Category

South Korea

Category

O’sulloc Roasted Tea Milk Spread is one of the newer products from South Korea. After O’sulloc’s success with the Green Tea Milk Spread, they created the Roasted Tea Milk Spread. Since I was curious, I got my mother in law to bring me back a few jars to try. It’s hard to find in North America unless it’s at specialty grocery stores. You can alternatively find them selling online for quite a mark up around $25.

You can eat the spread with bread, cookies, bagels, or milk. It would work well in baking too as it is sweeter. Imagine putting this on ice cream and waffles. It would be pretty darn great.

It has a good depth of tea flavour, which is very enjoyable, but there is a good amount of sugar inside, so it’s definitely not for anyone’s diet.

They come in 200g jars with the delicious Roasted Tea Milk Spread hidden inside.

Website:
http://www.osulloc.com/kr/en

Bu-Chun-Sung-outer

Bu Chun Sung Chinese Restaurant 부천성 is located in Pohang. We came here for lunch and what I always find interesting is that no matter where you find Chinese food in Korea, it’s never authentic. They always have their own version of Chinese food.

I actually don’t mind it. In my mind, I will always think its Korean food. Just wait till the Koreans discover dim sum, they will be mind blown.

Bu-Chun-Sung-inner

The inner decor was simple. Nothing fancy. There was a good amount of people here for lunch.

Bu-Chun-Sung-sides

Complimentary side dishes arrived – kimchi, pickled radish, onions and bean paste. You dip the onion into the bean paste and it magically counteracts the intensity of the onion. It’s weird, but it works.

Bu-Chun-Sung-prawns

Honey Almond Shrimp has deep-fried prawns smothered in a mayo mixture and topped with almond slices.

Bu-Chun-Sung-noodle

Noodles with Black bean Sauce (Jajangmyeon) was ordered by everyone. There is the noodle underneath and the black bean sauce on top.

Bu-Chun-Sung-rice

Fried Rice with Seafood comes with a bit of black bean sauce on the side and a light soup. This is an item I always order. Black bean sauce is really good and when you add it to the fried rice, it’s pretty damn good. Too bad I didn’t really like how they made the fried rice.

Bu-Chun-Sung-dessert

At the end of the meal, we got these sticky sweet potatoes as a complimentary dessert. We all thought this was pretty meh.

Bu-Chun-Sung-coffee

We also got coffee at the end of the meal. Wasn’t very good either.

Overall, the restaurant was decent, but we all agreed Taesan Chinese Restaurant is still better for Korean Chinese food.

We rate Bu Chun Sung Chinese Restaurant

Website:
http://xn--or3bo1es8m.kr/skin15/index.php

 Address:
656-13 I-dong, Nam-Gu, Pohang-si,
Gyeongsangbuk-do, South Korea

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gongcha-menu

In all the Lotte Department stores is Gong Cha or at least I keep seeing it in the Busan locations. I remember having Gong Cha in Hong Kong a few Summers ago and it has always stuck in my mind.

Gong Cha opened their first location in Taiwan during 2006 and soon after opened locations in Hong Kong, Singapore, Macau, China, Malaysia, and Philippines. There are a lot of locations all over Asia and attracts locals and tourists. They are best known for their signature milk tea with a dollop of cream on top.

gongcha-tea

House Special Green Tea (large – 3,900 won) is one of the most popular flavours. It has the base of the brewed green tea and it is topped with their signature creamy foam. The foam tasted like salty cream.

Overall, it was a nice refreshing drink. I’ve never really been a fan of the cream, but I do the link the tea underneath it.

We rate Gong Cha

Location:
Bujeondong, Busanjingu
(Seomyon subway station)

Website:
http://www.gong-cha.co.kr/

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cgv-ticket

Finding a movie theatre that showed ‘Frozen’ in English was quite tough in Korea. Some places had it dubbed over, but since I don’t understand Korean, we had to find a place that had the movie in English with some Korean subtitles.

