Seoul's Quirky Cafés

One of the strange things about living in Korea is that often a single cup of coffee will cost more than the price of a large meal.  Not that meals are expensive, but still.  The coffee-shop industry here is booming and you can find them on pretty much every street; most are your standard chain coffee shops, but every now and then you come across a cool 'n' quirky café which gives you an unusually exciting coffee experience from  cats to bunk beds.  Lemme tell you more...

• CAT CAFÉS

I'd heard about these existing in Japan, but when I saw that there were a few in Seoul I just had to get to one!  Missing my big fat feline at home, it was a fun chance to play with some kitties that weren't A) Stray B) A million miles away.  I've been to 3 or 4 cat cafés in Seoul, and they are all pretty similar.  They are a really popular place for young Korean couples to go to on dates....I mean who wouldn't want to be taken on a date to play with cats? That's just normal, right?  

The standard routine seems to be to pay a cover of about 8,000won, put on some sexy slippers and then go in to play with the cats for however long you like.  A drink is included in the cover, but it's best to drink it quite quickly as even with a lid, it's quite likely a furry friend will brush past your straw and you will end up with a mocha-furra-chino....or something.  Hmm.

One thing that amused me greatly was the 'rule poster'.... From what I can make out there is 'no paparazzi kitty,' 'no slapping the kitty's arse' and of course 'no feeding them hamburgers, bags of crisps or corndogs' (i think that's what they are).  Thank god for that last one.  Who knows what kind of crazy-ass-shit would go down if that rule wasn't there.  I can only imagine what the second up from the bottom left means.....'don't give the cats an electric whisk and/or use the cats as basketballs.....'

They are mostly very cute apart from the token bald cat which looks more like an alien and feels even worse *shudders*.  I would defo recommend.  

This kind of thing could CATch on back in England.   But, if you don't like cats then you may find yourself shouting 'get MEOWTA here'...... (sorry, couldn't resist).

Directions to a few cat cafés

• Gio Cat Café:  Hongik Univ. Station, Seoul Subway Line 2, Exit #6 >> Follow the street with the Smoothie King in front of the Hongik Univ. entrance
• Another Cat cafe in Hongdae:
  1) Get off Hongik Univ station Exit 5 and walk straight.2) Turn left and walk up the street.3) Turn at your second right.4) Keep looking to the left. You’ll see it on its own side street above "fuckfake" and the Hello Kitty cafe.
• Hello Cat Cafe: Gangnam station, exit 6. Turn left as soon as you come out of the exit and walk down the side street. At the end of the street is another road. About two buildings to the right is a 7-11, Hello Cat Cafe is above this on the fourth floor. 
• Hello Cat Godabang: Sinchon.  Can't remember exit, but it's close to station and on 8th floor.
• One more Godabang cat cafe: Konkuk University Station (I don't know exit).

DOG CAFÉS

Yes, you are reading correctly.  And yes, it is what you think it is.  Similar to the cat cafes above, Seoulites have taken the fad one step further and opened a dog cafe.  The only one I know of is also in the funky/arty/studenty area of Hongdae and it is pretty similar to the cat cafes...but instead you avoid piss and shit play with cute / crazy dogs.  

I won't lie to you, the smell isn't most appealing.  Upon entering the cafe, your nose will be assaulted with the smell of...well...dog.  Or should I say 30-something dogs; from the small ratty kind to the big slobbery kind....but be warned for the latter if you decide to buy treats!  We were also greeted by a urinating dog (on the floor...of course), pines/whines/barks and a Febreeze-spraying employee.

I found out the hard way that it is also a bring-your-own-dog thing when a Korean couple kept hovering around waiting for this adorable puppy that I was playing with.  I was thinking 'there are 100 other dogs, get your own dog to play with, mehhhh' and then it turned out to actually be their dog.  Oops.

It's a fun/unique experience, albeit a smelly one.  It wasn't at all relaxing compared to the cat cafes, but it's worth a visit if you are a dog person or just want to do something different.

This is what happens if you buy treats...

