Jeonju Day Trip

Even after another long week of classes, it didn't stop me from planning another trip out of the city--this time it was to Jeonju, the region in Korea well-known for its bibimbap. One of the dishes that is immediately recommended to foreigners in Korea is bibimbap, which is a mixed rice dish topped with assorted vegetables, occasionally meat and shredded eggs, and a spicy sauce. I wanted to eat at Gogung, which was a restaurant originating from Jeonju that specializes in traditional Korean food, especially bibimbap. We reserved the shuttle bus from Seoul to Jeonju that would leave in the day and return at night.

The bus dropped us off near the cultural village where there were many cafes and restaurants. It was common to see people passing by dressed in Hanboks, Korea's traditional clothing, because there were also many Hanbok rental shops, similar to ones in Insadong, Seoul. To get to Gogung, we had to take a bus after passing the cultural village. The restaurant was well decorated and had an oriental atmosphere. On the 2nd floor near the restrooms was a small area that was an museum in itself with displays of the ingredients used to make the rice dish along with the history of the dish. Overall, the meat was very good, and I would definitely recommend this restaurant for anyone who visits Jeonju and wants to try authentic Korean dishes. 

We also stopped by Duimo, which was a small restaurant in the midst of a mural village. This spot was featured on a Korean cooking show where the hosts invite chefs from local restaurants (hole-in-the-wall type of locations) to compete to see which dish is "better." At Duimo, they serve a twist on the classic bibimbap by turning it into something more modern--a bibimbap waffle. The waffle itself is made from the rice mixed with a bit of the spicy sauce, and the toppings on a bibimbap are wrapped in the waffle like a burrito. It was a very interesting fusion take on a traditional dish.

We only had a bit of time after to explore the mural village--there were many cartoon drawings such as ones of Ghibli Dtudios, that creates famous Japanese animation films such as Spirited Away, Totoro, Howl's Moving Castle, etc. Of course, I stopped to take a few pictures with the mural before moving on. We also found a stand that sold "Dragon's Breath," which was puffed cereal that was filled with nitrogen gas. When you chewed the snack, puffs of gas would also come out of your mouth. Unfortunately, we didn't have much time to explore Jeonju more because by the time we walked around and took the public buses to and from the restaurants and filled up our stomachs, it was already time to get back to the bus and head back to Seoul.

Airplane Massage Cafe - "First Class Healing Cafe"

Preparing for my travels to Korea entails lots of research on places to eat, unique local spots, and activities to do. I found that the best way for me was to watch vlogs on Youtube of those who reside in Korea.

Youtubers in Korea:
Megan (ChoNunMigookSaram)
Joan Kim
Edward Avila
Simon and Martina (EYK)

I found out about the airplane cafe, called First Class Healing Cafe, by watching ChoNunMigookSaram. It was tricky finding the exact location of the cafe since she didn't have an address in the video. Of course, I immediately looked it up on google to see if that would help narrow down my search. Unfortunately, it was fruitless because in Korea, shops are constantly changing (closing or getting replaced by a different shop). And it seems like this massage cafe was newly opened since not that many people seemed to be aware of it on social media. Luckily for me, I was familiar with the Hongdae Area and was able to figure out the location based on the nearby stores in the video.

Once you enter, you can choose the length of the session and the "country" you want to fly to. There are 30 minute sessions or 15 minute sessions. Since we were the last customers for the night, we opted for the 15 minute session and took the complimentary drinks and waffles to go instead of eating it there.

After getting seated in the massage chairs, you take off your shoes and put on a "sock." You are also given eyewear that warms up and plays soothing music. You also get to choose specific areas where you want the massage to focus on--such as your head, shoulders, back, waist, etc. I opted for my shoulders since I'm usually stiff there. As someone who is extremely ticklish and not a fan of massages, it was unsettling at first to have the massage chair ripple through my nerves in a wave like motion. Instead of feeling more relaxed, my body tensed up when the machine began to dig into my pressure points. However, after the session was over, I did feel as if some of my joints were less stiff than when I walked in. Will I sign up for this again though? Probably not. But for people who love massages, this cafe is worth visiting for sure! I can see my parents enjoying this if it were to open up in the U.S. as well.

