Cap in Hand

Down by Itaewon station...

Green Joys of Summer

Inspired by a post from the Marmot. I bring you my own tribute to watery green and red goodness.

Jeondong Cathedral

I had a great time in Jeonju this weekend filling up on bibimbap and hand made choco pies. Plus I finally got to take a walk round Jeonju Hanok Village. A interesting area with plenty to see, do and eat...

The hanoks were gorgeous, but the most stunning building for me was the Jeondong Cathedral. It's a beautiful example of Roman Catholic architecture in Korea and I was sad I only had my little point and shoot camera rather than my DSLR with me...

Listed as Korea National Treasure Number 288, Jeondong Cathedral was built in 1914 by Father Xavier Baudonet. Definitely worth a visit if you're in the area.

Curry and Chips in Changwon

Last weekend we headed down to 창원 (Changwon) for our latest leg of the tour. It's a relatively new city (according to wikipedia "reestablished" in 1974), so we couldn't find any one Korean dish that represented the city. However, Changwon does have other delights on offer...

First up Maya, an Indian and Nepalese restaurant that delivers a decent curry at a reasonable price.

I went for the lamb curry at 9,500 won with plain naan for 2,500.



Overall not a bad curry for the price, but be prepared to wait quite a while for your food. They have reasonably priced thali sets that offer a little of everything and their jeera rice is also very tasty...

You can find them here: 경상남도 창원시 용호동 73-48 미미상가 301호 or call them on 055 264 1378.

Next up a visit to the "first Irish owned bar in Korea", O'Briens...

Our main reason for coming here was to sample their fish and chips. 10,000 won gets you a plate of what I can only describe as authentic pub food. It's greasy, but it's great for soaking up the beer. The servers couldn't actually name the fish that had been fried for us, but the batter was gorgeously crispy and the chips weren't too bad. The pool of oil on the plate was a little perturbing, but easily soaked up by a few napkins.



O'Briens seems like a friendly place to hang out if you're looking for a pint of guinness, you can visit them here: 창원시 중앙동 98-3 전원상가 303호 or call them on 055 286 6547.

Disclaimer: Photos from Maya were taken in January this year. The ones I took last week were just not very good as I only had my tiny camera with me...

Paella!

I love Mi Madre. Their chicken paella lunch set 9,500 won (1,500 won extra for added seafood) is a bargain even though they've recently started charging 10% tax on top of their original prices. Friendly service, extra appetizers and coffee or tea are thrown in for free.

To get to Mi Madre take the subway to Noksapyeong station and head down towards Haebangchon. Mi Madre is on the right hand side of the main road just past Italonia and Thunderburger and directly above Standing Coffee. If you hit the tiny Buddha's Belly cafe, you have gone too far. Contact them on 02 790 7875.

Jeonju Choco Pie Heaven

Back in January when I was last in Jeonju I popped into the PNB Bakery (one of the oldest around) and spied the most delicious of snacks...



Home made choco pies! For a mere 1,200 won each...



It may not be completely covered in chocolate, but this cakey confection is still very tasty.



Plus the addition of buttercream, jam and nuts gives this choco pie a richer mouth feel and deeper taste than its more common cousins.



It's been a while, but hopefully PNB will still have these on sale. You can call them on 063 285 6666. I'll be picking up a couple this weekend...

Momentum to Evernity

We're off to Jeonju this weekend, so I thought I'd post pictures of this statue in tribute.



Best Konglish ever...

Jonny Dumpling Number Two

As much as I love Jonny and his dumplings, the news that his second venue has opened is tinged with sadness for me.

Underneath Chakraa on the small road behind the Hamilton Hotel in Itaewon, Jonny has closed down his little Japanese restaurant so that his dumplings can expand.

It's a shame as I quite enjoyed popping in for some tempura, but Jonny must have his reasons and his dumplings do seem to sell well.

You can give him a call on 02 790 8839.

Tailoring To Your Needs?

I don't know if anyone has blogged this before, but I spied a unique tailor shop in Itaewon today...



I guess they take a more hands on approach.

Pork and Onions Hakoya Style

차슈동 at Hakoya Ramen on the fifth floor of the Yongsan iPark Mall. Slices of steamed belly pork served with plenty of raw onions and soy sauce on top of boiled white rice. Surprisingly tasty (though very oniony) and available for 6,500 won.

You can visit Hakoya Ramen's website here or call them on 02 2012 0515