Summer Day at Ewha Womans University • 이화여자대학교

Ewha Womans University (이화여자대학교) is one of those tourists spots in Seoul that’s worth making a visit for. Plus, if you’re a fan of architecture, you’ll probably have a lot of fun checking this place out. Designed by Dominique Perrault Architecture, the campus was build in the middle of Seoul’s urban neighborhood creating a new unique topography reminiscent of the Champs-Élysées in Paris or the Campidoglio in Rome. From the shape of the architecture, the scale of the campus, the amphitheater-like stairs area, and the garden on a hilly slope, the campus is a perfect place to walk around and admire this contemporary structure and the view surrounding it.

I’ve been to Ewha Womans University many times in the past and I still find this place fascinating during every single visit. I also brought many of my friends who were visiting Seoul for the first time to this place just because I personally think that the architecture of the campus is pretty cool. And since I’ve been here quite a bit, I can also say that the vibes also change during every season (fall is probably the prettiest season to visit this place, especially during peak autumn week). During summer, the campus is pretty much surrounded by greeneries. There’s less people sitting on the stairs during daytime because most people prefers the cool air-conditioned indoor spaces than sitting outside under the scorching hot sun during Korea’s humid summer day. But right before sunset when the sun is not as high up in the sky, you’ll see more people around the area. From students who just finished their classes to visitors who simply came to walk around the campus or sit down on the stairs to enjoy their afternoon coffee, everybody seems to be enjoying their time around this campus.

Note: Photos were taken before the pandemic.

Also, you can check this post out if you want to see what it looks like during winter time.

 

Ewha Womans University • 이화여자대학교

Address: 서울 서대문구 이화여대길 52
Subway: Subway Line 2 | Exit 2,3

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Sanmotungi • 산모퉁이

Sanmotungi (산모퉁이) is a mountainside cafe in Buam-dong (부암동) that offers the view of Inwangsan (인왕산), Bugaksan (북악산) and a glimpse of the Seoul Fortress Wall (서울 한양도성) in the distance. The spacious cafe is also well known as one of the filming location of the famous K-drama “Coffee Prince” which attracts a lot of fans of the drama to come visit this place.

Getting to the cafe wasn’t that easy. I remembered taking a bus and then transferring to a village bus before having to trekked up the hill to get to the cafe. It was quite a journey. If you’re planning to visit here with friends, taking a taxi might be worth avoiding the hassle, especially during a hot summer day or a cold winter day. Or if you don’t mind the hike, just make sure you wear comfortable shoes and clothing.

The cafe is housed in a building that looks like someone’s house whose owner perhaps has a hobby of collecting vintage items seeing all the different things scattered around the front yard. One of the most eye-catching item’s probably the yellow Volkswagen that’s parked near the gate, which I have to say, definitely adds to the charm of the place.

The cafe itself is divided into a couple of different areas since the place is quite big. The first area that you’ll step into has this one corner decorated with paintings of the casts of “Coffee Prince”.

Then there’s this deck area where you can sit outside and enjoy the view of the mountains, some fresh air, as well as looking down to the backyard of the cafe where there are more outdoor seatings available.

There are a couple of areas for the indoor seatings as well, which is nice because you get a lot of options depending on where you want to sit.

I moved around quite a bit but ended up sitting at this spot the longest because this was the quietest spot that still has the view (there were quite a lot of people when I got there but the crowd kind of dissipated after the lunch hour rush has passed).

The backyard area on the lower ground is nice as well. They have plenty of seats that are spread out around the space. Although seeing the view from here while sitting down might be a little hard since you’re almost eye level with the bushes surrounding the area (or maybe I’m just short). I personally think the upper deck is a better spot to enjoy the view.

The menu of the cafe itself is nothing special, but I mainly came here to check out the view so I just considered buying a drink as an admission fee to the place. If you’re looking for an outdoor cafe with a mountain view and fresh air, this place is worth checking out. It’s pretty calm and serene out here. Also, I saw some photos online that they have cherry blossoms too during spring. So maybe if you visit in spring, the view might be prettier.

 

Sanmotungi • 산모퉁이

Address: 서울 종로구 백석동길 153
Telephone: 0507-1354-4737
Hours: Daily 11:00-19:00

Instagram: @sanmotungi.coffee

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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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Cafe Gongmyeong • 카페 공명

With the abundance of cafes in Hongdae (홍대), you would think that finding a spacious and comfortable cafe to catch up with your friends or do some work at will be easy. But no. Based on my experience, finding a spacious cafe with the right vibe (which for me means a place with nice interior, at least decent if not good non-coffee drink options, plenty of seatings, ample breathing space and moderate noise level) in Hongdae is actually pretty hard.

