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

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.