Korea/Seoul Apr’19: Gonghwachun Jajangmyeon, Songwol-dong Fairy Tale Village & Nanta Show

Posted on July 27, 2019 by missuschewy

For our remaining two days in Korea, we rented a vehicle so that we could travel to places that were further away from central Seoul which were also not so accessible by public transport. There were some minor hiccups when we picked up our rental car in the morning but luckily, our itinerary was a very relaxed one that day so we weren’t exactly in a hurry to get anywhere.

After about an hour of misterchewy driving really cautiously (because left-hand drive!) on the road, we reached Incheon Chinatown (인천 차이나타운). This place is certainly very traditional and retains the flavors of China. If you have an extra day or two, I definitely recommend that you stop by this place of interest.

There are two things which you will not miss at Incheon Chinatown – Jajangmyeon (noodles in black bean sauce) and Bing Tang Hu Lu (candied Hawthorn stick)!

The hubs and I adore Korean jajangmyeon, which was the main reason why we decided to travel to Incheon Chinatown. We heard that Gonghwachun (공화춘) serves the best jajangmyeon in Korea! Not only that, the famous and popular restaurant has over 100 years of history!

Gonghwachun offers a few different types of Jajangmyeon and we went for the special one with loads of premium ingredients like prawns and pork. The noodles were served separately so we poured the gravy with ingredients in and gave everything a good stir before tucking in. It was a really delicious and satisfying treat!

We also ordered Tangsuyuk (탕수육) as we often see this crispy, deep-fried pork dish drizzled in sweet and tangy sauce being eaten together with jajangmyeon in Korean dramas.

Gonghwachun (공화춘)

Address: 인천 중구 북성동3가 5-6번지 공화춘

There were many other Chinese snacks and delicacies at Chinatown but we were too full to stomach anything else after the filling meal at Gonghwachun.

We also read that Sim Ni Hyang sells very yummy mandu, also known as meat dumplings!

This is the building where Gonghwachun’s restaurant was originally at. It is now converted into a Jajangmyeon musuem! I totally forgot to check the details and the museum was not opened that day 🙁

Well, at least we got to eat the jajangmyeon which we were really craving for!

At Incheon Chinatown, you can also find a very cute and colorful place known as Songwol-dong Fairy Tale Village (송월동 동화마을) where all the characters that you have read about in various fairy tales come to live in the form of painted art or 3D sculptures.

Songwol-dong Fairy Tale Village (송월동 동화마을)

Address: 38, Donghwamaeul-gil, Jung-gu, Incheon
인천광역시 중구 동화마을길 38 (송월동3가) 일대

We then went to Shinsegae. Did not buy anything but this photo with Park Seo Joon is good enough for me! LOL.

Dinner was at Wangbijib (왕비집) which translates to “Queen’s House”. Read many positive reviews online and decided to try the Korean BBQ there. We loved it so much that we went back again the next day!

Service was top notch. The staff were so attentive that not would they keep checking when the meat was ready to be flipped over, they would also use a pair of scissors to snip out any charred ends before serving it to you.

Another one of my favorite Korean actors, Gong Yoo! 😀

Baskin Robbins seems really popular in Korea and I couldn’t resist a cup!

What’s a trip to Korea without watching the Nanta Cookin’ Show! We got our tickets early via Changi Recommends which was really convenient too!

No photography and videography is allowed in the theatre but I had to snap a photo of this because the Nanta crew was really entertaining and displayed superb camaraderie. Everyone was roaring with laughter throughout the 1.5 hour show!

This concludes our 6th day in Korea! Next post will be on our last day of our Korea trip! 🙂

Korea/Seoul Apr’19: Nami Island, Gangchon Rail Park & Garden of Morning Calm

Posted on June 20, 2019 by missuschewy

Annyeong chingu! This post covers our 5th day in Korea! We had just returned to Seoul from Busan the night before and I’m glad we got our day tour package to Nami Island, Gangchon Rail Park and Garden of Morning Calm via Changi Recommends!

It was a nice change as we did not have to fuss over the logistics of booking entrance passes and transportation. Shuttle bus service is provided so all we had to do was just to hop on and off at the designated timings! The hubs could finally take a break from all the navigation he had to do over the past few days.

There are 3 pickup locations namely Hongik, Myeongdong and Dongdaemun. We selected Myeongdong as it was closest to our accommodation and we picked up some delicious gimbap along the way!

