October 7, 2016

[Seoul] Let's GO, Seoul●Busan! 首爾●釜山趴趴走! Day 3.2 高速巴士地下街●正直的金先生●新沙洞School Food●Big Hit Entertainment

Let's GO, Seoul●Busan! 首爾●釜山趴趴走!


안녕하세요 여러분! \^0^/
Annyeonghaseyo, everyone!

Should you find my blog post getting less words, simply meaning to say I'm getting lazy orz
It's really a commitment to set aside time, sit down and write about something.
Salute to all full-time bloggers out there!

For those who are still with me at this point, I still hope you enjoy reading! :)

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September 11, 2016 (Sunday)


Can I see a show of hands who watch <The Return of Superman>?
A tv reality show airing celebrity fathers taking care of their children.

I believe you have known the triplets, Dae-han, Min-guk and Man-sae?
There was an episode when their father brought them for dumplings, and they ate deliciously.
(see screenshots below)


Song family, the dumpling lovers

"2 servings per person, fair enough, right?" says Song daddy.

Just can't get enough of their cuteness... so adorable with the costume!!!
More more!!!




Seeing them eating so deliciously, it makes me feel hungry..
(yea, imma so hungry now ;___;)

Actually we didn't plan to have Bareunda-Kimseonseng today.
In fact, as we are visiting the Gangnam Terminal Underground Shopping Center
(a.k.a. Express Bus Terminal Station Underground Shopping Center, or GOTO Mall),
surprisingly we found an outlet here :D


바르다-김선생 Bareunda-Kimseonseng 正直的金先生

**how to get to this location : take metro/subway to Express Bus Terminal Station, Exit 7**
Address : 서울특별시 서초구 반포동 19-3 지하상가 1구역 G020,21
Tel : 02-537-3954
Operating Hours : 10:00~22:00


Quickly we placed our order, and wait to receive "beep-beep" call.





Ta-da!!!
One serving of dumpling (만두"man-du") costs KRW4,000.
Seriously this serving is definitely not enough for an adult.
Even kids can eat 2 servings!

For the sake of tasting, we ordered one serving instead.
It's prawn (새우"se-woo") filling btw.





To be frank, personally I think it's just taste so-so.
Freshness, yes. Taste, yes. Filling, yes. But just so-so. Average.
People might be exaggregating while they say "it is the best dumpling ever".
Average RM2 per dumpling. I would say, they aren't cheap thou :/
Worth trying, anyway :)


As we were too busy window shopping, I forgot to take pictures of the Underground Shopping Center.
NOWAYYY \\@.@//


Basically there are 5 main/popular underground shopping center you can find in Seoul.
(1) Gangnam Terminal Underground Shopping Center (GOTO Mall);
(2) Yeongdeungpo Underground Shopping Center;
(3) Gangnam Underground Shopping Center;
(4) Jamsil Underground Shopping Center;
(5) COEX Mall.

GOTO Mall is especially popular since it is a main hub for people who are interchanging from city to city, by bus. It is convenient for working ladies to pop-into the stores whenever they are transit from one station to another. Hence, most of the stores here targeted on women's fashion.
Clothes, cosmetic, bags, accessories, home deco, you name it ;)

Please do prepare to spend if you intended to shop here.
Otherwise you will be like us, doing window shopping most of the time heh
(hope Malaysia Ringgit appreciates so we have stronger buying power...)


We spent quite some hours there. And since we are all the time underground,
it's impossible to tell the time unless you check your watch/phone.


It's about time for dinner!
(so it happened that this is a food post)

Any EXO-L (a.k.a. EXO fans) here, please raise your hands!
Then maybe you should be interested to the place we are heading here.

Apparently School Food was once featured in EXO's variety show <EXO Showtime>.
(check out the screenshots below)








Alright, no doubt, this place is recommended by Cong Min XD
It's all about food + EXO, with love.



School Food @ Garosugil, Sinsa

**how to get to this location : take metro/subway to Sinsa Station, Exit 8**
Address : 서울특별시 강남구 도산대로 139
Operating Hours : 10:00~23:00

**side note**
"We gotta try out the cheese sweet potatoes. Lay had them." said CM.
"Oh really, then we must have it." I replied.
......
"Do you serve cheese sweet potatoes here? Because I don't see it in the menu." I asked the waiter.
"We don't serve it at this moment. Sorry."
......
NAWWWW this couldn't be happening.
Then when do they serve that dish?
IDK simply 'cause I couldn't continue the conversation >_<
Probably during daytime, I think...

Anyway so we ordered a kimbap/sushi set.
(sorry I didn't jot down the name @@)
Which costs us KRW7,500.








The lighting inside is rather dim.
It's impossible to take a decent photo of the dish under such lighting.
Bear with me. In fact, the dish might looks dark and not appetizing,
it's not the case at all. But still, I would say it's so-so.

Coming to sushi, still I would prefer Japanese.

After we finished eating, we spent some time walking down Garosugil
(a.k.a Europe in Seoul, or the shady street)

**side note**
Cosmetic brand "Skin Food" outlet in Garosugil is known for the brand outlet-ambassador.
Meaning to say, this particular outlet is mostly featured in brand advertisement.
Theoretically, you should get more discounts and offers in this outlet than others.


One more thing to do before I can call the day off.
It is non-other than visiting Big Hit Entertainment company,
whom BTS is currently signed under to.
OMGEEE I'm super-duper excited!

From Garosugil to Big Hit Entertainment company building,
its like 15-20 mins walking, slightly up the hill.
(even now I can still visualize the road with eyes close)

For those who are interested to know what app I used during the trip,
it is Naver Map btw.
(I will write a separate and detailed blog post about it later on)


School Food Garosugi > Big Hit Entertainment





Here we are!
Opps, seemed like there are people still awake. Lights on.
(Suga, I'm here to send you some late night snacks. Come down and take it! jkjk :3)





In fact, Big Hit Ent. is sharing the building with some other non-entertainment related companies.
(how interesting...)








Don't get me wrong. I didn't do these drawings @.@
Apparently many hard-core fans had been here before and they left some "hints" behind.
Honestly, I felt sorry for the building owner. This shouldn't be something to proud of.
Be a good citizen. Don't vandalize public/private goods.

**side note**
We stayed there for a good full hour. How crazy it sounds right?
We saw staffs and anonymous van coming in and go. No signs of people who I familiar with.
Meanwhile, there are 4 other girls, just like us, waiting beside.
Coincidentally, from the other side, the two Chinese girls were able to spot Rap Monster.
He walked fast and entered the building in a vast.
And all this happened just 50m away from us, yet we missed.
(what a shame...)
Btw it was Rapmon's birthday on the next day.
Thinking back now, maybe they are practicing "Blood, Sweat, Tears" at that time :D
Who knows :/


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Thank you and hope you enjoy reading :)
Please look forward to the next post!

October 6, 2016

[Seoul] Let's GO, Seoul●Busan! 首爾●釜山趴趴走! Day 3.1 吃休閒走綜合年糕渦●呷鷗亭

Let's GO, Seoul●Busan! 首爾●釜山趴趴走!


안녕하세요 여러분! \^0^/
Annyeonghaseyo, everyone!

From Day 3 onwards, we are winding down our pace.
Couldn't deny the fact that we are terribly tired during the journey.
Nevertheless, we are still on fire to explore Seoul.

Hope you enjoy reading! :)

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September 11, 2016 (Sunday)


Hello Sunday :)

Honestly I have been looking forward for our schedule today since Day 1.
'Cause today we are going to visit obbas!

First thing first, we need to get our tummy some yummy :9

Still we are heading to Anguk Station, but different exit.
Everytime when I got out from one exit to another, feels like Alice in the Wonderland.
(how does "Hyeon in Seoul" sounds to you then? heh)

Specifically, the area we are heading this morning is Samcheongdong.





From Anguk Station (328), we have to walk about 10-15 mins to reach destination.
Enjoying the poetry view along the road and the soft-breezing wind, what a relaxation!





**how to get to this location : take metro/subway to Anguk (328), Exit 1**
Address : 서울특별시 종로구 율곡로3길 74-7
Operating Hours : 11:00~20:40



먹쉬돈나 ("Eat Rest Money Go") Mokswidonna 吃休錢走年糕鍋

What can we hunt here?
Mokswidonna (먹쉬돈나) serves traditional rice cake dishes.
Well known for its good food and affordable price.
They have several branches now (i.e. Myeongdong, Hongdae, Sinchon).

Honestly I'm not really a food-goer.
So please forgive me for unable to describe the taste more detail in words >.<
My food rating is as simple as "delicious", "good", "average", "won't coming for it again".
@.@





Similar to the place we had beef bbq, customers are required to order according to head count.
So we ordered Cheese Ddokbokki and Seafood Ddokbokki, each portion costs KRW4,500.
Ended up they served them together in a big bowl @.@

Having said that I started to have sore throat, I can't really enjoy that much.
But looking at the price and the portion served, I think I'm quite satisfied.

One thing to note, if you wish to have ramyeon cooked with the ddokbokki,
please place your order together right at the first.
They wouldn't allow you to add ramyeon into it once it is fully-cooked.
That's what happened to us =.=

Other than ramyeon, you can add-on any of other side dishes while eating,
i.e. boiled eggs, ham, sausages, dumplings, etc.

Please don't get me wrong. It is a very decent restaurant.
Their food are nice and price is affordable.
Just only we got slight culture-shock there heh


Moving on, there are some shops around selling cute stuffs.
And I bought these cute rings for myself. Aren't they lovely?
They cost just KRW1,000 each.





Tummy fulled, ready to meet obbas? ^_^

Have you came across Apgujeong?
If people wish to make reference to a person whom is trendy and classy,
he/she should come from Apgujeong. Can you roughly get that idea now? :)

Nevertheless, Apgujeong is a district where most of the entertainment companies located at.
For instance, S.M. Entertainment, JYP Entertainment, CUBE Entertainment, FNC Entertainment.

Surely you can tell how excited I am up at this point :D

It requires many walking today. So get ourselves ready.
How about a cup of iced coffee? Sounds great!





I must say, Paik's Coffee's iced coffee is amazingly good.
Before this I heard numerous rumors about coffee in Korea is rather plain and bitter.
Surprisingly this has a strong coffee aroma and taste sweet.
(in fact I think its more like 3-in-1 coffee taste where we can find back at home)
Anyway, if you're looking for some good coffee in town, try Paik's Coffee instead.
This drink costs us KRW2,500.

In fact, the first destination on my list was Coffee Cojjee.
A cafe which once co-owned by Kim Jaejoong @ Hero.
(a.k.a. my dream obba ever since high school)
Though knowing that he has sold his share a couple years ago, but still I need to check it out.

Set aside how much difficulties we had in searching for the location,
the result turned up to be devastating......
Check the photo below.





What? Do you mean the cafe is no longer operating? Or they are having renovation?
But my sixth sense told me it is more like the first T^T
Seriously Coffee Cojjee...... all these while I have been longing to visit you, and now...
What a disappointment.
I hope I got it wrong earlier. And if I am, I wish all the best to the coffee business.


Let us drag no time and keep up with our schedule :)
Remember earlier on I said about entertainment companies?
Go go go!!!





JYP Entertainment (photo taken on February 2016)


JYP Entertainment (photo taken on September 2016)

You may noticed some of the posters had been replaced during the time...


FNC Entertainment (photo taken on February 2016)


FNC Entertainment (photo taken on February 2016)


FNC Entertainment (photo taken on September 2016)


FNC Entertainment (photo taken on September 2016)

F.T, Island members look absolutely stunning in "Where's the truth?" promo poster.


SM Entertainment (photo taken on February 2016)
SM Entertainment (photo taken on February 2016)

A few streets down the road, you will be able to spot SM Entertainment new office building,
right beside Riverside Ritzvil Condo.
For the two times I went, not even once I was at the right time, when it opens for walk-in customers.
They sell merchandise goods at ground floor, as claimed.

Since I went there twice, I felt like I'm getting familiar and more familiar to the place now.
If you need direction and you don't mind people tagging along, pick me!!! XD


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Thank you and hope you enjoy reading :)
Please look forward to the next post!

October 5, 2016

[Seoul] Let's GO, Seoul●Busan! 首爾●釜山趴趴走! Day 2.5 南山公園(N首尔塔)●明洞商圈●亂打秀

Let's GO, Seoul●Busan! 首爾●釜山趴趴走!


안녕하세요 여러분! \^0^/
Annyeonghaseyo, everyone!

Day 2 is coming to an end.
Keep up with us! :D

Hope you enjoy reading! :)

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September 10, 2016 (Saturday)


When I'm looking back our footprints, then I realized we actually went to so many places in one day!
Maybe that's when my body finally couldn't stand, and got sick for the next few days...

p/s: please try to space out your schedule and not to get sick during holiday trip...

After exiting from Myeongdong Station, we walked for about 15-20min following the street of the right side of Pacific Hotel in order to reach the boarding place for cable car.





You should be able to spot a commemorative monument (above) just right beside Namsam Orumi, a slanted elevator connecting Namsam Tunnel 3 to Namsam cable car. It takes around 2 mins to reach the cable car station.




**how to get to this location : take metro/subway to Myeongdong (424), Exit 3**
Address : 서울특별시 용산구 남산공원길 105
Tel : (day) 02-753-2403 (night) 02-757-1308

Cable Car Operating Hours : 10:00~23:00 (Sun-Sat)
Observatory Operating Hours: 10:00~23:00 (Mon-Fri/Sun) 10:00~24:00 (Sat)
Website : http://www.nseoultower.co.kr/


The price for cable car ride as follow:





Since we are thinking of taking a walk down Namsan Park after that, so we bought adult one-way ticket, which costs KRW6,000 per person.





There were many people that day, and we waited for almost an hour to get ourselves on cable car.
Here the cable car comes...








Up up we go!
The cable car ride took us like around 5 mins.
Soon then we realized we arrived at N Seoul Tower.

The observatory admission fee as follow:




Since we got bundle offer for purchasing N Seoul Tower admission ticket fee together with Nanta Show ticket, so I don't know the actual price we got for the Observatory Admission.
(Nanta Show ticket + N Seoul Tower admission ticket = KRW 45,000)





First thing first, we quickly check out the Observatory Tower as we are afraid we are behind time.














But honestly, there is pretty nothing much to see inside the observatory tower.
Just the usual souvenir and gift shops you would expect in any other observatory tower,
and some restaurants with good mountain view.





These should be the view y'all familiar with.
Trees and fences decorated with colorful padlocks.
And benches which the middle part slopes inwards.





Our mission was to find EXO's padlock.......
Did we manage to find them?
Of course NO XD
My dear, that's not even possible!

This is definitely a place for couples.
Such a lovely spot.
Maybe I will consider to come again with my partner (?),
if there is one HAHA

Night is coming.
We wished to stay a bit longer, but we have a show to catch tonight.
Let's move on.





There are staircases built all the way down to the hill.
If you are not ready for lots of walking, please take the cable car instead.

While we are expecting something surprising along the way down,
it's a bit disappointing 'cause there is pretty nothing much.
Just focus and enjoy the walk!

And we took Namsam Orumi down to Namsan Tunnel 3, walked backwards from where we started.
Back to Myeongdong, we need to fill our stomach with lots of foods now.

I don't think I need to introduce much about Myeongdong now,
since many would have know about how fascinating and happening this town is.


Is that even 32 cm ??? The ice-cream part......

Our show starts at 8PM.
The theater hall is just right beside the biggest Skin Food outlet in Myeongdong.
But as your see there are more than 3 Skin Food outlets in Myeongdong,
it takes time to get to the right direction.
(try imagine how big is Myeongdong Night Market)

Whew, finally we got in just right in time.





**how to get to this location : take metro/subway to Myeongdong (424), Exit 3**
Address : 서울특별시 중구 명동길 26
Tel : 02-739-8288

Ticket Box Office opens at 10:00
Website : http://nanta.i-pmc.co.kr/nanta/en/ticket/ticketing.aspx


For those who don't know what is Nanta Show, here's a glimpse of it...which I found it on YouTube



Apparently these live shows are receiving good comments over the time
and many locals and even tourists came all the way to watch these shows.

I never been to any live concert as of now.
Nevertheless, I felt as excited as going for a concert.

There were many elements in the show.
There is a story line with only 5 characters.
They will dance and perform numerous talents throughout the show.
They don't require much script. If necessary, it would be simple English.

The show we watched was Cooking Nanta.
So the background of the story is a team of chefs struggling with kitchen-related issues.
Interesting part is, although it seemed childish and ridiculous at first, I soon find it very entertaining and started to flow with the performance.





We are not allowed to take any picture nor recording throughout the show.
Hence this was taken after the show.

It is grateful to learn that Koreans do appreciate cultural and arts, as compared to our country.
There are people making a living with arts performance.
And people coming in to buy ticket and watch these performance.
It may be some families weekend activities.

Is it the difference between developed country and developing country?
I shall leave the question in vast.

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Thank you and hope you enjoy reading :)
Please look forward to the next post!

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