[Seoul: Itaeweon] Passion 5 패션5

Posted on by Jamie Liew

ever heard of this famous bakery called Passion 5? bet you haven’t. if you’ve not lived in Seoul for a period long enough, you might not even know about the existence of this fabulous cafe/bakery which is ultimately posh; bringing bakery to a whole new level as IT IS THE BEST BAKERY SHOP IN TOWN. the name Passion 5 came from 5 elements namely: bakery, pattiserie, chocolates, cafe and the 5th’s the passion of the pattesiers. and of course, knowing that it is the best, you should already know that it is expensive. there are barely anything that goes under 1,000won. or was there none? forgot. but most of the bread costs around 3,000won and cakes 7,000won. =S.

even though it isn’t very popular amongst foreigners, this place is always packed with people and on the day I went, we had to wait for a seat despite paying so much for just desserts. there’s a posh cafe on the 2nd floor but that cafe’s queue was even longer. you can bring your breads, cakes, chocolate and ice cream to the cafe/restaurant on the 2nd floor =).

if you love cakes. I truly recommend you to stop by this bakery for the ultimate experience!

and here’s a link to the video I took there. you’ll definitely want to go there after watching the video. and.. I am sure you’ll laugh too. D=.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10151965745886850&l=4877772332316760093

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from the outside, passion 5 look like every other office building and it definitely do not stand out that much. Continue reading “[Seoul: Itaeweon] Passion 5 패션5” →

[Kyoto: Gion] Izuju, the 100 year old Kyoto style sushi

Posted on by Jamie Liew

my friend living in Kyoto didn’t even know about the existence of this fabulous small scaled restaurant. but once he had it, he said it’s amongst the top 10 sushi he had ever eaten. and guess what? he’s from Hokkaido; where all the amazing sushi are.

there’s also another place called Hanaore which is said to serve the best Sabazushi (came here for this!) in Kyoto but I placed my bet on Izuju as it has a longgg history plus it’s more affordable (main point!!!!)

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opposite the shop is Yasaka Jinja  Shrine. a relatively famous shrine at the Gion area. we went near new years day so there were LOADDSSS of people. Continue reading “[Kyoto: Gion] Izuju, the 100 year old Kyoto style sushi” →

[Osaka] Pablo Cheesecake VS. Rikuro Cheesecake

Posted on by Jamie Liew

I’m a big fan of cheese. and cheesecakes.

so there’s this huge hype over cheesecakes in Osaka and if you’re a foodie like me, you’ve probably heard that Pablo and Rikuro Ojisan (grandpa) are the best in Osaka. these shops often have a long queue outside them but I didn’t stand in line too much as I bought them late since I stayed in Kyoto and I didn’t want to carry the cake everywhere I go. they are really popular in Osaka and each time I pass by their shops I feel like buying another one. D=!

BUT the thing is, you gotta buy the whole cake. which.. isn’t too big. but certainly not for one..

I could only have two slices at one time (out of 8). so we left the rest of it at the refrigerator.

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we first tried out Pablo as the advertisement of it drives me gaga. and at 780yen I’d say it’s a steal. I mean, even a slice of cake at Hongdae at a nice place would cost you around 600yen. Continue reading “[Osaka] Pablo Cheesecake VS. Rikuro Cheesecake” →

[Seoul: Sinsa] Dimsum at Goldfish (CLOSED)

Posted on by Jamie Liew

So I was talking to a friend who was missing some Dimsum in Seoul. I’ve never really thought about introducing Chinese food to foreigners because well.. most of my readers are travelers, so I bet most travelers would prefer to eat some Korean or Korean fusion food. or just something special. but this post here, is to all of you who live in Korea and is sick of Korean food.

apparently this place serves the best Dim Sum in the whole of Korea. and I wouldn’t even deny it because their “har gao” was simply the best I’ve ever had. even better than the ones I’ve had in HK and Malaysia (maybe because I’ve not eaten really nice ones before) but the others were good, but not like superb.

but I’m still laughing over its name, Goldfish HAHAHHA. I mean, in Cantonese Goldfish man = Pedobear/Pedophile. so…

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you’ve got to reserve a spot if you’re not coming early since it is a really popular place. and I heard, it’s especially popular for “sogaeting” if you don’t already know what it is, it’s a form of blind date. where your friends set you up instead of getting a date from some agency. it has a very nice ambiance. really liked how it was furnished. Continue reading “[Seoul: Sinsa] Dimsum at Goldfish (CLOSED)” →

[Seoul: Jongro] Gwangjang Market 광장시장

Posted on by Jamie Liew

despite living only a few minutes away by bus from this magnificent market, it was my first time here in 2 years. or just, ever.

it has never hit me that market food can be so enjoyable. it is just simple food. every store selling the same thing, but then there are the “pioneers” and also the fakes. so as lucky as I was, I had a Korean to bring me around eating the 3 must eats in Gwangjang Market.