Our first stop of the day was Nami Island! Gotta take a photo with these adorable snowmen figurines! My first trip to this attraction was more than 10 years ago, after watching the famous Korean drama “Winter Sonata” starring Bae Yong-joon and Choi Ji-woo. I’m sure most of you would know that the popular series was shot on Nami Island!

There are a number of activities which you can do at Nami Island, one of which is to take photos of/with the beautiful flowers!

A collection of photos from Winter Sonata!

I remember there used to be this life-sized cardboard cutout of Bae Yong-joon and Choi Ji-woo in this exact same pose.

Our very own version! Can pass? 😛

We saw some people riding rented bicycles around the park but I don’t know how to cycle so we stuck around taking photos.

Our local guide told us to meet him earlier if we wanted to eat the best Dak Galbi on Nami Island and since it was lunch time, we thought it was a great idea! I’m not sure why we opted for the non-spicy version though since I’m a fan of spicy food! We also ordered some tteokbokki and garlic fried rice. Mashisoyo~!

Do note that this isn’t included in the tour package but it’s really yummy so you wouldn’t wanna miss this!

Spent the next hour on the shuttle bus to get to our second destination of the day, Gangchon Rail Park! To be honest, I was most looking forward to this part of the day tour! It seems like rail bikes are fast gaining popularity in Korea.

If you wanna have some privacy with your friends or other half, I would strongly recommend paying a little bit more for the private rail bikes. The queue is also significantly shorter.

This was the queue for the shared rail bike which was snaking all the way to the back. Also, I strongly suggest that a trip to the washroom be made before you start queuing for the rail bike tour as the queuing plus activity itself would take about an hour.

One of the perks of joining the day tour is having your local guide snap photos for you!

Wheeeee! And off we go!

Pedaling is fairly effortless only if all parties pedal at the same time. Once in a while I would be too engrossed with taking photos, leaving misterchewy to do the pedaling on his own. LOL.

The Happy Bubble Tunnel is one of the highlights of Gangchon Rail Park as there are different colored lightings and bubbles as we passed through the tunnel. Very pretty!

We were having the time of our lives!

It was certainly a very fun experience and I highly recommend trying out this activity!

The last stop of our day tour was the Garden of Morning Calm, which we ironically visited in the evening! By then we were already very tired but we were thankful to be transported in the comfortable shuttle bus which is included in the day tour package.

We were given slightly more than an hour to tour the garden and since it was fairly huge, misterchewy and I narrowed down to just two areas for some photos.

We reckon that the pavilion situated in the middle of the pond is the most beautiful sight at the Garden of Morning Calm. Also, “Love in the Moonlight” starring Park Bo-gum and Kim Yoo-jung was shot at this location! *Eyes shooting hearts*

There’s also a nice little white church which can accommodate about 8 people.

Even though we had a filling lunch earlier, we were famished after the rail bike activity and walking around the garden. Grabbed a quick bite before we boarded the shuttle bus back to Myeongdong and this marked the end of our superb day tour to Gapyeong!

The day tour to Nami Island, Gangchon Rail Park and Garden of Morning Calm by Changi Recommends is highly recommended and you can book it easily via this link. Hope you guys enjoyed this post! Stay tuned for the next! 🙂

Korea-Seoul Apr’19: Gyeongbokgung Palace, Cheonggyecheon River, Tosokchon Samgyetang & Ganjang Gejang

Posted on May 29, 2019 by missuschewy

Here’s a continuation of what we did on Day 2 of our Korea trip. We spent the morning having a photoshoot in our rented hanbok at Gyeongbokgung Palace which you can read about here.

After changing back into our casual attires, we grabbed a quick bite around the area and went back to Gyeongbokgung Palace (경복궁) for more photos. This palace is steeped in history and its beauty is magnificent. We only took some photos outside where an admission ticket is not required as we did not intend to spend a lot of time there.

The weather in Seoul was really nice and cool back in mid to late April. Perfect for taking long leisurely walks while admiring the cherry blossoms around us.

Gyeongbokgung Palace (경복궁)

Address: 161, Sajik-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul
서울특별시 종로구 사직로 161 (세종로)

Next, we visited Cheonggyecheon Stream (청계천). It is 11km long and runs through downtown Seoul. In the summer, many people can be seen sitting by the stream and dipping their feet in the water to keep themselves cool from the sweltering heat.

