The second to last week of the study abroad trip arrived before we knew it. Things always seem to come to an end when it is at it's best. I finally got comfortable with a routine in a foreign place and around my newfound friends, yet we only had mere 14 days left together. When all of us weren't busy with the school aspects of the experience, foods brought us all closer.
Bestie C and I went out (of campus) for the majority of our lunch breaks during the remainder of our time in Seoul. We didn't have a particular place in mind but found a small restaurant named Noodle Box during a stroll through Edae. They sold a variety of different stir-fried noodle dishes that were served in cardboard take-out style boxes. I ordered the migoreng since I had never tried it before, but cannot attest to the authenticity of what I had. Of the noodles and the spring rolls appetizers we got, I remember much preferring the latter bite.
Whilst on the hunt for lunch, Bestie C spotted the other liquid nitrogen ice cream shop that she had read about. Since we had more fruity flavors at Solid Works, we opted to try the dairy based versions at Lab Time. Oreo milk ice cream can never be a wrong choice. Tiramisu ice cream was a pleasant surprise. I think it had some cheesiness to it and the melted chocolate syringe made the experience extra exciting.
After discovering the West Gate area of Yonsei, our group of friends decided to see what else Yeonhui-dong 연희동 had to offer. We stumbled into Yeonhuidong Kalgooksoo 연희동 칼국수 by pure chance. All of us were hungry after a day of classes and I think many of us had to get back to our studies. Somehow our big group walked into the bottom-most floor of this noodle restaurant one night. The servers didn't speak much English but it wasn't an issue because there was 1 and only 1 item that this place served, it's eponymous dish. The only options given were small or big bowls.
In translation, the restaurant name simply meant knife-cut noodles from the Yeonhui neighborhood. But the bowl of noodles was far from plain. It may look like just a boring bowl of noodle soup with only a few strands of julienne carrots, egg, and scallions at first glance. But this was the best bowl of noodles I had. The broth was so flavorful but slightly under seasoned. Their spicy kimchi was seasoned well, crunchy and not too fermented (just the way I like it) so it balanced the broth just right when eaten together. This restaurant even offered a non-spicy white kimchi that tasted just as nice. It seemed like everything that was served matched my tastes exactly! My friends and I probably devoured every last morsel of food on the table that night.
Ice cream cakes from the big chains, in NYC at least, are pretty boring. If not all vanilla flavored, then all chocolate. If not either then a combination of the two. If none of the above then part cookies 'n cream and part sheet cake.
We were all amazed by the ice cream cake selection we saw at all the Baskin Robbins. One night when we gathered one of our biggest group together for a dinner outing, the dessert of choice was to share a cake rather than each buy our own little cups. There were about 9 different flavored cubes of ice cream in the cake that we picked and none were the basic options either.
Our cake was safe from the heat since we all chipped away at the blocks right away in the shop. Had we chose to share it in the comforts of our dorm lounge, there was no need to worry about rushing back with a melting cake either. The Baskin Robbins in Korea actually packs the cakes first in the typical cardboard cake boxes and then in another styrofoam container with dry ice. How awesome is that?
In case you haven't noticed already, I really enjoyed going to the Hyundai Department Store in Sinchon for food. Bestie C and I stumbled upon a Japanese ramen vendor called Magokoro and had to satisfy our ramen craving. Even though ramyeon is very popular in Korea, that is just the instant variety for noodle fare. Nothing really beats the taste and texture of fresh noodles.
At first, I was skeptical of the flavors since most foreign foods we've had in Seoul didn't turn out to be all too authentic. But the tonkotsu ramen from Magokoro was pretty spot on. It wasn't the best Japanese ramen I have ever had but it was a good replacement to fill the missing void.
There weren't very many restaurants that my friends or myself visited more than once in Korea. The exception was albab house 알밥 하우스 in Edae. It was convenient and very affordable with decent sized portions. I tended to order the rice bowls and during this particular visit I had the mixed katsudon, which was essentially donkatsu, shrimp tempura, and egg over rice.
While heading to our dinner spot, we were greeted by people selling water guns right near the entrance of the subway in Sinchon. Then we spotted so many people on the streets who were soaked from head to toe as we walked closer and closer to the main square. From the looks of it, there was some sort of big water gun fight that was sponsored by Sprite Korea.
