Gyeongbokgung Palace 경복궁 / Tosokchon 토속촌

Built in 1395, during the Joseon Dynasty, Gyeongbokgung Palace (景福宮) is apparently the grandest palace in Seoul. This place is really huge and pretty, but actually..if you’ve visited the Forbidden City in China before, you might be a bit bored here. I mean the architecture is really similar….so…

It is advisable to visit this place with a tour guide because knowledge of the historical background will make your trip a lot more interesting. Walking around this huge compound will take about 2 to 3 hours.

This is the only palace I visited in Seoul because I know I will be bored if I had visited more. If you only have time to visit ONE palace, I guess Gyeongbokgung would be it. Directions: Take the train to Gyeongbokgung Station, Exit 5.

Many parts of the palace are still going under re-construction because the Japanese did severe damage to the palace during World War II. =|

Geunjeongjeon (勤政殿), the place where the Emperor did his official work..like meeting foreign envoys or announcing national policies.

Emperor’s seat.

Everyday, from 10am to 3pm, on the hour, there will be a performance of traditional Korean guard-changing. It happens at the main gate of Geunjeongmun (勤政門) so make sure you stay around that area near the end of the hour. The guards will go back to their stations after the performance and remain stationary. You can take a photo with them but I didn’t..most of them looked realllly grumpy..and you can’t blame them. Must have been super hot and miserable to wear such heavy costumes during summer.

Notice the contrast of the palace and its surroundings.
Gyeongbokgung is actually completely surrounded by high-rise modern buildings.

Gyeonghoeru (慶會樓). This is the royal banquet hall where the Emperor used to hold his feasts and parties.

Long life~~

Hyangwonjeong Pavilion (香遠亭). This is, to me, the prettiest spot in Gyeongbokgung.
The name means “place of far-reaching fragrances”.

The Koreans follow the 12 Zodiac Chinese Signs too.

The National Palace Museum of Korea is also located inside Gyeongbokgung, so remember to visit it.

Once you are done touring Gyeongbokgung,you might want to visit Tosokchon (토속촌) - arguably Korea’s most famous restaurant specialising in Korean Ginseng Chicken (Samgyetang 蔘鷄湯 삼계탕). Even former South Korean President Roh Moo-Hyun is a huge fan of this restaurant!

To get to Tosokchon, go back to Gyeongbokgung Station and head towards Exit 2. It’s about a 5-minute walk from the station, but beause it’s located in a small alley, it’s actually pretty hard to find. Ask for directions from workers around the area, they will DEFINITELY know where it is.

Ginseng chicken is a very popular dish among Koreans, and it is normally consumed during Summer. It is said that the dish helps in relieving the summer heat and energises the human body.

I reached Tosokchon at around 4pm in the afternoon on a Saturday..and I nearly fainted at the sight of the queue. OMGGGGGGGGG.

Had to wait for about 30 minutes in the super hot Korean summer and I kept thinking, “This better be worth it.”

Tosokchon apparently uses only ginseng that are over ten years of age.

The restaurant is actually really big but there were too many customers.

I ordered the standard Ginseng Chicken – 14,000 KRW.

BEST KIMICHI AND KKAKDUGI EVER. I’ve become a huge fan of kimchi and kkakdugi (the cubed radish) ever since I’ve been in Korea..and these were the best I’ve eaten. So by now I was really anticipating the arrival of my ginseng chicken.

And when it finally came~~~ WAAA THE 30-MINUTE WAIT IN THE SUN WAS TOTALLY WORTH IT!!!!!!

The broth was super thick and milky, unlike all the other transparent ginseng chicken broths I’ve tried. And the aroma was so strong I could smell it even without getting close to the bowl. The broth was SUPER YUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMY, a heavenly blend of chicken essence and ginseng.

Huge chicken! NOMS NOMS NOMS.

