[Yangpyeong] Dreamy Camera 꿈꾸는 사진기, 양평

Posted on by Jamie Liew

okay, to be honest, I had a hard time translating the name of this spectacular cafe in Yangpyeong, South Korea. it’s literally called the dreaming camera. but.. it can also mean dream camera too. like.. the camera that’s like a dream. and it actually is. and it is a place for you to share your dream.

there were actually nothing much nearby and it’s ridiculously difficult to go as it’s ridiculously far from Seoul. but for a ridiculous reason I find myself having the urge to go back there every season. because.. well look at it.

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this cafe has a surprisingly short history. it opened back in 2013 but from what I heard from the lady owner, they had planned for this from a long time ago. it was modeled after a twin lens Rolleiflex and it just look phenomenal from every angle. and there IS a reason to come here. similar to how this couple managed to build this dreamy camera, they try to spread their positive aura to motivate others achieve their dreams too! and the owner would LOVE to listen to your dreams! that’s actually what this cafe is for, to share your dreams. it ain’t just a normal cafe you go to and it is definitely not just a camera themed cafe.

Continue reading “[Yangpyeong] Dreamy Camera 꿈꾸는 사진기, 양평” →

[Seoul: Samcheongdong] Masizzim’s Galbi ZZIM! (CLOSED, other outlets still available)

Posted on by Jamie Liew

if you ask me what’s my favourite Korean food, I can’t name just one. but Galbi Jjim (or ZZIM according to masizzim hehe) got to be one of my favourite! (it means beef short ribs stew!) so there’s this new chain shop in town and they sell… well you’ve guessed it, one of my favourite Korean food, Galbijjim. and they only sell Galbijjim.

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there are quite a number of Masizzim chains. I’ve seen it in Daehak-ro, Hongdae and a few other random places in Seoul but it seems to me that the one at Samcheongdong looks the best. but however, the ones at Hongdae and Daehakro are much cheaper during lunch. the one at Hongdae seems like it’s going to be the same price the whole day. and it’s well.. still cheaper.

for this one, it costs 13,000won per portion. and god. it was soooooooo good. Continue reading “[Seoul: Samcheongdong] Masizzim’s Galbi ZZIM! (CLOSED, other outlets still available)” →

[Seoul: Itaewon] Manimal Smokehouse

Posted on by Jamie Liew

I came across a facebook post on this place and that one picture attracted me to turn on my detective mode and I searched all over the internet about this new place in town (probably more or less a month or two months old) called Manimal Smokehouse located at the joint of Itaewon and Noksapyeong. and.. I probably salivated all over my keyboard that night. I’m salivating even right now writing about it.

저번에 페복으로 매니멀스모크하우스 발견했는데 그 때부터 정말 오고싶었다. 이태원과 녹사평사이에 있음. 인터넷으로 사진만 봐도 침물리게 @_@. 그래서 시간 날 때 매니멀으로 출발!!!

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after 2 weeks, I finally made my visit to Manimal! I loved how they had Simpson looking down like that.

매니멀의 유모 ㅋㅋㅋ. Continue reading “[Seoul: Itaewon] Manimal Smokehouse” →

[Seoul: Hyehwa] Ojju Mini Octopus Fondue 오쭈 쭈꾸미 퐁듀

Posted on by Jamie Liew

I had been procrastinating on blogging about this awesome place for a bit now. and since the line is not as bad as before now it’ll be the best to visit this place! it’s a famous “matjib” (means yummy restaurant) in Hyehwa/Daehakro and they have a branch in Sinchon which I heard isn’t as good as this one here. they also have one opened up in Gangnam too! with super long lines as well. haha.

신촌과 강남도 있는 맛집 오쭈 쭈꾸미이다! 저녁시간이면 줄 써야하는 맛집이고 혜화역근처에 있는 소나무길에 있다.

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located along the Sonamu-gil (Hyehwa exit 3 take a u-turn upon exit and turn left on the 2nd junction), this restaurant had always been filled with people during dinner time.

요즘 줄이 줄여서 이 맛집 방문하기 좋은 때이다. 제가 작년 가을에 갔을 때 45분 기다렸다 ㅠ. 이근처에 살아서 예전에 지나갈 때마다 줄 써있지만 요즘은 줄이 별로 없는 것 같다. Continue reading “[Seoul: Hyehwa] Ojju Mini Octopus Fondue 오쭈 쭈꾸미 퐁듀” →

[Seoul: Buam-dong] My 23rd Birthday @ Prep 프렙 부암동

Posted on by Jamie Liew

먼저 내 생일 디너 와준 친구들에게 와줘서 고맙고 초대 받고 못 오는 친구들은 담에 나한테 밥 쏜다!!! 일어나서 메세지 미치게 들어오는 것도 고맙고 페복에서 글 남긴 사람들에게도 고마워욤.