There are also various art installations for people to admire and to take photos of.

CheonggyecheonStream (청계천)

Address: Changsin-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul
서울특별시 종로구 창신동

We spend a short time at Tongin Market (통인시장). It is very famous for their bento boxes called Dosirak. First, you need to change your Korean won to old style coins which you can use at various stalls. See something you like and you can simply exchange your coins for the food items while filling up your bento box.

Address: 18, Jahamun-ro 15-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul
서울특별시 종로구 자하문로15길 18 (통인동)

When we passed by Toksokchon Samgyetang (토속촌 삼계탕) earlier during lunch time, we saw a horrendous queue and decided to try our luck again. So we returned at a rather odd timing at 4pm! The restaurant was quite empty so the service was very prompt. We had the highly raved about ginseng chicken which was really nice and comforting to have in the chilly weather. The chicken was tender and I enjoyed dipping it in some salt and pepper for extra flavour.

The seafood pancake was fluffy and contained a chockful of fresh ingredients. The portion is good for sharing among 3 to 4 people if you are also ordering the ginseng chicken soup. Highly recommended!

Toksokchon Samgyetang (토속촌 삼계탕)

Address: 5, Jahamun-ro 5-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul
서울특별시 종로구 자하문로5길 5

LOL I was really overjoyed to see Park Seo Joon! 😀

From watching Korean dramas, I had been very intrigued by this Korean dish called Ganjang Gejang. Basically, it is fresh raw crabs marinated in soy sauce and looks sooo delicious. I had been wanting to try this since forever! Just like Korean bbq, there are both buffet and a la carte restaurants for ganjang gejang as well. Since it was our first time, we decided to go for a la carte as we believe the quality is better. Morever, misterchewy wasn’t sure if he would like this dish.

We went to the famous Ganjang Gejang Alley in Sinsa-dong, where you can find about 6 to 7 restaurants serving this raw marinated crab dish. Based on positive online reviews, we decided to go to Wonjo Masan Halmae AguJjim. Prices are steep for this Korean dish that is complicated to prepare. We ordered a serving for 2 people which cost 60000 Korean won.

As expected, I fell in love with Ganjang Gejang at first bite. It was exploding with a multitude of flavors and the gooey gelatin consistency was really amazing. The dish was served cold which made it really appetite-whetting too. If you can handle Japanese uni, you may be able to stomach this dish.

The sauce was a little on the saltier side but went astonishingly well with plain rice. No wonder this dish is also known as “rice thief” or “rice stealer”; the sauce is so good that you will end up mixing spoonfuls of rice with it.

Wonjo Masan Halmae AguJjim

Address: 10 Gangnam-daero 99-gil, Seocho-gu, Seoul, South Korea

Headed for some post-dinner drinks at The Booth Brewing again, but this time at the Gwanghwamun branch which looks really cool!

Bought a few bottles home!

We have come to the end of Day Two in Korea/Seoul! Keep watching this page for more updates! 🙂

Korea-Seoul Apr’19: Hanbok Rental and Photoshoot

Posted on May 22, 2019 by missuschewy

Dressing up in a traditional Korean hanbok was the first thing on my must-do list when I was planning our Korea trip. I think it is one of the best ways to immerse yourself in the culture and get a unique experience especially if you visit tourist landmarks such as the royal palaces while wearing the hanbok. If you like watching Korean dramas or movies that portray traditional Korean culture typically in the Joseon Dynasty, you will definitely find joy in this hanbok experience.

There are many hanbok rental shops and we highly recommend Hanbok Girls for a number of reasons. Firstly, the rental price is very affordable, at prices starting from 10000 won only. Prices depend on the type of hanbok (traditional or special) and also the length of duration of the rental (2hr or 4 hr). There are no hidden prices and everything else is FREE. Lockers are provided at no extra cost so you can leave your bags and clothes in the locker while you walk around freely in your hanbok. Hair service and accessories are also provided. If you need a bag (for ladies) or a head gear (for men), or even footwear, these are all provided for your use. Secondly, the location of Hanbok Girls is superb! It is just a 3-minute walk away from both Gyeongbokgung station and Gyeongbokgung Palace. This means you spend less time travelling and can have more time for photos at the palace.

