Spring Time in Korea - Part II
POSTED ON: Saturday, April 2, 2016 @ 10:06 PM | 0 comments
Well, even though the posts are titled Spring Time in Korea Part I & II, the weather there felt nothing like spring in mid March. Most days were okay-ish with temperatures at about 14 deg or so and the sunny skies helped quite a bit. Nights were of course colder between 9 to 12 deg but that's quite alright too if you're covered in warm clothing. But the days could get as cold as 5 deg and that, for sure, felt nothing like spring.
Anyway, back to my daily itinerary for your reference.
Day 4
Slept in on Day 4 of our Seoul trip and woke up for brunch at Garosu-Gil. Funny how we settled for Italian food in Korea. Mushroom soup, creamy prawn linguine and a blueberry smoothie.
Garosu-Gil is at Sinsa Station [Line 3, Exit #8]. Walk straight upon exiting the station for approximately 250m and turn left onto Garosu-gil. There's a little street signage at the start of the street so you shouldn't miss it.
Garosu-Gil is at Sinsa Station [Line 3, Exit #8]. Walk straight upon exiting the station for approximately 250m and turn left onto Garosu-gil. There's a little street signage at the start of the street so you shouldn't miss it.
Garosu-gil was dotted with cute cafes and hipster stores. Things are a little pricier here though, but still affordable. Spotted a shirt dress and I kinda regret not getting it now. Note to self: buy anything that catches your eye while on a holiday, no regrets later.
Look at the funny rows of shoes leading to the entrance of the shoe museum!
Headed to the Express Bus Terminal Station for some cheap underground shopping.
Express Bus Terminal Station [Line 3, Exit #8]
Unfortunately, we were there on a Sunday and oh goodness it was terribly crowded I could barely do any shopping proper. Apparels and accessories were cheap, no doubt. But the crowd on weekends was quite insane. Then again, it was still early spring while I was there so there weren't many clothes suitable for Singapore's hot and humid weather. Mostly long sleeved or knitted wear still. I suppose mid April onwards should be better for shopping.
Next stop was the newly opened Hyundai city outlets near Dongdaemun station.
Dongdaemun Station [Line 1 / Line 4, Exit #8]
Spent hours roaming the huge new mall. I think the whole mall was about 8 or 9 storeys high, with basement 1 and basement 2. I think I like basement 2 best since almost all the food was there. Well, food in Korea generally wasn't as cheap as I had expected it to be. Probably similar to Singapore's. But I just had to have a bite of everything! There's a Cantonese saying which means something like "eyes big big, stomach small small". Couldn't agree more.
The higher levels of the mall was somewhat like a department store, like Tangs or Isetan. But the basement was my foodie heaven. Honey butter chips, banana milk and banana ice cream at Yellow Cafe, strawberry shortcakes, apple cinnamon teas, and the list goes on...
Headed further down to Hello APM Mall and Migliore mall for some cheap buys. My mother bought quite a few fashionable tops at a good price.
No dinner for us at night as we were still rather full from all the food at Hyundai city outlet.
Day 5
After breakfast at Paris Baguette again, we were off to Gangnam for more shopping today!
Gangnam Station
[Line 2, Exit #10]
No longer the cheap bargain shops like at the Express Bus Terminal station or Hello APM mall. So I was a little more excited and ready to bag home some new clothes! Pretty fruitful shopping for apparels and cosmetics here. And what do you do when your legs are tired from shopping?
Sit down at one of Seoul's largest Paris Baguette and have high tea of course! It's a good thing we're only in Seoul for 5 full days. Can't image how much weight I would have gained if I stayed here any longer. Just look at that display cabinet full of sweet treats! And that's just one tenth of the selection they had in the store...
North Seoul Tower in the evening. We took a cable car up to the North Seoul tower. Alternatively, you could walk up the slope which would take about 45 minutes to an hour. Here's how to get to the cable car station:
Myeongdong Station [Line 4, Exit #3]
Turn left and walk towards Pacific Hotel, keep on the right side and walk up the hill towards the cable car station.
You'll probably see many other tourists walking up the hill along the way like we did, and we just followed the crowd.