CGV is Korea’s largest cinema chain and they also have some locations in China and North America. I’ve never been to a Korean movie theatre, so this was an adventure. You can pick your seats before you purchase! Kinda similar to Canada’s Cineplex VIP Theatre, but without the added cost.

You buy your ticket at the counter and then you can grab some snacks at the food counter.

cgv-cafe

As we were here about an hour before the movie started, we thought we would head into the CGV cafe to get some refreshments and have a seat. Korean’s love their coffees and cafe’s, so naturally, there is one inside the movie theatre.

cgv-order

You line up at the counter and they will take your order. The menu is in Korea, so if you can’t read, you can be like me and get someone else to order for you.

cgv-inner

There’s lots of seats to sit down and just chill before the movie doors open up.

cgv-latte

I ordered a latte and it comes from the machine. Nothing really special about it. There wasn’t a lot of strong coffee taste to it as they added in a lot of milk. M’s mom ordered a iced coffee but told them to take it back because it didn’t taste like coffee at all. It was mostly milk.

Korean’s have a passion for coffee, so I’m not sure why they are serving sub par coffee. Quality is probably lost cause it’s a chain.

cgv-popcorn

Popcorn could have been a bit fresher. A little tad stale.

cgv-posters

Noah and Captain America posters look quite similar.

I didn’t take a picture of inside the cinema because I had this weird feeling that someone would think I would be pirating the movie. The quality of the theatre was fine, but not as large as I would have imagined, but that’s probably because Pohang is a smaller city compared to Seoul (obviously).

The CGV Cafe sucked, but that’s what we get for going to a Cafe inside a movie theatre.

Nonetheless, we still enjoyed ourselves and was quite impressed with ‘Frozen’. Highly encourage you check it out.

Address:
235-4 Deoksan-dong (93 )
Buk-gu, Pohang-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do
South Korea

Website: http://cgv.co.kr/theater/theater/Default.aspx

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sweet-step-outer

When we were in Pohang, M’s mom showed us a cute coffee shop called Sweet Step. They serve up artisan coffee and bake their own pastries. Whats great about this place is that they even roast their own beans.

A lot of locals love this place because its different that all the other coffee chains out there.

sweet-step-inner

The inside is quite huge! There’s patio seating and 2 floors of seating too.

sweet-step-macarons

Lots of macarons.

sweet-step-doremon

Doremon bread!

sweet-step-drip

They have a siphon coffee maker on display. Looks pretty darn cool

sweet-step-pots

They also sell various coffee gadgets too.

sweet-step-counter

The counters menu has some english, so you will be able to make your order easily with no problems.

sweet-step-macaron

Coffee Macaron (2,000 won = $2CDN) was a cool treat to pair with coffee. I looked pretty.

sweet-step-huge

It was also humongous. I’ve never seen a macaron this big. Unfortunately, the macaroon was not very good. It was hard and chewy. A good macaron should have a smooth, crisp shell and a moist, chewy interior.

sweet-step-affogato

Affogato is what M ordered. It comes with a scoop of vanilla Haagan Daaz ice cream and a shot of espresso. You pour the espresso on top of the ice cream and its so delicious! A very Italian treat.

sweet-step-caramel-mchiato

Iced Caramel Macchiato is what Ms mom ordered. Looked very pretty and she said it tasted very good.

sweet-step-custom

Americano Misto is what I tried to order, but I don’t think they understood what I wanted. I think this drink got lost in translation. I think next time I will stick with a latte or cappuccino.

Overall, we did enjoy the cafe. It’s a perfect place to chill in the afternoon over some coffee and treats. Ambiance was perfect and there are tons of seats.

We Rate Sweet Step

Address:
남구 대이로143번길 21, Pohang 790-320

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/SweetStepCoffee

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Janny-Crepe-House-street

We spent the afternoon in Busan roaming the Gwangbokro Culture and Fashion street in Busan. We just finished lunch at some relatives house and wandered off here to do some shopping and looking for a sweet treat.

