So much Seoul: School Food & Street Food in Myeong-dong

8th December 2013

Today my friend and I visited Myeong-dong to try a place called "School Food" and also to try some street food we saw the other day when we were visiting the place.

 School Food (스쿨푸드) 

...is a food chain that offers funky fushion gimbap as well as some pretty spicy tteokbokki. 

They even got fried chicken and salad, noodles and rice dishes. 

The dishes are geared towards the younger crowds like teenagers and college students, but the portions are enough to fill you up.

Fresh fruit drink "Ade" (딸기코튼에이드)

It was very refreshing, almost like sparkling juice.

&

Fried Dumplings + Fried Chicken Salad

I recommend trying: 

"Topokki"

...a popular Korean snack made from soft rice cake and fish cake with very red and spicy chilli sauce. 

This dish also came with blood sausages on the side, I personally did not like the flavour or texture of it. 

I think it was an acquired taste...

&

"Mari"

...a koran version of sushi, but try the squid ink coated rice mari (the black sushi). 

The flavour is uniquely unusual but very satisfying. 

It is a tad chewy from the squid filling, but the rice has a sweet flavour to it.

Once we were done, we made our way out to the streets for more food LOL 

Another thing to try when in Seoul is the various snacks they sell and offer on the streets.

...deep fried seasoned potatoes spiralling on a skewer...

...fish shaped cakes...

...squid..squid...and more squid... 

...fried sweet bread dumpling...

 ...and a variety of sausages....

We stayed at Myeong-dong till it got dark.

 I was sooo full, my stomach was about to explode that day

...but I was very happy, 

because of all the delicious new food of course haha...

Till next time ~ Cheers

( ^_^)/

Follow me on Instagram or Twitter.

xox

(p.s: unless disclaimed, all pictures were taken by me on iphone 4s, apologies for any blurriness)

So much Seoul: Bibimbap, and visiting Myeong-dong.

3rd December 2013

After a short flight from Taiwan we finally arrived at Seoul, Korea. 

We immediately took a taxi to our hostel at "Kimchee Guest House", Sinchon District. 

For more information click HERE.

Since we arrived late, we decided to crash and explore Seoul the following morning. 

 4th December 2013

Before starting our adventures, we needed food in our belly.

Nearby our guesthouse there was a small restaurant, i forgot the english name, but heres the sign to the shop.

The place is owned by the sweetest mother and daughter duo.

When in Korea, you must try "Bibimbap" (비빔밥)

It is a signature Korean dish, which means "mixed rice".

Served hot or cold, it is a bowl of white rice topped with seasoned vegetables (namul) and chilli pepper paste (gochujang).

If you are not a fan of chilli, I suggest that you ask the owners to skip the "gochujang". It was pretty hot the first time I ate it, but by the end of the trip, I enjoyed this spicy dish.

A raw or fried egg and sliced meat are common additions. 

The ingredients are stirred together thoroughly just before eating. 

After our fulfilling meal, we walked to Sinchon station to catch the train to "Myeong-dong"

When we arrived the streets were bustling with people.

LOCATION:

Myeong-dong Station (Seoul Subway Line 4), Exit 5, 6, 7, or 8.

Myeong-dong (명동) is one of the primary shopping districts in Seoul. There are many brand name shops and department stores line the streets and alleys. Common products for sale include make-up, clothes, shoes, and accessories. 

The department stores in Myeong-dong carry many premium labels and other fashionable goods at reasonable prices. 

But one thing you must try in Myeong-dong is the street food.

There are plenty street stalls to cater different tastes.

On a cold day, its ideal to eat something warm. 

Try the sweet egg steamed bun, and for only 2,000WON ($2AUD)

SO CHEAP ( ^_^)/

This bread-bun like sweet is made by placing the mixture into a mould, then cracking a whole egg in the middle. 

Placed in a steamer and ready to be served fresh.

To wash that down you could also try the popular pomegranate juice.

They will juice the pomegranate and place it in a neat little bag for you. It sweet and tastes bubbly.

