Author: crystal @unepeach

Matcha Waffles

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Oh, green food. The sign of health. At least that’s what I told myself as I basked in the glory of these delicious matcha, or green tea, waffles. Sure there’s a bit lot of sugar hiding in those crannies, but green tea is ridiculously healthy.  Green tea is what other health foods might call an overachiever. It’s considered a cancer-fighting, age-defying, heart-disease-battling cure-all, a star among the lentils and açaì berries. But matcha, a powdered version, makes even the other green teas look lazy. It’s the healthiest of them all—by a landslide. Bon Appetit The subtle hint of green tea mixed with maple syrup and strawberries was a breakfast delight. And that’s not all: they’re green! Green waffles! That’s a conversation piece if ever I battered and fried one. They would make a terrific centerpiece to a spring brunch table. The recipe I used called for culinary grade  matcha tea. This is supposed to be less expensive but still delicious. I honestly have no idea what type I used, because I quickly bought it before I boarded my plane …

Ihwa | mural village

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Ihwa Village is a controversial excursion to write a blog post about. There is currently a cold war playing out between selfie hungry visitors and those who call the area home. Obviously, as a human being, you want to side with the inhabitants. But, as someone who loves to look at street art and loves to put money into Korean crafts and stores, you can also see well meaning visitors’ sides. The issue arises again and again in Korea and makes me wonder: Can’t we tourists just stop being assh*les all the time?  So What’s the Controversy? Imagine living in a sleepy little village for most of your life. It’s underdeveloped and poor, but it’s home. One day a group of well meaning individuals decide to paint some colorful street art on the walls surrounding your neighborhood. It’s cute, sure, you might even like the whimsy at first. It’s supposed to bring tourism and money to your neck of the woods. Everything sounds great. And then, bam! Your village in overrun with loud mouth camera hogs desperate to get …

MMCA | what’s new in modern art

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Love the art scene in Seoul? I’m with you. I like to prepare, research, gear up and eat well right before heading to a new exhibit at a museum or gallery hopping in this crazy cool city. So when I headed out to see what was new at the MMCA in January, and I expected to be wowed. Just like the time I went before.  the day began Being excitable, and more than a little hungry, I decided the first stop needed to be food. Luckily as I walked down Yulgok-ro, a wonderfully pushy ajumma summoned me into her mandu restaurant where I promptly ordered this beauty : Honestly, I didn’t have much choice. She was very persuasive. Next, I cut through the alleys to get to the MMCA from the back, where I met this beautiful view. I admit, sometimes at modern art museums, you can be thoroughly underwhelmed or even walk away uncomfortable and confused. The first exhibit was a hipster spectacular about food called Activating the City: Urban Gastronomy. They had some information …

The Princess Temple | chuncheon

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If you’ve spent any amount of time in Korea, you’ve seen your fair share of Buddhist temples. Sometimes it feels like you can’t throw an empty bottle of BB cream without hitting one. (Don’t throw bottles, folks. Recycle!) But, every so often, you get to see one that is just wonderful and unique enough that you feel like an innocent young girl seeing her first Korean temple. Cheongpyeong-sa is one such temple for me. I visited in possibly the hottest of summers I’ve lived through in Seoul. The air was thick with humidity, smog and just millions of people’s breath. It was the perfect time to escape to Chuncheon in Gangwon-do. The area is gorgeous and full of greenery. The temple sits at the basin of Obongsan Mountain.  It was misty walking up to the entrance due to the heat and I began to fear that maybe I too would dissolve into sweaty mist. But, in the luckiest of circumstances, I saw just what I needed: an older couple soaking their feet in the crisp, streaming …

Jalgachi | fish market

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Do you feel that? That’s  that mean girl winter FINALLY getting the hell out of here. The sun is out and we only have a scant amount of time before the weather turns on us again here in Seoul and becomes an abhorrent shade of humidity and heat. So let’s enjoy the spring! The best season in Korea. And let’s break in the season with some raw fish! Last year my friend, Phil and I headed down to the the southern tip of Korea, Busan. We headed straight to a spot for lunch at the  Jalgachi Fish Market. Downstairs is a wonderland of fish and seafood…with a pungent smell and wetness just, everywhere. Upstairs is a restaurant where we parked ourselves for a giant raw lunch. There were some definite good things: the steamed lobster, the flatfish, the abalone, the boiled potatoes, the kimchi. There were also some let downs: the raw lobster tail and the raw moving squid come to mind. Overall, I was happy with what was set down in front of us. I believe it …