Janny-Crepe-House-outer

M’s mom wanted to show us some amazing organic milk soft serve Ice cream with honeycomb, so we wandered and wandered until we found a good place. We stumbled upon Janny Crepe House. At first glance, you won’t be able to notice as you just assume they only have  crepes.

Janny-Crepe-House-comb

As you look closer, you will see their display case filled with delicious honeycomb.

Janny-Crepe-House-making

It’s a small shop with a lot of people waiting, so there’s not a lot of seats available. Best to have it to go and wander the streets to do more shopping. This is also very random, but they sell dolls as well.

Janny-Crepe-House-honey

Organic milk soft serve Ice cream with honeycomb (4,500 won = $4.50) was just beautiful. You have the soft serve on the bottom and then it is topped with a piece of honeycomb.

Janny-Crepe-House-sweet

The way the honeycomb glistens beautifully. Everyone else loved the ice cream and honeycomb, but I personally felt it was a bit sweet. I just prefer less sweet treats. The texture of the honeycomb was crunchy kinda like a wafer. A cool treat to try out if you’re ever in South Korea.

It’s a unique treat and I’ve never seen this in Vancouver yet.

Korean-Air-plane

Up up away! Another visit to South Korea this month. This time we decided to take Korean Air because all other flights were sold out on such short notice. We booked it a day before we departed. From Vancouver to South Korea, it took about 11 hours to fly. I always dread these flight but I found that sleeping through everything except for meals makes the ride less long.

I usually get really annoyed after 4 hours because I am sitting in the same position. I need a lot of entertainment to keep me occupied.

Korean-Air-rows

The configuration of this plane was 3 – 3- 3 so, it’s a packed plane. I definitely like Air Canada a bit better because they have 2-3-2.

Korean-Air-depart

Take off was pretty smooth, but I found the in-flight entertainment console to be a bit dated. You have new movies and games, but I generally spend more time on my laptop. As they don’t have plugs, my computer died after a few hours.

Korean-Air-snack

An hour after the plane takes off, we are given a beverage and a pack of Honey Roasted Peanuts. I wasn’t a fan of the peanuts since they were encrusted in sugar. I like my peanuts with salt only…so I gave the rest to M to eat.

You can choose anything for your beverage. You can even get wine or beer, but I decided not to since I find drinking alcohol on the plane gives me a headache.

Korean-Air-bibimbap

Bibimbap is an iconic and popular Korean dish. Any time I ask people about Korean Air food, they rave about this dish.

It also come with pickles, fruit and seaweed soup.

Korean-Air-bap

You mix the rice, vegetables, gochujang (chili pepper sauce), and sesame oil. This is what you get! It’s definitely satisfying but still not as good as what you would get at a restaurant.

Korean-Air-beef

Another option is the beef dish with vegetables and potatoes. You also get fruit, a salad, and bread. It’s definitely not as exciting as bibimbap. If you have the choice, definitely go with the bibimbap.

Korean-Air-chicken

For our second dish, we got a choice between beef, chicken and fish. M and I both chose chicken. It has a celery salad, cheesecake and bread on the side. It was not that interesting. The cheesecake was warm and it ruined that whole experience. My salad was also a bit warm.

Throughout the flight, they go up and down the isles offering complimentary juice or alcohol. It’s a nice touch.

Korean-Air-arrive

As the plane made it’s final destination to Incheon Airport, I was happy I could enjoy some good Korean food. The only highlight of Korean Air’s food offerings is the bibimbap. 11 hours on the plane and my butt was already sore.

Websitekoreanair.com

When M and I arrived at Incheon Airport in South Korea to head back to Vancouver, we had a lot of time on our hands after we checked in and dropped out bags off. A few hours to be exact.

