Esthee H.

Bukchon Hanok Village is the closest you can get to experiencing traditional Korean culture in Seoul. The traditional houses date back to the Joseon Dynasty.

Tucked away in a small district in central Seoul, Bukchon Hanok Village is surrounded by Gyeongbokgung Palace, Changdeokgung Palace and the Jongmyo Shrine.

The traditional houses in Bukchon Hanok Village today are preserved but the area also been transformed into a tourist attraction, with the houses used as cultural centers, guesthouses, restaurants and tea houses.

Even so, Bukchon Hanok Village still remains as a residential neighborhood for a handful of locals up till today. As you walk along the houses, you'll see signs reminding visitors to keep their voice level low so as to not disturb the environment for the residents.

In the day, the place may be a little packed with tourists getting excited at finding a suitable background for a perfect #wefie. You'll find volunteers (English and Mandarin speaking ones, maybe Japanese too) who are mainly young Korean students at various parts of the village. They're very warm and helpful, most willing to provide information for visitors if necessary. I personally think it's great that such help is so readily available, but it also does kill the atmosphere a little. I'd like to feel my explorer spirit braving through a strange foreign land, but who am I kidding. HAHA.

Okay with that said, we're still tourists so we totally deserve to take stupid #wefie anyways.
And sorry, no I'm not gonna spare you the agony of our wefies. I paid a sum for my air tickets!











But towards the evening, as it gets darker and quieter, the place becomes a rather nice dating spot for couples.

Couples weren't obsessed with taking photos, of course. But us being tourists in Korea, as well as a dating couple, we lingered around the village a bit longer than we intended to, taking slow walks down the streets holding hands and talking about life. I was so glad we hung around the area even as the sun went down, because the village was simply beautiful in the evening.

Address:

삼겹살 literally means 3 layers of meat (usually thick and fatty), so it usually is pork belly. However, sometimes pork ribs or beef are served as part of the menu too.

The meat is usually neither marinated nor seasoned, and cooked on a grill right in front of you.

The most common accompaniments for 삼겹살 are lettuce and sliced raw garlic, sliced green chili peppers, shredded green onions, sliced raw onions, and Kimchi, of course. Most people will grill the garlic, onions and Kimchi together with the meat. When the meat is done, dip the cooked meat in Korean chili paste, and wrap it with the accompaniments in lettuce and put the entire thing in your mouth. That's how the locals do it, and definitely the best way to enjoy 삼겹살 too!


Here's what regular 삼겹살 looks like.




팔색삼겹살 which literally means 8 different flavors of marinated meat, is however, the real deal when it comes to grilled meat!

Check out their menu here.




From left to right, starting from the top row:

1). Ginseng Sauce
2). Wine Sauce
3). Pine needles Sauce
4). Garlic Sauce
5). Herb Sauce
6). Curry Sauce
7). Soy Bean Paste Sauce
8). Hot Pepper Sauce
9). Regular Pork Belly

A single portion of the meat is priced at 10, 000 KRW (~10 USD).

That works well if you're in a small group and can't eat too much but I'd really suggest you get the set meal at 30, 000 KRW which has all 8 types of meat in it.



Or you can go for the more expensive set at 43, 000 KRW which includes seafood/chili pepper paste soup.

This was served before the meat so I guess it's like an appetizer sort of dish. We finished it all, though we're both not huge fans of spicy soup.



Here's the highlight!

Dug into the food even before I managed to snap a picture of it. Who could resist fatty meat sizzling hot on the pan?

While everyone is clubbing outside, we searched so hard for this place. #삼겹살 #koreanfood #korea #seoul #hongdae

A video posted by Esthee (@estheehan) on Oct 3, 2014 at 8:37am PDT

Oh yeah, 팔색삼겹살 is located in the Hongdae district which is famous for it's nightlife, so it's a perfect place for supper after hitting the club!

We didn't though. Went straight for the food.
#gettingold #boringmuch

Today's a chilly day, feels like it's about to rain through the night. It's just the sort of weather that makes me crave for a bowl of soup with noodles. On days like this, it's got to be oriental style soup with flour noodles to do the trick.

My earlier post on Monster Cupcakes in Seoul has sorta got me into a my post-Korea trip mood so I guess I'll be sharing more about what's worthy of checking out in Seoul. :)

So how does a bowl of hot, soupy wheat-flour noodles sound to you right now?