프렙은 원래 홍대에 있었던 페페로니입니다. 작은 가게였지만 음식은 제가 한국에서 외국음식 중에서 제일 맛있다고 생각하는 가게이고 여기의 음식은 대부분 와인과 잘 어울리게 만든 음식입니다. 프렙은 이제 부암동에 있습니다. 가격은.. 저같은 학생에겐 그렇게 착하진 않고요 대신 음식질도 보장할 수 있는 거죠. 가격에 따라 품질도 다르는것과 똑같은거죠~. 여기는 넘 맛있어서 돈 모아서 올 수 있는 정도입니다 ㅋㅋㅋ.

so exactly one week ago, I celebrated my 19th 23rd (ㅠㅠ) Birthday with a small group of close friends and I am really really glad everyone made time to come despite living far, busy schedules etc.

Prep used to be called Peperoni, a small and cozy restaurant located at the convenient Hongdae (or Hapjeong) but after it had moved to Buam-dong, it was pretty difficult to access but since I was a big fan of it since its early days, I decided to hold my birthday dinner here! it’s pretty pricey but the price we paid for that night was pretty decent.

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happy birthday to me! =D. Continue reading “[Seoul: Buam-dong] My 23rd Birthday @ Prep 프렙 부암동” →

[Seoul: Sinsa-dong] Pro Soy Crab

Posted on by Jamie Liew

located only a stone throw away from Sinsa’s famous Garosu-gil, Pro Soy Crab is yet the best access to quality soy crab any time of the day as it is open for 24 hours. I hadn’t been into soy crab so much as I’ve only had low quality ones in shops that claim that they have “delicious” soy crabs. after a few bad experiences, I guess I’ll stick to Pro Soy Crab and my all time favourite Kuengiwa-jib. I heard that there’s this shop which specializes in Soy Crab in Gwangjang market except you can’t dine in and it’s only for take-away. there are also a few restaurants I’ve heard of but they always came out to be a little pricey and are normally situated at odd places (with nothing around it seriously) so…

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the entrance of Pro Soy Crab was pretty grand with their pro looking design and all. they have 3 restaurants across Korea one being in Haeundae Busan, another in Jamsil and one here in Sinsa. they also have restaurants in Japan (Tokyo and Osaka) and China (Shanghai and Beijing). but of course, the best has gotta be eaten here at where it all started right? Continue reading “[Seoul: Sinsa-dong] Pro Soy Crab” →

[Seoul: Itaewon] #1 Tiramisu in Seoul?

Posted on by Jamie Liew

so last month for le DongSaeng’s birthday, we headed to Brera, a shop in Beotigogae (near Itaewon) owned by a humble Italian man and food here’s said to be as original as it gets. I’ve never been to Italy and most of the Italian food I’ve had were all tweaked to adjust to the local’s taste.

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despite studying in Korea, le dongsaeng seems to hang out mostly with foreigners. well that kind of happens to me too but I still have a handful of Korean friends! Continue reading “[Seoul: Itaewon] #1 Tiramisu in Seoul?” →

Turning Korean in 10 ways

Posted on by Jamie Liew

I’ve never said this on my blog before.. but I am a huge fan of Rocketnews24. and this time around, I read an article that I can truly relate to and I would like to share my experience on how I’m turning Korean after living here for years.

living in a new country where the culture is so different might not be easy at first, but now.. I can’t get out of it.

1. that button attached on the table to call for the waiter.
HOW CONVENIENT! no need to yell at the top of my lungs and listen to weird sounds created by customers just to get the attention of the waiter. now when I go to a huge restaurant without a button (unless it’s some high class restaurant of course haha), it feels weird and I’d find myself looking for it. Continue reading “Turning Korean in 10 ways” →

[Jinhae] Korea’s most beautiful place in Spring: Jinhae Cherry Blossoms

Posted on by Jamie Liew

it’s my 4th year here and I thought.. I might not be able to go to Jinhae next year since it’s going to be my last year and I might be busy. so.. I’ll just go there this year. some of my friends come here every single year but the jam and long hour bus ride is too tiring for me. unless I can afford a KTX ride, I don’t think I want to come to this festival again. 5 hour bus ride one way and the place’s pretty crowded. it wasn’t like super duper crowded. more of a bearable kind of crowded. but maybe because I went there at 630am in the morning and I left at 2pm.

but one thing for sure, the pictures came out really well. like, really really well. indeed the most beautiful place to be at during spring. the whole city’s filled with cherry blossoms as well! but I was too tired to explore it all… I only had 1 hour of sleep the night before hahaha.

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here’s my favourite shot! Neoh told me to “PRETEND TO LOOK AT THE FLOWERS!” I looked like a robot in the first few pictures and then it became better. Continue reading “[Jinhae] Korea’s most beautiful place in Spring: Jinhae Cherry Blossoms” →