Address: 서울시 마포구 서교동 345-2 천마빌딩 5층 퍼스트클래스 홍대점
Official Cafe Website

Food Around Yonsei Campus (Sinchon)

During orientation, one of the speakers recommended a few restaurants to try around the campus. We decided to stop by the braised chicken restaurant. Braised Chicken, or Jjimdak is a dish made for sharing. It has chicken, carrots, potato, and glass noodles (potato starch noodles). Depending on the restaurant, it can be slightly spicy.
Address: Bongchu Jjimdak

A popular restaurant for lunch that was right by our dorm is 딸기, or 'Strawberry' in English. This restaurant is located in the corner, by the CU convenience store when you walk out the east side of the Yonsei campus. They serve food such as soondubu jjigae (soft tofu stew), or simple hot rice dishes and noodles. The prices are cheap, which is what makes it a popular choice for Yonsei students. You can easily be full from just 10,000 won.

Another restaurant that I found interesting around campus was a Vietnamese restaurant with a modern twist. The exterior of the restaurant looked like a Japanese restaurant, but even more unique was the vending machine that took your order. On the side of the entrance, there was a machine that listed all the menu options--different types of pho, springs rolls, etc. You pay through the machine, and then join the queue on the left side of the entrance. The staff will take note of the number of people in your party--this is best for 2 people because the seating itself is a bar seating, which is not a conversation friendly place. When we were eating, the staff did tell us to quiet down once and we weren't talking that loud. I noticed that many of the people around us came on their own. The interior was an open kitchen style where we could see the chefs prepare the noodles, and toppings in front of us. The meal came with complimentary spring rolls, but they weren't the typical spring rolls I was used to back in the States. These were bright pink, crisp, and filled with a sweet paste (either sweet potato or pumpkin). On the side was a sweet chili dipping sauce.


Right next door to this Viet restaurant is a Japanese Ramen restaurant, called Butanchu Ramen, that sells ramen at a very cheap price compared to NYC. For only 7,000won, which is equal to slightly under $7, you can get a huge bowl of ramen, loaded with thinly cut meat and even half of a soft boiled egg. In NYC, a ramen with only 2-3 slices of pork will cost you almost $10 and it may not even come with the soft boiled egg! The affordability of food choices in Korea never fail to amaze me--not only is the food cheap, but it also tastes just as good, and the chefs definitely do not skimp out with the ingredients!
Address: Butanchu Ramen

Different concentration levels of the broth

Menu on the wall by the table to show steps for ordering ramen and other appetizers/menu sets

Ramen with Extra meat (7,000 won)

We also had Pork Bone Stew around the Sinchon area--gamjatang. I was really excited to try this because having been a fan of the Youtube channel Eat Your Kimchi (EYK) and avidly watching their Food Adventure Program for Awesome People segment, this dish was one of Martina's favorites. To me, the dish is really different from how my dad prepares pork bone soup. There was definitely a lot more ground pepper and heavy seasoning than I expected. The name itself is misleading--to those who are just learning Korean, one of the common misperceptions is that 감자탕 means potato soup because 감자 is also potato in Korean. However, they will be shocked that there is little to no potato in the stew at all--감자 is actually a traditional (older) word for pork bone. There are also a lot of perilla leaves in this dish. It was an interesting flavor, but I don't think I liked it as much as I thought I would have. But nevertheless, it was still enjoyable.