•  Bau Haus Dog Cafe  바우하우스 :

           405-13 Seokyo-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul

- Go to Hapjeong Station (합정역) exit #3

-Walk straight ahead to first big intersection
-Turn right, walk straight ahead, over slight hill
-At Koryo restaurant, where the street bends left, turn right

-At the Praha Castle, turn left

HELLO KITTY CAFÉ

If you love the world famous kitty that is 'Hello Kitty,' then this cafe is a must.  It's actually amazing.  Everything including the toilet seat is all pink and Hello Kitty-y.

The front of the cafe

One of the best things about this cafe, aside from the decor, is the fact that Hello Kitty's big mug cute little cat face is printed in to your drinks.....

Our drink order

Menu

Hello Kitty Cafe 헬로키티 카페

 Address:
서울시 마포구 서교동 358-112
Seoul 358-112 Seogyo
Tel : 02-334-6570

Operation hours :
11:00～24:00 (Friday & Saturday)～2:00

How to get there by subway :
Hongik University Station, line No. 2, exit 5; Hapjeong Station, line No. 2 or 5, exit 3; or Sangsu Station, line No. 6, exit 1. It’s on an uphill alley off of Hongdae’s main drag of shops and boutiques. 




Yetchatjip (old teahouse)

This is a really cute and traditional cafe in the heart of Insadong.  If you have been to Insadong before, then you will understand how crazy it gets with tourists, but just off the main strip down a little side street, you will find this unique and very quirky little tea shop.

The vibe as you set inside is really relaxing and perfect after a hard days shopping.  

One of the best things about this  tea shop is the fact that they have a selection of little songbirds to look and 'aww' at whilst you drink your tea. 

The interior is strange to say the least, with old toys, post-it notes from visitors, traditional Korean decorations and a creepy rocking horse.  It's a little  jumble-saley but it works really well.

Directions

Anguk Station, Seoul Subway line 3, Exit #6 Keep walking straight down the main Insadong-gil until you see a small wooden sign on your left.

Sundubu Jjigae 순두부찌개 (soft tofu stew)

Since I have been in Korea, I have only ever had one favourite meal and that is 'sundubu jjigae'.  Back home, I never really ate tofu as I would always have Quorn as my meat alternative.  Actually, the one time I did try tofu (in a Boots Meal Deal) it was rather rank and sloppy with next to no flavour which put me off eating it.  Tofu is a really popular food here in Korea, and not because people are vegetarian....they really aren't....although ham is apparently not meat.  The two main tofu dishes are 'Dubu Kimchi' - tofu with kimchi.  Standard.  And Sundubu Jjigae, which is what I will tell you about now...


Sundubu translates as 'soft tofu' (the silken kind) and jjigae means 'stew'.  It's a really popular meal here and I get my sundubu jiggae fix at least once a week cos it's so damn good.  The local Kimbap restaurant also has a 'cheese' option too.  And by 'cheese' I mean the square cheese in little plastic envelopes.  It's not exactly mature cheddar, but it works really well.  


One of the things I love most about sundubu jjigae is the way it is is still bubbling away for a minute or two when they bring it out to your table.  This is achieved by cooking it in a stone pot and then serving it straight up in the same pot so it retains the heat.  I've made it without the stone pot before, and it is nowhere near as good in a regular bowl.  Therefore, I conclude that the stone pot is essential in your sundubu making experience!  

Sundubu Jjigae Recipe 

This is a recipe using the ready made stock.  I've never gone to the effort of actually making the stock as you can buy ready made pouches that are pretty good.  They're not quite as good as the restaurants, but they are still a great alternative for if you want to make your own.

Ingredients

• 1 pouch of Soft Tofu Stew stock (per person)
• I packet of silken tofu.
• Crushed garlic (the stock already has garlic in it, but if you are a garlic fiend like me then you may want more)
• Various veg - I used courgette, onion and a spring onion.
• You can add a chili if you want, but the sauce is already really spicy.
• Egg
• Cheese square
• The restaurants add clams, but I don't like them so substituted for prawns.  Honestly though, you don't need seafood, I personally think it's better without.
• A STONE POT.  Or a regular pan. 

