Michiko Project: BEST Fish n Chips in Seoul

My last trip to Auckland makes me crazy about fish and chips. I know it may sound strange, as the best fish and chips you've tasted is probably not from the land of Kiwi but I've traveled the world and tried the fish and chips in London, but they are all sucks. I am glad I was not traumatized and decided to try fish an chips again in Auckland. It was nothing fancy, I had my first fish and chips after years from the nearby takeaway in Mellons Bay, Auckland. What an unusual way to fall in love with fish and chips.

Long story short, I cannot find fish and chips in Seoul. It was not about finding a decent one, I cannot even find a specialized fish and chips store in Seoul. So I constantly Naver-ed some places (we do not use Google here) and found some stores that sell fish and chips. I was not lucky with my first few attempts before I finally found my love a few days ago!

I am not sure how do you call this place in English? Michiko is the name of the group and Michiko Project 25 is what written on the placard. This place is called 벗꽃주택 in Korean, located in a tiny alley next to Chungjeongno Station exit 2. Just turn left after Chungjeongno Tower/Starbucks, and you'd see it.

The alley looks like the picture above.

Just walk straight for a good 1-2 minutes, and this charming little place should be on your left.

It is a small beer place with around 40+ seats only. I went there around 5PM, so there were only two other guests. They got busy after 6PM when the workers are done with the day. I read that they are famous for their beer. I certainly do not come here for a drink so I can't really tell. The two Koreans next to me said that it was excellent and cheap. 

Now the fish and chips...

They only have two sizes, Medium for 16,900 won and Large for 19,900 won. I was alone, and I ordered medium but it was a mistake. The medium was meant for two (or even three).

It takes (almost) the whole table

LOOK AT THEEEEM

The condiments

Man, it was beyond satisfying. It definitely fulfilled my craving, and I can't be more grateful that this place is less than 10 mins walk from home.

The tartar sauce was really lovely and complement the dish perfectly. I've got nothing to complain other than the fact that they should've warned me about the size. The fish? They truly did it right.

The next time you are craving for a damn good fish and chips, come here. Chungjeongno Exit 2. The best thing is they speak English right from the moment I entered. Prolly I am looking too foreign, but I did not expect this from the neighborhood. A truly hidden gem.

Instagrammable Spring in the Southern Part of Korea

Spring is here and it is the best season in Korea to recolor my messy Instagram feed. So here is my best idea of a perfect Korean spring, inspired by my unhealthy Instagram obsession.


Jinhae
It is overrated for a solid reason: every corner of this tiny little town offer you perfect angles of cherry blossom. There is no bad time to come to Jinhae during the festival. I have been there at the start of the festival and in the past two years, I only come in the last two days of the cherry blossom season.

Greenish cherry blossom? No worries, still charming!

Those traveling blogs do not lie, the best spots are Gyeonghwa Station and Yeojwacheon Romance Bridge with a quick photo stop here and there while you are in the city.

Do not get turned off by the crowd of humans. Jinhae is simply beautiful and you can always skip the mainstream shots. I do not normally take pictures of the train in Gyeonghwa Station, because the queue is always toooo loooong. But I still got a great shot, gurl.

Gyeonghwa Station, without the train

Busan
If you are already coming all the way to Jinhae, you might as well add stop in Busan. Approximately 1 hour away from Jinhae and only 5100 won one-way by bus, you should definitely not miss the chance to snap more Instagrammable pictures in Busan.

Daejeo Eco Park

I got over my Gamcheon obsession (finally) and found a better flowery spot: the Daejeo Eco Park.
Getting here could be tricky, so you might as well just go right away after Jinhae since this place is only a short taxi ride away from Sasang Terminal (and there is nothing much around Sasang).

Uh mighty yellow field

This park is huuuuuge and they are all very yellow. No pun here.

Be careful of the very strong Busan wind. But seriously, a little freezing worth the fantastic pictures, no?

Forget all your complaints about the limited restaurant in Jinhae too, Busan will take care of your tummy. I can give you a list of different places to eat in Busan as a Muslim who does not eat meat. My top priority would be GAEMIJIP!

simply fresh octopus and shrimp

This restaurant in Seomyeon opens 24 hours so anytime you feel like craving for the freshest seafood with a kickass soup, come here. It looks plain and colorless in the beginning but waits until the lady mixes them up and create the magic red soup.

