Crave__February_2018

Korean Carrie Bradshaw strutting down
Cheongdam Fashion Street in sunglasses,
shoppingbagshookedoverherleftelbow,
a skinny latte in her right hand... you get
the idea.
Even if you don’t drink coffee, the many
small, cosy cafes are a good place to rest
your feet after shopping and sightseeing.
Hipster coffee joints are clustered around
thepopularuniversityarea,Hapjeong-
Hongdae, while the local artsy crowd
heads for the cafe street in Samcheondong.
For something different, there’s a
raccoon café in Yongsan District called
Blind Alley (yes, you can pet and feed
them), and a Sherlock Holmes-themed
cafe in Gangnam. Caface prints your selfie
onto your drink, while Monster Cupcakes
celebrates Halloween all year round.
For those seeking refined dining
experiences, head south of the river
forsomeoffinest,mosttalked-about
restaurants, including South Korean
celebrity chef Edward Kwon’s LAB XXIV
(the iced persimmon is delightful). At
Soigné,chefJunLeeservescontemporary
Korean cuisine in the form of an “episode”
menu that changes every three months.
Chef Tae Hwan-ryu offers a 23-course
menu of Japanese-French hybrid cuisine
crafted with local Korean ingredients at
Ryunique. Or try his latest restaurant,
Rooftop by Ryunique, in Apgujeong.
Whenitcomestostreetfood,Korea’sfirst
permanent market, Gwangjang, is a great
place to start. It overwhelms the senses,
with mung bean pancakes sizzling on a
grill, customers shouting their orders,
and ganjang-gejang (soy sauce crab) and
other fermented delicacies oozing umami
and mouthwatering pungency. Eventually
Isettleddownatoneofthestallswith
my travel companions to sample some
tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes), Korean fish
cakesinaclearbrothandtosipmakgeolli
(fermented rice wine) from small metal
bowls. One of my biggest regrets, however,
was not trying the live octopus sashimi,
despite the friendly persuasion of the
ajummas (Korean middle-aged ladies, all
with similar perms and the same shade of
lipstick) manning the stalls.
There’sagreatdebateamongKoreans
about which store serves the best chimaek
(Korean fried chicken and beer). Everyone
gives a different answer – BHC, Baengi,
Goobne,Kyochon–eachendorsedbya
different celebrity. But there’s a consensus
thatthebestwaytoenjoychimaekisat
theparkbytheHanRiver,atsunset.Take
a picnic mat, grab a few beers and order
fried chicken (there are people handing
out flyers) to be delivered to your exact
spot. Sunbathe, people-watch, leaf through
agoodbook,andtuckintocrispyyet
tender fried chicken and ice-cold beer.
For a more hands-on food experience,
try gimjang, or kimchi-making, which
waslistedbyUnescoasIntangible
Cultural Heritage in 2013. I signed up
at the Museum Kimchikan, where the
chef-instructor guided us through the
ingredients, steps and techniques of
makingkimchi.Ipackedaboxofmyfinal
productinmysuitcasetobringbackto
Hong Kong, but be sure to wrap it up in
several ziploc bags unless you want your
clothes smelling like kimchi, as I learned
thehardway.
Thebestwaytoendthedayistovisita
jjimjilbang, a bathhouse where you can
steam, sauna, bathe, eat and even sing
karaoke. If live music tickles your fancy,
head to one of the many jazz lounges in
Itaewon, the Lan Kwai Fong of Seoul. All
That Jazz is the first jazz club in Korea and
offers some of the best live jazz in town for
areasonablylowcovercharge.It’sadark,
moodyjazzbarthatdoesn’tscrimpon
quality (or alcohol) in its drinks, making
ittheperfectwaytowinddowninthe
company of friends, old and new.