Sundubu Stock

You will always find a pot of crushed garlic in my fridge 

Method

• Heat up the stone pot (or pan) with a little oil.  Lightly fry the onion and garlic for a minute or two.

• Add the tofu stock to the pot and when it starts boiling add the remaining vegetables, tofu, egg and prawns.  It is best to cut the tofu packet in the middle rather than opening it at the top as it breaks up quite easily.

• Let it bubble up for a few mins until everything is cooked through and it is piping hot.
• Add a slice of cheese.

• Serve up still bubbling with a bowl of rice.
• ENJOY! :) 

Omurice with cute-face rice balls 오무라이스

I have been in Korea for a year and a half (yes, that long already!) and I had never even made an omurice ...until this week!  I'm pretty sure that Omurice originated in Japan, but either way it is still a super popular dish in Korea.  It is basically as it sounds - an omelet filled with fried rice.   Unfortunately for vegetarians however, it is often filled with ham as well as veggies (as things always are here!).  So, just like with the mandu last week, I decided to make my own and share the joy with you lovely people reading this. 


Traditionally, Omurice does not come with cute face rice balls (everybody say ahhhh).  It's just I found this really cool seaweed face stamper in a shop that same day and really wanted to use it!  

Usually ketchup is squirted on the top, but I don't like detest the horrible minging red stuff so I used bbq sauce instead.  To be honest, no sauce is just as good if your filing is yummy.

Ingredients (makes 2):

3 or 4 eggs

Splash of milk

Rice - I can never measure rice correctly so just do what you want!

Onion - I used spring onion and garlic chives, but regular onion is more traditional.

Carrot - chopped finely

Rice seasoning (if you want more flavour - consists of salt, pepper, seaweed pieces and dried veg)

Splash of soy sauce

A teaspoon (or less) of crushed garlic

Chili powder if you want a lil' kick

Butter.
If you eat meat, then either add chicken or ham for best results.

Chopped veg

Directions

• Dice the vegetables 
• Fry the vegetables with some butter until soft (not healthy, but tastes goood!).  Then add the already cooked rice and soy sauce / chili powder and stir fry.  Set aside.
• Mix 3 or 4 eggs together with a sprinkle of salt and pepper
• Add butter a pan and when it is really hot, add the egg.  Make a thin omelet.
• Pile the veg in the to center of the omelet and then fold up each side.   Ideally it should be folded in to a half-moon sort of shape like this.  
• Flip the omurice over on to your plate and squirt on a bit of sauce.  Hey Presto!

            

Stir-fry the rice and veg

Pile the rice in the middle of the omelet before folding

To make the rice balls, just squeeze some cooled down rice in to balls and add seaweed shapes to make a face.  You can buy special seaweed stamps for this purpose if your're not feeling very artistic!

Shrimp and Tofu Mandu with a Soy & Apple Vinegar dip 새우 두부 만두

One thing I love about Korea is mandu.  Mandu are hot steaming (or fried) delicious dumplings which are available almost anywhere.  You can find them on both street-food stalls and in so many restaurants.  The possibilities for mandu fillings are endless, yet there are only usually 2 (maybe more) options available in restaurants; Kimchi Mandu (spicy cabbage/veg) 김치 만두 and Gogi Mandu 고기 만두 (meat).  The Koreans are very traditional with their food and like to stick with what they know works, and for most people these do work, but for people who don't eat meat then there is often a problem!  Like for example, last week.  It was freezing cold.  It was even snowing.  I really wanted some kimchi mandu.  The first mouthful of eating a steamy spicy kimchi filled dumpling of joy on a cold day with a side dip of soy sauce is actually rather amazing  (sorry, a bit OTT!?)  


I was on a mission.  I took out to the cold icy streets and ventured towards a mandu restaurant about 10mins down the road.  I had never tried this restaurant before, but they make them fresh so I assumed they'd be good.  Anyhoo, I ordered my kimchi mandu, and took a huge bite.  Unfortunately for me, it was rammed with carcas meat as well as kimchi.  Bleugh.  Quite often they just use tofu to mix, but on a few occasions there has definitely been meat involved.  So, I didn't get my mandu fix that eve.  