Read online that there was supposed to be a laser show every hour starting from 8pm till 11pm that lasted for about 10 minute each. But NO. we were hanging around waiting for the laser show to start at 8pm but nothing happened. Approached a staff at one of the souvenir shops there and was told that the show had stopped since last summer! ):
Nevertheless, it was great fun with the cable car and endless selfie shots with the North Seoul Tower and artistic bare trees.
Back down via the cable car (or you could take a 30 minute stroll down the hill) and had our last Koean BBQ dinner at Wangbikib Korean BBQ. The name sounds familiar? Yes that's because we are back at the same restaurant as we did on the first night in Seoul.
Here's a photo of the entrance in case you're thinking of heading to the same place too. It's at Level 2 and they share the same entrance as a salon.
Day 6
Last day in Seoul and the temperature that day was the coldest in our 6 days there. 6deg and you're telling me it's spring??
Took the airport limousine bus from the bus stop near our hotel to the airport. Last meal in Korea with Korean style chicken rice and Korean fried chicken with their signature BBQ sauce. Missed home a little and glad to be back in Singapore after spending 6 days in Seoul.
So... where to next? :)
Love,
Lorraine
Spring Time in Korea - Part I
POSTED ON: Friday, March 25, 2016 @ 3:23 PM | 0 comments
So I completely forgot about documenting my trip to Australia last year. Dear oh dear. Hopefully I get around to doing that before I leave for Europe mid this year.But for now, I'll leave you with a short 6-day post on my itinerary of Seoul, Korea. Especially since a few of my friends/colleagues have asked for my itinerary. In case you were wondering, this trip was with my mum, so it was basically a shopping and eating spree.
Day 1
Morning 8.05am flight with Singapore Airlines to Seoul Incheon Airport. The total flight time was approximately 6 hours and 20 minutes but SIA served a good brunch to make the flight seem a little shorter.
Upon arrival, we collected our wifi router at the counter (which we previously reserved online). My mum thought the router was a good idea since we could share the wifi and still have our Singapore SIM cards in our phones in case friends/family/colleagues needed to call us on our phones. I apparently beg to differ. The router's battery only lasted for about 5 hours so we had to charge it using a portable charger (which was obviously super slow), and everyone in the group sharing the router had to stick together. In the unfortunate event that anybody got separated from the group, he/she will not get any wifi. But the lack of long battery life still annoyed me most.
Took the Airport Limousine Bus #6015 from bus stop 12A at the first floor of the airport. For only 10,000 won per person, the limousine bus took us right to the doorstep of our hotel.
More information about Airport Limousine Buses HERE.
Hotel Skypark Myeongdong III
139, Toegyo-ro, Jung-gu
Seoul, Korea
[Myeongdong Station, Subway Line 4, Exit #9]
Oh yes, one thing to note, the subway stations in Seoul have many exits. So I'll be including which exit to take for each attraction. It's really much easier that way than randomly exiting and trying to find your way around.
First dinner was definitely Korean BBQ! Read about this Wangbikib Korean BBQ online and since it was just behind our hotel, we had to try it.
Not a single bit disappointed. The side dishes were delicious and the meat was grilled to perfection. It was so good that my mum was determined to return to this same Korean BBQ restaurant again on our last day.
Wangbikib Korean BBQ
Seoul-si Jung-gu, Myeongdong 8 ga-gil
26, 2F
[Myeongdong Station, Subway Line 4, Exit #9
Go straight 50m, turn right at the first corner, continue straight 70m and turn left]
Day 2
Breakfast at Paris Baguette. They're found all over Seoul. Freshly baked goods and beverages served in cute little paper cups. I think we visited Paris Baguette at least thrice in our 6 days in Seoul.
Gyeongbokgung or "The Palace of Shining Happiness" early in the morning. The palace opens from 9am to 6pm (closed on Tuesdays), with changing of guards hourly from 10am to 3pm.
Most amused by the changing of guards and how they march around in circles.
[Gyeongbokgung Station, Subway Line 3, Exit #5]
We exited the palace through a side gate and walked towards Bukchon Village, Google maps is always extremely helpful overseas. Alternatively, you may take a train to Anguk Station, Subway Line 3, Exit #2 and walk straight for about 700m.