Gaemijip Octopus + Shrimp

Priced at 8000 per person for the octopus soup and 9000 for the octopus and shrimp, I guarantee all seafood lovers will lick the last bite of it!

Another Muslim-friendly must-try item is the mighty hotteok! Find the longest queue at BIFF Square, or look for Ajusshi Hotteok if you can read Hangeul. Currently priced at 1300 won per pcs, it is certainly not the cheapest hotteok in Korea (compared to Jinhae 2000 for 3 pcs). BUT THIS WILL MAKE YOU DROOL AND CRAVE FOR MOREEEEE. Literally.

the king of all hotteok

So please make your way to the southern part of South Korea next spring and make all your Instagram followers obsessed over the beautiful Jinhae cherry blossom and drooling Busan foods! The whole itinerary is doable within a day but you can definitely chill and eat more food if you stay for a night in Busan.

Do not wait any longer, start your WOW KOREA trip ASAP!

The Wonders of Mangwon Market 망원시장

I am not a fan of a traditional market but I am always dying to go back to *several* market in Korea, one of them is Mangwon Market. It is located in Mapo, near the Mangwon Station (line 6), Seoul. It was very near to Ewha, where I lived for a year. But now that I live in Anam, I have to think multiple times before going there.

What is so special about this market?

Well, nothing huge, nothing fancy. But I loooove the food. I am not talking about a specialized food, it is just simply my favorite: the 2500won Kalguksu. I can't even get a proper lunch box with 2500 around my school so this is a real deal.

The canteen is a modest 고향집 with seating for about 30 people inside. They also expanded the area a bit in the outside. Their customers are mostly elderly and everyone seems to be a returning customer.

Gohyangjib Menu

You gotta order and pay in front up cash. Yes, it is very rare for a Korean store not to accept card but it does not decrease the charm of this place. The most expensive menu is only 5000won.

A huge hot bowl of this wonderful noodle would definitely satisfy your craving. I also love how they provide spicy sauce and fresh kimchi, along with pepper and salt. This is not the norm in Korea.

I also tried their Sujebi or handmade-dough that looks like ravioli. Not bad but I prefer the original Kalguksu better. You can add 1000won for more noodle or upgrade to perilla kalguksu too. Their other menu is bibimbap, the mixed veggie rice, and cold noodle.

Although I guarantee that you will be full after a bowl of this wonderful Kalguksu, you must not miss the multi flavor chicken! They have the normal sweet and spicy, 깐풍 (hot pepper), cheese, white cream and the most mindblowing taste: fruit. Yes, chicken with fruit sauce.

I am actually quite used to orange chicken. But they put it as 'fruit' taste. I am not sure which fruit do they mean. Apple chicken? Banana chicken? What?

small cup or maybe, two chicken?

The chicken is served in many different sizes, ranging from ultra slim cup for 3000 won till two-ekor-chickens for less than 20000. The 4000won cup is ideal for one and even the one-chicken-size is not that big for two. Well, buy according to your need. My best piece of advice is: make sure you get the right taste.

I tried the spicy, white cream and fruit chicken. Maybe I am not that adventurous with taste as the spicy one was clearly the best. The white cream taste gets old and weird after a few bites and the fruit chicken just does not do well. I am not that sensitive with fruits, I bet this must be some kind of berry.

Chicken Ass

I am no longer surprised with what comes next: the ass. Chicken ass. I've seen it in Suwon and I am not gonna try it. In case you missed it, here is the ass(es) that was served on my plate last year.

So if you find yourself around Mapo and feel like eating something good for extremely cheap price, head to Mangwon Market! Highly recommended!

The Original Pancake House Seoul

It's been a long time since my last visit to The Original Pancake House. I am actually a big fan of their whipped cream and choco chips pancake. I always miss the American vibe and the welcoming English-speaking staffs. So I decided to bring my international friends to try the legendary pancake today.

As soon as we arrived, I saw this banner.

Strawberry Fiesta

Not an unexpected surprise. Strawberry fever hit Korea every winter and seems like The Original Pancake House could not resist the wave.

Turned out I visited during the lunch rush. We had to wait for 20 minutes and we decided on the four plates we'd have today while waiting. We chose 2 sour and 2 sweet dishes.

It's a FEAAAAST!

The dishes came at the same time, left us wondering, "Could we finish all theseeee?"

