eating | The Hidden Thimble

Get ready to get salivating because these next series of posts are all about the unique food experiences on our Korean Trip.

Whilst the entire trip was filled with amazingly grand and ultra delightful banquets of delicious foods…

….there are just wayyyyy too many photos and experiences for us to show all of them in one blog post. So I’m going to focus on those places that went that extra step further…to the level of themed restaurants and cafes!!

We would be lying if we said that everyday of our Korea trip we were all outgoing and did adventurous Korean things, completely immersing ourselves into the culture. Bu alas, some days we reserved entirely for eating. Yes eating. Whilst inside Siree lies a little piggy that enjoys her food….inside Talyssa the mammoth of all little piggy’s lays dormant, only to be epic-ly released during meal times. In fact I actually LOST weight in Korea because Siree couldn’t handle eating 3 meals a day + snacks. Level up Siree, level up!

Onto the restaurants~

Whilst we saw many themed restaurants in Korea, there are just so many places that look amazing to eat at, that we really only visited one themed restaurant (cafes are another story…).

We were guided by some Korean friends to a restaurant named Flying Chicken – a military themed restaurant in Hongdae. When Koreans do a theme, they go all out. The chairs, to the tables, to the utensils/drinking glasses, to the entire interior design was military themed. We even got served these crackers/biscuits, which our Korean friends kindly let us know that they were a typical snack they ate whilst doing their compulsory military service.

We went to Flying chicken at night – I don’t think it’s open during the day. It is located above the Bar “Vinyl” which is popular for its robot shop front and for serving alcoholic beverages in zip-lock bags!!

The interior decor! It really does have a military vibe!

Here you can see the beer served in the military container. Our Korean friends told us they drank from these shaped containers whilst doing military service. You can also see the ‘military biscuits’ we were served.

Can I just say, that I am so thankful we came here with Korean friends. Amongst our side dishes was some rice wrapped in seaweed and a boiled egg – If we had come here by ourselves Siree and I would have had no idea what to do with it or that we were suppose to mix it in with our chicken! haha

Food Specialty:

Spicy chicken dishes.

Directions:

Follow the blue line on the map.

The map makes the restaurant look really far away, but its not actually that far. From exit 9 of Hongik Station, continue walking straight on the road you are on (Yanghwa – ro) and turn left into Hongik – ro. Follow the road all the way up until you get to the front gates of Hongik University. Facing the front gates of Hongik University, turn right and walk down Wausan – ro. Flying Chicken is located next to a 7-11 and above the popular bar “Vinyl.”

Address:

411-1, Seokyo-dong, Mapo-gu.

Side Note – Korean Bars

This isn’t technically a themed restaurant, but I thought it was an interesting cultural aspect to include…especially since I thought these places were just another type of restaurant…turns out they are actually Korean style bars! Unlike bars in Sydney, which are more of a social event amongst randoms, a Korean bar is completely friendship group orientated, with the seating being confined to separated booth spaces. Why I decided to include this here, is because the bar we went to was decorated all cool – like!

One thing I love about Korean drinking culture is that when you buy a drink, boy do you get value for money!! Not only is the drink significantly huge (check out the beer above!) but you can actually taste the alcohol inside, for example, mixed alcoholic beverages like Vodka lemonades!! Alcohol in Korea is affordable and non stingy, which seems to be the opposite of Sydney – over priced with zero alcohol! The picture on the right shows the anju we ordered. When drinking at Korean bars, it is customary to order some food snacks with your drinks. You must always do this!!

Location:

This particular bar was located near where we were staying in Gaebong. Korean bars however are practically everywhere in Korea and easy to find.

This concludes the end of Part One. Part two here!!!

Soooo I just had my birthday, and as I grow older I’ve been really keen on the idea of someday living by myself. Living with your rents has its benefits for emotional/support needs but up until recently I really do want my own place. To work. To live in an image of what I want to live in as an independent adult (hmmm… does that sound right?). And Pinterest DOES NOT help! All those gorgeous pictures of interiors ahhh makes me jealous!!

And with the ultimate home needs to be paired with an ideal surrounding. If you have ideas of living in a sweet zakka neighbourhood like me, Samcheongdong gives off that vibe of calm and space, which is pretty funny seeing as Korea is always so fast paced. Even walking! When we both came back we really felt the change just by walking down George Street in Sydney. The human traffic was so different it felt like a lazy Sunday walk in the park in the heart of the city compared to our rushed 1000 pace a second while in Seoul.

Recognise this street? It’s the setting of a scene in Coffee Shop Prince. Over the walls are two girl middle/high schools buildings. I wouldn’t mind going to school here :)

On the opposite side of the very touristy Insadong, Samcheongdong is definitely quieter, fusing that picturesque small neighbourhood stroll with its many (many) cafes, contemporary art galleries and handmade jewelry stores. You can also find some handmade clothing and nick-knack shops as well as the Bukchon Hanok Village and Gyeongbokgung Palace but unfortunately we didn’t get a chance to visit. Definitely a great spot for couples who want some alone time and street walking real-estate ;)

One thing I noticed in Korean coffee cafes is the term “hand drip coffee.” Before Korea, I have never heard this expression being used as a marketing term for coffee consumption except “french press” (which is a different process). Unfortunately, I’m not a big fan of espresso unless it’s affogato but I appreciate the art of a good smelling cupa :)

Unfortunately a lot of the jewelry stores have a “No Photography” sign so I had to take a lot of cafe fronts instead lol

Although Samcheongdong Sujebi is a must eat on tour itineraries for the area, Talyssa and I decided to try out this famous restaurant called Meokswidonna that’s popular for its tteokbokki. Ahh street food, what we do for your unhealthy empty carbs over healthy meals. Oh but this isn’t any ordinary tteokbokki. This has class it was even featured on television. Choose your favourite toppings and…. BAM!

Look how beautiful it is! Mmmm cheese and ramyun, and all for $8 per person!

I dare you to find a place that let’s you have seafood and beef for $16 of this size. I DARE YOUUUU!

Waaah cheese is in the same category as beef and seafood! I never really enjoyed American cheese (commercial Australian cheese is more natural being less processed in my view) but in this case, I will adjust :)

Walking down a bit further into the heart of Samcheongdong the scenery changes with distinctive slope-side shops with stone staircases to climb to the higher levels. Though mainly cafes, the look mixes the modern with traditional making it very charming to just walk and explore.

It became a ritual that after walking a bit, it was cafe time! So we stopped over at Palette Dessert Shop to grab some…

So the verdict? Very nice! I guess if I was to compare it to a Lindt macaroon the ganache is more gooier, which I really enjoyed as you can really taste the flavour. I got the salted caramel of deliciousness.

Though Palette is known for macaroons, they had other cakes available as well.

Need a Map?

How to get there

To get to Samcheongdong take the Subway Line 3 and is 570m from Exit #1, Anguk Station.

Duration

Hmmm I would say 2-3 hours. Maybe longer if visiting the Bukchon Hanok Village and Gyeongbokgung Palace.

Tips:

Meokswidonna has a bit of a queue so line up early to get a seat. Though some of the wait staff knows a bit of English, the menu is completely in Korean and Japanese.
Samcheongdong has too many cute cafes to try on a full stomach.

Until next time, later tatters! :)

The Hidden Thimble

Tag Archives: eating

Korean Themed Restaurants and Cafes – Part One