The chicken was sooo soft and yummy!! The texture felt like marshmallow! The meat came off the bones with the slightest effort. OMGGG. The glutinous rice in the chicken was also the best I’ve ever had.

HUGE GINSENG. OMG. Actually I don’t like the taste of ginseng at all, but not eating it would defeat the purpose of ordering this dish.

HAPPY~~~~~~~~~~ HAPPY~~~~~~~ I think I’ll be forever happy if I can eat good food everyday.

If I ever go back to Korea, Tosokchon will be the first place I’ll re-visit. Is too yummy.

snow crab at hapjeong 합정 / ewha 이화

My friend and I had cravings for seafood, so we went to try Korean snow crabs at one of the more famous restaurants located in Hapjeong (Hapjeong station, Exit 3). And WOW, it is the best crab I’ve ever eaten in my life!

Just look out for this huge snow crab signboard. You can’t miss it.

Went there on a Friday afternoon and it was quiet and nice. All Korean restaurants have a LCD television installed for their customers..and I have tried on a few occasions to get the stall owners to switch channels for me.

Tried ordering in Korean but my Korean was all over the place HAHA. So I spoke Japanese in the end and everything went smoothly. You’ll be surprised at how many Koreans understand Japanese..and it’s really helpful when you don’t speak Korean fluently.

We ordered 2 kilograms of snow crab and it came up to about 60,000 KRW (approximately $69 SGD) per person. It includes 1 kg of snow crab per person, loads of yummy appetizers/side dishes, and a dessert. I think it was very worth it because it could’ve easily cost over $100++ SGD in Singapore.

Fresh sashimi, cheese-baked oysters, abalone porridge, buttered mushrooms, etc…YUMMY (T_T)

And when the snow crab came, my jaw almost dropped!

MEGA YUMMY MEGA YUMMY MEGA FRESH MEGA YUMMY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BEST CRAB I’VE EVER EATEN IN MY LIFEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE.

Every single part of the crab was overflowing with meat, and it was super fresh and delicious!

아주 맛있어요!!!!!!!

HEAVEN.

HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY. Good food always make me happy omggggz.

Took about an hour to finish up all the crab and it was super filling! SUPER WORTH IT!

Dessert was patbingsu 팥빙수, a popular Korean dessert. It has ice-cream + red beans + glutinous rice balls + fruits. Way too sweet for me but it was good nonetheless.

After the meal, we took the subway to Ewha..and observe:

Look at how the Koreans queue up for the subway..such orderly fashion! But Korea is very fascinating..even though they queue up politely, give up seats/reserve seats for the elderly…they are still pretty unbearable in other areas.

People there will push or ram into you without apologising, talk SUPER loudly in public, or stare at you in an ostracising  manner if you speak English openly. I wouldn’t say they are racist, but maybe the older generation is a bit xenophobic.
Many of my friends actually got reprimanded by the elderly for talking in English. (o_O) It’s mind-boggling.

Anyway, the Ewha area is located on the green line, Ewha Woman’s University Station (Idae 이대역 , Exit 3 or 4). This area is famous for their affordable and wide-ranging shopping choices, because it’s tailored to the college students. Pretty quality high heels for SGD $10. Fashionable dresses for SGD $5. It’s crazy.

The ‘APM’ brand name is famous in Korea for their young and trendy clothings. They stock HUGE amounts of clothes for both men and women.

As you walk further down Ewha..you will spot this Charlie Brown cafe..

Walk further down..and you will reach Ewha Woman’s University, one of the more prestigious universities in Korea, and the largest female college in the world.

If you are fan of the 2001 Korean film hit  엽기적인 그녀 (My Sassy Girl), you might want to visit this place..because this was where filming took place! =D

This was where the female protagonist studied, where she played the piano in the auditorium, and where Gyeon-woo waited for her classes to end. Ahh I love that movie (T_T) Gyeon-woo is such a sweet boy.

The beauty of Korean universities…

This flight of stairs leading up to the cathedral is a popular spot among fans of the movie, and it’s one of the more accessible spots open to the public.