Incheon airport

There’s lots to do actually…or to be more specific, lots to buy and eat. Duty free shops filled with gifts, souvenirs, alcohol and other junk. Then there are the cool little cafes inside. The two specific ones that intrigued us was the Charlie Brown Cafe and Hello Kitty Cafe.

We already went to the Hello Kitty Cafe in HongDae and Charlie Brown Cafe in Hong Kong, but it’s always nice to stroll through. All the other cafes were quite normal like Starbucks. Why not spend some time at a café you can’t find at hone.

Charlie Brown Cafe

The first Charlie Brown café that we found was on the 3rd floor near Gate 12. It is open from 7am till 9:15pm. They have beverages, cakes, sandwiches and some toys.

You will want to get their cakes or drinks because you can’t find it anywhere else that looks like this.

Website: http://www.charliebrowncafe.net/

Hello Kitty Cafe

Hello Kitty Cafe is a cute place for a snack or just go there to take pictures on their chairs. They are open from 6:30am till 9:30pm. It’s on the 3rd floor near gate 24.

Hello Kitty Cafe Korea

Let again just like Charlie Brown Cafe, the drinks and cakes are good signature items to get.

Website: http://www.hellokittycafe.co.kr/

Charlie Brown Cafe

Their second location is 24 hours and is near Gate 113 and serves the same stuff as the other. This is on the other side of the airport after you take the little train to the other terminal.

Incheon airport

With the left over time, you can just sit and wait for the boarding call. The airport is quite nice.

Incheon airport

Once time is up, just hop on the flight back home. It’ll probably be a long flight, but as long as you have a book and headphones, you’re all set.

Website: http://www.airport.kr/

Every time, I have a flight out of Incheon, I have to stop by KFC for a quick snack. 2 years ago when I was here, I discovered that KFC is pretty awesome in Korea. As I was here again, might as well turn it into a tradition. I have my love of fast food and I never give up a chance chowing down on global fast food chains in many countries.

KFC Korea

There’s lots of seats and people tend to eat very quickly and move a long.

KFC Korea

Tower Burger (4,800 won) comes at a whopping 800 calories. This tower is made of fried breast fillet, hashbrowns, lettuce, and cheese. It’s quite large and you will get your fill of carbs.

KFC Korea

2 pieces of fried chicken (2,200 won) and you have the option to have it original or spicy. Of course I had it spicy since I was in Korea.

Just look at how crazy battered that is! It was very crispy on the outside and the meat was very moist. It had the right about of spiciness and oh man, finger lickin’ good!

KFC Korea

I posed with Colonel Sanders because why not? We both have glasses and love fried chicken. It’s true what they say, KFC is better in Asia.

Address:
Various locations in South Korea, and all over the world

Website: 
http://www.kfckorea.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?t=m&cid=0x8d4ba096cb5cbed4&z=12&iwloc=A “]

Pomodoro

Our last night in Seoul, we headed to the Insadong area to have some pasta at Pomodoro. M’s sister recommended that we come have some delicious pasta here. She came here a few years ago and recall that it was good.

Pomodoro

The space inside is small, so there isn’t a large amount of seats.

Below is their full menu. There’s English, so you won’t have a hard time ordering at all.

Pomodoro

Pomodoro

Pomodoro

Pomodoro

Complimentary Pickles and Jalapeños arrive at the table before the meal. It’s customary in Korean meals to have side dishes free of charge. These items were nothing special, but it’s something you can munch on while waiting for your meal.

Pomodoro

Insalta mista di stagione (6,500 won) was a strange salad. It had sprouts at the top, greens, cherry tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and corn.

Pomodoro

 Spaghetti alla carbonara (14,500 won) has bacon and cream sauce.

Pomodoro

Penne alla Fiesolana e Melanzane (13,000 won) has mozzarella cheese, eggplant and a tomato basil sauce.

뽀모도로

Risotto alla Funghi (15,500 won) is Italian style rice with mushrooms and cream sauce. This dish was quite large and very very rich. I had a hard time eating it as it was quite salty.

