Hana Okonomiyaki

I'm starting this post with a little confession that I didn't know the name of this place until I was about to write this post. The main reason is this place is right around my neighborhood, passed this place like thousands of times, but never bothered to read the name of the place. I only knew this spot as 'that-okonomiyaki-place-that-always-have-people-lining-up-for-seats'. First I thought maybe because the place is pretty small, but after I finally had the chance to try this place, I can see why.

Hana Okonomiyaki (하나 오코노미야키 야키소바 a.k.a 신촌 하나) is located in Sinchon neighborhood, in between Sinchon Station and Ehwa Station. The place is famous for their okonomiyaki and yakisoba, and I asked my Japanese friends and they said the taste is pretty good and authentic. The price is also relatively not expensive, ranging from 7,000—9,000KRW. I let my friends ordered last time so I'm not exactly sure what we ordered, but everything was delicious. We even ordered seconds too. Tips: If you come here during dinner time, come early or you'll most likely will have to wait for seats. Go during lunch time since there's usually fewer people waiting in line.

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The Dining Lab

The Dining Lab (더다이닝랩) is probably one of my favorite restaurants in Seoul. Located in the Donggyodong (동교동) neighborhood, I'm surprised to find this restaurant away from the more crowded area of Hongdae. The restaurant is small. They have only a couple tables and a bar area that is facing the open kitchen. If you want to see the action in the kitchen, sitting at the bar will definitely get you that. Their food is really good. I've been here a couple of times and tried different things and I love them all. I'm more of a meat person overall so I'm really picky when eating my veggies, but the way the cook their veggies here is good. Everything is cooked in the right way and seasoned really well. Although, the portion is a little small compared to the price, but I can live with that since I don't come here everyday :P. If you're looking to try something new around Hongdae area, I would definitely recommend this place.

Pictured: Salmon Gravlax & Beurre Blanc Sauce, Salmon Steak with Roast Bacon, Burger with French Fries, & Sous-vide Ribeye Steak with Roasted Vegetables.

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Mum Aroy • 뭄말로이

Found another hidden gem in Sangsu area, a little Thai restaurant called Mum Aroy (뭄말로이). Having been in Korea for almost a year now, I've been eating a lot of Korean food—and it's great and all—but after a while I kinda miss other Asian food as well. And since I don't live near Itaewon, I was trying to find a good place around my area and stumbled upon this place online.

First off, I really love the vibe of the place. The decor, the music, the color of the walls, and even the utensils reminded me of my trip to Thailand and even a little bit of home. Went there with my classmates the first time so we ordered a bunch of different things to try and none of them disappointed. Everything tasted so good and they tasted pretty authentic (and by authentic I mean similar to my favorite Thai restaurants that I've visited in the past, outside Korea). And I think the fact that I've been craving it for a while kinda made the food tasted even better ;P

Here's the list of what we ordered: Tom Yum Goong (뚬얌꿍), Pad Thai (팟타이), Pad See Ew (팟시유), Green Curry (그린 커리), and Pad Kra Pao (팟카파오 무쌈) (which was SUPER HOT). And since then, I've gone back a couple of times and tried their Fried Rice (카오팟 뿌 <게살>), which was delicious as well. 

If you're craving for some Thai food, I definitely recommend this place. The owners and the servers are very friendly too. And this place is actually on the same street as Grunge Cafe (see my post here), so you could get dessert there if you still have some room for dessert after your meal. 

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Salmon Dinner

Salmon is probably my favorite fish, especially when it comes to sushi/sashimi. Been craving for sushi these past few days for some odd reason. So here's a quick short post on my visit to a Japanese restaurant around Hyehwa (혀화) Neighborhood. Hope everybody have a good weekend!

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Plant

I have heard many good reviews about Plant (플랜트), a small vegan bakery/cafe in Itaewon (이태원) run by Alien's Day Out. Having never been there before, I was looking forward to taste their food when Noah & Hannah suggested to go there for lunch. They only have 2 items on their lunch menu, so we ordered both of them to try — the Lentil Veggie Burger & Tempeh Carrot Slaw Wrap & Cream of Broccoli Soup. Both of them were great! I had the Lentil Veggie Burger and for a burger without any meat on it, it was pretty darn good. Everything was very flavorful and it filled me up just right. I heard their cakes are pretty good too, but since I didn't get to try that, I'll save that for my next visit. 

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