Gyeongju Sikdang • 경주식당

During one hot summer day in June, I was craving Korean bbq meat and rice. It was lunch time, which means all my friends were either at work or at school, which also means that it’s another one of my solo meat eating session. And so, I decided to visit one of the places from my to-try-restaurants list, Gyeongju Sikdang (경주식당), that serves individual bapsang menu (because this time, I just want to eat one portion of meat and not two like I did at Oneunjeong).

Gyeongju Sikdang (경주식당) is a Korean restaurant that is housed in a hanok located in one of the alleyways of Sangsudong (상수동). Stepping into the spacious courtyard of the hanok feels really refreshing, especially after walking up the narrow street leading up it.

The restaurant is divided into three seating areas (actually four, if you count the table outside in the courtyard) and decorated with vintage tables, chairs, lamps and decorations that match the warm wooden interior of the hanok. The place definitely gave me a nostalgic feeling, like visiting your grandmother’s house kind of feeling. 

I ordered their 목살정식 (Pork Neck Meal) which comes with a side of grilled veggies, rice, doenjang jjigae, and 4 kinds of banchan (kimchi, Korean pickled onion, anchovies and one other thing that I don’t know the name of). The meat kind of hit that middle ground texture that still has a bite to it without being too tough, which was pretty nice. Everything was actually cooked and seasoned well and felt home-cooked. It was a great solid meal for me and my craving was definitely satisfied.

Fun fact:

Gyeongju Sikdang actually appeared on Blackpink’s documentary ‘Light Up The Sky’. This is the restaurant where Blackpink had their meal during the ending scene where Jisoo, Rosé, Jennie, and Lisa talk about where they want to live in the future and what they would be doing twenty years from now. Jisoo & Lisa also actually mentioned that they have been coming to this restaurant since they were still trainees and the server remembers them.

Watch the clip below:

 

Gyeongju Sikdang • 경주식당

Address: 서울 마포구 와우산로13길 49-7
Telephone: 02-322-1674
Hours: Everyday 11:30 - 23:-00 (Break Time: 15:30 - 17:30)

Instagram: @gyeongju_bistro

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Ovadoz • 오바도즈

Ovadoz (오바도즈) is a cafe located in one of the quiet alleyways off of the main road between Hapjeong station (합정역) and Sangsu station (상수역). Honestly, if it wasn't for Instagram, I probably wouldn't even know that there's a cafe in this location (but I believe they have now put up signs that make it more obvious for people who passes by the main road). I remember when it first opened, there were lots of posts on Instagram of people taking ootd shots in front of their cafe and those posts made me aware of their cafe.

So then during one of my Sangsu exploration days, I decided to check the place out. The cafe itself is pretty spacious with lots of natural light coming in from the windows. The fairly neutral colored interior of Ovadoz is decorated with eclectic modern furnitures made from different materials that give the place different accents of colors. The cafe definitely is not one of those places where you can study or work at because most of the tables are so low. The mascot of the cafe, Genji the Shiba Inu, was also there when I visited. It's pretty cute to see Genji just laying and chilling on the floor before perking up every time somebody walks into the cafe.

I ordered their matcha latte when I was there. It was okay. They also have selections of cakes and other baked goods that I didn't get to try because I was there right after I had lunch. But it seems like their baked goods have good reviews online. Maybe I'll try them on my next visit.

Note: These photos were taken before the pandemic.

 

Ovadoz • 오바도즈

Address: 서울 마포구 독막로9길 3-4
Telephone: 0507-1393-3366
Hours: Monday-Thursday 12:00 - 22:00 | Friday-Sunday 13:00 - 22:00

Instagram: @coffee_ovadoz

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Presh • 프레쉬

“PRESH is a designer brand launched in Seoul in 2013 with the motto of ‘freshness’.

We think that ‘freshness’ means that the quality of the product, the novelty, and the unique design should make you feel new. We are a lifestyle, fashion and living brand that releases 2-4 of these series every year. We make valuable objects and pursue valuable consumption regardless of the season.”

— Presh Website

My first visit to the Presh (프레쉬) showroom was a memorable one. First of all, I was not expecting to find the store in the middle of Seoul’s quiet residential area. The store was on the second floor and surrounded by what I believe were apartments building with no other commercial stores in sight. When we entered the space, we were greeted by neatly organized shelves, racks, and tables displaying their well-designed products.

