Hey Hive!
So if you missed the last few posts, I've been sharing about our first trip to Seoul back in Nov 2022! We were waiting post-covid for everyone to go on their holidays before taking a big one and we finally decided to go on our honeymoon! It's also our first time experiencing Fall so we were double excited!
Last week, we finished exploring Changdeokgung Palace while in traditional Korean wear (aka hanbok). We rented them from this small shop near the palace using Klook and if you rent hanboks you can enter the palace for free!
The architecture in the palace is so beautiful and complemented our outfits really well! We were lucky that there weren't that many tourists around that day so we could take lots of nice photos too.
It was truly a unique experience especially in Fall and although we didn't get to see the Secret Garden (since you had to pay extra and book a timeslot) it was still very lovely enjoying the cool autumn air in such a natural and historical setting.
There's still a lot more to this day so let's go!
10 Nov 2022. Thursday.
After we returned the outfits and my feet were back in much more comfortable shoes, it was almost time for lunch!
We did pass by a few interesting shops on the way to the palace and wanted to check it out now that we're in our normal "peasant" clothes. For example, there was this cool-looking bakery shop while in our hanbok and they had a small bench out front where we snuck a few shots.
The bread actually looked and smelled really good so once we were out of our hanbok we went in to see if there was anything yummy we could try.
The bakery is called Anguki and they had so many pastries!
They weren't particularly cheap or anything but they did look pretty huge and there was a wide variety of sweet and savoury baked goods as well.
It looked and smelled real good and I was sorely tempted to try them all.
Even the bread loaves looked so big and fluffy!
All the pastries and breads looked and smelled so good we couldn't resist buying some to try even though we were on our way to lunch.
Curiously enough, the actual bakery equipment was on an upper floor.
Upstairs, there was a pretty cozy looking cafe with some old country-style chairs. The overall aesthetic looked pretty cool and seemed to blend country with an industrialist style.
We decided to just buy a snack to-go since it looked pretty crowded. I actually forgot what we ended up buying but I think it might've been a donut.
It was a really nice cafe though and if we had the time I wouldn't have minded staying for a bit to relax.
We also came across this cookie shop called Bella Cookie that specialises in these thicc soft cookies.
They looked pretty impressive and had all these different fillings. Unfortunately the menu was all in Korean though.
But it was time for lunch so we had to skip out on snacks first and head to this curry place that Sean's friend recommended.
The restaurant is called Abiko Curry and curiously, it specialises in Japanese curry and is not present in Japan at all, only in Korea! We were lucky enough that one of their branches was just across the road from where we were!
They have quite an extensive menu of different variations of curry rice and noodle dishes, and it looked like other curry places we've seen with different sides of meat or seafood. They even had cream curry pasta which looked really interesting.
Everything looked so good though and we were salivating just looking at the menu.
This outlet in particular wasn't very big but had different types of seating including some seats at the counter.
The main seating area were tables of 2 or 4 just opposite the half-open kitchen.
It can be a little cramped when it's crowded but thankfully we didn't have to wait long for a table.
The overall atmosphere was really nice though, and I can see that window seat being popular beside that pretty tree.
For our order, we decided to try one of their Couple sets, the Abiko A Set which includes Herb Chicken Curry Rice, Beef Curry Noodle, Pork Cutlet, Fried Shrimp and a drink.
It had two different curries and different sides so we could basically try a sample of almost everything in one set which seemed pretty good.
Sean tried the chicken curry with a side of the fried shrimp and pork cutlet first, while I had the beef curry udon. I think it was topped with some beancurd strips and fried garlic chips.
The curry broth was actually quite light and complemented the noodles well. It was savoury and was just the right amount of spice for me. I think we chose the medium spice level since we weren't sure how spicy it was going to be. The noodles were thick and a little chewy, and there was quite a lot so it was a sizable portion. I'm not a big fan of curry noodles but it was really tasty!
We swapped after a while so each of us could try the different dishes, and the chicken curry did have a slightly different taste. They were both really good though so I couldn't choose which was better.
The pork cutlet was very nice and crispy, while the shrimp was juicy on the inside. I think the chicken curry was slightly more spicy than the beef curry though but that could've just been because it was more of a gravy than broth.
But I think overall I definitely preferred the curry rice. I think curry as a broth is a bit too heavy for me and it just tastes better with white rice.
It was still a very satisfying meal though and I think it's one of the best curry katsu rice we've had. Granted, we don't really eat a lot of it in Japan but it's better than all of the chain restaurants from there like Gogo Curry, Coco Curry and the like.
We walked on along the street and came across this place called Onion that was full of people at the time so we didn't actually enter.
But I now realise it's actually a popular cafe. Perhaps that was why it was so crowded at the time.
Source: greysuitcase.net
The interior actually looks really cool though, just like a traditional Korean house/inn but I can't imagine sitting on those cushions for very long.
We walked along this street that had a lot of small restaurants it felt like a street market.
We saw this lady with two adorable doggos while walking and I couldn't resist snapping a photo! Look at the sausage dog in his little jacket!
There was another dog we saw outside one of the shops and we wondered if he was the boss or mascot of the shop. xD
Or he might've been a customer's dog who left him outside while they went in to shop. At one point it looked like he was about to poop while waiting so I don't think he was very happy. There was even a Shiba in the neighbouring store looking at him!
We walked for quite a ways admiring the different shops and buildings in this district.
It was so cool to see the different architecture here, the brick buildings felt a little American to me, but there were some oriental style glazed roofs too just opposite them.
We found this cafe called Sorry and Sean couldn't resist taking a photo with it.
We passed by another cafe which had a Golden Retriever relaxing on the floor! He even had a friend next to him, and I guess they must belong to the customers'. It was cool to see so many dog-friendly cafes around since we can't have that in Singapore.
Eventually we reached the main road and saw this cool-looking building. I think it was a cultural center of sorts.
Since we had explored the area we decided to head back to the station.
On the way we passed by this Ginseng Chicken Soup restaurant that seemed pretty popular and also very green.
They had a funny chicken mascot that looked pretty goofy so we couldn't help taking a photo with it. If we weren't still full from the curry we wouldn't mind trying this soup though.
After that we took a leisurely stroll back towards the train station, admiring the pretty fall trees.
We came across this shop called Randy's Donuts that looked so familiar to me.
That when I realised it's actually the same donut shop that Iron Man was in in Iron Man 2!
Unfortunately this branch in Seoul didn't have the giant donut like in the movie but it was still cool to see an irl version of it!
It was also very crowded so we didn't actually go in. Plus since we bought a donut earlier it was quite unfortunate timing.
The next place we were heading to was quite a ways away even by train, so Sean suggested we try taking a cab instead, or the Korean car-hailing service called Kakao T.
We couldn't communicate with the driver but since everything was done through the app it was surprisingly simple, and not too expensive either. Plus I needed a break for my feet after all that time in heels in the hanbok.
But I think that's gonna be it for this post! Tune in next week for when we explore a cool landmark in Seoul!
Thanks so much for reading!
To find out more about me, check out my intro post here!
Check out my previous post in this series!
TacoCat’s Travels #231 (Seoul): Hanbok Adventure in Enchanting Changdeokgung Palace 🏯