirmed something that I'd been suspecting for a while ever since I arrived in South Korea: the citizens of Seoul may be the fastest walkers that I'd met. We were constantly overtaken by the locals on the street, even as we were trying our darnest to walk fast.

There's an old filming trick where before every shot, the crew hoses down the set, as the damp surfaces would appear much more saturated on camera. With such great weather, we were destined to get great shots of the scenery. We met our tour guide at Unhyeongung Royal Residence. The preserved land and its traditional architecture, surrounded by skyscrapers, comes off like a breath of fresh air. It's the accommodation of Heungseon Daewongun, a 19th-century regent of the Joseon dynasty, and who is Kind of A Big Deal. He was the father of the would-be King Gojong, and served as regent in the king's early years after his son was chosen to be King by the Dowager Sinjeong.

This was the childhood home of King Gojong, and after he was elevated to King and moved into the palace, Heungseon Daewongun remained on-site while serving as regent. This was for a time, the seat of political power of the Joseon Dynasty.

We could have came on our own, but then we would have missed out on a whole host of other information, as our guide spoke on the thoughts behind the architecture of the buildings, the geopolitical situations the royal family was immersed in, and the tumultuous events surrounding the family as we walked along the premises.

We passed by Choongang Middle & High School, sitting on top of a hill and showing a remarkable similarity to Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, and stopped by Jeongdok Public Library, which gardens may even be more spectacular than Gyeongbokgung's.

We finished our tour at The Baek In-je House, one of the few traditional Hanbok structures left standing in Seoul. The Baek In-je House is serendipitously just a short walk away to Jaedong Sundubu, where we went to with some of our fellow walkers. A couple was here to travel around Korea for the autumn scenery, which from what I'd seen so far, showed great promise.

We swopped travel tips over dinner: they frequent the Chinese travel blogs, which seem much more informative than the English-reading ones. Who knew, for example, that the money changer from Myeondong across the Chinese embassy offers the best rates? Or that there are dedicated Chinese apps and forums that track the rates of money changers across Seoul in real-time, so you can be sure that you're getting the best rates in each locale.

We tucked in to rich bowls of their Tofu Stew and Seafood Pancake. The pancake was delish with its crispy and thin edges and it was a great contrast with the soft textures of the stew.

We had some pork belly too, but it wasn't as impressive as the other dishes. Great food, but the service can be a little surly, and definitely not improved after I bashed their glass door against the metal awning outside (seriously, such bad design!)

Jaedong Sundubu

6 Bukchon-ro 2-gil, Jae-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea

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Our last full day in Korea was packed, and if there's a reason not to pack your travel schedule so tightly, I learnt why: you need some extra time lying around if emergencies crop up.

We had to return to Enter-6 in search of a missing passport (not my fault), but luckily, all's well that ends well. Next, we headed back to Jaedong Sundubu in Anguk, where we left our umbrellas from the day before (okay this one's on me). There's a recurring theme to our travels...

Upon our return to Anguk, the quiet streets from the day before had transformed into a busy district for the weekend. A handicraft market had sprung up, and talented bustlers fill the air with music. We even spotted a magician performing excellent sleight of hand along one of the streets and drawing a sizable crowd. At 2pm and still not having had lunch, I dragged everybody away churlishly.

A popular restaurant in Anguk is Mukshidonna Tteokbokki. It's a half an hour wait even at 2pm, but Miss XS and I spotted a nearby garden littered with large pine cones on our way back from Jaedong Sundubu, and while away the time by picking up those gorgeous pine cones.

The army stew only got better the longer we let the ingredients sit in. If Shin Ramen could taste like this, I suspect that the ramen brand would be even more popular. It wasn't nearly as spicy as I feared it would be, and I satisfied all tteokbokki-related cravings in this time. No wonder people queue for a long time just to eat here.

It's almost evening-time by the time we finished lunch, and nighttime when we reached Gangnam District. It was a spur-of-the-moment decision, but this proves that spontaneous decisions can be immensely rewarding. We cafe-hopped around Gangnam, and two outstanding stops are worth a return trip to. B Patisserie, a little spoke-about bakery online, sells one of the best croissants that I'd had. It was so good that after a few bites, we might have had a 5-minute debate on the streets of Gangnam whether we should walk back to buy more.