An old village filled with quaint little houses and shops for tourists to rent the traditional Korean costume, or Hanbok.
Lunch at one of the little shops at Bukchon village. Quiet and charming shop but the ginseng chicken soup wasn't quite up to expectations.
Insadong was just nearby so we followed our trusty Google maps and headed over too. Or you can also take the subway to Angkuk Station, Subway Line 3, Exit #6 and walk straight for 100m then turn left.
Pretty street lined with photo perfect trees, but nothing to buy. We were highly satisfied by the green tea desserts at O'sulloc Tea House though. Wanted to visit the same one at Myeongdong, near our hotel. But since we stumbled across one at Insadong, it was a great way to compensate for the not-so-satisfying lunch we had earlier.
O'sulloc Tea House
오설록티하우스 (Insadong branch 인사동점)
170 Gwanhun-dong,
Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea
[Angkuk Station, Subway Line 3, Exit #6]
Dinner was random street food at Myeongdong shopping street. Overpriced but still yummy! The 32cm ice cream was on the top of my list of food to try in Seoul haha!
Day 3
Thanks Nature Cafe for brunch. This sheep cafe is a must if you're an animal lover like I am. Even if you aren't, I'm sure you love the pair of fluffy white sheep circling around you at the cafe.
The cafe was a little difficult to find, so do look out for this entrance and the cafe is just after the flight of stairs leading down. Food ain't fantastic but we thoroughly enjoyed the company of the pair of sheep! Worth a visit!
486 Seogyo-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul
[Hongik University Station, Subway Line 2, Exit #9]
Hongik University street for some shopping and Ewha Women's University Town for more shopping after we filled our tummies at the sheep cafe.
Ah yes, the very popular photo taking spots at Ewha Women's University.
[Ewha Station, Subway Line 2, Exit #2]
Non-stop shopping and back to Myeongdong for dinner at night. Authentic kimchi stew, bunch of side dishes and an omelette. I am actually getting really hungry posting all these food pictures.
Stay tuned for the next post for my remaining 3 days in Seoul!
Love,
Lorraine
Coming Soon...
POSTED ON: Monday, June 1, 2015 @ 12:31 PM | 0 comments
Just got back from Australia last night and will be starting my full time job as a fresh graduate tomorrow. Australia was amazing, and I can't wait to share my trip with you guys. But first, let me settle down at work first (wish me luck!) and I promise I'll be back very soon to give you a nice post on the land of koalas and kangaroos.So, watch this space! (:
A Week in Tanjong Pagar
POSTED ON: Saturday, December 20, 2014 @ 2:20 PM | 0 comments
While working in my little shophouse office along Tanjong Pagar Road for the month of December, I've decided to bring you guys a mini compilation of my weekday lunches in the area. Aside from all the overhyped places nearby like Maxwell Road food centre and the ramen restaurants (that have also been sprouting out all over Singapore), here are a few nice places I discovered during my lunch hour this week (:
MONDAY
Monday's lunch was at Pho Stop. A large comforting bowl of pho, with their amazingly flavourful soup stock. I like how they served the vegetables and other condiments on an accompanying plate, so I could add whatever I liked in my desired amount and leave whatever I disliked (i.e. vegetables) on the plate. Don't forget to add a teeny bit of chilli and squeeze in some lime to enhance the taste!
I was delighted by the generous portion of meat too! Most restaurants only throw in a few small pieces of meat, which is really sad.
I also ordered chicken wings to takeaway (tea time office snack!). The service staff was really nice and thoughtful to suggest that I let him know when I'm about to leave. This was so that the chefs in the kitchen can start frying my chicken wings when I'm done with my lunch in the restaurant, instead of frying them upon my order and leaving them to get cold and soggy in the plastic takeaway box.
They also offer quite an interesting selection of ice cream flavours at their counter. Flavours like thai tea, Vietnamese coffee, coconut, honey cinnamon, coconut, salted caramel, and a few others. It's on my list of things to eat before I leave my office at the end of December!
Oh and they even have a rooftop bar which I didn't even know about until I came back to Google their restaurant!
Pho Stop
72 Tanjong Pagar Road
Singapore 088493
My initial plan was to visit Drury Lane on Tuesday but I only realized that they were closed on Tuesdays after peeking into their shop. So Quarter to Three it was.
