The Spice Table - Restaurant Review

I know I have been woefully neglect in posting. I have had posts in my head but have not had the time to actually get it up! I have been on holiday and I have started another blog dedicated to my baking journey (www.buttersugarcream.com) which has taken a lot of my time to getting together.

As a first post back from a break, I would like to do a restaurant review of The Spice Table at Itaewon. This place opened in the Spring (if i'm not mistaken) and claims to do Vietnamese, Malaysian and Thai cuisine. After talking about going there, my OH and I finally did one Sunday afternoon.

Located opposite Los Amigos, you head up a tall set of stairs next to the Ramen shop. The interior is gently lit with warm wall lights and you are greeted by a tall wall of wine bottles as you enter. The floor has that unfinished industrial feel complimented with the heavy duty iron chandelier.

The menu has a reasonable selection of entrees and mains. I love my desserts and the fact that I can't remember their dessert selection says something. I ordered the Vietnamese Beef Noddles in an Oxtail Broth and my OH went for the Red Curry Fried Rice.

I must say I really enjoyed my Vietnamese Pho. The soup was cloudy with flavour and really made you want to keep slurping it down. The noodles were just the right texture and firmness. Soft but not to the point of being sloppy everywhere. They could have done with some Thai mint which would have made the dish perfect. It was the best pho I have had so far in Korea.

The Red Curry Fried Rice was full of flavour though a little dry. Could have used with a bit curry. We went back there with some friends a few weeks later and what was funny was when I called to make the reservation, they reconfirmed with me that I was calling "The Spice Table which is an Asian Fusion restaurant". I figured that they had some customers who made reservations but were surprised to find themselves not at The Spice (the new fine dining restaurant by Edward Kwon, also in Itaewon) but at The Spice Table.

Our friends agreed that the food was reasonably good and wouldn't mind going back there. The next time I go, I must ask them which was the Malaysian dish as I could not pick one dish out that was 'Malaysian'.

The Spice Table
02 796 0509

Korean Handmade Jewelry ala Dami

One thing I discovered in Namdaemun is the plethora of little handmade accessories and jewelry artists/vendors that you can find in Korea. Sure, the ones in the Trillion building for example are making jewelry for wholesale and you can find everything from cheap trinkety type accessories to the more sophisticated feathers and pearl accessories.

There are also quite a few independent handmade jewelry makers around. By far though, my favourite is Dami on Karosogil (see my earlier post on this cool shopping street in Sinsa-dong). Their jewelry is delicate and easy to match. Their style makes it easy to layer several necklaces together and they also sell sets which are always more tempting than just buying one necklace. I think that's the point!

Their earrings tend to be the dangly type and are exquisite. They have a range of hair accessories as well but I never really pay any attention to them as I am often too distracted by their necklaces and earrings.

You will find Dami at the top end of Karosogil opposite Cafe Nescafe and right next to Farmers which specialises in Hair Accessories.

Dami
542-6 Sinsadong, Gangnam-gu
T. 02 51 8620
Opening hours: 1100 - 2200
Closed on Sundays

Shopping in Karosu-gil

After I arrived in Seoul, I read about Karosu-gil and wanted to explore, however it took me some time before I actually went there. I wasn't disappointed though, I went with one of my best friends who also has a taste for a good shopping experience!

Not the best picture I know. Will try to take better shots at the next trip.

S came from Malaysia and wanted to dive into Korean fashion. So handbag in tow (with our trusty credit cards of course) we headed to this little shopping street. The directions we got were to head up the street from Sinsa Station and take the first left after Paris Baquette.

Much has been written about Karosu-gil and it's chic shops. Although the name means 'tree-lined street', I think there are actually more trees in Samcheongdong-gil. But let's not take away the 'quaintness' of this place. You will be hard pressed not to bounce from one side of the street to the next as you see some attractive window displays beckoning you to enter the cozy stores.

We were disciplined (sort of) and proceeded down the left and then made a U-y at the end to come back up the street.

At the top end of the street there is a rather large cafe called Coffee Smith, you can't miss it. It's designed with wood and steel so it's got a warm inviting look about it yet staying well away from being rustic with the steel beams. It's 2 storeys and seems pretty packed on the weekend.