Vegan Chocolate Cake | with pb granola

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I’ve been going into the baking upside down world, you guys: vegan. I didn’t even really know you could make a cake without eggs. Like, I knew, but I didn’t know the logistics and was afraid to try and make a disappointingly gross cake. But, I make a lot of kitchen mistakes so I thought, what the hell? I found an easy enough recipe that didn’t call for things I never used: flax seeds, almond flour, hazelnut flour…what even is that? This cake is pure chocolate wonder and not for the faint of heart. The best part is that it’s made using ingredients you probably already have in the kitchen. It’s very moist and probably couldn’t handle a stiffer frosting, unless piped. So the ganache makes for a perfect addition. I had made a peanut butter, coconut chip and coconut oil granola a week before and used that for a crunch. If you are serving right away, you can add the granola. But, it will get soggy over time, so I don’t suggest adding it until right before it’s engorged on.   …

Daytripping | Chinatown

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  The only official “Chinatown” in Korea is located in Incheon and takes a long, boring ride on the subway to get out there. It’s a full on tourist destination and it has a quintessential selfie tourist trap, the barf-worthy Fairytale Village. But, as much as those things irk me, and they do, don’t let it stop you from heading out there just once. It’s an interesting and quirky place. There is a different feel to the area, in no small part due to the different smells and different building styles. There are many restaurants and spots to buy a snack. We found a dim sum restaurant that squelched some cravings I’d been having for weeks. It’s also the birthplace of the ridiculously popular Chinese-Korean dish, Jjajangmyeong. After eating, you can wander around and find a beautiful cafe, like one we found that doubled as a gallery. TLDR: A Brief History The history of the area is…interesting. When Incheon Port opened in 1883 a small settlement of Chinese people grew.  The population has remained small for …

Kyoto Food Collection

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After taking a healthy hiatus from blogging, I’ve returned ever so gently with a blog about food.  I took a jaunt over to Japan for Christmas this year and ate some amazing things. I travel to eat in a new location. You too? We are probably very cool. Just like you, I spend more time researching food and restaurants than possibly anything else before a vacation. I will gladly leave a monument early to get to a restaurant rated well on Tripadvisor. You can learn a world of things with just a picture of food. So I spent a good deal of my very precious time usually reserved for rewatching 30 Rock to research all the amazing food I could shove in my mouth in Kyoto. The city of Kyoto is breathtaking. It looks like a fairy tale, it’s immaculate and people have manners. I felt like it was a world away from the rushed and stressed life I sometimes live here in Seoul (🖤  you Seoul) although it’s only a 2 hour plane ride away. At different …

Guilty Pleasure | southern american in itaewon

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This year I decided to stop using the term guilty pleasure. I figured I’m at an age that I shouldn’t feel guilty if I want to indulge, so I don’t anymore.  But, I won’t hold that against this Southern American style restaurant in Itaewon who took on the name so cleverly and basks in the warm glow of fat, cream and cheese. Guilty Pleasure is a basement level restaurant in one of the back alleys of Itaewon. It’s become a class act staple of good brunch spots and after one visit, I get the hype. It’s cozy and dark and a perfect place to grab a meal with a little mood. Sure the name sounds like a house of ill repute, but you will only find great food here. What I mainly took away from GP (i.e. what I daydreamed about the rest of the day): all the good stuff on the breakfast plate we ordered was homemade. The biscuits-homemade. The compote-homemade. Even the sausage was homemade. It’s a small portion compared to something you would get back …

Winter Vacation!

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It’s the most wonderful time of the year…to travel! Actually, I’m not sure if it’s the most wonderful, but I am having winter dreams about this one…Kyoto. I’ve saved up all my yearly stress for this holiday vacation and now it’s Crystal-time! The history. The architecture. The food. I can’t wait to walk aimlessly around for seven days, landing in coffee shops and stationery stores (oh, the money I will spend).  I will take loads of pictures of all the touristy things and then try to snap every Christmas in Kyoto-y thing I can find. If I see a geisha posing near a Christmas tree I may pass out. To organize my thoughts and enthusiasm, I’ve made my ideas list below. Any suggestions? Things you loved in Kyoto that are worth it, things that are tourist traps? Please let me know! Please visit soon! Likes and follows are loved! Facebook Instagram Bloglovin Tumblr