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Hongdae

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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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I spent 5 days in Seoul, South Korea but I did not have enough time to visit all the places that I came across. Below are a few places that I thought were really cool and wanted to share with you.

Have you been to any of these places before? or is it now on your list of places to visit?

CNN opened their first CNN Cafe in Seoul. They are slowly expanding throughout the country. The concept of the cafe is to give people a space to work and enjoy coffee. They have free wi-fi, computers and printing services. Imagine doing all your work and staying up to date on breaking news around the world.

They also have locations at the local universities too. This is a student’s/ entrepreneur’s dream come true! Wouldn’t it be so awesome to have this in Vancouver?

More information: http://www.cnngo.com/seoul/play/cnn-cafe-opens-500-square-meter-flagship-seouls-busiest-street-163365

Daiso is a large franchise of cheap household items at very affordable prices. It has even been dubbed the “Walmart of Asia” or the “Asian Dollar Store”. With over 2,500 stores in Japan, and 522 in the rest of the world they will continue to expand further into North America.

The prices in Daiso Korea range from 500 to 5,000 won. The one pictured here is a smaller store, but they have another location in Sinchon that is 3 floors.

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

Dunkin’ Donuts is huge in Korea. It’s not as big in Vancouver, but Koreans love this place to chill and have coffee. There are a lot of locations scattered all over Seoul.

They have very different flavours from the Dunkin’ Donuts in North America. For example – tofu donuts, green tea donuts and sweet potato donuts.

More Information: http://www.dunkindonuts.co.kr/main.html

Ding Dong Cafe is a Traveler’s Cafe. When I passed by this place, I thought it was a scam to get tourist into the cafe. It turns out ding dong cafe is a restaurant that has a tourist theme. The interior is decorated with pictures from around the world and maps.

It was named one of the top 5 cafes in Hongdae by CNNgo and apparently has some good brunch.

Address:
333-24 Seogyo-dong, Mapo-gu (마포구 서교동 333-24)

More Information:
http://www.cnngo.com/seoul/eat/top-five-hongdae-cafes-387537

After having Samgyeopsal, Steven and I walked around several blocks to find a nice cafe with a patio. We walked through the wet monsoon weather and found ourselves here. It was a nice little cozy cafe with a grand piano in the middle of the room.

There are lots of tables inside too. As we were here, there would be lots of couples celebrating anniversaries and playing the piano to impress their girlfriends. Lot of happy memories are made here.

Even Steven tried impressing the server at the cafe.

Steven ordered the Iced Coffee and the Affogato. If you are a coffee lover, those are a few of the items you should order! They are good items to cool off from the hot Summer weather.

I got the Caffe Latte. I enjoy it and it was pretty good.

Overall the experience was great! Chilin on their patio and catching up over coffee…as we spy on the couples inside the restaurant.

Words of Wisdom:

  • Great coffee
  • Great place to take a date
  • You better learn piano before coming here if you are on a date

We Rate Piano Cafe

 

I met up with Steven from High School as he was in Korea in the Summer too. He took me to explore the Hongdae area where lots of University students hang out. There are tons of shops, restaurants, cafes, and bars.

After walking around the area, we ended up going to 벌집 삼겹살 (beoljip samgyeopsal) for some grilled meats. I knew it was something I wanted to eat!

It was really packed inside! Almost all the tables were taken up. Most people looked like they were in their 20s.

If you are getting the grilled meat, romaine, raw garlic and some different sauces will arrive at the table. You are supposed to grill your meat and then wrap it in the lettuce. Very delicious!

You also get a variety of side dishes with your meal. Lots of variety too!

Honeycomb pork belly is their signature type of meat at this restaurant. Thus, the name of the restaurant is named after this. The samgyeopsal is cut thick, then carved on one side with a honeycomb pattern. It’s very different from what you would typically think porkbelly would look like.

It was very delicious after grilling and fast to cook! You definitely need to order this!

Thick Cut Pork Shoulder was massive.It was really big and meaty.

I had too much fun eating this and forgot to take pictures of the meat in the lettuce wrap. If you are in Korea, you must try Korean BBQ!

Words of Wisdom:

  • Your clothes will smell like BBQ meat and grease
  • Pork belly is a must!
  • Always have this type of meal with a group of friends

We Rate Bee-hive Samgyeopsal:

Address:
345-6 Seogyo-dong, Mapo-gu,
Seoul, South Korea

Webite:
http://www.bulzip.co.kr/


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