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so the main eatery street is like above. it sells a variety of stuff and food but you come here for the food. not the stuff. unless you want to buy quilt. I heard it’s pretty reasonably priced here.

and look!!! makgeolli advertisement above! call me an alcoholic but I love my makgeolli. a lot. Continue reading “[Seoul: Jongro] Gwangjang Market 광장시장” →

[Malaysia: Soho KL] Apgujeong

Posted on by Jamie Liew

so an oppa I knew told me, there’s this Korean restaurant in Soho KL that serves food even better than most restaurants you can find in Seoul.

he wasn’t even kidding.

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the owner of the restaurant is actually an award winning chef in Korea. and his Banchan? fabulous. the sausage banchan served here is amazing. and the cockles tooooo nyam nyam. Continue reading “[Malaysia: Soho KL] Apgujeong” →

[Kyoto] Arashiyama – Togetsugyo Bridge

Posted on by Jamie Liew

it is a little complicating to travel around Kyoto but it is definitely cheaper than many other cities as you can ride on the bus as much as you want for only 500yen.

note: the buses in Japan are quite different from Seoul and other places. you get on the bus from behind and pay in front. for the day pass, just get in front and tell the bus driver and make sure you prepare 500yen! I am not sure how to ride on it normally because apparently the fares are all different depending on where you’re riding. so if you’re riding for more than 2 bus rides or a far one, the day pass would be best. and later on you can just flash your card (showing the date) to the drivers and enjoy unlimited rides! will blog about that next time! and pay another 500yen and you can take unlimited subway/train as well! but we only opted for the bus as we don’t take the subway too much.

however, we took the train there!

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the unique seating system in Japan. different in almost every line. amazing. Continue reading “[Kyoto] Arashiyama – Togetsugyo Bridge” →

[Seoul: Sinchon] Choco Blossom

Posted on by Jamie Liew

I love chocolate yes. but I do not usually drink hot chocolate. most places serve hot chocolate only nice for a few sips and it just gets really disgusting after that. but the ones here at Cherry Blossom is DA BOMB. I am not even kidding. it is so hard to explain. seriously.

because I can’t take coffee, I’ve always ordered chocolate drinks back in Malaysia whenever friends go to starbucks (and you know the other non-caffeine drinks are just so so.) which had contributed to me being sick of hot chocolate drinks.

when Jia Yii told me about this place I had doubts and I would really prefer something else like green tea latte. but I still gave it a shot anyway since he was really sure I was going to like it. and I did.

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they have these amazing seats upstairs for you to lay down and it is perfect for couples. super duper romantic in my opinion hehehe. and because it is christmas they also placed these huge teddy bears on every seat. but the place is rather small so getting a place upstairs was some real luck. Continue reading “[Seoul: Sinchon] Choco Blossom” →

[Seoul: Dongdaemun] Dalg Han Mari 닭한마리

Posted on by Jamie Liew

as much as I love food, there are certain Korean food that I’ve never tried because I thought that they’d taste bland or just food for those who can’t take spicy food or even something that I think that I might not like. basically I’d skip most things that doesn’t involve a little spice or pepper in it.

but little did I know, that the bland looking Dalghanmari (it means one chicken) actually has a adjustable spicy sauce! you can dip your bland looking chicken in that heavenly sauce and it is just.. purrrrfect.

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so the place I went to is called 진옥화할매 닭한마리 Jin Ok Hwa Hal Mae Dalg Han Mari located at Dongdaemun. if you’d ask me how to get there again, I don’t think I can get there without my phone’s GPS. it’s located at some secluded area where you’d never guess that there’s restaurants filled with people. we walked pass the first Dalghanmari shop and it was packed. but my friend told me that I must go for the second one.. where there’s even a line outside. Continue reading “[Seoul: Dongdaemun] Dalg Han Mari 닭한마리” →