Later on we found out (either through signs nearby or a Facebook event page) that it was the 2nd Annual Sinchon Water Gun Festival that weekend. We missed the appearance of the then hottest idol in Korea that summer, Suzy from Miss A, who filmed her part for a Sprite commercial in the morning.
But fear not, the event was a weekend only affair. Day 35 was only Saturday, so our Sunday plans were unexpectedly set that night.
Mammoth Grill 맘모스 고기부페 was our night's dinner destination. This was another All-You-Can-Eat type KBBQ place that was conveniently located in Sinchon. Just like the previous AYCE meat grilling restaurant we went to, Mammoth was relatively inexpensive. I believe it was around ₩10,000- ₩12,000 per person. I also remember the meats here being a bit better than at Chakhan Pig, especially the thicker cuts of pork belly! Oh what I would do to be able to eat at an inexpensive buffet KBBQ...
Of the things I wanted to try in Korea, visiting a dog cafe was high up on my list. I actually grew up not being particularly fond of dogs. The ones in my neighborhood always tended to bark at me every time I walked past the gates they "guarded". Nevertheless, I always admired the fluff balls whenever they appeared on TV and movies. How could I not? Those cute doggies! (Especially Buddy the golden retriever from Air Bud.)
In Seoul there were many types of animal cafes; ranging from the more common cat and dog cafes to even sheep cafes. It would have been a wasted opportunity to be around so many doggies.
After lunch at the Totoro restaurant, our big group split into two. One group visited the Trick Eye Museum in Hongdae and the other Bauhaus Dog Cafe 바우하우스 애견 카페 in Hapjeong.
This dog cafe was located in the basement of a tall building near the subway station. Once inside we immediately saw all the dogs yapping away or chilling in their own cozy spots. For most of these animal cafes, I've heard that there wasn't an admission fee. Instead visitors just have to order a drink each. Drinks tended to be more expensive here since it was the de facto admission ticket. There was supposedly a time limit at the cafe but it wasn't strictly enforced when we were there. We probably spent a good 3+ hours at the dog cafe that day.
We were first led to the big playing area with the bigger sized dogs. It was pretty overwhelming at first, so many big doggies walking around us. But we quickly discovered that these dogs were smart. Visitors who had snacks for them were their main targets friends. For those, like my friends and I, who didn't buy treats for the pets, we didn't receive much love.
Small dogs are cute and all but they also tend to be the ones (from my own observation) that bark the most. I was initially more excited to be with the bigger dogs, but that changed quickly. The little dogs at Bauhaus gave everyone attention no matter the presence or absence of doggie treats. We were able to approach them more easily and pet them. A few even let us sit them on our laps!
By the end of our visit, I was especially fond of the two corgis at the cafe. They were so cute, chubs, and stubbly! Ahh~ Makes me want to have a pet dog. But the responsibilities...
One Piece and Hello Kitty may have been slight letdowns, but we didn't completely give up on themed restaurants. Our next stop was to eat amongst Totoro and friends in Edae.
The particular restaurant didn't seem like anything out of the ordinary on the outside. Signs with menu photos and waxed foods were a pretty typical sighting in Seoul.
What set Botong Saram 보통 사람 or Average Person apart was it's interior. Seating and tables were designed to look like tree trucks and leafy vines looped all around the walls. Totoro stuffed animals, figurines, and posters were placed everywhere. Compared to the previous two themed restaurants we visited, Botong Saram seemed have put more effort into decorating.
It was always a treat when spicy rice cakes or ddeokbokki was given as a side dish at restaurants. This was also, I think, the first restaurant we had steamed egg or gyeranjim for banchan.
An interesting food that we ordered was the egg wrapped mini kimbap 겨란말이밥.
Botong Saram's menu had a variety of classic Korea dishes: bibimbap, donkatsu, soups, etc. Something I wanted to try after seeing it on the menu was jjol myeon 쭐면.
I've had it once or twice before at the Food Gallery 32 in Koreatown. I really liked how refreshing it was. The dish is similar to bibimbap but with very chewing cold noodles instead of piping hot rice. While there is a another dish called bibimmyeon 비빔면 or mixed noodles, the type of noodle used is completely different from jjol myeon's and there aren't as many vegetable accompaniments.
I was glad that Totoro didn't end up letting us down. Food was inexpensive and atmosphere was nice, what more is there to ask for?