Butttt...this did provoke me to get off my bum to the supermarket and buy some mandu wrappers to make my own.  I also found this nifty little device in my local Daiso store which is actually a super good invention when it comes to  mandu-making....

As much as it looks like a prop from the Saw movies, the leg-breaker mandu-folder-overer-thingy is something that I would very much recommend to anybody interested in making some mandu. 


Kay's Shrimp and Tofu combination Mandu


I decided to make prawn and tofu mandu, partly because they are both such great absorbers of flavour, but mainly just cos I like 'em :-)


If anyone wishes to recreate my yummy mandu, then here is the recipe:


Mandu Ingredients (makes about 25):
Mandu papers/wrappers
About 25 prawns (tails/head off and poo-cord out)
About 250g Tofu
A few chives
Sprinkle of sesame seeds
Crushed garlic (maybe 1/2 tsp)
Small handful of sweet potato noodles (Dangmyeon)
Splash of sesame oil
Splash soy sauce
About a Tbs of Cornflour
Salt / Pepper
Sprinkle of Chili powder
Salt & pepper to taste
(Grated ginger - I didn't have any, but imagine it would be a great addition).


Dip Ingredients:
Soy sauce
Apple vinegar
Splash of mirin/mirim (rice wine).
-Mix them together in a dish.  Equal parts soy sauce and apple vinegar with a dash of mirin.

Sweet potato noodles

1. De-poop the prawns if they need it (the black veins along the top and bottom)
2. Cook the Dangmyeon noodles for a few mins until they soften. 
3. Drain the tofu of water and mix all of the above ingredients together and leave for at least an hour to marinate.
4. Blend or chop the ingredients and put a small spoonful of the mixture in each mandu paper (not too much or they will just be messy).
5. The easiest way to fold is to make a half-moon shape and squeeze the ends to make them stick together either by using water or egg.
6. You can then either fry or steam.  I chose to steam mine, but fried are just as good.  It takes about 7 mins.

Put wrapper in the mandu folder and add a bit of filling

Fold

Steam and enjoy! ;-)

PEPERO DAY 11/11/11

Wow, it's been a while since I updated this blog hasn't it!?  I have been meaning to write a post about Pepero Day since Pepero Day, but I have been so busy.... James had family visit, then we adopted a stray kitten, then I had family visit, then we bought another kitten, then we went to Hong Kong and then it was Christmas and now it is already 2012!  Well there's a little update for you all if you were at all interested.

Pepero Day is a magical annual event in South Korea which is pretty much like Valentines Day, but it is for everybody, not just couples.  Strangely enough, this momentous chocolate filled fun day occurs on the 11th of the 11th which is better known for us back home at Armistice Day.  While everyone in England (minus a few) is holding a 2 mins silence at 11am, the people of Korea are exchanging chocolate covered biscuit sticks and getting high on sugar and E-numbers.  I did make sure to hold my 2 mins silence even with the sugar rush!

As mentioned above, Pepero are chocolate filled and/or coated biscuit sticks which come in various flavours.    The story goes that the main company 'Lotte' noticed a rise in sales on the 11th November, so decided to celebrate it and market the day as 'Pepero Day' and hell has it worked!!  In the week or 2 leading up to Pepero Day, the supermarkets and mini-shops are heaving with huge Pepero displays (and more recently other chocolate/teddy's and flowers too).   This year was 2011 (or last year should I say), so I think even more of a big deal was made out of Pepero Day being 11/11/11!  I must say that I took great pleasure in eating a Pepero at 11 minutes past 11 on the 11th month of the 11th year :)

Display made out of numerous boxes of Pepero

Outside a little GS Mart

Soo many Pepero!

Arriving at school on Pepero Day morning was actually more exciting than arriving on the day of the Christmas Party...  The kids were MENTAL!  I'm sure they had already eaten a few boxes for breakfast...  James and I were spoiled rotten by our students.  Here is a picture of the Pepero (with a photobombimg kitten...or maybe I put him there, I can't remember...)  which we received before lunchtime...  more came after lunch!!