Picture taken from http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/

Presenting to you, 명동교자 (MyeongDong Gyoja)!

What is 칼국수 (Kalguksu)?

Kalguksu (literally "knife noodles") is a Korean noodle dish consisting of handmade, knife-cut wheat flour noodles served in a large bowl with broth and other ingredients.

It is traditionally considered a seasonal food, consumed most often in summer. Its name comes from the fact that the noodles are not extruded or spun, but cut.



Side note: I've never truly understood the logic behind having hot soupy dishes in summer and ice-cream in winter. Can someone enlighten me?

Where to find the best 칼국수 (Kalguksu) in Seoul?

You don't have to go to great lengths for this legendary restaurant. It's located in the heart of Seoul, in the midst of the popular shopping district, Myeongdong!

Address:

29, Myeongdong 10-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul (Myeong-dong 2-ga)

서울특별시 중구 명동10길 29 (명동2가)

Directions:

Main Branch

Myeongdong Station (Seoul Subway Line 4), Exit 8.
Upon exiting the station, turn left onto Myeongdong 10-gil Road.
Go straight about 150m to arrive at Myeongdong Kyoja (명동교자) on the right.

Myeongdong Kyoja Branch No. 1
From Myeongdong Station (Exit 8), turn left onto Myeongdong 10-gil Road.
Go straight about 280m to arrive at the restaurant on the left.



The signboard is in Korean so if you can't read Korean, this is how it looks like.

Picture taken from http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/

Since you'd most probably be visiting Myeongdong if you're in Seoul, I'd say give Myeongdong Gyoja a try. It's worth a shot. Extremely filling and will definitely energize you after a long day of shopping. In fact, the portion is so huge that despite sharing a bowl between two people, we were still quite stuffed!


Only for 8,000 KRW! Isn't that such a steal?

And noodles can be refilled though I really didn't see anyone asking for more.


Other things on the menu include:

Bibim Guksu (noodles with red hot pepper paste)
Mandu (steamed pork dumplings)
Kong Guksu (noodles in cold soy milk broth)


Didn't try the other things on the menu because I was so full from the Kalguksu!

Myeongdong Gyoja, highly recommended!

Someone's brought the cafe hunting craze all the way to Seoul.

Weird how I've never really been into cafes in Singapore but searched so hard for one in Seoul.

But honestly, you've got to give Monster Cupcakes a try. It's really one of a kind, not your typical pretty, quaint little cafe which has perfect lighting for #selca and serves just about average coffee.

Monster Cupcakes, as the name suggests, is a horror-themed cafe that sells cupcakes and coffee of premium coffee beans.

I found out about this place as it was Simon's birthday while we in Seoul and I wanted to celebrate it at some place interesting where we could sit down, relax, and have a bite without it being packed with people. I googled "interesting cafes in Seoul" and chanced upon this. I know bringing a grown man to a cafe to celebrate his birthday is a tad gay, but a horror-themed one?! He's got to love it! (Or at least I did.)

By the way, here are a couple of websites recommending cafes that are worthy of visiting. I thought they did a pretty neat compilation. Thumbs-up for these guys!

http://seoulistic.com/what-to-do-in-korea/15-unique-and-interesting-theme-cafes-in-korea-2/
http://www.myseoulsearching.com/2014/01/seoul-south-korea-best-themed-cafes.html

Side note: I personally didn't think much of Thanks Nature Cafe, one that prides itself on two rather skinny looking sheep. Service there was bleh and I left even before ordering anything.


Anyway, about Monster Cupcakes, I just thought I'd highlight their opening hours.

It says on their facebook page that they're open Mon - Sun, 9 am to 11 pm.

I don't know if this isn't accurate or it's been recently updated but Monster Cupcakes was NOT OPENED on a Tuesday. (I know this because we actually made a wasted trip that Tuesday.)

Picture taken in Oct 2014, it states that they are closed on Tuesdays. (pretty sure is still the case, check out their Korean website here)

Opening hours are 12pm - 10pm.




Address:

용산구 이태원동 305-7, Seoul, Korea 140-861

(Yeongsam-gu Itaewon Dong 305-7, Seoul, Korea 140-861)
Tel No:

02-790-1108