The university is about 15 minutes’ walk from the subway station, so do visit if you have the time.

equinox

I went there on a pretty gloomy day but the view was still nice at Equinox (possibly the tallest restaurant in Singapore). 80% of the food for the High Tea Buffet was above average, and selection was ample. In fact, I didn’t get to try many of the dishes..my stomach only managed 3/4 of the buffet. The international buffet comprises Chinese, Japanese, Western cuisines, with lots of salads, lots of fruits, lots of ice-creams, and lots of many other stuff.

Fantastic, fantastic, fantastic service. Really exemplary waiting staff. Dishes were cleared quickly without me having to ask, and Equinox doesn’t punish you monetarily for not finishing your food (unlike some other buffets I’ve been to e.g. Si Chuan Dou Hua). All of the waiting staff were extremely polite, and one of the male bussers even walked me all the way to the restroom even though the restaurant was busy, and even though he didn’t need to do so. And along the way (restroom was quite far) he made an effort to strike up small conversations. Everytime I made eye contact with the waiting staff, they will either smile or greet me with a ‘hello’. And..if I’m not wrong…none of them are Singaporeans…… Most of the bussers looked like they are from India, and the Managers looked European.

High Tea Buffet is from 3:30pm to 5:00pm everyday. If you are an AMEX card holder, it’s 50% discount for 2 diners..and 25% discount for 3 diners. I think it’s a very good deal lah.

There was a flood everywhere in the morning, thus the murky brown river and overcast sky.

Once you get into Equinox itself, you get another view.

Singapore Flyer, Marina Barrage, Marina Bay Sands, Esplanade. Don’t bother going on the Singapore Flyer..Equinox offers you a better and higher view – with food!

Equinox offers you A WHOLE RANGE OF TEA LEAVES TO CHOOSE FROM. SO AWESOME!!!!!
(I’m a bit of a tea nut.)

You know how some restaurants serve cheap ice-creams/sorbets just for the sake of serving them? Equinox is different. NICE ICE-CREAM. NICE SORBET.

Isn’t Chocolate Fondue boring? Equinox gives you Dark Chocolate, Milk Chocolate, and Cheese!

NOMS!

brava~

I’m a huge fan of Italian food. I love pasta – all kinds of it. I love lasagne, linguine, angel hair, macaroni..baked/bolognese/aglio olio/carbonara, I love all of them.

And I’ve been eating pasta for the entire past week like a maniac..而且还心血来潮的自己煮了全部的菜。So here I’m going to chronicle part of my Italian journey! I will show two types here: aglio olio and baked cheese pasta..not going to show the rest because I got tired of taking photos while cooking.

Anyway cooking pasta is pretty manageable..unless you have no taste buds..nothing can go wrong.

Sausage Aglio Olio / Baked Cheese Pasta

I cooked both at the same time (and ate everything by myself hahahaha)..so the ingredients are all prepared together. I also think I gained 20kg.

You’ll need macaroni, spaghetti, canned mushrooms, and Prego sauce (I like their Cheese & Herbs and Traditional recipes). I’m using the Cheese & Herbs one for the baked pasta.

Then you need the following, from left:

Sliced onions (optional), diced chicken/pork (according to your own preference), sliced mushrooms, diced chilli padi, diced garlic, sliced sausages, and grated cheddar cheese (I used about half a block).

Next..boil the spaghetti/macaroni.

Remember to salt the water and oil it lightly too, so that the spaghetti/macaroni will be salted and won’t stick together.

You’ll also need olive oil and ground black pepper for the aglio olio. Don’t be cheap on the olive oil…or else your aglio olio might taste funky.

Once the spaghetti is done, oil the noodles using the olive oil and black pepper.

Then fry your garlic, chilli padi, and sausages together. Cook till the garlic turns golden-brown because it tastes mad awesome that way. You can add salt or pepper too if you like the taste to be heavier.