It was a cold and rainy day, so a thick warm bowl of Lobster Bisque ($7.90) with some Foccacia ($2.20) made my tummy very happy. Pity there wasn't any olive oil to go with the bread or that would have been heavenly. But I loved the subtle tinge of herbs in the bread which went pretty well with the creamy soup anyway!
Quarter to Three had such a huge array of desserts to choose from, I stood at the counter for ages trying to pick one. I wished I had five stomachs and a sky-high metabolism rate so I could eat everything and not grow fat. Anyway, I picked the lemon cake with pink cherry frosting ($8.90). Soft fluffy cake with a hint of lemon, assembled with pretty light pink cherry frosting. Not too sweet, and mini sugared hearts for decoration! It was worth the money since the slice of cake was quite big, but RIP to all the calories I'm taking in.
Overall, a nice cosy little cafe. Especially in the late afternoons when the lunch crowd has dispersed.
Quarter to Three
88 Tanjong Pagar Road
Singapore 088509
WEDNESDAY
Somehow, midweeks are the most difficult to get through and I was kinda upset and frustrated over nothing at all. Strange but true, desserts obviously work best for such complicated emotions.
Wandered into 5 The Moments Cafe. The nice lady behind the counter made my experience at the shop a little better by recommending me ice cream flavours to go with my waffles, and giving me mini scoops to taste test without me even asking to try them. I went with her recommendation of pistachio ice cream (she says that the creamy ones goes best with waffles).
Yes, waffles and a huge scoop of pistachio ice cream ($10.80) for lunch. 5 The Moments Cafe is also a film photography shop that displays their works around the cafe too. I like how their ice cream display can be seen at the shop front. Ice cream definitely attracts customers, no?
Someone behind the cafe's Instagram account totally made my day.
5 The Moments
73 Tanjong Pagar Road
Singapore 088494
THURSDAY
Drury Lane on Thursday because it was closed on Tuesdays. Hurray to all-day breakfast. I ordered The Big 94 ($14.00), which comes with a sausage, two slices of toast, turkey ham, tomato puree, sautéed mushrooms, and a choice of either scrambled eggs or sunny side up. The food was up to my expectations, and the desserts in the display looked super tempting. I would have tried the desserts if I wasn't limited by my dieting quota of two desserts a week.
A bright red shop front you definitely won't be able to miss. The first level seating area gives you a nice view of the road outside over a relaxing cuppa, but the high bar stools and tables aren't very comfortable in my opinion and I'm unsure if the smell of food cooking in the kitchen makes you more hungry or simply turns you off. I think the second level is better if you're looking for a quiet corner to isolate yourself from the hustle and bustle of the town area.
Drury Lane
94 Tanjong Pagar Road
Singapore 088515
FRIDAY
No lunch today because TGIF and it's half day for me! But at dinner time, I'm still back anyway. Superstar K BBQ was a great dinner treat from an old PS colleague and his friend. Unsurprising that I didn't take any photos of my own since I was too happy to see an old friend and too excited over yummy free dinner.
Service was exceptional considering Superstar K being an affordable little Korean BBQ restaurant along a row of shophouses. The staff greets you upon entering the shop and shows you to your table, helping you with your bags and other belongings to be placed INSIDE the seats. Yes you read that right, INSIDE the seats. I was rather amused by the storage space in each chair and it's a really good idea to keep your possessions away from the grill and oil splatters.
We ordered three meat dishes, steamed egg (which I thought looked like a funny overflowing mountain but tasted surprisingly good), and kimchi soup. Complimentary side dishes like kimchi, beansprouts, fried anchovies and others were served too.
Super attentive staff cooked our food for us and cutting them up into bite sized pieces. I found it unbelievable how they could pay attention to every table and made sure everyone's food was well-cooked but not overcooked. It would be funny if they left out one table and the food was left on the grill and becomes charred.
Three of us spent around $80. A place I would recommend, but do go early or happy queuing to you!
Superstar K Korean BBQ Restaurant
75 Tanjong Pagar Road
Singapore 088496
Try them out for yourselves won't you?
Here's wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! (:
Love,
Lorraine