I've heard it told that croissants should only be bought in the morning, when it's the freshest, and never late at night before the bakery shuts. But here, the Banana and Nutella croissant was perfect despite how late it was at night. It's not the traditional flaky croissant we know and love; the ones here had a crunchy exterior, almost like biscuit-like, and was one of the best thing I've had in Korea. It's operated by Belinda Leong, a pastry chef in San Francisco and winner of the James Beard Award for Outstanding Baker (another Kind of a Big Deal). They're so good, it's worth a special visit to Gangnam just for the croissants.

The other shop is Remicone, a soft-serve place reminiscence of Aqua S in Melbourne. Each dessert looks like they're created with Instagram in mind, but the quality was top-notch. The milkiness of their soft serve ice cream Dolphin Bomb (Summer Special Menu) was outstanding, and paired with the lemon-flavored cotton candy and mixed in with popping candy, it was utterly delicious.

Gangnam District
Sinsa MRT

If I had one regret in Seoul, it's that we should have spent more time walking in Gangnam and exploring the shops, instead of heading to Dongdaemun Night Market. It's a tourist trap selling poorly-made knock-offs at an expensive price. Anyone brought up in an Asian country and has been to a pasar malam would never have been impressed. One silver lining of the trip is the literal silver outline of this iconic building:

Shake Shack Burger gave us a chance to cool our heels, and to have a heavy dinner and some free Halloween lollies. One last night's sleep in Seoul, and then, back to reality (sigh).

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It's not easy to plan your own itinerary overseas, but chalk Korea up as another travel location that you shouldn't join a tour for! My last trip to Korea involving a tour bus ended up traveling long hours just to see different memorabilia of Korean shows, for which (other than the squealing Koreanboos), absolutely no one else gave a sh*t about. It certainly wasn't possible to wander the streets and chancing upon small artisan bakeries, or shopping to our hearts' content along Myeongdong, or going for late night fried chicken runs at BHC. And we definitely weren't eating great food on a tour.

Naver Maps was essential to our travels, and we didn't have the same success with other map services like Google or Kakao. Navigating Seoul without knowing Korean isn't as difficult as I thought it would be. Most locals in Seoul understand limited English or Chinese. At tourist locations like Myeongdong, Chinese and English speaking tourist assistants can be seen in brightly coloured vests giving directions, and most stores also have Chinese-speaking staff. Wifi is freely available at most tourist attractions and restaurants, and we find that people generally are helpful when approached.

Now that I'm back home and unpacking all the products I've bought (my snacks collection from our midnight run to Lotte Mart, my skincare products from all our time shopping, and my impromptu premium soju collection), and wistfully thinking about my lovely week in Seoul, and counting down the time until I can visit again.

19 November 2018

Solely Seoul: A 7-Day Vacation to Korea is Seoul Fun! Part 2

Travel November 19, 2018 0

Our breakfast hunt the next day brought us to Kalguksu Noodles & Dumplings Shop. Their menu was limited to four specialties: Kalguksu (knife noodle soup), Bibimguksu (spicy noodles), Mandu (Korean dumplings), and Kongguksu (cold soybean soup). Each noodle bowl was hugeeee, and we love how silky the knife noodles are. The bibimguksu, on the other hand, really lived up to the name. It was cold, and perhaps the spiciest dish we had in Korea. We could polish off the kimchi at every meal, but try as we might, the four of us couldn't tackle this one bowl of spicy noodles.

Kalguksu Noodles & Dumplings Shop
Main: 29 Myeongdong 10-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul (Myeong-dong 2-ga)
Branch: 33-4 2-ga, Myeong-dong Jung-gu, Seoul

Bib Gourmand, 2018

The upside of traveling to Seoul in October is the season: autumn is chilly enough to make walking around - no matter the distance - a comfortable journey, and the warm autumn colors are gorgeous in Seoul.

Myeongdong's Cathedral is the first parish church in Korea, and a designated historic site..It's also one of the first churches built in the Gothic style in Korea. Photogenically perched atop a hill, even the overcast sky couldn't dull the warm hues of shrubbery colours.

Tucked at the bottom of the cathedral is the exceptional Coffee Libre, which serves coffee as good as any I've had in Melbourne. Squared away within the cathedral itself, it's a small cozy joint with a quiet relaxing atmosphere. We watched the model-esque baristas pulled three perfect cups of lattes. After one taste, we couldn't resist buying a bag of their roasted beans.

