[Travelogue] South Korea: Seoul, Day 7 | Isaac Toast, Cheonggyecheon Stream, Gwanghwamun Square, Bukchon Hanok Village, JYP-FNC-SM-YG Ent and Haha's 401
By Lasmarya Hadi Purwanto - August 15, 2017
28th March 2017 - Day 7
We had our brunch at this small stall of Isaac Toast in an alley, around the Hongdae area. We went here as per recommendation of Stella, who described it as one of the must-try options for breakfast. I had never heard or tried any Isaac Toast before, but I was immediately hooked! Who doesn't love a good toast to start the day? You know how I react to yummy food, don't you? I'm sold in milliseconds! :d
Isaac Toast (Hongdae)
43 Jangchungdan-ro 13-gil, Euljiro 6(yuk)-ga, Jung-gu, Seoul, South Korea
p.s.: It is in an alley, so you'll need to be careful not to walk pass it.
Isaac Toast can be found in several area in Seoul, mostly in crowded neighborhood like Myeongdong, Gangnam or Dongdaemun, so if you're nowhere near Hongdae, worry not, Isaac toast's stalls may be closer to you than you think.
I had a Bulgalbi MVP for KRW 3,400, and holy cow, it lives up to the expectation!
This is literally one of the best toasts I have ever eaten! The bread is pan-fried well, with the perfect crunchiness, with the generous amount of butter/margarine (well, I don't really care as long as it tastes good!), the meat is seasoned well, everything goes great together! It might look really simple, but serving an excellent kind of toast like this with an affordable price, is surely not easy! So really, if you happen to see any of Isaac Toast, give it a try! I insist!
Not to mention, accompanied by a handsome someone like this, somehow feels like you're having a great date for a brunch, aaaww, maybe this is one of the reasons I enjoyed the toast so much??? *wink
What we passed by en route to Cheonggyechon Stream:
I have been expecting to visit Cheonggyecheon ever since it was featured in some movies, like 200 Pounds Beauty or even Hello Stranger, that I had watched several times, and I find it really cool that they restore a stream as a natural touch in the middle of the concrete jungle.
Directions
[Subway]
- City Hall, Jonggak, Jongno 3(sam)-ga, Jongno 5(o)-ga, Dongdaemun, Sinseol-dong Stations (Seoul Subway Line 1)
- City Hall, Euljiro 1(il)-ga, Euljiro 3(sam)-ga, Euljiro 4(sa)-ga, Sindang, Sangwangsimni Stations (Seoul Subway Line 2)
- Jongno 3(sam)-ga Station (Seoul Subway Line 1, 3 and 5)
- Dongdaemun History & Culture Park Station (Seoul Subway Line 4)
- Gwanghwamun Station (Seoul Subway Line 5)
[Bus]
Take any bus bound for Gwanghwamun or Jongno.
both portraits by Fiona Kasim :)
ⒸErlyna Koesman
General Lee Soon Shin statue at Gwanghwamun Square
The Great King Sejong
at Gwanghwamun Square
As you can see, the Gwanghwamun Square is located right across the Gyeongbokgung Palace, so if you can visit both of the places on the same day, it will save you a lot of time.
ⒸFiona Kasim
ⒸFiona Kasim
ⒸFiona Kasim
Tributes for the Sewol Ferry's victims in the Square
And hey, we met Lee Byunghun and Kim Taehee! Sihiyyyy! XD
(Unique water tap design in Gwanghwamun Subway Station)
Hanok means Korean traditional house that dated back to the Joseon era. Bukchon means "northern village" in Korean, as it lies north of Cheonggyecheon and Jongno, two of Seoul famous landmarks.
Visiting Bukchon feels like we time-travelled to Seoul during the Joseon Dynasty. The houses in the area are maintained so well, that it seems like we're not in Seoul at all. It really awes me how they manage to preserve these hanoks in the metropolitan city like Seoul, which is surrounded by tall apartment buildings.