Other Places to Eat:
Pop Container (cafe that sells a really tall oreo bingsu/shaved ice)
Yeoneo Sanghwe 연어상회 (AYCE Salmon Sashimi + Sides [Korean Pancake, Fried Calamari] --highly recommend!)
Spicy Rice Cake Buffet (AYCE ddeokbukki)
Mike's Cabin (Bar--Drinks, Games)

Sheep Cafes

As mentioned in an earlier post, Korea is filled with many unusual themed cafes. Another one we visited was called Thanks Nature Cafe, also known as the sheep cafe. It is located on the main street of Hongdae, near the Honggik University entrance. Take the train to Honggik University (Line 2), and get out at exit 9. Then walk straight until you reach the McDonalds and turn left. Continue to walk down until you reach the block with restaurants on multiple levels. The cafe is located downstairs on that block. You are welcome to take pictures of the sheep from outside of the pen, but do step inside and order food/drinks. I ordered one of the hot floral teas, which was served in a pretty transparent tea pot. It was fascinating watching the flower "bloom" inside the teapot as the tea was steeped. There are also waffles, and cold fruit ades that you can order. Once you order at the counter, and pick up your order, you are free to enter the sheep area again and if you're lucky, you might be able to feed the sheep as well.

Address: 486 Seogyo-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea
Thanks Nature Cafe

Cafe's Website: Thanks Nature Cafe Facebook Page

Lotte World

Lotte World, along with Everland, are the most popular amusement parks to visit in Korea. Lotte World is a more kid-friendly spot with lots of interactive attractions, and a few thrilling rides whereas Everland is a bigger amusement park with many more rides, including the intimidating wooden rollercoaster. Unfortunately, I only had the chance to visit Lotte World again since it was much closer than Everland. It is located at Jamsil Station (Line 2).

There are 2 sections of the part, the indoor section and the outdoor section. Some of my favorite rides indoors include the Pharaoh and the mini water ride. A popular ride is the Conquistador, commonly referred to as the biking, which is a boat that constantly  swings back and forth, nearly reaching 90 degrees. Personally, I dislike this ride, especially when it drops forward. Others include a hot air balloon, a 360 degrees roller coaster, a haunted house, a carousel, 4D stimulations, etc.

The rides outdoors include the Gyro Swing, bumper cars, and my favorite, the Atlantis. The Atlantis is the biggest rollercoaster they offer at Lotte World, but is definitely worth waiting on the long line.

Nam San Tower (Seoul Tower) (N서울타워)

At first, we were going to hike up to the Seoul Tower, but the heat and the amount of steep uphill climbs really got the best of us. Luckily, there was the cable car option. A one-way ticket costs 6,000 won per adult, and the round-trip ticket was 8,500 won. After getting off the cable car, there was a resting spot where you can sit on the steps and walk traditional performances. Some of the performances include a traditional Korean instrument, Korean folk dance (풍물 pungmul) where they dance with a spinning ribbon attached to the hat, and a swords show.

Going up the stairs past the performance area are brightly painted benches and walls covered in love locks. There are several restaurants to dine at. We chose not to go up to the observatory deck, but if you do, there is a ticket box center to purchase the tickets before heading inside to take the elevator up. I've been up to the observatory deck the previous time I visited Korea, and the elevator has an LED screen that plays a short video clip as you ascend up the tower. The observatory deck itself is just walking around the floor in a closed circle to observe the cityscape from above. Definitely try coming at night instead of in the morning to get a nicer view. your pictures most likely won't capture you in them at night, but the view at night is definitely breath-taking.

Thursday Party Bar (Hongdae)

Being a foreigner in Korea means you can drink if you are 19 years old instead of waiting until you are 21 back in the States. Since I recently turned 20 here, we hit up a bar that was popular among foreigners, called Thursday Party. You can get there by heading down the big street a block further than Exit 9 of Honggik University Station. Turn right on the alley where the fruit on a stick stand is (leads you to the street shopping stores) and keep going until you reach the end of the block past Inssum Club. Then turn right and walk 2 blocks down, and the bar should be on your left.

The bar also has a few games inside, such as darts, foosball, and beer pong. Beer pong costs 10,000 won for 2 pitchers of beer. We ordered some of the lighter drinks, Midori Sour, Blue Hawaii, and a frozen strawberry margarita, a total of 27,900 won. The bar was a fun place to chill, talk to friends you came with, and even meet new people! We ran into a group that also happened to be from the Tri-state area, one was from NYC like us too! Starting out at a more foreigner-friendly bar would probably be easier for a first-timer because they are more open to conversing with strangers, whereas in a more Korean bar, you might get a few glares for trying to start a conversation.