If street stalls are not your thing, then you can try the coffee shops. 

One thing that becomes immediately apparent upon walking down any street in South Korea is that coffee shops are incredibly popular.

Every where I went, there was a coffee shop around the corner.

I found it quite interesting.  

When I went back home I did a little research on this topic and found a short study by JungHee Jang on the cafe culture in South Korea.

You could check out this paper HERE.

My friend and I went to a small place called "Cafe SOHO"

It is a good place to unwind (and put your feet up after a long day of shopping and eating street food...hehe)

"hmmm...is this why nobody sleeps at night? because everyone is drinking coffee at such hours?..."

Follow me on Instagram or Twitter.

xox

(p.s: unless disclaimed, all pictures were taken by me on iphone 4s, apologies for any blurriness)

Day 1: Taiwan (Arrival & Exploring Shilin Night Market)

29 Nov 2013 - 

A friend and I left Hong Kong to visit Taipei for a few days. 

But first we had to fly into TaiChung (which took about 2hours from Hong Kong) and then catch a bus to another terminal.

Once we had left the airport the first bus we took was "CT BUS" No.150 (Cost was 35NTD - New Taiwan Dollars) 





It was a short ride to our next terminal, 
but the view was great since it was on a bridge.





This bus took us to another bus terminal which we had to ride for i think another 2hours, getting on a "U-BUS" will directly take you too Taipei (this will cost you about 210NTD)

I really enjoyed the bus journey to Taipei, seeing the difference  from rural to urban was interesting, especially as things started to become more 'civilised' and commute with people. 

Here are some snaps from the bus journey before i started to snooze off :)

By the time I woke up it was almost dark and we had arrived to Taipei :)YAY

I was also surprised to see such a motorcycle/motorbike culture, I've never seen so many before.

We checked into our hostel called "Fun Taipei Backpackers"

which we booked over "Hostelworld.com"

I've got to admit, we did get lost, even the taxi driver did not know the place. 

I suggest writing the address of your accommodation in chinese.

On the outside of the building it may look dark and shifty, 

on the inside it is cute and sweet. 

A really nice place to live for a few days...

I recommend this place because it is close to the "Shilin Night Market" and also a metro station. 

Everything is in walking distance.

And across the street there is a small restaurant...

(plus many other around the sides)

We had to get a bite before we explored the night further.

I had the rice with deep fried pork.

It wasn't too bad and quite affordable. 

Afterwards we visited the Shilin Night Market.

The Shilin Night Market is one of the largest night markets in Taipei. 

There are plenty of souvenir goods and clothes for great prices. Most of the visitors I saw there were students, since the night market is close to many schools, thus many of the stores cater to students and the younger population. 

But does not mean you cannot have fun :)

The Shilin Market is also famous for their various snacks and finger food, otherwise recognised as street food.

The only thing I did not enjoy was perhaps the sausage, it was so greasy I felt sick from it.

But what I do recommend is...
Hot-Star Large Fried Chicken
It's basically an enormous serving of deep fried chicken with a generous amount of spices. It was sooo delicious...

Also, you have to try the 

王子起司馬鈴薯 (Prince Cheese Potato)

It is so tasty and good for your moneys worth...

Im not sure how the potato is made, but I am thinking that they boil the potato then mash it to only form the shape of the potato again, hence its soft and melting texture as it reaches your mouth lol

It is then rolled in crumbs, then deep fried. 

Later cut in the middle where they fill it with a variety of ingredients like pineapple, corn, ham, and brocolli. 

Then they add a glorious amount of cheese sauce that fills the container to the brim. 

This Cheese Potato is not my photo, 

just giving you an idea of what it looks like.

mmm... my belly was happy ( ^_^)/

My friend and I later headed back to our hostel to rest and continue our adventures the  next morning...

...and this was just the beginning.

Follow me on Instagram or Twitter.

xox

(p.s: unless disclaimed, all pictures were taken by me on iphone 4s, apologies for any blurriness)