Pomodoro

Spaghetti ca carni capuliata (15,500 won) has chicken and vegetables in a tomato sauce.

Overall, all the pastas were ok. The food here was pretty expensive and you can get a lot better Korean food with that money. Perhaps something changed over the years because M’s sister also said it wasn’t as good as before.

We Rate Pomodoro

 Address:
6 Gwanhun-dong (28-1 Insadong-gil)
Jongno-gu, Seoul
South Korea

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Bennigans

Doing some research on where to eat in Korea, M wanted to go to Bennigan’s. It’s an American chain restaurant that serves up Irish and American food. After doing a debate of dining choices, I reluctantly agreed to come here for lunch. They serve Monte Cristo sandwiches here and M has been searching far and wide for this sandwich.

Bennigans

The restaurant is located on the third floor. There is also a Bennigan’s Kids on an alternative level for just kids. Adults can watch them from a monitor on the third floor and have their privacy.

Bennigans

This is what we came for.

Bennigans

Complimentary Bread arrived.

Bennigans

Sweet Pickles came as the side dish.

Bennigans

World Famous Monte Cristo (10,000 won) has honey wheat bread layered with tender ham, roasted turkey, Swiss and American cheeses. Batter-dipped, gently fried and coated with powdered sugar. Served with red raspberry preserves for dipping. Fries came on the side.

This dish was huge and very filling. It was hard for M to finish the whole thing.

Bennigans

Soup and pop combo (+ 4,000 won) can be added to your meal.

Bennigans

Chicken Quesadillas (10,000 won) has Garlic-marinated chicken with Colby and Monterrey Jack cheeses, flavorful spices and crispy fried onions folded in a flour tortilla.

Bennigans

It is served with salsa, guacamole, and a lime sour cream sauce. The quesadilla was decent.

Bennigans

Chicken Stir fry (10,000) is served on a hot skillet with rice, vegetables and chicken.

Bennigans

Sweet Potato Pan Cheese (10,000 won) is a very korean inspired dish since Koreans love sweet potato. You won’t find this in North America. You definitely want to share this because you’ll get sick of the taste quite quickly.

Overall, the food was ok, but the Monte Cristo is always the sinfully delicious item to get. The place was pretty busy during a Friday and with lots of families. The prices are comparable to the states. The menus here have english, so you won’t have any issues ordering.

If you want to explore Korean cuisine while you are traveling in Seoul, this is probably not the place you want to go. M and I went here because we don’t have one in Canada.

We Rate Bennigans

Address:
3F, 94, Nonhyeon-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea

Website:
http://www.bennigans.co.kr/

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Dunkin Donuts Korea

Dunkin’ Donuts in Korea is very different from the ones in North America. Everything is Korean-ized, so you will find things like sweet potato donuts, olive oil donuts, and other weird creations.

M and I were in Coex Mall and everything was under construction. We had very bad timing when coming here. Only a few shops were open and it totally sucked. We were roaming around the vast empty mall and found a Dunkin’ Donuts and we felt like it was time for a little snack.

Dunkin Donuts Korea

Dunkin Donuts Korea

As we were traveling in Korea near Halloween, they had some cute treats.

Dunkin Donuts Korea

What is unique about Dunkin’ Donuts that drew me in was their breakfast and snack items. They look pretty decent.

Dunkin Donuts Korea

When I saw their burritos I got kinda hungry. I actually have no idea if they have these in the North American Dunkin’ Donuts because I’ve never seen one. There is a Dunkin’ Donuts in Montreal but nowhere else in Canada.

Dunkin Donuts Korea

Plastic food on display.

Dunkin Donuts Korea

M and I shared the Spicy Chicken Burrito, Sausage Burrito and a Grapefruit slush.

Dunkin Donuts Korea

Sausage Burrito (3,500 won) it’s a huge sausage with cheese, fried rice and chili sauce.

