Otaru Soba Udon • 오타루소바우동

Ended up at Otaru Soba Udon (오타루소바우동) one day when I was exploring Mullae-dong (문래동) and had a sudden cold soba craving for dinner. Found this restaurant among the search results I got for soba restaurant around the area and the place seemed to have great reviews. What really sold me though was their Fried Chicken Cold Soba (닭튀김냉소바) menu which is super interesting because I usually have my cold soba with tempura, so pairing it with a fried chicken was pretty new to me.

So then I head to Otaru Soba Udon (오타루소바우동) for my dinner. The restaurant is pretty spacious decorated with wooden interior and furnitures. I ordered their Fried Chicken Cold Soba (닭튀김냉소바). The soba was garnished with tamago, crab meat, clam meat, grated radish, lettuce, and green onions. The fried chicken was served with fried lotus chips on the side. The soba was cooked well and has a nice, firm texture. It’s easy to slurp and bite off with that spaghetti-like texture. The cold broth is seasoned well, not too salty, light and refreshing. The fried chicken was really nice too. Super crispy skin on the outside with juicy meat on the inside. And it actually works well together with the cold soba. Overall, I really enjoyed the meal.

 

Otaru Soba Udon • 오타루소바우동

Address: 서울 영등포구 도림로 491-2
Telephone: 02-2634-5460
Hours: Monday to Saturday 11:30-21:30 | Close on Sundays

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Miss Lee Cafe • 별다방미스리

Miss Lee Cafe (별다방미스리) first gained its popularity because its frequent appearances on Korean TV shows. Its popularity peaked after an episode of the Korean variety show “We Got Married” aired, featuring Yong Hwa (CNBLUE) and Seo Hyun (Girls’ Generation and TTS) having a date at their Insadong branch.

Aside from media appearances, Miss Lee Cafe is also famous for their old school dosirak which consists of rice topped with pink sausage (분홍소세지), egg, seaweed and kimchi served in tinplate lunch box with a side of seaweed soup. This old school dosirak is actually something that is very nostalgic to people who grew up in the 1970s. Back then, classrooms in Korea usually have a large radiator in the middle of the room that served as the central heating unit. The radiator was also used to warmed up lunch boxes (thus the use of tinplate lunch box). Also, before you eat, don’t forget to put the cover lid and shake it until all the ingredients are mixed well together. That’s how you’re suppose to enjoy a proper dosirak.

The menu at Miss Lee Cafe revolves around Korean food, snacks, as well as desserts but with a twist. From tteokbokki (떡볶이), yanggaeng (양갱), to bingsu (빙수), you can find a good selections of Korean traditional food on this nostalgic school-love themed café.

I personally have been here a couple of times during my first couple of visits to Seoul. Now, with the many newer cafes that have popped up in Seoul, this place might not be as popular as it used to (at least amongst tourists) but I think it’s a fun place to go to, especially if you want to try the old school dosirak.

Note: These photos were taken at their Samcheongdong branch, which now has closed. If you want to go for a visit, their Insadong branch is still open (see the address below). The interior concept is pretty much the same, but just with a different layout.

 

Miss Lee Cafe Insadong • 별다방미스리 인사동점

Address: 서울 종로구 인사동길 59 2층 별다방미스리
Telephone: 0507-1403-0939
Hours: Mon-Fri 12:00-19:00 | Sat & Sun 12:00-20:00

Instagram: @missleecafe

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Tartine Coffee Bar at RYSE Hotel • 타르틴 베이커리 RYSE호텔점

Tartine Coffee Bar is located at the lobby of the designer lifestyle hotel, RYSE Hotel in Hongdae. It is one of the six locations that the famous Bay Area bakery opened in Seoul after its expansion to South Korea in 2018. Tartine Coffee Bar offers a more limited menu compared to their other branches in Seoul but still covering the basic for their pastries and coffee selections.

Other than the fact that I’ve known Tartine makes great pastries since I was living in the Bay Area, I personally first came to this location to check out their interior design because it’s quite different than their other branches since it follows more of RYSE Hotel’s design concept. The space is modern, unique and definitely stylish. If you’re looking for a cafe with good coffee and pastries selections and nice interior in Hongdae, this place is definitely worth checking out.

Note: Photos were taken before the pandemic.

 

Tartine Coffee Bar at Ryse Hotel • 타르틴 베이커리 RYSE호텔점

Address: 서울 마포구 양화로 130 Ryse 호텔 1층
Telephone: 02-324-9400
Hours: Everyday 08:00 - 20:00

Instagram: @tartinebakeryseoul

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Simple Tokyo • 심플도쿄

Simple Tokyo (심플도쿄) was a small homestyle Japanese-fusion restaurant in Ikseon-dong (익선동) that I visited a couple of years ago for a dinner with a friend. The restaurant occupied a small space that was decorated beautifully with white light panels, wooden hanok inspired structure, green bamboo plants, and marble tables and white chairs that were placed on a Japanese zen garden inspired flooring. If you pass by this place during night time, the lights from inside definitely will catch you eyes and that's exactly why me and my friend decided to eat here.

We both ordered their Beef Brisket Nabe Udon (차돌 나베 우동) and it was really good. It came with shiitake and oyster mushroom, cabbage, and plenty of leeks on top. The broth was super rich and flavorful, the meat was tender and the portion was pretty fulfilling. It was a perfect meal for a cold night.

Unfortunately, the restaurant has closed a year or so after its opening because the last time I passed by this location, the space has been emptied out. Even so, thought I share the pictures from this place because the interior was pretty.

Simple Tokyo • 심플도쿄 (CLOSED)

Instagram: @simpletokyo_official

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Kontemporary1 • 컨템포러리1

Kontemporary1 (컨템포러리1) also known as Kontemporary Koffee is a small gallery cafe located in the hip neighborhood of Hannam-dong (한남동). The unique space serves as a coffee shop as well as a space for art exhibition that changes from time to time. Opened in September 2018, I remember the cafe went viral on social media for its famous big painting-like revolving glass door as well as its unique interior. If you’re looking for a cafe with unique furnitures, you definitely want to check this place out because they have furnitures made out of wooden panels that are cut in various different shapes that are assembled together to create shelves and furnitures that look like art pieces from a museum (which is very fitting for the concept of the space).

Kontemporary1 also has one of the best milk tea I’ve ever had in the city. It has the perfect sweetness and hints of orange peel, floral, and pineapple (they gave me a card with the flavor notes which was a very nice touch). I thoroughly enjoyed it and it’s definitely one of the more memorable great milk tea I’ve had in Seoul.

Note: Pictures were taken before the pandemic.

 

Kontemporary1 • 컨템포러리1

Address: 서울 용산구 이태원로54길 48
Telephone: 010-2606-0139
Hours: Everyday 12:30 pm - 09:00 pm

Instagram: @kontemporary_koffee

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