Coffee Libre

74 Myeongdong-gil, Myeongdong 2(i)-ga, Jung-gu, Seoul

Just a few train stops away from Coffee Libre is Ewha Womans University, the largest female-only institution in the world, and one of the most prestigious university in Korea. Cherry blossoms bloom in spring; and, in autumn, the canopy turns into warm shades of yellow and orange. Students and tourists alike mill around in the setting sun (a day is so short in October!), and watching the sunset over the steps of the university was a sight to see.

An ecosystem of clothing stores and cafes lines the streets surrounding the university. Hidden in an alcove is Greek Day, selling Greek yogurt drizzled with honey and topped with granola and fruits. Despite how hidden the store was, they enjoy a steady stream of locals hopping in and out of the store. You know it's a local favourite when the store assistants can't speak English, and we had to point and grunt to get what we wanted.

Isaac toast is also just around a street corner. It's white bread liberally spread with butter, then pan-fried to a crisp and smeared with generous amounts of sauces and meat. We split one. It's nice in small quantities, but the thought of eating one by myself makes me a little queasy.

Because everyone could use more fried chicken in their lives, we wrapped up our purchases at Ewha and hunted down BHC Fried Chicken... which finally turned out to be located just a short walk down from O'sulloc Tea House in Myeongdong. There's a few fried chicken chains side-by-side, but BHC enjoys the longest queue in the area. We liked it so much, we went twice. Their soy chicken and sprinkle chicken is delicious, and the best part of the meal is the low low price of beer. A tower of 2.7L beer goes only for 18000 won!

It's too early to turn in for the night, and we headed for Lotte Mart after. It's the regional hyper-mart, and well-stocked with what appears to be the entire spectrum of Korean snacks. Night-time shopping fills me with an inexplicable joy, and coming to Lotte Mart is no different. Coming here at 10pm, we met fellow like-minded people (turns out that there were a ton of us!), all out in the wee-hours to do some shopping. Lotte Mart is a lot like Costco, where everything is sold in jumbo-sizes. Before coming here, we sampled snacks from 7-11 and other stores, because who wants to end up with a bunch of duds? Most of the Korean snacks mentioned online do have some sort of an acquired taste, and can be a bit of a hit-and-miss. One thing which we loved was the Korean grapes; the skin can be bitter, but the flesh was sweet as candy. We couldn't resist buying an entire crate's worth.

Korea's efforts at cutting down plastic consumption is remarkable - instead of plastic bags, everybody heads over to the packing area, where they pack their stuff up in empty boxes empty cartons and packing material to organise their purchases. It's an elegant method of reducing both paper and plastic use.

Lotte Mart
Station: Seoul Station Exit 1 (Seoul Subway Line 1, 4)

By the time we left Lotte Mart, the trains had stopped running and we had to leg it to Numdaemun Market, boxes and all. It actually isn't a night market, unlike what this website is claiming (sad face). It's a regular market with regular opening hours, and most of the stores had closed by the time we reached. The trip wasn't entirely a waste of time, as we chanced upon Won Children's Wear, a building complex specialising in children's clothing and accessories, similar to Guangzhou's style of shopping. And get this, it's open all night too! We managed to squeeze in another couple of hours' worth of shopping before calling it quits (those heavy boxes were starting to get to us...), and walked back to the hotel.

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Hongdae is an area known for shopping as well as its flourishing arts scene, a reputation cemented by Hongdik University's renowned arts programmes. Se7en's famous Andong Chicken has moved location (to who knows where, the change in location wasn't reflected in their website or on Google), so we went to Yoogane instead. It serves stir-fry meat and vegetables, with gorgeous amounts of melted cheese mixed in. It's an easy concept, and delicious in its simplicity. It's a hearty meal all round, and we enjoyed both their spicy and non-spicy versions.

Dessert was at Tarr Tarr, an established tart cafe. We like the ambiance, it's classy and peaceful (one woman on the adjourning table brought out a book to read!), but despite their picture-perfect presentation, we didn't enjoy the tarts too much. One tart was clearly much fresher than the other, and the stale one was the one we tried first, which kind of killed our enthusiasm for the desserts. Their rigid service wasn't endearing either: we ordered two tarts, so we can only have two forks. Full stop.

