Braved The Cold and Celebrated Christmas

For Christmas I braved the freezing temperatures and ventured into the Jongno area for some Middle-Eastern food and cupcakes. I met a like minded friend who wanted to enjoy this holiday season and we had a jolly good time.

We picked up cupcakes from Goodovening near Euljiro-1 station.

In fact I based my Christmas-fun location on the proximity of an Indian or Middle Eastern restaurant to a cupcake shop (that would be open). My favorite cupcake shop is really in Itaewon but they were closed this season, so I went with Goodovening. Their cupcakes are pretty good, except the cake is really dense.

Our dining experience was at Saffron in the area where Myeongdong starts (at the Ibis hotel).

From reviews I read online, people said this place was authentic and that the prices were decent. When we stepped inside we were seated at a table near the window, where we had a view of decorated trees. It was quite lovely and cozy.

Once opening the menu we realized the prices were certainly in the "special occasion" arena. Main dishes were around 20,000 won. Since my friend is vegetarian we ate mostly off the appetizer menu, getting the hummus mixed plate and falafels. I also ordered a vegetable curry and some naan and pita bread.

The taste was very good and quite satisfying. There were generous amounts of hummus and dippings on the plate to fill us both. Afterward we enjoyed the cupcakes, one a caramel concoction and the other a "bird's nest" of roasted coconut on top. I particularly liked the coconut one more!

We enjoyed a good amount of time sitting in the restaurant and catching up over old times and also talking about the future. It came time to move on home before things got too cold. On our way we enjoyed a Christmas tree in the lobby.

Yet what we enjoyed most wasn't getting our picture taken in front of it, but watching a couple spend a glorious amount of time photographing each other and posing in funny ways. Indeed, Christmas is a couple holiday in Korea, which is hard to explain to other people not familiar with it. So everywhere you looked there were couples acting all cute together. I'm over being single and wasn't really bothered by the site of it all. Christmas is still a special time of the year for me, no matter the status of my love life!

Well hope your holidays are shaping up nicely and so Happy New Year!

On this coldest day in December...

From what my friend tells me this is the coldest day in December that Korea has seen in 27 years. That not only made my eyebrows raise but at the same time give me chills. Temperatures in the teens usually doesn't come around till January. But it looks like things will "warm" up next week, a bit.

To beat the cold my friend and I enjoyed watching a movie and TV in the comfort of my warm home. For dinner we had homemade bulgolgi and japchae, with lettuce for wraps. It was a warming meal and also quite wholesome.

Dipping the bok choy and other greens in to the gochujjang, turned out to be quite tasty. Fresh and live vegetables are probably what the body needs to keep healthy this frozen season.

Anyway, hope everyone is staying warm this winter and finding fun ways to enjoy it despite the low temps.

Lentil Soup Dinner

Throw some of this stuff together, and chop up some vegetables....

Simmer it all in a large pot and combine with some liquids...

Presto! You get a delicious and warming soup for the winter. 

Pancake Thanksgiving

I didn't really feel like spending the cash having a real Thanksgiving this season as I'll be back home and can eat whatever I want pretty soon. So instead I made blueberry pancakes with a friend, who had never made pancakes before. It was a good time! I found that box of Bisquick the local Lotte Mart supermarket for 9,900 Won and couldn't resist bringing it home. Maybe next up ...biscuits!

They turned out as scrumptious as they look!

An Afternoon in Hapjeong

I had a wonderful and pleasant time in the Hapjeong area of Mapo-gu yesterday. This is the side of Hongdae that is further away from the University, bars and clubs. I think I have been here before, but never really explored it as much as I did this time. I had a great time seeing the cute cafes and the contemporary feel of it all.

First off I was hungry for some lunch and after browsing my options decided on FranKY's located along the main inner road from exit 4. My order was the pastrami sandwich that was to be "frank" the most amazing sandwich I have ever had in Korea!

Why was this a fantastic sandwich? For one all the ingredients were fresh and super tasty. The pastrami wasn't piled on high, which would make the sandwich hard to eat. Also it had a great dark peppery taste to it and was just salty enough. Fresh and crisp cheese along with sauteed onions and a homemade relish made this even more divine. The side of fresh lettuce with a balsamic vinaigrette was also fresh and light. Altogether this was definitely worth the 12,000 Won I shelled out for it, and now I am enticed by the other items on their menu including fresh burgers and an avocado chicken sandwich.

In addition to the great food the atmosphere at FranKY's was also very pleasant. Jazz was playing over head which was a thankful contrast to the usual K-pop heard throughout Korean restaurants. It helped that it was a warm Fall afternoon with cool breezes blowing by, making the dining area feel light and airy. In essence, if you are traveling to the Hapjeong area I would highly recommend a stop by at FranKY's.

Not really sure where to go I meandered around this main street before heading off down smaller alleyways. Here I enjoyed finding a cupcake shop. However, as cute as these cakes looked I think they weren't as fresh as I would want them to be.

As you all know by now the Cafe craze has picked up in Korea, with not just the big chains dominating street corners but small-business types that decorate their shops with cuteness and uniqueness.

This next place was called, "Five tables" and I am going to guess that maybe they just have five tables.

Mostly I loved strolling along and seeing the odd displays out front or decorations around the cafes.

As I moved closer to where this area starts to melt with Hongdae I ran into a design gallery called, UngddungSang. It looked like something was going on as several guys with large cameras were waiting out front, so I took a peek inside.

There was a gallery space on the basement floor exhibiting a Hangeul text design show, which was fun to look at.

One creative design was using Hangeul in shoes, definitely a very whimsical feeling.

When I left the exhibit a few black cars rolled up and men with earpieces stood around it. Then a man and woman came out, were photographed and escorted into the building. I have no clue who these people were, but am guessing very high profile folks. Maybe a large donor to the exhibit or space...perhaps the owner? Ah I'll never know.

I'll finish this post with a restaurant discovery I made while heading back to the subway station. I have other photos and places to put up, which I'll do later. But for now I want to mention that I think Hawaiian food is becoming a new craze here. I found several Hawaiian themed restaurants as I wondered around, the following one took the cake.

Called, Bonjour Hawaii this place was mostly fascinating in its design. What captivated me was the sign on the top of the building that looked like it was ripped off from American diner and planted here. Everything about this place seemed like it was thoughtfully recreating a beach scene in Hawaii.

However if you read the signs carefully who can see the English mistakes, which place you in Korea. After checking out the pics on Foursquare I am definitely enticed to try some of their meals. If anyone wants to come along, hey let's go!

Actually I think the new trend for restaurant entrepreneurs here is to buy up a "Villa" style home, then redo it into a restaurant. That's what the original Vatos in Itaewon did, and I think it's something catching on elsewhere. For one this definitely gives the restaurant more space, more outdoor seating and also some charisma.

To end this post I'll put up the following picture of a building under construction with blue safety nets all around it. For some reason this shimmered in the afternoon light and was quite beautiful.

Map for a better understanding of this area...