Hussaina chose the Strawberry topping with 6 pancakes. I did not try it as I don't like banana. It was KRW 15000.

one of my fav

Piling listened to my advice and picked the Country Fried Chicken. It's boneless American-style fried chicken with gravy and french fries. They put salt on it, making it even more-American. (I swear I never use salt on my fries and chicken before). This was KRW 17,000.

Now my choice. It was Hash Potato with Eggs. They have 5 kinds of eggs. Scrambled, sunny side up, over medium, over hard, and one more style that I couldn't catch. I went with scrambled eggs. It also came with 3 pancakes and buttermilk. This was priced KRW13,000.

Hash potato and french toast

The last one was Lisa's pick. She ordered French Toast and it was phenomenal! I think it was my new favorite. It was soft, not too sweet and the way they cooked it was just right. The jam was okay, the buttermilk did not go well with it, I prefer to have it plain. It costs KRW9,000.

We spent about 2 hours catching up and enjoying our meals. We haven't met each other for almost a year and it was really nice meeting them! When we were about to pay, I notice the classic American touch they put around the register.

the classic phone

It is always a very nice visit and I would definitely come back again!
They should hire me as their marketing strategist but their Business Playbook says, "Never advertise".

Oh well, they hit it right. I am doing the word-of-mouth marketing on behalf of them :))))

Eating in Gwangjang Market

I never liked going to Gwangjang Market. Maybe I have been in Korea for too long that the 'unique' dishes don't really impress me. Or maybe it was the traumatizing first visit that turned me off. It was a hot day and ajumma who was busy shooshing us, foreigners who flooded the market with phones in hand, taking pictures in every single corner. I prefer the one next to it, Bangsan Market, because it has a better (or quieter) vibe.

I really had no intention to revisit. But few weeks ago, I was sort of 'trapped' to go to Gwangjang Market with AskCulture. I signed up for sannakji but I never knew we were going to Gwangjang Market. This time, I had a totally different impression.

First thing first, it was a weekend evening in the winter. No more weather complain. We also had a very clear purpose, thanks to Sangah, so I do not have to wander around in the market like a lost child.

Sangah took me to the Yukhoe alley and specifically pointed at this super famous place to eat Yukhoe. I thought Yukhoe is all the same everywhere, but apparently, only this restaurant requires its customer to take waiting number (just like in bank or hospital) and has multiple branches.

very famous 'zzamezip'

While we were waiting, Sangah took many videos and countless selfies. I thought I was the only one feeling fascinated but apparently, Sangah and JinAh both think that it was unusual for foreigners to be that-excited with 'weird' Korean foods.

Oh by the way, this restaurant has a very unique 'never give up' tagline. Apparently, it comes from the fact that many people give up queueing for them :)))))

so can you see what is she preparing?

But what is Yukhoe tho?
A red dish?

'fresh' raw beef

This is it. Raw beef. I am not even sure if I want to further explain this dish because to me, it's just disgusting. Even in pictures.

But basically it's pure beef with onion and raw egg. That's it.

Yukhoe and Yukhoe mix rice

Sangah and Jinah had a very 'raw' meal that night. They finished everything and I was just like, ummm...

But hey! I got what I have been craving for months too! Sannakji or the live octopus! Well, it wasn't technically alive. He had been chopped before they serve it to me. Poor octopus, I promise not to eat this often!

In a flash, it looks just like any fresh and raw octopus. Not that I eat it straight from the aquarium. But what interesting is that the octopus was still moving when it was served. Bluntly speaking, it was not the sensation that made me crave for sannakji, but the taste itself!

Look at the short video above.

I did not realize how much I enjoy sannakji that I finished the whole dish myself. Later I realized that it's not a good idea because apparently my stomach kinda resist it :)))

I hope to come again but not sure if I can afford it. These dishes are actually expensive, man. My plate of octopus is worth 15,000 won while the Yukhoe is 12,000 won and the rice is 10,000 won.

tempting tempting

Our eating journey did not end with bowls of uncooked stuff. While we were walking, I told them that I love pajeon so Sangah decided to take us to eat pajeon! Lovely!

Now this is my stuff. SEAFOOD PAJEON.

OMG the visual, the smell... Everything was just perfect. Again, this is not cheap, around 16,000 won I guess. Worth 3-4 times of my lunch.

I was really really happy with my pajeon. This particular dish mean a lot to me because I had a good history with Pajeon.