Dunkin Donuts Korea

Spicy Chicken Burrito (3,500 won) has spicy chicken, fried rice and a blend of two types of cheese. It was a bit spicy.

Dunkin Donuts Korea

Grapefruit Slush was really gross. It was very sweet and it was more artificial. It melted so slowly that we could of used a wider straw.

Overall Dunkin’ Donuts is ok. A bit on the mediocre side, but kinda reminds me of Tim Hortons in Canada.

Website: http://www.dunkindonuts.co.kr/

 Yeong Yang Center

Yeongyang Center is a restaurant in MyeongDong known for their crispy roast chicken and samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup). It opened in 1960 and it has been roasting chickens for over 50 years.

It is a very popular place for local and tourists for yummy chicken.

 Yeong Yang Center

 Yeong Yang Center

 Yeong Yang Center

Kimchi radish and pickled radishes came to the table. A definite must when having chicken.

 Yeong Yang Center

Tongdak Gui (Grilled chicken) is very crunchy on the outside and isn’t very oily at all. The meat is still very tender. So good!

 Yeong Yang Center

Samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup) has a boiled chicken stuffed with rice and ginseng. This dish was boiling hot and very delicious. You can add a bit of salt to add more flavour. Yum!

 Yeong Yang Center

The chicken was very tender! No complaints. The bones and meat just fall apart.

Overall, we had a great experience here. M and I shared the two dishes and we got incredibly full. So full that it was hard to walk after.

We Rate Yeong Yang Center

Address:
52, Myeongdong 2-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul (Chungmuro 1-ga)
서울특별시 중구 명동2길 52 (충무로1가)

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Bread and Croquette

There is a little hidden gem in Hondgae. M and I wanted to go for some croquettes at Chilli cha cha but it was closed. His cousin told us there was a better and more famous place, so we headed there. We tried going at 2pm to see if they had any croquettes left, but unfortunately, they sold out.

I’m not exactly sure why Koreans go crazy over these croquettes, but they must be good to have 10+ people line up prior to them opening.

Bread and Croquette

They open at 12pm and 4pm. They close when they sell out. Usually they sell out 30 minutes after they open. We came back at 3:45 and these was already a huge line up. As we were told it was the best, we just had to come eat the best. I clearly have an addiction to food when travelling.

Bread and Croquette

The interior is really small, so there is no room to sit especially when there is a huge line of people waiting to get to the counter.

Bread and Croquette

Duck Jin Oh has a certificate from the American Institute of Baking.

Bread and Croquette

Bread and Croquette

They have a ton of different croquette flavours:

  • Kimchi
  • Curry
  • Red Bean with walnuts
  • Cream cheese
  • Plain Potato

They also have other items like hot dogs and twist bread. Everything is fried in grape seed oil and the oil is changed daily to keep everything fresh and delicious.

Bread and Croquette

The croquettes are the most popular item and you can see people leave with bags and bags of these.

Bread and Croquette

We ordered a bunch as we wanted to try all the flavours, but we couldn’t finish them in one day. The first flavour that we tried was the curry.

Bread and Croquette

It’s nicely fried on the outside.

Bread and Croquette

The inside was packed with the potato and curry mixture. Really good! I had one and I was full. It’s not exactly authentic to Japanese croquettes, but they have their Korean twist to their croquettes.

All of the flavours were good, but I would come back for the curry and kimchi flavours.

We Rate Bread and Croquette 오군수제고로케

Address:
566-6 Yeonnam-dong (62 Donggyo-ro 27-gil)
Mapo-gu, Seoul
South Korea

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Tom's Cat Cafe

Tom’s Cat Cafe in HongDae has the most cats compared to some of the other cat cafe’s in the area. About 33 cats to be exact. The cafe was opened by the owner to share his love of cats. M and his sister really wanted to go find a cat cafe to all the cute little cats.