There are a few stores that I would label as favourites on that street. One of them is Understar which is next to Coffee Smith. It's underground and has a cool selection of thights/leggings, gloves and mufflers. You will find plenty of styles for these along the street but I find the quality and colours from Understar the best. My top buy from Understar are their leggings with the zipper detail at the bottom.

They are also carrying some cool hoodie capes. Hard to describe. They are knitted hoodies but it only comes down to your shoulders. There is a zip opening to one side which sits nicely as if it was all was meant to be there! Totally not designed for warmth but for fashion!

A few doors down is my favourite store called Brush. It's small, white and always has the most attractive thing on the window and on the rack closest to the door. I always end up buying something there! Their designs are simple but unique and tend only to have 1 size. You can't always try on their clothes so be prepared to be disappointed if you don't have a 'regular' body shape.

I picked up a nice long red turtle next sweater with snap button details at the end of the sleeves there but also fell in love with a grey dress with butterfly sleeves and zipper details at the hips as well as a latte coloured dress with opened sides from shoulder to waist and a woven metal detail at the waist.

I also walked away with a stunning piece of jewelry last week. It's a gold short necklace with what looks like tiny metal beads on it. So hard to describe but it's a beautiful accessory. That one cost about KRW69,000 but really well made so definitely worth the dosh. In general I find their prices very reasonable. Better quality than what you generally find in Doota (Dongdaemun) and not your typical high street designs like Zara, Gap, MNG etc...

Other worthy stores to note for clothes are (on the same side of the street as Brush) About Some, Barbara Shoes (although I always feel they are overpriced), Jiny's Closet and something more familiar Kate Spade at the end of the street. On the other side of the street I like E-At Home, Farmer (hair accessories for special occasions... or not), and the jewelry store next to Farmer whose name I can't remember. That store has the most delicate necklaces at very affordable prices. You will find something for yourself or a gift for a friend at the drop of a hat.

There are also some nice restaurants and cafes along the way. I particularly want to try Deux Cremes as they are suppose to have the most deletable tarts. Will try that the next time.

Fabric Shopping in Seoul – Part 2 (Dongdaemun Shopping Town)

The great thing about Seoul is that everything is pretty centralized if you are looking for a particular item. What I mean is, if you are looking for electronic goods for example, you go to the Yongsan Electronics market where there is more choice than you can count. If you are looking for pets, they are a gazillion pet shops along that one street. Same with music instruments, furniture, sewing machines, lighting, sporting goods etc…

I think the Koreans practice laissez faire pretty well and aren’t afraid of a little competition even if it is right next door or across the street. So this makes shopping around really convenient.

Another great place for fabrics is Dongdaemun Shopping Town which is directly opposite Pyeonghwa Market on the other side of the Cheongye river. If you are using the subway, lines 1 and 4 will take you Dongdaemun station then take exits 8 or 9 and it’s the tall white building ahead of you.

For more information: http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SH/SH_EN_7_2.jsp?cid=273734

I tend to get a little lost every time I go there as the stores can seem repetitive after awhile and the pathways are so convoluted. I tend to get my sewing supplies in the basement. There are a few stores there at the edge of the section where the thread stores start on the far left of the building. If you go in through the main entrance, take the escalator down, walk through the curtains/soft furnishings section, past the blankets and knitting sections and you will see lots of thread vendors ahead of you.

Some lace, buttons, ribbons and embellishments on the ground floor

Also found in the basement are batting, vendors who will sew bedding/duvets for you. You can order your soft furnishings like cushions, curtains, table cloths as well. What I found helpful were the ahjumma’s and ahjassi’s who sit there with their overlock machines and will sew your edges closed for you for a small fee. My 한국 語 is not that quite good enough yet.

For cotton and linen, I head up to the first floor and target the A sections. You may find some heavier materials in D section although I find that they have more cotton t-shirt material of different weaves. Have not been able to find felt or fleece yet.

