Can you guess where we are heading?
We'll be back shortly! :)
10/23/2012
10/22/2012
Hongdae cafe hunting
Hongdae is a charm on its own. Strolling out for cafes is one of the joys of Hongdae. A recent increase in foot traffic around this area has made it less "relaxing" in some sense. An increase in cars going through the streets has made it less "pedestrian" friendly too. It was perfect when it was.
These are photos from 2010.
Hongdae was a hidden treasure then. It's now so "hidden" nowadays~^^
These are photos from 2010.
Hongdae was a hidden treasure then. It's now so "hidden" nowadays~^^
10/19/2012
Breakfast - Bali, Indonesia
I love breakfast - the most important meal of the day! I am a believer in eating a hearty breakfast (only when my stomach tells me so). This spread jump started our day.
Migo - bakery @ Shinsegae department store
Shinsegae department store (kangnam branch) has great selections for pastry, bread, cakes, and sweets. They have the sweetest selection for desserts. Migo is one of the bakeries there. They have a decent selection of small individual cakes great for dessert on the spot (take it to another coffee place around the area if u want coffee with it, no problem!) or to take home with you. They put it away nicely for you in a cute to go box since you can't really eat it there anyway. There are many other sweet shops on the lower floor as well where the food court is located.
Tiramisu cake from Migo |
BETWEEN - Cafe by day, posh bar at night
BETWEEN is a restaurant/cafe/bar located in Itaewon.
I posted earlier about the sweet side of this restaurant, but at night, it turns to a bar/hangout place where well dressed Koreans and foreigners grab a drink or two.
Itaewon is usually is known for its bars/night scene, but I prefer their "day scene" where you will see smaller cute cafes, bakeries and eateries.
Itaewon has both :)
I posted earlier about the sweet side of this restaurant, but at night, it turns to a bar/hangout place where well dressed Koreans and foreigners grab a drink or two.
Itaewon is usually is known for its bars/night scene, but I prefer their "day scene" where you will see smaller cute cafes, bakeries and eateries.
Itaewon has both :)
Gwanghwamoon closed street & performance
Closing of the streets across Kyungpool Palace in Gwanghwamoon (Jongno) area was very intriguing! We weren't the only ones that were excited about such scene, but many gathered to take photos on the closed street.
Later ,we find out that it was for some festival that was being held by the city. There was a weird performance I talked about earlier of blue faced men and weird music. We stuck in for a while until the performers started putting a show that I didn't quite get... I didn't want to get spit with blue colored water, so we got out fast before they could even try.
You never know what you will come across in Seoul!
Later ,we find out that it was for some festival that was being held by the city. There was a weird performance I talked about earlier of blue faced men and weird music. We stuck in for a while until the performers started putting a show that I didn't quite get... I didn't want to get spit with blue colored water, so we got out fast before they could even try.
You never know what you will come across in Seoul!
Kraze Burger - just okay burgers
10/18/2012
Berry ice cream & waffles - Moss Cafe
Waffles with ice cream is one of my favorite cafe eats! You can definitely make a lot of sense of the cafe as a whole in this one dish. Any cafe that boasts this plate should be able to "wow" it.
10/17/2012
Airport Subway - which one to take?
An empty airport subway is a rare sight nowadays. Just a year ago, it was pretty empty. That's all changed now. The last time I rode it, people were actually standing!
It's great that there are newly added stops to Hongdae and our town, Gongdeok.
The airport subway is pretty convenient, but takes a bit long. Be prepared to bring something to entertain yourself with.
It's great that there are newly added stops to Hongdae and our town, Gongdeok.
The airport subway is pretty convenient, but takes a bit long. Be prepared to bring something to entertain yourself with.
The pros of riding the subway over an "airport bus" is that it's much
cheaper. Less than 4000won one way. But again, it takes a bit longer than
the direct bus. The direct buses to the airport takes around 50 minutes(more or less), but
this depends on the driver and where you are.
Either way, getting around to and from the airport is not so bad and you have many options.. direct bus, regular subway(airport subway), or the faster train (which is not really that much faster..shhhhh don't tell them I told you that..). And of course, there's taxi - which is not an option unless you have money to spend. It takes 60,000won and up from Gongdeok. Don't take one unless you're a group of 4 or more and have many many bags ;)
They have been advertising the "faster airport train" heavily (that runs to and from Seoul station) - but it's only 15 minutes or so faster and runs at odd times(every 30 minutes?) - so I never caught it. I think it's a waste of money on their part - I would only take one if it was 30 minutes faster. It's too bad that's not working well. They have slashed the price pretty low now.