Since most cafes in Hongdae are small or medium sized and usually have more of a hip vibe, I was actually pleasantly surprised when I first came across Cafe Gongmyeong (카페 공명). This cafe is actually spacious and has the right vibe. I first saw this place when I accidentally saw a glimpse of their coffee bar through the window of the bus I was riding when it passed by this place at night. If it weren’t for the bright yellow lights emitting from the coffee bar, I wouldn’t even noticed that there’s a cafe there because the exterior of the building just seems like any other building in Korea.

After I looked up what’s actually inside that building and found out that Cafe Gongmyeong (카페 공명) occupied the space, I initially visited the place days later solely to check out their intriguing coffee bar. The canopy like structure that houses the coffee bar is made out of wide horizontal wood panels that are lined with lights emitting from the edge of each panels, creating a feeling of being inside some sort of a wooden spaceship (at least for me). There are also a couple of different things that are pretty cool inside this cafe including a projector that is set up facing the wall next to the coffee bar that plays old movies and two big book shelves next to the front windows that definitely add more character to the interior of the space.

They printed their menu items on the spine of books that are displayed in front of the cashier and I have to say this is probably one of the most creative and memorable menu display I’ve seen (took me a second though to realize that the book titles are actually the menu). I ordered their Cacao Latte (카카오 라떼) which was pretty solid. I came only a couple of weeks after their grand opening so their dessert selections were still limited. Although looking at their Instagram, it seems like they have now expanded their dessert menu and definitely have more selections compared to my last visit. And it seems like people are giving good reviews about them so maybe I’ll try their desserts on my next visit.

The place has plenty of seatings that have a good distance from one to the other, which works very well if you want some privacy while talking to your friends. It also has a big long communal table with power plugs that’s perfect for people who come to the cafe to study or to do some work. I originally wasn’t planning to stay for long, but after I finished taking some pictures and sit around for a while, I actually enjoyed the vibe of this place and ended up staying for almost two hours longer sitting there sipping my hot cocoa while reading. 

Note: These photos were taken before the pandemic.

A little fun fact, this cafe is also one of the shooting locations of the Korean drama Thirty-Nine (서른, 아홉) starring Son Ye-Jin. You can see the appearance of the place in episode 3, where Son Ye-Jin’s character, Cha Mi-Jo, visited the cafe with her love interest, Kim Seon-U.

Korean Drama: Thirty-Nine (서른, 아홉) Ep.03 | Photo Courtesy: JTBC/Netflix

Korean Drama: Thirty-Nine (서른, 아홉) Ep.03 | Photo Courtesy: JTBC/Netflix

 

Cafe Gongmyeong • 카페 공명

Address: 서울 마포구 연희로 11 1층 카페 공명
Telephone: 070-8869-6304
Hours: Everyday 10:00 - 22:00

Instagram: @cafegm_

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Jungsik Cafe • 정식카페

I went to Jungsik Cafe (정식카페) for an impromptu lunch during one hot summer day in June. The cafe is located near Apgujeong Rodeo station (압구정로데오역) in the same building as the two-Michelin starred restaurant, Jungsik (정식당), that is located on the second floor of the building.

Decorated with dark wooden furnitures and eclectic lamps with exposed wirings, the cafe gives off a high-end industrial vibes to anyone who stepped into the spacious space. The bakery section is located next to the entrance where you can see selections of pastries, baked goods, and cakes being displayed. And then there’s the dining area which is divided into three different sections: the main dining area, the bar area, and (what I’d like to call) the glass house area where you can sit under the sun during the day without actually being outside.

Their food menu focuses mainly on western cuisines, ranging from salads, tapas, pastas, tacos to fish and chips with brunch options that are served until 4 pm everyday. I ordered their Cheese Pasta (치즈 파스타), which was okay. The pasta was cooked right, lightly seasoned and the cheese is not too cheesy (if you know what I mean) which I like because it left me with the feeling of being full without being too overwhelming. 

They also have quite a selection of dessert options, one of the most famous one being the Dol-hareubang Bingsu (돋하르방 빙수) which is shaved ice with milk, chocolate ‘dol-hareubang’ ice cream, black sesame cream, and green tea brownie. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to try it because I was there alone and looking at the portion, I don’t think I can finish it all by myself. But for my next visit with a friend, I definitely want to try the Dol-hareubang Bingsu. 

Note: These photos were taken before the pandemic.

 

Jungsik Cafe • 정식카페

Address: 서울 강남구 선릉로158길 11 1F
Telephone: 02-517-4650
Hours: Everyday 10:00-23:00

Instagram: @jungsikcafe_
Menu: Food | Drinks

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