Waffles, pancakes and coffee places are getting very popular in Korea. And the choice of coffee and dessert places are abundant! Many of them are chain stores. I’ve learned from the local Korean friends that coffee has become a strong culture. People love having coffee. It’s amazing how big the market is to support all these coffee shops.
There are a number of coffee shops and restaurants identified as favourites of some K-pop starts in Gangnam of Seoul. They are usually a place to see and be seen, with an open view on the road side. Cafe Monday to Sunday is one of them. It is a favorite restaurant of TVXQ, Sunper junior, and f(x). So you may run into these k-pop stars there.
Gangnam K Star Road is really fun in a sense that there are so many spectacular buildings, flagship stores, well-designed restaurants and bars. Even selling ice cream bars is a little fancy. Bardot is a US ice cream bar brand and the red lips are the signature icon. It’s amazing how such a simple design is turned into a successful business. Well, it’s an attractive design not only for men…
The dome shape glass ceiling Starbucks on top of a subway station in Gangnam is probably the best I have seen not only in Korea, but also in Asia. Celebrating the 15th anniversary of Starbucks and the 800th store opened in Korea, this is a signature store featuring beautiful interior decoration and Starbucks Reserve in Gangnam area (south of the river). Locating in the newly renovated transport interchange called Famille Station in Gangnam, this 800th Starbucks is one of the few premium stores in Seoul that sells upscale Starbucks Reserve. You may find the single origin line as well as some special edition of Starbuck merchandise here. However, it is very crowded. People are sharing tables and there is always a long line at the counter. If you don’t fancy making a trip just to take a look at this signature Starbucks, well, the Famille Station is a trendy gourmet mall in Gangnam. The mall was renovated in 2014 according to the look of a classic London train station, featuring red brick walls, pillars, arched ceiling design, and a London clock. Level 1 features around 30 food and beverage stores, from…
When it comes to travel, the last thing you want is to get sick in a foreign country. So I am always careful when eating street food and things that are raw. I like seafood and decided to give Ganjang Gejang a try in this trip. Gejang means marinated crabs in soy sauce and you eat them raw. “Ganjang” is added to Gejang to differentiate it from another raw crab dish prepared with chilli pepper seasoning. The tradition of eating marinated raw crabs dated back hundreds of years in Korea. I think that back in the old days when there aren’t that many choices of food available year round, preserved foods are common around the world. And if you were not living by the sea, you would not have the privilege to eat fresh raw seafood. This tradition has made some of the cuisines unique. The marinated raw crab cuisine is pretty complicated to prepare. The blue crabs have to be marinated with the right sauce with the right ingredients: ganjang, salt, onions, garlic, ginger, cheongyang peppers, water, etc. Otherwise, it will be either too salty or…