If you like to browse around design or knick knack shops around Seoul, you probably have seen their products at some point. It’s kind of hard to miss those silver tin containers with colorful labels wrapped around them. Presh sells a variety of products including candles (which is their product that I most often see in other shops), t-shirts, aprons, tote bags, pouch, and phone cases. Each of them are stored in silver tin containers which I thought was pretty cool. Presh has two types of containers, one that has a detachable top lid and the other one is the tin can version where the top lid open like those food tin cans. I thought that’s a pretty neat idea for a packaging.

Second of all, not only did I meet the owner (maybe one of the owners, not sure how many people own this brand) but I also met the graphic designer who was responsible for all the graphics and packaging for Presh. They were very nice and welcoming. They showed us around the store while explaining their products here and there and answered all the questions that I have for them. I always like chatting with the store owners and get to know their products more. It makes the whole shopping experience more fun and I got to find out interesting tidbits about the brand that I wouldn’t have known otherwise. In this instance, one of the thing that made it more fun was because the graphic designer speaks English so sometimes when I don’t understand something in Korean, she translated it for me immediately.

Anyway, my cousin and I ended up buying a couple of candles (they have great selection of scents) and an apron to gift to our friend and they gave us free soap samples and stickers for our purchase. If you’re looking for candles or gift ideas, I definitely recommend to check out their brand.

*These photos were taken in 2017. Since then, their showroom has been renewed in the same location.

Presh • 프레쉬

Address: 서울 마포구 성지3길 60 진원빌딩
Telephone: 02-707-0052
Hours: 13:00 - 19:-00 Daily

Instagram: @getpresh

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Ban Bossy Boutique • 밴보시부티크

Finding Ban Bossy Boutique (밴보시부티크) on my first visit to this place was quite and ordeal. Originally, I was looking for a cafe called Plank & Gilt. I looked up and followed the direction to this cafe, and I was so sure that I already arrived at the right spot. But then, there’s no Plank & Gilt sign found anywhere in the building of the address or anywhere close to that spot. I even try to check out the area surrounding the building and made my way around the block twice. After a good 20 minutes of searching, I was ready to give up when I finally noticed that there’s a cafe on the third floor of the building where Plank & Gilt was supposed to be, but the name’s different. At this point, I thought might as well check the place out. Better than nothing right? I stepped into the cafe and, lo and behold, the interior of the cafe is the same as Plank & Gilt but the name on the wall is now Ban Bossy Boutique. Turned out, the cafe changed their name to Ban Bossy Boutique but kept everything else the same.

Ban Bossy Boutique is one of the nicer cafes I found around Hongdae (홍대) area. The cafe is spacious, with a lot of natural lighting coming in from the big windows surrounding the space. The interior is a combination of marble tables and various furnitures with different pastel colors combination, such as pink, mint, grey, white, and rose gold as accent color. This place is definitely a good place to take photos and the cafe is very Instagrammable.

As for menu choice, they have plenty to choose from. Coffee, tea, juice, and desserts are available for more lighter options. But if you want something more fulfilling, there are food options available as well as beer and wine options to go with that. I was happy that I was able to order tea from their 28 tea bags collection (pretty rare for cafes to have good extensive tea selections). This place is definitely a good place to hangout with your girlfriends and my tip is to come during day time if you wanna take some photos inside the cafe and enjoy the view.

Ban Bossy Boutique • 밴보시부티크

Address: 서울특별시 마포구 서교동 408-17 3층
Telephone: 02-337-9896
Hours: 12:00 - 22:00 (Weekdays) | 11:00 - 22:00 (Weekend)

Instagram: @banbossy

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Off The Ground • 오프더그라운드

This past spring, there has been a good number of new cafes that I came across during my neighborhood exploration walks. Off The Ground (오프더그라운드) was one of them. I was heading towards another place with my cousin but then decided to check this place out cos it's on the way. We stepped into a rather white minimalistic space and I headed to the counter to order our drinks. Chatted up the guy who took my order and turned out, he's the owner of the place and they just opened a week before. So this place is like new, new. The place is not that big, but I feel like this could be a good place to get some work done (on the communal table) or to meet up with a friend if you are looking for a smaller spot to hang out at. And... they also serve non-coffee & tea options which is always a plus point for me. 

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Watch the video:

OFF THE GROUND

Address: 서울특별시 마포구 와우산로 39-12
Tel. No: 010.9129.4104
Operation hour: 11:00 - 22:00 (Closed on Mondays)
Subway: Sangsu Station (Line 6) Exit 1

Instagram: @__cafe_offtheground__

 

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