When applying for Korean scholarship, the Korean interviewer asked me about my favorite Korean food. With no hesitation, I said "pajeon!" and both of them burst out laughing. I did not know until recently why they were laughing. My Korean friends told me it was because they probably expected more popular foods like bibimbap, bulgogi and such.

One of my friends even said, "Just like if you ask foreigner about they favorite Indonesian food. You expect bakso, sate, nasi goreng but what if he say bandeng or cireng?"
Muahaha make sense.

Sangah said I have a terrific smile and I smile even brighter as soon as the pajeon came hahaha. I think I can really do an advertisement for pajeon, seriously.

We parted ways after I finished the pajeon. I was delighted that I came for sannakji but I ended up eating pajeon too. As expected, AskCulture trip is always so much fun!

Check the result of our nonstop filming too on Youtube!

Lapar dan tertantang? Cobain Sannakji dan Yukhoe!

Discovering Suwon

Every time a Korean asks which part of Indonesia do I come from, I would simply say "Near the capital, you know, like Suwon."

Some of them would look at me in fascination, "Wah, you also know Suwon!"

Well, I know where Suwon is, pointing it at the map would be easy. But I had only been to Suwon once for my 'biggest' culture class when I was still in Ewha. The things that I learned from the trip was only about Hwaseong Fortress the wall and that Suwon is famous for Galbi. Last Sunday, I decided to visit Suwon again with AskCulture.

My guide for the day was Yeaji. She prepared the itinerary and the trip would start from 2PM till 8PM. She lives in Suwon and our meeting point was at Suwon Station. I had a long subway ride just the week before to Incheon so I decided to take the train to cut the journey from almost two hours to 40 minutes. The ticket from Seoul Station to Suwon Station is only 2700 won.

I was quite excited but unfortunately, it was raining when I arrived and I did not bring my umbrella. -_-

My expectation went down as our trip would be all outdoor and we need the weather to cooperate. Sigh. Still, we decided to look around the Hwaseong in the rain.

The entrance ticket is actually super cheap, only 1500 won. But hey, why pay when you can get free admission? Yeaji shared a very cool tip that we can enter for free and get discount to several other attractions in Suwon by adding Suwon City on Kakaotalk. The promotion will last till this month only, I guess. Nice, as expected, you learn better when you go with the local.

Walking in the muddy and wet terrain, we started exploring the huge Hwaseong area. The first part was tying your wish to a hundreds-years-old-tree. It was pretty cool and simple, as you just write your wish on the provided paper and tie it to the rail. No fancy locks or challenging stuff. I like simple stuff haha.

There are many cool and weird exhibitions inside. The one that I remembered from my last trip was the display of the foods that they serve for certain ceremonies. It is too much!

Massive feast, "crap, this is too much"

I think I could not contain my expression. There are fruits, fishes, meats and many other kinds of stuff. Like more than 30 dishes... 

Traveling back to Joseon Dynasty, many of the decorations look pretty lavish for that time. They are not as colorful as what we normally see from the Javanese Royal Kingdom tho. 

I have no idea how big this place is but it is huuuuge. The rain stopped not long after we start and it started to get creepy. There was barely any other visitors. Felt like we owned the place. A good day to stroll around, indeed.

The more you go inside, the quieter it became. At one random corner that looked like a tomb (seriously, there was no one and the area looked shabby), I found a very interesting exhibition.

peeping inside

I was too curious about what's inside but sadly it was locked. Well, I did not give up and climbed to peek in instead. It was a hole-y place.

my old friend, traditional toilet

I was talking about the traditional toilet! Muahaha. My YLS peeps would totally get my 'obsession' with toilet. I once dreamed of building some public toilets in the jungle of Central Java. I took the idea seriously but in the end, I built a house for an indigenous family itself. As my friends said, "At least the house has a toilet!"

back to the entrance area

We continued to discover fascinating Korean things that I never saw before. Like there is this wooden box that you supposed to use it to store rice but it became famous because back then, a dad killed his child inside or a traditional rain clock. We finished around 4 pm. I don't know if we actually managed to look through every corner of the Hwaseong. It is a huge and interesting place. 

one artsy corner

Then we walked to the artsy handicraft road next to the Hwaseong. I never knew this road exists. The atmosphere feels like a modest version Samcheongdong, with the art but without the expensive cafes. We stopped by a shop which sells 'dalgona', Korean traditional sugar snack or Indonesian might be familiar with gulali. It is made from pure white sugar plus some baking soda. You heat the sugar, after it melts then you add baking soda and taadaa! 