There’s no official fee to enter, but you just need to purchase a drink.

Tom's Cat Cafe

Before you enter, you must change into slippers and sanitize your hands. You also put your purses in a bag to protect it from the cat hair and then playing with it.

Tom's Cat Cafe

You then have to review the rules of the cafe.

  • Don’t disturb the cat if it doesn’t want attention
  • Don’t pick up any cats

Tom's Cat Cafe

The drinks are 8,000 won.

Tom's Cat Cafe

I got a green tea latte. The drinks were ok, but what you are really coming into the cafe is to play with the cats.

Tom's Cat Cafe

The cats roam around everywhere, so you better not be afraid.

Tom's Cat Cafe

The cafe is surprisingly clean, but it does smell a bit like litter.

Tom's Cat Cafe

nom nom nom the cats get to eat too.

Tom's Cat Cafe

In the middle of the day, a few of them are just chilling and taking a nap.

Tom's Cat Cafe

Totally didn’t know cats could sit like that on benches. This one was a bit camera shy.

Tom's Cat Cafe

This little guy was cute.

Tom's Cat Cafe

M really got into playing with the cats.

Tom's Cat Cafe

It’s great when some of the cats come to you and wants some attention.

Tom's Cat Cafe

This was the crazy two colored eye cat.

Overall, the cafe is a great place to go if you love cats. The drinks are ok, but it’s more about the cats. If you spend an hour or so here, you’ll definitely be sneezing because of all the cat dander. I’m usually not allergic to cats, but coming here affecting my sinuses.

We Rate Tom’s Cat Cafe: 

Address:
3F, 358-125, Seogyo-dong,
Mapo-gu, Seoul-si

Website:
http://www.tomscat.com/ 

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Curry House CoCo Ichibanya

M was on a mission for omurice, which is rice covered in an omelette. It’s very hard to find in Vancouver, so when we came to Seoul, it was on the top of our list. We didn’t know which place had the best omurice, so we enlisted the help of his cousin to find us a place for lunch.

As we approached Curry House CoCo Ichibanya, I had no idea what this place served except for curry.

This particular location is inside Y’ZPark just outside of Honkik University station. It opens at 11am till 10pm.

Curry House CoCo Ichibanya

There’s lots of seats but as we came here a a few hours past noon, it wasn’t too busy. There’s also other restaurants located in the floor of the mall too.

Curry House CoCo Ichibanya

Creamy Mushroom Omelette Curry (9,300 won)

Curry House CoCo Ichibanya

Comes with the rice covered in yummy omelette and smothered with their curry sauce and creamy mushroom sauce. It was really good! One of the best omurices I’ve had. The sauces were amazing a smothered every inch of the rice.

I also have a secret love for mushrooms, so this was music to my tastebuds.

Curry House CoCo Ichibanya

Pork Cutlet Omelette Curry (10,800 won) has a panko crusted pork cutlet that is just crunchy and so delicious. M said this was very good!

Curry House CoCo Ichibanya

Beef Omelette Curry (9,300 won) has the same curry sauce as the others but with shreds of beef.

Curry House CoCo Ichibanya

Tomato and Asparagus Omelette Curry (8,900 won) similar sauce with with vegetables.

Curry House CoCo Ichibanya

You can also upgrade to a combo with a drink and a salad.

mall

In Hongdae, the Curry House CoCo Ichibanya is located inside Y’ZPARK. There’s a few shops like Uniqlo inside as well as other restaurants.

Overall, the food was very good! There are a few locations around Seoul. If you happen to pass by one, definitely go have some omurice there!

We Rate Curry House CoCo Ichibanya:  

Address:
166-15 Donggyo-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea ‎

Website:
http://www.cocoichibanya.co.kr/main.jsp

map

Hello Kitty Cafe Korea

Hongdae is filled with a variety of speciality cafes and independent shops. There was one place that sparked an interest and that place was the Hello Kitty Cafe. It’s big, pink and has a huge bow. It’s very popular among tourists, so you will see tons of people taking picture in front of it. Sometimes even in huge tourist groups.