In short, I LOVE PEPERO DAY!  We NEED to have something like this in England.  Mr Prime Minister, if you are reading this, then take note and get on it!

A Trip to the De-Militarized Zone (DMZ)

Visiting the DMZ is on almost everyone's to-do-list who comes to Seoul.   I mean who wouldn't want to go to visit the world's most heavily militarized border and get a glimpse in to the worlds most secretive country?  I had been meaning to visit for a while, so finally decided to go on a tour with Adventure Korea.  The tensions between the two countries were ok (apart from a few 'accidental' gun shots taken at the North a few days before) so it seemed like a safe-ish time to visit.  Here is a bit of info what we did on the tour.

DMZ

The DMZ is the De-Militatized Zone between North and South Korea.   It is basically a 4km no-man's land which was divided after the Korean War.  It is rammed with mines and is full of nature.  According to some of the touristy stuff at the border, there are even a lot of bears wandering around in there.  How they don't set of the mines though I don't get...

Before I went on this trip I didn't realise how close I actually live to North Korea.  It's crazy.  As soon as you are out of the main hustle and bustle of Seoul, you are pretty much on the main road leading up the North.  You get a strange feeling as you look out of the window and no longer see skyscrapers, but barbed wire and watch-towers along the sides of the road.  You can even see North-Korean territory pretty soon after leaving Seoul. 

Imjingak (임진각)

The first point of call was the village/park called Imjingak AKA 'peace village'.  Imjingak was built in 1972 and is located 7km from the border.  It was built in the hope for unification between the 2 Koreas.  SO many families became divided after the war, so this village is now the site where people from the North visit and perform ancestral rites by bowing towards their home town on Chuseok (thanksgiving) and New Years Day.   It was quite an interesting area - you can strike the giant 'Peace Bell' and even buy some real North Korean currency.

One huge tourist thing you must see here is the derailed train which has 1,200 bullet holes in it after getting shot at and bombed.   It is a huge symbol of the division between the North and South and has become Registered Cultural Heritage.

Derailed train after war

Tongilchon (Unification Village)


The next stop was fooooood.  Being a vegetarian, I loved the tofu and soybean lunch we had.  I'm not sure how much the meat eaters were loving it though...  We ate in a traditional restaurant in the village of Tongilchon which is one of the unification villages.  We had a drive around after to look at the homes of the people who live in the DMZ.  The people who live here get a lot of state benefits such as no taxes and no military duties (which every Korean man is assigned to do).  Their security is so high here that they don't even have to lock their doors.   The downside however is that this is the first village to 'go' as it were, if the North attacked.

Traditional restaurant in Tongilchon

You can buy North Korean beer in the shops, mmm

 

The Third Infiltration Tunnel (3땅굴)


Next we made a stop to visit the 1.7km scary mofo tunnel dug by the North Koreans to make a surprise attack on Seoul.  Unfortunately, we were forbidden to take photos so you will have to make do with my detailed description of  the 'scary mofo tunnel'.  We got kitted up in bright construction hats and made our way deep down in to the steep, cold darkness.   At times the tunnel was so small that even I was banging my head super cool helmet (and I am relatively short).   Apparently 4 tunnels have been found so far and there are believed to be another 10 out there - there is even a reward for finding them, although there is no possible way anyone could just decide to go and hunt for a tunnel without getting blown up by mines or shot first.  Bit unfair really, I'd quite like to go tunnel hunting....  Anyway, you walk down the tunnel at a ridiculous angle and then when u get to the end (barbed wire) you turn back and climb the dreadful incline back up.  Least to say, I have now joined a gym, so if I did this again, it might not be as painful!