Thirdly, Hanbok Girls has a decent selection of hanbok although everything is on a first-come, first-served basis. You need not worry about not knowing how to put on the costume as there are a few staff who will go around helping customers at the fitting rooms. Lastly, if you want some professional photos taken, there is a studio located inside Hanbok Girls! Speaking of convenience, you can have some photos taken indoors before you head outdoors for more photos!

We met Joon, the photographer from INT Studio and he took some photos for us in his studio before we walked over to Gyeongbokgung Palace. It was a good idea because we were already warmed up and got to know one another a little before the outdoor shoot. Joon told us that the weather was not so good but I guess that is from a professional photographer’s point of view. Apart from the weather, I was also a little worried about the crowd but photographers always have this magic (no I’m not talking about Photoshop here) and most of the photos seem to portray misterchewy and I in our own world lol.

Joon is very friendly and easy to talk to, which makes us feel very much at ease throughout the photoshoot. He also gave us many ideas and guided us with the various poses. We also noticed that Joon used a variety of camera gear, which looked very heavy for him to carry around, but it also shows that he is committed to delivering a dynamic set of photos for his customers.

Joon also has a keen eye for detail and knows where are the good spots for great pictures. We expected the crowd to be scattered all around the Gyeongbokgung Palace but Joon hows how to avoid and prevent unwanted photobombers.

Photoshoots are usually quite tiring, especially if you are looking at anything more than one hour. However, Joon did not rush through the shoot and the pace was pretty comfortable and leisurely. We actually enjoyed the photoshoot and it was really fun!

There are just too many photos to share so here are some of my favorites. Let me know what you think! 🙂 Joon is very popular and his sessions get filled really quickly. You can contact him at intstudio.seoul@gmail.com if you have any questions or want to book a slot!

Hanbok Rental Shop:

Hanbok Girls

Address: 8, Jahamun-ro 2-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea
It is on the 3rd floor of the blue building on the left alley at exit 3-1 of Gyeongbokgung Station.

Hanbok Photography:

INT Studio

Email address: intstudio.seoul@gmail.com

Korea-Seoul Apr’19: Ikseon-dong Hanok Village, Ihwa Mural Village & Namsan Tower

Posted on May 16, 2019 by missuschewy

After 5 years of parenthood, misterchewy and I decided that it was time we go on a couple trip! We share a love for Korean dramas so it’s a no-brainer that Korea would be our holiday destination! Actually, the hubs wasn’t keen on watching Kdramas as he thought that all Kdramas were soppy love stories until I managed to convince him and then he got hooked when he first started watching “Familiar Wife” starring Ji Sung and Han Ji-Min in August last year. Through numerous Kdramas, we picked up some Korean words and phrases, learned a bit about their culture and also got drawn to their food and soju. As we had to trouble our parents to take care (his on weekdays and mine on weekends) of the kids, Korea is also an ideal choice of destination as one week is sufficient to cover a few tourist attractions and activities. In fact, we managed to visit Seoul and Busan over our 8D7N trip.

Even before we boarded our plane, we treated ourselves to some hot food and drinks at the airport lounge. Access to airport lounges is no longer restricted to just business flyers, priority pass holders or travellers who purchase annual membership. Through Ready To Travel app, travellers can now book a single access lounge entry to SATS Premier Airport Lounges! Some facilities of the airport lounge include buffet spread, massage chairs, widescreen cable TV, shower facilities, workstations with internet access, free flow of beverages and extensive selection of newspapers and magazines.

Since we checked in two hours ahead of boarding time, we indulged in the yummy spread. The piping hot laksa was so good that we went for seconds!

We even concocted our own whisky highball drinks. Hehehe.

Perfect space if you want to have a quick nap and do not wish to be disturbed.

Our flight was scheduled to take off at around 1am but there was a slight delay. Somehow, we were assigned the last row of seats and it got kinda irritating with many passengers visiting the washroom throughout the entire flight. Thank goodness for these Kakao hooded travel pillows which helped to block out the light and noise around us.

We had a pretty restful sleep (not travelling with kids, that’s why!) and soon, breakfast was served! A pity the food wasn’t that fantastic.

Happy to know that we have landed safely in the Land of Morning Calm!

No queue at Shake Shack in Incheon International Airport!

