All posts tagged: seoul

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 …

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 …

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 …

The Beastro | new american in hongdae

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The Beastro is a well known and well hearted American bistro in Hongdae. It’s basically the Target of Western dining in Korea, everyone can take away something pretty good from it. My foodie pal Phil and I headed over there one gloriously awesome autumn day to have breakfast, cocktails and to overhear conversations in English. After living in Korea for some time, I really have begun to hate listening to stranger’s banter that I actually understand. I think I really always hated it, even back in America. Why is there something so irritating about listening to people talk about things that are not remotely about you. I’m sure I’m not alone here. Being in a restaurant and not understanding anything, living in a beautiful bubble of dumbness, there is something otherworldly about it. It’s one of the reasons I love Korea. Bubbles. My ridiculous sensitivities aside, the meal was very on the mark. I was excited before even going after reading the menu online and seeing a mushroom tart. MUSHROOM. TART. Did they know I was coming? They …

Autumn Views | Seoul Fortress Wall

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Time and tide wait for no lady. Even when she’s like, “Can you wait a second, I’m not like…super ready for November.”  Oh, there it goes. There went November.  It’s December! I know that’s a fact, but it seems nuts. November and most of October was a blur. I went out, did things, ate things… lived my life. And now it’s cold and dark when I get off work, so it’s back to blogging I go. I return to blogging season.   Sometime in November, I went on an amazing hike in the wilds of Seoul. It was sometime after I ate pounds and pounds of Halloween candy and was feeling especially awesome guilty. The trail is tough but worth it. There are steep inclines, beautiful scenery and fresh air plopped down just for the taking. I was thrilled to find it on my second attempt after we followed a very knowledgeable and talkative dad guiding his two kids to the trail. We were especially lucky to have such a beautiful, clear day to see far and …

Hanbox | new review!

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We were so happy to get another kind review by Beeju Boxes this month. As she subscribed to the box, she received the first box in July (which was our first box too). As we continue to evolve our box and ideas, we love to get feedback. Order yours today and tell us what you think! Order here! There is still time to order the September / October box! See our review here! Follow Us!  Facebook  Instagram Website Twitter

Gateaux de Voyage | french pastry tasting

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On some of the more exciting food trips I take around the great city of Seoul, I find myself face to face with heaven, also known as,  a dessert buffet. The buffet at the adorable patisserie in Nonhyeon-dong, is cleverly named a “tasting” so you don’t feel quite so glutinous.  But, there it is, a table full of pastries, chocolates and creams. If that’s not heaven… This was the second pastry tasting event by French Chef Julian Favario in his shop, Gateaux de Voyage. My friend and I were disappointed to miss out on the first event after it filled up hours after being announced. Luckily for us, and the citizens of Seoul, he continues to have these events at regular intervals. They just completed their 8th event. As you eat, the staff and chef come around to talk to you. They are very friendly and warm, just like their little desserts. So you won’t return based just on how delicious everything is. If you’d like to stuff your face (in a classy manner, it is …

ANH | A Review

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Anh is an authentic Vietnamese restaurant in the very pop/ ulated/ ular Yeonnam-dong. Most sites will warn you to show up as soon as it opens, and I’m going to go ahead and jump on that band wagon. Yeah…it’s cozy. And by cozy I mean it can sit under 20 people at any given time and you may be sitting with strangers. (awwwwkward) Luckily, we showed up right at 5pm when the restaurant opened. There was no line at that time, and since it’s against my self imposed foodie law to stand in line for food in the blazing hot summer sun for some food, I considered myself very lucky. The food is nice and I can see why people like it. Would I wait in line for it? Nah, not really. While the taste was nice, there are good flavors, but it had no real wow. I kept thinking back to a little run down spot my sister had taken me in Memphis, TN that had the most amazing pho.  That comparison didn’t help …

Beyond Samples **Giveaway!**

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Hello all! I have been hot and busy here in the city of Seoul. We have been trampled under the feet of a very needy heat wave. As my hair and sweat glands do not do well with the stress, I’ve been spending my days lounging under an air conditioner dreaming of fall. During that time I’ve been curating for Hanbox, the Korean lifestyle subscription box I co-own, and working on pictures, but not updating the blog as much. But, the good news is…I have some stuff to giveaway because I’ll never be able to use all the samples I have stored up from all my shopping excursions! Beyond is always quite generous with their samples so I have more than enough. These are all cruelty free and eco friendly. Here is what’s on offer: Loads of sample packs with creams, emusulsions, essences, serum and scrubs. This is a great way to try some of Beyond’s products to see what you like. I really have to figure out why the picture looks so yellow. But, …