We had much more success with Felt Coffee. It's located away from the city bustle in one of the quieter areas of Hongdae. To get here, we had to walk about half an hour to the residential area where all the locals are. The cafe is so minimally decorated, there isn't even a signboard nor a name on the outside. The store front is a pure unadorned white, with unfinished white walls and and polished wooden table tops on the inside. Antique vinyl records and speakers sit between benches, playing soft Korean ballads. Still, the store's coffee prowess is easily seen: the store still enjoys a steady stream of locals popping by for a cuppa at regular intervals even up to closing.

Piggy Bank Stone Grill Korean BBQ was our dinner place of choice - it was too early for dinner, and we too stuffed, but we somehow managed to wolf down several of their meat dishes.

Each table's a little on the small side, but somehow, we managed to juggle our individual rice bowl, bowls of soup and side dishes, the meat cooking on the giant grill and the raw meat on the side. Unlike regular-o Korean BBQ, the BBQ here uses heated stones to cook the meats.

We topped off our sojourn to Hongdae with Injeolmi Ice Cream at Sobok Cafe. Now that is a dessert worth writing about. This ice cream dessert is both picturesque and delicious, even on such a cold night. I was wild for the rice ball flavored ice cream, which was so delightful, we bought extra of those icy, chewy injeolmi dessert balls that go alongside the ice cream.

We tried our darnest to fit more food in one day. We really did! We couldn't pass by the opportunity for Kyochon Fried Chicken, and we simply had to order some. We have heard it told that it was the best fried chicken in Korea, but ... I guess the chef was having an off-day when we went. We definitely preferred BHC more (and truthfully, almost every other Korean fried chicken restaurant in Singapore or Melbourne would beat the chicken we had here hands-down.)

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Migabon 味加本 (미가본) in Myeongdong serves simple bowls of porridge, and perfect for breakfast in the colder seasons. Surprisingly, it's located just above Sinseon Seolnongtang, the oxtail soup place. Whichever time you go, there's invariably a big line stretching from the store entrance. (Well, actually two, one for each restaurant.)

It's hearty and filling, but don't expect the porridge to be spectacular. At $10+ a pop, it isn't particularly cheap breakfast option, but they're certainly generous with the portions and sides.

One thing you don't want to do after a substantial breakfast is clothes fitting, but when putting on loose hanboks, we don't feel at all bad about indulging over the last few days! Gyeongbokgung is toted as the largest and the most spectacular of the five palaces in Korea. If you're wearing a hanbok, (and most people do!), you get free entry into any of the palaces.

There's a few good shots to be taken within the palace grounds, but the inner chambers of the palaces are strictly off-limits, and when compared with the royal structures in other countries, can seem a little more austere. But in autumn, the seasonal colors add warmth to the palace gardens, and the red leaves were particularly entrancing in the backdrop.

Gyeongbokgung 161, Sajik-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul

A late Ginseng chicken lunch at the charming Tosokchon Samgyetang (토속촌 삼계탕) brought a little bit of pep back into our steps. Each person gets one whole chicken stewed in ginseng soup, to which you can add more ginseng roots and liquor to booster the flavor. Pull the tender chicken apart to reveal the glutinous rice and dates packed tightly within the chicken.

We had time to spare between our activities, and we headed over to Enter6 Park Avenue for their Marvel Collection Store, which unfortunately had relocated. Pinocchio, the 2014 Korean drama featuring Park Shin Hye, was shot here, but it's not really a tourist attraction, just a regular mall that caters to the locals. Checking out local supermarkets is one of my favourite things to do when traveling overseas, and we did spent a joyful hour at E-Mart going shopping for local products.

Enter6 Park Avenue 241 wangsimni-ro, seongdong-gu seoul
Wangsimni Station

N Seoul is an observatory tower perched in the highlands of Seoul. The actual tower itself was a snooze; the event was billed as a great way to see the nighttime landscape of Seoul, but the interior of the tower was lit up so well from all the stores selling candy or tourist momentos, it's hard to get a good picture of the landscape. It's a 20-minute wait to get to the lift each way, and pretty much a tourist trap.

We enjoyed walking the area around the tower, and the free parts was much more enjoyable than the Tower. We prebooked tickets online to a tune of $6+ per person, whereas buying on the spot is $10. Man, I'll be pissed if I had to spend $10 . Next time I'll rather save the money, and walk around N Seoul Tower instead.

After our unfruitful trip to N Seoul Tower, we went to BHC [HYPERLINK] for a much-needed pick-me-up. We put away a tower of Cass beer and a plate of fried chicken, and honestly, it was the best part of the night.