Once the frying of the ingredients is done, just pour your oiled spaghetti into the pan and further stir-fry for about 3 minutes.

When you are satisfied with the taste, YOU GOT AWESOME SAUSAGE AGLIO OLIO. YUMS.

Next..baked pasta! Cook your macaroni! Same thing as cooking the spaghetti..remember to oil and salt the water.

While the macaroni boils, go on to cook your ingredients. Fry the garlic, onions, chicken, mushrooms, and chilli padi together. Once the fragrance sets in, pour the entire can of Prego Cheese & Herbs sauce into the pan too..and you’ll get the following mixture:

When you think it tastes okay, pour the macaroni in. Stir~~~

Now take out a foil bowl and get ready your grated cheddar cheese.

Pre-heat your oven for about 5 minutes…to around 400°F.

Pour the cooked macaroni into the foil bowl, and sprinkle grated cheddar cheese all over evenly.

Set your oven time to about 15 minutes, around 450°F, and put your macaroni in.

TA-DAH. BAKED CHICKEN MUSHROOM CHEESE PASTA. Nom nom nom~~~!

If you don’t like baked pasta, you can just skip the grated cheese and baking parts and end up with equally awesome cheese macaroni (I used sausages and diced pork for the version below).

I IS TOP CHEF.

cheez

I heard the macaronic & cheese at Kenny Rogers is very good.

LIES!

Sigh! REGRET! It’s sooooooooo cheesy! EW. And I made the bimbotic mistake of ordering mac & cheese for BOTH of my side dishes. HAHAHA~ Luckily my friends finished it up for me. I think I won’t even be able to finish just one portion. 永远傻傻的。¯\(°_o)/¯

火方雲吞雞湯

I don’t think it’s ever possible for me to get sick of Chinese food. The Xiao Long Baos at Imperial are pretty good~ (not as good as Ding Tai Fung, of course).

This 火方雲吞雞湯 [Brewed Wanton Chicken Soup] is very good!!!! ($40) I hereby declare it as a must-try if you are going to Imperial. The soup tastes like it has been brewed for 10 hours..super rich and yummy! Don’t bother ordering the noodles because the noodle soup is tasteless next to this dish.

I think I should just give up studying and go try out for bowling tournaments because I seem to have a random knack for getting spares and strikes. I suck at bowling and yet I still got about 5 – 6 strikes per game..and the flow of my entire gameplay was completely illogical -> gutter / spare / gutter / strike / strike / gutter.

I also accidentally whacked my own face with the bowling ball while posing for the above photo. Sometimes I wonder how dumb I can get..

And then as we left the bowling alley, I got a big shock. The small UFO-catcher store that I used to frequent last year has grown from a tiny cubicle to MONOPOLISING THE ENTIRE MALL!

Why are there so many stupid girls like me throwing money at these stores without thinking!? I knew I wasn’t going to catch anything but I still spent about $10 trying to catch a Doraemon soft toy. Zzzzzzzzz. Cheaters! I caught the toys so easily and effortlessly in America, but in Singapore?? NEVER. Cheat!

Now they even have this new Transformer robot thingy!!! I’m going to try it the next time when I’m there. Some people never learn from their mistakes.

ma maison = super love

店の名前：MA MAISON (マ•メゾン)
住所：200 Victoria Street #02-51 Bugis Junction
行き方：MRT  Bugis駅から、歩いて３分くらいです。お店はBugis Junctionの２階のコーナーにあります。
電話番号：６２３８－０３８２
営業時間:
１１：３０～１５：００、１８：００～２１：３０（月～金）
１１：３０～２１：３０　（土•日）
休業日：無休
予算：＄10．00～＄50．00

情報•意見：この店は日本料理とウェスタンフードの店です。マ•メゾンのサービスはとてもすばらしかったです。ホストは日本人ですから、ちょっとびっくりしました。この店は高いですが、料理はそごくおいしかったです。おすすめはご飯物です。特にオマライスビーフストロガノフソース(Beef Stroganov Butter Rice) がおすすめです。甘い食べ物はBlack Sesame アイスクリームが一番おいしいと思います。私はきっとマ•メゾンへもう一度行きます。(o^∇^o)// ☆パチパチ☆\\(o^∇^o)

Overly-simplistic translation because I’m lazy: The food at Ma Maison is very good.