Boarded the Airport Railroad Express Train (AREX) to Seoul. It’s one of the most convenient and cost-effective ways to travel to Seoul from the airport and vice versa. And of course, we whipped out our reliable Ready to Travel pocket wifi as soon as we touched down! Do you know that the pocket wifi comes with FREE delivery? Definitely saves you a lot of hassle especially when you are busy with your trip planning! Book yours here! Btw, please do not use Google Maps in Korea. We recommend Naver Map. You can download the app on your mobile device and input the destinations.

Since we were not travelling with the kids, misterchewy and I decided to stay in an Airbnb! So far our experiences were satisfactory but we also hear some horror stories from time to time, so book at your own discretion! I found this cute Hello Kitty themed apartment on Airbnb and the reviews are all positive! Also, our host is awarded as a “Superhost”, and we can attest to that. She has been very responsive to all our messages and patient with our enquiries.

Although the apartment is small, I feel that it is very cosy and fit for two people with not more than two huge luggages.

The shower head is attached to the sink so it took us awhile to get used to it. Toiletries and bath towels are also provided but this depends on individual Airbnb hosts.

Besides the price (only $60 per night during our period of stay), we loved the strategic location! Only a minute’s walk to the train station and we could also get to Myeongdong by foot in 10 minutes. There are also two convenience stores and many eateries just downstairs.

After freshening up, we went for lunch at Eulji Myeonok (을지면옥). If you like cold noodles or if it’s something you think you will like, do pay this restaurant a visit! It’s very popular among locals. There is also a spicy cold noodle version.

Address: 2-1 Chungmu-ro 144-gil Jung-gu Seoul

Ikseon-dong Hanok Village (익선동 한옥마을) is gaining popularity in recent years. It is a quaint place with a few alleys lined up with shops selling vintage clothings and some bric-a-brac, and also cosy cafes where you can sip coffee and watch the world go by.

We had to wait a while for the crowd to clear before taking this shot. There were throngs of people even on a weekday afternoon!

If you like collecting vintage or cutesy stuff, Ikseon-dong has plenty of these.

I was actually quite tempted to bring Peter Rabbit home!

The crowd at Ikseon-dong was starting to give me a headache so we didn’t spend much time there. We adjourned to Ihwa Mural Village (이화 벽화마을) and had to climb a long flight of stairs. Phew!

The peak of the cherry blossom season was nearly over and we were thrilled that we could still see many beautiful blooms all around us.

Stopping by for an iced cold drink before more walking.

As the name suggests, Ihwa Mural Village has many interesting murals and art installations, revitalized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s public art “Ihwa-dong Naksan Project” in 2006.

Definitely a nice place to visit and capture some unique photos.

We did the love lock thingy when we went for our honeymoon in Europe a few years ago and we just had to do this cheesy thing again in Seoul! Yup we travelled to Namsan Seoul Tower (남산서울타워) for this!

Kinda looks like we are exchanging wedding rings right? LOL.

Since we were there and it was still quite early, we paid 10000 won each to go up the Observatory. There is no time limit so you can enjoy the beautiful view of Seoul and snap as many pictures as you want.

Namsan Seoul Tower (남산서울타워)

Address: 126 Namsangongwon-gil Yongsan-gu Seoul

We also made it a point to visit a few craft beer places during our trip. Almost everything on the menu contains beef, so we only had nacho chips to go with our drinks.

The Booth Sinyongsan Station Branch

Address: 100 Hangang-daero Yongsan-gu Seoul

After a long day, we were too tired to go anywhere else for dinner and decided to settle for a fuss-free one just below our Airbnb. The hubs had jjajangmyeon.

I opted for udon as I wanted something hot and soupy after being out in the cold.

We have come to the end of Day One in Korea/Seoul! Keep watching this page for more updates! 🙂

missuschewy

Singapore Lifestyle and Travel Blog

Tag Archives: the chewys seoul 2019

Korea/Seoul Apr’19: Gonghwachun Jajangmyeon, Songwol-dong Fairy Tale Village & Nanta Show

Korea/Seoul Apr’19: Nami Island, Gangchon Rail Park & Garden of Morning Calm

Korea-Seoul Apr’19: Gyeongbokgung Palace, Cheonggyecheon River, Tosokchon Samgyetang & Ganjang Gejang

Korea-Seoul Apr’19: Hanbok Rental and Photoshoot

Korea-Seoul Apr’19: Ikseon-dong Hanok Village, Ihwa Mural Village & Namsan Tower

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: