Day 2: Lotte World!
This was one of the places that my Dad insisted that he must-go.
How cute can that be!
We began our morning with a breakfast buffet at JHill hotel.
A simple yet heartwarming fare with usual scrambled eggs, pancakes, porridge, fruits, cereal, sausages, hashbrowns and dumplings.
We then made our way to Jamsil Station which is where Lotte World is located.
And we couldn't resist the fresh, buttery smell coming out from the bakery!
Love the bread in Korea because there's just too many varieties to choose from!
Mimicking the mascots of Lotte World, as insisted by Dad.
Family Portrait <3
And so everyone loves Deli-Manjoo that can be found in Seoul
Mini custard bites that's so warm, with a chewy, cake-like texture.
And it's shaped like Lotty!
Only found in Lotte World if you wish to get these cutie bites!
Ohana.
One of the tallest building in Lotte World!
Love buying candies from such containers!
Scooping out the amount that you want, and it is always so colorful!
Definitely makes me smile everytime when I see candy stores :P
We definitely did not leave the candy store empty-handed.
Lotte World was crazily crowded that day.
My sister and I queued about 2 hours just to take a ride on the French Revolution!
But we are glad that our parents loved the 4D ride :)
We left Lotte World at about 5pm that day to head to Gangnam.
And here we are! The one and only Watami outlet in Seoul, Korea.
We have heard about the amazing reviews of their skewers and we couldn't give it a miss.
Loving the cosy interior look when it's so chilly outside and all you needed was warmth.
First up was stir-fried beansprouts with pork!
Served sizzling hot on the hotplate, this was one of our favorite picks!
And apparently the table beside us ordered it too, so I'm assuming it's good!
The well-known skewers of Watami.
The chicken pieces were fork-tender, making it easy to chew on and it was well-marinated.
You could taste the "after-grill" taste which makes these skewers even better!
Oh and did I mention?
AT the 1st level of the restaurant, you can get to see the chefs grilling the skewers on the spot!
There's even a bar counter sitting right in front of the chefs, almost like a sushi bar.
Just make sure you don't mind the grilled smoke smell getting on your clothes and hair!
Grilled Mackerel...and the portion was amazingly good and fresh!
Available in Watami Singapore as well, do give it a try!
Japanese cuisine mostly involves fishcakes, which makes oden one of the most commonly found dish in not just restaurants but even in convenience stores!
There were a few variations of fishcakes served in a hotpot to keep it hot!
And... the busy streets of Gangnam.
No doubt being a Central Business District area, Gangnam was similar to Orchard Road.
Except that this place is filled with pubs and bars, lots of eateries for you to choose from as well!
Take your pick!
Day 3: Gyeongbok-gung, Insadong, Samcheongdong & meeting up with Bora!
Dad say he loved the pillars, and here's his ootd!
Insadong, the streets filled with art and culture.
Over here, you get to see many handcrafted goods and really traditional Korean stuffs too!
Such as utensils, jewellery boxes, pouches, magnets, a great place to get all your souvenirs!
Mum's best loots of the day - 4 metal bowls.
Oops :p
Traditional Korean snacks!
And the poop-like snack store was located beside this store.
We wanted to get the snacks but forgot about it in the end :(
And this is the restaurant that I am meeting up with my Disney mate!
Also known as Doodaemonjib.
Really loving the traditional hanbok outlook of this restaurant.
And the interiors looked really grand.
So glad that we met up there early, because it got really crowded by about 1.00pm, so you might want to come here earlier!
Meet Bora the Explorer, she's one of the best friend I made from Disney!
So glad that we never lost our contact even after a year :)
This is a crab.
Yes, guys it's a crab.
Cooked by soaking it in a type of alcohol till it got cooked.
Dad tried it but it wasn't up to his liking, so who knows you might?
But this comes with a hefty price tag of KRW26,000(About 30SGD for one)!
Traditional bulgogi, comes with rice, lettuce, mint leaves and also vegetables marinated with gochujang.
Okay so they were listening attentively to my friend who was introducing the various dishes to them :D
One of the best seafood pancake I have had in Seoul!
The amount of ingredients in it was so generous and the pancake was made just right!
It does not taste too starchy or floury, so you cane taste the wholesome goodness of the seafood!
Live demonstration class by Bora!
Spicy broiled octopus, served with somen noodles.
Oh my goodness, this was my favorite dish.
I love the marinated octopus so much!
Mix it up with the somen noodles and you get both the chewy texture from the octopus and the silky smooth somen noodles.
I love spicy...but this got me hands down.
I started sniffing when I was close to finishing it.
It's really spicy!
And I am pretty sure Koreans can eat really spicy food.
Next stop: Gyeongbok-gung
The beautiful and historicial architectures, enhanced the beauty of a busy, bustling city.
Let the photos do it's talking.
With a group of school girls in traditional hanboks!
All of them looking really cute and pretty in these traditional costumes.
I really wish I could be in one too!
After leaving Gyeongbok-gung, we walked towards Samcheong-dong to get some sweet fix!
I love how this cafe has wooden interior decos which makes it much more like a home, rather than an upbeat cafe style.
I guess my parents really loved this place!
Thanks to Bora for bringing us here :)
Mum teaching Bora how to play Hay Day!
Fruit waffles set, comes with maple syrup and whipped cream topping!
Matcha bingsoo and plain waffle!
The Bingsoo was of a coarser ice shaving, different from the milk shavings found in Singapore.
So, not everyone would fancy this particular one!
Happiness :)
Street Churros, definitely one of the best!
Perfectly topped with cinnamon and sugar for a chilly night.
A florist that is fully decorated with fairy lights, totally feels like I'm in Europe!
And that's all for part 2 today!
Thanks for reading guys, and Happy New Year Ever ahead!
Here's wishing all of you Happy 2016!
With loads of love,
cynnie.