We came on  weekday in the morning, so it wasn’t too busy. They open at 11am till midnight.

Hello Kitty Cafe Korea

They have hot coffee, iced coffee, yogurt, cake and other hot beverages on their menu.

Hello Kitty Cafe Korea

All their drinks are cute but the prices can be a bit expensive.  Ranges from $3 to $5.

Hello Kitty Cafe Korea

Many types of lattes with many types of characters on top. It’s made by sprinkling coco powder.

Hello Kitty Cafe Korea

Yummy waffles shaped like Hello Kitty’s face.

Hello Kitty Cafe Korea

Cakes with Hello Kitty’s face on it.

Hello Kitty Cafe Korea

The shop has 2 floors and there are a bunch of seating areas.

Hello Kitty Cafe Korea

Adjacent to the ordering counter is a bunch of loungy seats.

Hello Kitty Cafe Korea

Huge Hello Kitty seats.

Hello Kitty Cafe Korea

This area is a second area on the bottom floor.

Hello Kitty Cafe Korea

The second floor is much brighter and open compared to downstairs. It’s better for large groups.

Hello Kitty Cafe Korea

Every little girl’s fantasy.

Hello Kitty Cafe Korea

Hello Kitty Cafe Korea

Hello Kitty Cafe Korea

Hello Kitty Cafe Korea

When we ordered at the counter, they give you an electronic device with a number. When it begins buzzing, you know your order is ready. Just bring it up to the counter and grab your food and drinks.

Hello Kitty Cafe Korea

Yogurt Ice Cream with Mango Syrup (4,500 won) M thought it was ok, but the mango syrup was artificial and very sweet.

Hello Kitty Cafe Korea

Earl Grey Latte (4,500 won) had the cute hello kitty image on the top. The latte was very sweet and not very good.

We also had the Hello Kitty Mousse cake, but it was decent.

One thing you have to know about the cafe before ordering everything is that the food and drinks suck! The cafe is a great place to take photos and chill with friends, but you will probably not love the over-priced food. It’s still a great place to visit if you are in the Hongdae area. Lots to see in the area and

We Rate Hello Kitty Cafe

Address:
358-112, Seogyo-dong, Mapo-gu,
Seoul, South Korea

Website:
hellokittycafe.co.kr

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Paris Baguette

Paris Baguette can be found all over South Korea. You are 100% guaranteed to bump into this place somewhere on the street as there are over 2,900 locations. They have sandwiches, cakes, buns, drinks, and pastries. While I was in Korea, I probably came here almost everyday to get some breakfast or snack. It’s just convenient and sometimes open 24 hours.

They even have a few locations in North America, specifically in California, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.

Paris Baguette

All the tables are filled with bread. There is even a little seating area too for you to enjoy your baked goods here.

Paris Baguette

Bread, bread, bread.

Paris Baguette

More bread.

Paris Baguette

Cheesy Pizza Bread was heated and sliced into 4 pieces. It was cheesy and a hint of sweetness to it.

Paris Baguette

English Muffin with ham, cheese, and egg. Tasted ok, but I wouldn’t eat it again. Needs more filling between the buns.

Paris Baguette

Sausage Wrap has sweet sauce, cheese, egg and fried onions. This was pretty good too.

Paris Baguette

Grapefruit Juice and bottled coffee.

Paris Baguette

Cream cake was for my birthday. It has layers of white cake with cream and fruit. It was good, but as you can tell, the fruit isn’t ask fresh.

Overall, I would stick with their savoury bread items. Those are my favourites. If you are a tourist like me and have no idea what to bring home, they have a few locations inside the Incheon Airport. Great for last-minute gifts because they have gift boxes of assorted treats.

It’s not the best bakery, but it sure is convenient.

Website: 
http://www.paris.co.kr/