If you have some time to spare and don't have many bags to lug around, I would recommend the regular airport subway.
Paris Baguette's bingsu
A "lighter" version of a bingsu from Paris Baguette.
Most bingu and the more famous ones are "fancy" and "heavier" with many toppings on top, this one is simpler with frozen blue berries and giant seedless grapes as the main toppings.
Just a few years ago, many bakeries like Paris Baguette have been turning their "bakery" into "cafes" with tables and seats and of course drinks!
Their coffee drinks are pretty decent and it really depends on who makes it/what store you go to. Some will have great coffee and some will taste like water. I've had both from PB before. Same goes with their baked goods. Some store will have the best stuff while some will taste like they've been sitting there for a few days..
So if you happen to have a bad experience with them, don't be discouraged~^^ not are all the same.
Most bingu and the more famous ones are "fancy" and "heavier" with many toppings on top, this one is simpler with frozen blue berries and giant seedless grapes as the main toppings.
Just a few years ago, many bakeries like Paris Baguette have been turning their "bakery" into "cafes" with tables and seats and of course drinks!
Their coffee drinks are pretty decent and it really depends on who makes it/what store you go to. Some will have great coffee and some will taste like water. I've had both from PB before. Same goes with their baked goods. Some store will have the best stuff while some will taste like they've been sitting there for a few days..
So if you happen to have a bad experience with them, don't be discouraged~^^ not are all the same.
Cafe D-55 - with the cat boss
Behold another "cat boss" of a cafe. All the photos are of the cat. I apologize. As you couldn't tell already, we adore anything with cats..and when there's a "real cat" + cafe = we go gaga (not lady gaga!).
I'm not even going to bother about the drinks or food here. Since that was the last priority we had. Our eyes were on the cat. Period. This kitten (less than a year old?) baby was a curious one. It strolled around the cafe like it was its own.
hey there baby cat |
chasing a "bug" on the window |
Seoul subway - Gwanghwamoon
Here are some photos of Gwanghwamoon station.
A lot of signs are in English and Chinese.
Name of the station/#/in Chinese & English |
Cafe in Shanghai - Element Fresh
Grabbing an early lunch at a cafe called, Element Fresh, in Shanghai. I really enjoyed the coffee and the sandwiches/salad were really tasty and indeed fresh! :)
I had a few days to myself while hubby was in his meetings and I got to really soak in all the city. I never once felt out of place and loved the food! I couldn't get enough of the "jelly dessert" yummies that I fell in love with.. will have to post more soon~
I had a few days to myself while hubby was in his meetings and I got to really soak in all the city. I never once felt out of place and loved the food! I couldn't get enough of the "jelly dessert" yummies that I fell in love with.. will have to post more soon~
Gwanghwamoon at night
Walking to gwanhwamoon station coming from samcheongdong.
You'll be surprised how all the areas are actually quite close to each other. Insadong, Gwanghwamoon and Samcheongdong are only blocks away from each other. And very walkable. Enjoyable too, even more so when the weather is perfect.
You'll be surprised how all the areas are actually quite close to each other. Insadong, Gwanghwamoon and Samcheongdong are only blocks away from each other. And very walkable. Enjoyable too, even more so when the weather is perfect.
vanilla ice cream - Mobsie
Mobsie Cafe - favorite thus far... except.. except...
that scoop of vanilla ice cream was a big disappointment.
You can't dare mix good chocolate with a meh ice cream... :(
It tasted too icy and not vanilla enough.
Something creamier would have better suited the hot chocolate.
Until next time~
Blue faced performers - Gwanghwamoon
It was a very interesting night. Hubby and I decided to meet up in Gwanghwamoon for dinner and we stumble upon this.
A bunch of blue faced performers on the middle of the closed street in Gwanghwamoon. Drinking blue colored water and spitting it on the crowd. Live band and weird music. Strange. Very strange. Maybe I've been reading too much on the "zombie attacks" at home.
We parted away from the crowd. The performance was...Uncomfortable?! Anyways, at least we got to have dinner and got home safely without any zombie scare :P
A bunch of blue faced performers on the middle of the closed street in Gwanghwamoon. Drinking blue colored water and spitting it on the crowd. Live band and weird music. Strange. Very strange. Maybe I've been reading too much on the "zombie attacks" at home.
We parted away from the crowd. The performance was...Uncomfortable?! Anyways, at least we got to have dinner and got home safely without any zombie scare :P
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