This Beef Stroganov Butter Rice will make you cry tears of joy. Eat it!

green tea + mint = weee

I didn’t know Moroccan tea is so good! Actually, I didn’t even know Morocco has a tea culture.
Really liked the mixed meat kebab too. Good food~ happy~

snarky people

As usual..I ordered too much food. But I don’t skimp on food because good food makes me happy…I won’t deprive myself. And I love Shokudo’s food because there’s such a huge variety..especially love the salad portion because I can order the Wakame salad, the lobster salad, and the jellyfish salad without breaking my bank. The bamboo rice was rubbish..while the curry beef  baked rice was way too overwhelming, in every sense of the word. Too much beef.

There was also this Barbie exhibition going on! How fancy schmancy are the Barbie merchandises these days!! Even got private jet!!! OMG! I used to have over 15 Barbie dolls when I was younger – with all the works: a convertible, cardboard, bed, sofa, TV entertainment system, outdoor camping tent, endless amount of Barbie clothes, Ken, and huge poofy wedding gowns. I had all kinds of Barbie dolls..Disney editions, luxurious ones, Barbies with ‘cut-able’ hair..etc the list could go on forever.

Whenever I saw a new Barbie that I wanted, I would beg my mom to buy it for me..most of the time she’ll get it for me because I will go, “My results are so good!!!” But other times, if I don’t have any reason to back up my unreasonable requests, I will just throw a big temper in the toy department store, giving my mom the silent treatment. In the end I always get what I want. OMG such a spoilt brat. If I were my mom, I would have given myself a huge slap across the face.

I played with the dolls almost everyday – by myself – simply because by the time I grew old enough to play with Barbie dolls, my sisters were already in their late teens. I never dared ask them to play with me because I knew it was a stupid idea. I do remember my eldest sister humouring me sometimes and playing with me for about 10 minutes before she got utterly bored.

Barbie dolls…such a waste of money. Sorry mom. (T_T)

best instant noodles on earth

One of my childhood fantasies was to walk down a supermarket aisle, and then buy every single brand, every single flavour of instant noodles available. I’m also a big cheese lover, and I often buy Golden Village’s ridiculously-priced nachos just for the melted cheese.

So I thought..why not combine my two loves together.

Result: Awesomeness.

Okay, first you need instant noodles, and cheese slices (duh).
I’ve only tried cooking cheese with Tom Yam flavour so far, so I’m not sure whether it’ll work with other flavours like chicken/seafood/etc.

I used three slices of cheese for one packet of instant noodles. If you are just trying out for fun, then maybe you should use one slice only.
I personally felt that one slice didn’t make much of a difference to the taste though.

Cook your instant noodles, make sure the soup is boiling hot.

Put the cheese in slowly, on top of your noodles. Cover the noodles with the cheese slices!

Then slowly~~ the edges of the cheese will melt into the soup. This is super fun to watch !!!!

And then, your noodles will be covered in cheesy goodness!! It’s FREAKING AWESOME!!
Some parts of the cheese will melt into a powdery form and it tastes great with the soup.
After you put the cheese in, the noodles become very smooth and you
will also find that the cheese helps sweeten the noodles.

Of course, every single thing I’ve said here is highly biased because I’m a cheese lover.
If you don’t like dairy products, stay clear of this.

But if you like cheese..then you should definitely try this!!!!

Anyway, I did a Google search on this and found that this is a very popular way
of cooking with the American-born Chinese. Must be the mixed cultural influences at work.