{Tea diaries}

The news the other day talked about the new Korean teenage hearthrob, Rain, having fun at a "booking club" in Seoul, which reminded me that I have yet to properly document the vibrant Seoul nightscene. So here's a little diversion from the Paris entries and marks the final posting from my May Seoul trip.



Our booking club outing is definitely worth a blog entry in itself. Whenever my (ahem, male) colleagues visited Seoul in the past, they always returned saying how awesome these booking clubs were without going into the details. All I knew was that it was fun and a "guy" thing to do. On my recent visit, I begged my friends to bring me along to check it out. They graciously agreed, even though my presence would cram their style apparently.

That fateful morning, we were heading for the DMZ tour all the way at the border - our dear friend YS decided to swing by to give us a ride to the meeting point @ Lotte Hotel across the river, in spite of him having only landed in Incheon two hours earlier from his week-long US business trip.



Because we were out till late (or early morn could be more appropriate) the day before, everyone was totally knackered and took longer than one should in getting ready. This meant we only had 20 min to get to a place on a car journey that normally takes 45 min. Knowing that we had each forked out US$65 for the trip, YS decided to risk it all and was driving, should we say, in a similar manner to what you see in the latest canto-movie, Initial-D.

While I could probably go on and on about the fabulous food we had in Korea, decided to splash all the remainder out in this one entry, in case people get bored of this endless Seoul series. 

Samwon Garden @ Decadent livin'

Our kind hosts, the newly wedded couple, brought us to a traditional Korean BBQ restaurant, Samwon Garden, famous for its Kalbi dishes (barbequed short ribs), on the last day of our Seoul trip~ this was probably the most unforgettable meal of our trip.

As it was Parents’ day in Korea (the convenient combination of Mother’s Day & Father’s Day), there was a 25-minute wait before we were seated, in spite of the restaurant being one of the largest of its kind in Korea, with seating capacity of 1,200. Oh an interesting tidbit - the owners of Samwon Garden are parents of Grace Park, the renowned Korean golfer. Whenever she wins a championship, the Parks would give a generous 50% discount for all customers~ so make sure you time your visit right to enjoy this great bargain.

Samwon Garden @ Decadent livin'

After our little car mishap in the morning, we set off for the ultra-hip Apgujeong area in search of a lunch venue, looking forward to some barbequed food. Just when we were getting desperate and tired from the mindless wandering and inability to agree on one restaurant to go to, clouds of aromatic smoke wafted us to this bright and cheery looking corner restaurant, which is called- aptly and simply- The Chicken Restaurant. The restaurant specializes in a Chuncheon speciality – chopped chicken pieces are spread as slices and pressed down in spices and condiments on a steel plate with all sorts of vegetables and then grilled right in front of your eyes.

Chicken BBQ @ Decadent livin'

Chicken BBQ @ Decadent livin'

Chicken BBQ @ Decadent livin'

Chicken BBQ @ Decadent livin'

Chicken BBQ @ Decadent livin'

Chicken BBQ @ Decadent livin'

The Chicken Restaurant, Apgujeong, Seoul

One observation from Seoul was the abundance of spacious, comfy, and chic cafes just about everywhere one went… while a norm for many metropolitan cities like Tokyo, Seoul, and even Taipei, it’s definitely severely lacking in HK. The exorbitant rental prices probably play a large factor in this…here’s a few cafes that we visited in Seoul, including a traditional tea house.

Top Cloud @ Decadent livin'

Cafe Seventy Four @ Decadent livin'

Top Cloud @ Decadent livin'

Cafe Seventy Four @ Decadent livin'

Cafe Seventy Four @ Decadent livin'

Cafe Seventy Four @ Decadent livin'

Korean tea house @ Decadent livin'

Korean tea house @ Decadent livin'

Cafe Seventy Four @ Decadent livin'

Jeenah, my dear ex-colleague and friend, kindly took an afternoon off from work to bring us round Seoul, visiting Insa-dong, a street filled with small shops selling traditional crafts and porcelain. Knowing how much I love food, she also brought us to many of her restaurant top picks, like the Korean tea houses & Top Cloud, a hip restaurant with a magnificent view. Will have to make sure I am half as good a host as she has been when she next visit HK~

Seoul living @ Decadent livin'

Seoul living @ Decadent livin'

Strolling round the Tokyo-like alleyways and checking out the trendy people on the street, we saw quite a few people popping into this shop with mysterious dark wood panels. Given we still had a bit of time before needing to get back to the hotel to get ready for my friend’s wedding, we decided to check out what this Gusttimo is all about…

Seoul food @ Decadent livin'

Wandering round the myriad-like sidestreets of Apgujeong in search of a traditional Korean restaurant, my friend’s eyes suddenly widened and made an abrupt left turn and headed straight for this New York Fries joint without any explanation. We quickly followed...

Seoul food @ Decadent livin'

Seoul food @ Decadent livin'

Seoul food @ Decadent livin'

Seoul food @ Decadent livin'

Seoul food @ Decadent livin'

Seoul food @ Decadent livin'