And you know what, there are real citizens living in these hanoks, and they are known to be wealthy families, who have been residing in this neighborhood for generations, inheriting the houses from their ancestors, who were most likely government officials or royal relatives in the Joseon era.
And since this is a real neighborhood instead of a cultural village for tourists, we're constantly reminded to keep quiet and not to make much noise while strolling around and taking pictures, as it may disturb the residents there.
Bukchon is full of "instagram-worthy" corners, that photos taken at any corners might look so good, with the ancient-vintage kinda vibes.
Why house no 43 you ask?
Because this is the house where they shot the drama "Personal Taste" by Lee Minho and Son Ye Jin. I don't know how Stella found out about it, but she did a really great job, XD
Filing our tummy for the next destination with mini kimbabs :d
then took a subway ride to Cheongdam station greeted by these two National MCs. :D
and we're in Gangnam, the most elite neighborhood in Seoul!
We dropped off at Cheongdam station exit 9 and walked to Apgujeong area.
For you, K-popers, I bet visiting the celebrity agency must be in your agenda while in Seoul, and
so are we! XD
The Dunkin Donuts across the JYP building is said to always be crowded by fans waiting to encounter some idols coming back from their shows or coming out from the building.
We tried our luck too, sitting for a while, but we didn't see anyone until, someone with tall built body wearing sunglasses came out from a cafe next to the building, with two men on each side, passing by us. We're looking at him, trying to figure out whether he's an idol or not, then someone started screaming, "Jinwoon!" Ahhh, it's 2AM's Jinwoon!
And he's gone just like that, no noise, no commotion, no pushing fans, he just walked by casually!
We waited in front of FNC Entertainment too, again, trying our luck, but did we see anyone here?
You'll need to check the video at the end of this post to find out!! XD
As you might be curious as to how we found our ways to these places, we followed the information from the internet that really helps a lot, and of course, I'll share the "precious" information here with you:
or
https://leitbloomer.com/2015/07/13/directions-to-korean-entertainment-agencies-cube-jyp-fnc-and-sm/ - with photo directions
If it's still very difficult to find, do consider using Google Maps or Waze to find your ways. These two apps help a bunch!
YG Entertainment is located in different side of Gangnam, so we'll need to get down at Hapjeong Station and walked a bit to reach YG, and when we got there, it was almost night.
Directions : Directions to YG Entertainment (YG 엔터테인먼트) by Leitbloomer
Completed our K-star Tour, it's finally the time to have our dinner back in Hongdae.
Dinner at Haha's 401 restaurant.
Hongdae
Address: Seogyo-dong, Mapo-gu, 395-17
Metro: Hongik University , LINE 2 , Exit 9
Opposite building Sang Sang Ma Dang상상마당 building
Myeongdong
Address: 8FI, Champion bldg, 41, Myeongdong 10-gil, Jung-gu Seoul
Metro: Line 4 Myeongdong Station Exit 8
We ordered two servings of their Jeju's famous Black Pork BBQ here...
and the Doshirak, or Lunch Box.
Doshirak is a rice meal, mixed by shaking the box before eating, and this is the result. It tastes almost like spicy bibimbap, with some sausage, and fried eggs.
The meat tasted quite good, but not a mind-blowing one.
And sadly, the service was not as good as we expected. We don't know whether they're lacking of workers at the time, but the staffs were looking very busy, and didn't seem very friendly while serving us, like they're in hurry. Well, it was really crowded too at the moment, so I guess, can't blame them too much too. But, overall, it is still worth a try. :)
We spent KRW 51,000 for four people here.
Ending our trip of the day and went back to airbnb by subway.
2 comments
Nice to read your article! I am looking forward to sharing your adventures and experiences.
ReplyDeleteRobinets de Lavabo
Hi, thank you for your kind words and for reading! I'll work harder to share more and more. Hope you enjoy the blog :D
Delete