Dora Observatory and Dorasan Train Station  (도라산)


The penultimate stop was Dorasan Observatory where you can actually look in to the Demilitarized Zone and North Korea.  The city of Kaesong is visible in the background.  It is the second largest city in North Korea and you get a really hallowing feeling looking in to the city, with the huge North Korean flag towering over everything.   You get a strange feeling here, it is so peaceful.  All you can hear (apart from the people you are with) is the nature in front of you in this large area of no man's land, yet at the same time you are looking in to the most secretive 
and communist country in the world.  Photos here are strictly prohibited so you will have to make do with a pic taken form behind the 'camera line' (about a zillion miles back).  I did take a really good sneaky one, but a soldier saw and then deleted it from my camera.  Humph.

Looking in to North Korea

The final leg of the trip was to the Dorasan Train Station which has the tag line  "not the last station from the South, but the first station towards to North".  The amazing this is that if the North and South become 'fwwwieennnddssss' (sorry, couldn't resist it) again, then it will be possible for me to get a train all the way from Seoul back home to London!!  Not that I would, but just saying.  Cool, huh?   One fun thing about this station is that you can purchase tickets to go up on the platform, and because it is extremely rare for a train to pass through, you can even play on the tracks!!

Tracks to Pyeongyang...

Map if the North and South become 'Korea friendsss'

Just chillin on the tracks

Hmmm, which way to go!?

Passport stamps form Dorasan

Tteokbokki Town

Sindangdong Tteokbokki Town 

신당동 떡볶이 타운

I recently went here and felt that I just had to write about it!  This post is to inform people who are in Korea about this delicious area of Seoul, and to inform those outside of Korea about the legendary food that is Tteokbokki.

Tteokbokki  떡볶이

Tteokbokki (pronounced 'tockbocky') is a traditional Korean street food that is also served pretty much anywhere.  The street food version usually tastes better than the restaurants, but not in the case of Ttokbokki town (which I will get to later).  It consists of cylindrical pressed rice cakes which are cooked in a spicy and garlicky sauce alongside 'odeng' (fish cake), egg, onions and various vegetables.  

Now, I love spicy food, but I was so shocked to see kids as young as 5 years old tucking in to this stuff when I first arrived.  I was sitting there blowing my nose every 2 mins, whilst these kids were like 'mmm yummmmyy morrreee!'   Kids back home need to learn a lesson or two!  


Tteokbokki Town


After experiencing some major Tteokbokki cravings, I decided that I needed to give this place a visit.  It is located in Sindang-dong, and is basically a whole street (not town) filled with spicy, yummy tteokbokki restaurants. 

The entrance to 'Tteokbokki Town'

The most popular restaurant is apparently called 'Halmeoni Tteokbokki' which has a big picture of a granny over entrance ('halmeoni' means 'grandma' in Korean) - it opened in 1953 so it's been open a while!!  It seemed more of an older clientele  restaurant though, so we opted for the bigger, more 'hip' (lol, granny joke i'm so funny) restaurant opposite called 'I Love Sindang-dong'.    It was huge!  Apparently back in 2002, seven tteokbokki restaurants merged to form this big mumma of a restaurant.  It is mega-popular with young people and also celebrities (they all had their photos/autographs up by the entrance to entice people in).


Their menu was really varied.  The description of 'tear rice cake' made me laugh; "require of sweat and tears" - I guess it's spicy!??  And when they say spicy  in Korea, hell do they mean it!    

We opted for the cheese filled tteokbokki (and a beer) and it was......amazing!!!  
They brought over the pan and it was filled with SO MUCH FOOD!  There was tteokbokki (obviously) - both regular and mozzarella cheese-filled.  There was a whole pack of ramen, eggs, mandu (dumplings), glass noodles, vegetables etcetc.  

The pan of uncooked food

I love these kinds of restaurants where you cook your own food.  In England we are too health and safety conscious to let people have their own gas cookers on their tables in restaurants, so it makes a really exciting adventure to be able to do it here!!  Not sure letting me in control of a gas hob is wise though, especially after a beer....


Anyway, we got cooking and after about 5 mins of stirring and bubbling we started to eat...

Omnomnomnommmmmm

And to top it off, they even had a DJ and some musical entertainment!  

How to get there:


Leave exit 8 and turn left shortly after the exit.  Keep walking straight and then you will see the above street sign <3