Eating them was not the fun part. Well, who thinks to be a step closer from diabetes is fun? 

The real Korean way of enjoying dalgona is to cut the shape without cracking the whole thing. If you succeed, you can get one more for free. I took the heart shape challenge.

I am all serious for my heart

Oh it wasn't easy. I didn't screw it that bad, only one crack but still... No free dalgona, which honestly I think it was a great thing. Even one was too much for 3 people haha.

The next activity is the one I anticipated a lot: eating chicken! So there is a chicken alley nearby. Many traditional chicken shops are doing business there. To any newbie out there: Koreans take their chicken obsession seriously. There are thousands of chicken shops in this country and it's pretty much a national snack. 

What's unique from this chicken alley is that they normally sell traditional whole chicken (they chopped it, don't worry) or we call it 'tongdak' rather than the fancy boneless chicken. I always go for boneless but this time I had no option.

the Jinmi 'chicken factory'

We went to the best chicken shop there called JinmiTongdak. It was a really huge restaurant, 3 floors, only selling 3 types of chicken: original fried, sauce, or half-half. But even at 4PM, we needed to queue. This place is damn popular and the scale is no kidding. 'Chicken factory', indeed.

massive

We waited to be seated in the cold before we were told to go to the second floor. There are two areas on the second floor, the seating area and the 'lesehan' area. We went to the floor area. Interesting.

crazy visual

It took us quite a long time before our half-half chicken came. Good first impression, it looked sexy and appetizing. I first tasted the original fried and... So much better than my expectation!

I really love this chicken and it was relatively cheap, 15000won. I also love how they provide sauce in every table. Just like how I could instantly fall in love with restaurants that provide fork, I am impressed with any Korean restaurant that serves sauce. My favorite.

The interesting part is that they also serve the chicken ass. Like real ass. See the dark small pieces on the left plate? Looked like mushroom and no, I don't want to try it. Changhyun said it is tasty tho but nah, thanks,

Content with our chicken, we took the city bus to the highlight of the day: riding helium balloon!

Hmm actually I am not really sure on how to call this thing properly in English but they do have an official name. The ride is called Flying Suwon :))))

Flying Suwon shot, great one cr: Changhyun

My first impression was that this Flying Suwon is rather expensive and annoying. They do not operate when the weather is bad. The thing is how would I know... I came all the way from Seoul and to miss this ride would be a huge disappointment for me. Thankfully the rain stopped!!!

Flying Suwon!

The size of this balloon is grand. It can fit up to 30 people. 

We did not wait long for our turn. There were only a couple plus us, 3 people, and the operator. We climbed up slowly until we reached our peak point. Then the operator started to help us taking picture. Very helpful and kind!

The view was really pretty. I would rather highlight the sensation tho. Normally we would climb a tower or skyscraper to see a very cool night view but this time, we rode a balloon! I thought it was my first time doing an open observatory but Baiyoke Skydeck in Bangkok was also outdoor haha.

The duration of the ride was pretty long. I didn't really count but it was satisfying. I don't normally take selfies but I think I took a lot when we were up there. It was just too lovely. Worth it!

Why you need to visit at night

Our trip did not end with the balloon ride. We took a walk around the wall. Changhyun said that it is a perfect date course. Well, let me find my lover soon and take him to Suwon later :))))

Anyway, I did not know that Suwon's Hwaseong is so stunning at night! The walk was even more memorable with Yeaji's camera and Yeaji+Changhyun's photography skill. I can talk a walk here at any day but I need someone to take great pictures of me, right! Hahaha

We walked around until the bus stop on the other side. Then we took the bus to Suwon Station and parted our ways there. I am super happy I got the chance to know Suwon better, this time without a whole load of history that I would never need to understand and Galbi that I can't eat. I sort of regret I discovered the chicken because I might go back to Suwon just for that heavenly tongdak. Now that I think about it, if Yeaji did not design the itinerary, why would I ever thought of going to Hwaseong at night anyway?

To those who feel like they already know Seoul for too well and looking for a short escape, visit Suwon Hwaseong with AskCulture! I recommend this course for curious souls who are sick of mainstream cultural tour. Selamat jalan-jalan!