In A section there are also many choices of cotton, silk and polyester although I would just walk around and pick your favourite stores. Sometimes you will see the same fabric in different stores.

Be warned, if you are looking for t-shirt fabrics, most are wholesalers so will not entertain small quantities. I find that the vendors selling cotton and linen to be more open to selling in smaller quantities from 1m. Though, I dare you to ask for half a meter. Let me know how successful you are. : )

There are plenty of choices for lace, trimmings and buttons. Basically there is something for everyone here. I never spend less than 2 hours every time I go and I end up buying lots of fabrics that I have yet to use but they are for all these great projects that I have in mind. : )

Fabric shopping in Seoul - Part 1 (Gwangjang Market)

I recently got a sewing machine from Singer (read about that experience from an earlier post) so began my search for the raw materials to 'put something together'. I had heard that there is a big fabric market in Seoul, afterall a lot of designer fabrics get printed in Korea (not just China). In fact, Heather Ross who wrote 'Weekend Sewing' has her fabric printed in Korea too!

After a bit of research and wandering about, I found 2 sources of for fabrics and sewing knick knacks. The first place I hit was Gwangjang Shijang (Gwangjang Market). This is close to Dongdaemun, if you take the subway use Line 1 and get off at Jong-no 5(o)-ga. Alternatively, if you are looking for bus routes, check out this site for more options.

When I first got there, I was a bit confused as I came in through the food alley. You will see lots of small stall that are cooking some form of pancake or 'chon'. I never did stop to enquire what kind of chon it was but it did look good albeit super oily.

Food alley

Lady making 'chon'

If you head off towards the area where you see stores selling hanboks and blankets, you are heading off in the right direction. It really depends on which direction you are coming from. I had to ask someone the first time and mentioned 'utt' which means cloth or fabric or clothes. Somehow they understood me, but then they said something like they are closed. Turns out I went on a Tuesday and most of the fabric shops close on that day! Great!

So if you go on another weekday you will see lots of small stores selling fabric, maily cotton, polyester, silks, and blankets. There are a lot of stores that sell, not exactly fabric ends but small pieces of fabric that are no more than say 3m. One good thing about Gwangjang market sellers as compared to the ones at the Dongdaemun Shopping Town (which I will write about later) is that they don't mind you buying 1m of fabric. They cater more to the individual hobbyist than wholesale buyers like the ones that you find in DST.

Special desserts made for weddings

Along the alley where you find all the fabric shops, check out the stores on the left, you will see smaller alleys that go off from the main walkway and in there you will find shops that sell sewing accessories like buttons, knick knacks, lace, thread etc...

Generally the price is comparable to DST, I guess the main differences that Gwangjang Market is:

• Less packed
• Bit more space to move around - you won't have ahjassi's with 1ton bags swiping past you like in DST
• Friendlier sellers
• Easier to buy smaller quantities of fabrics
• Just a tad less intimidating
  
• Heaps less confusing
  
• Much less choice than DST

Checking Out Lee Chul Hair Ker Ker

In a previous post, I wrote about looking for a hairdresser. I found a place in Myeong-dong that is fairly well known called Lee Chul Hair Kerker. I have no idea why the Kerker at the end, I am sure it has some vague reference to hair in a language other than English. I first read it on Annalog’s blog, she went to the one in Apgujeong. After going to the Lee Chul website, I found that they had a salon in Myeong-dong which is easier for me to find.If are taking the subway, take Line 4 and get out at exit 6. You will emerge in front of Migliore shopping centre. (The shops are shut now due to renovation, try visiting the one in Dongdaemun if you’re interested). With Migliore on the left, walk down the street and take the first left. Keep walking about 25m and about 3 stores after the first lane on the right, you will see the sign for Lee Chul. It’s on the 4^th floor but they usually have a poster outside the entrance to the building.

Take the lift to the 4^th floor and you will see the reception desk a little inside and to the right. Tell them what you want done (eg. Shampoo, cut & blow dry, perm, colour etc…), then you will be ushered to a little waiting area with some padded benches to wait. They offer you coffee or tea while you wait. Once a stylist is ready, that person will bring you to one of their seats.

They spoke very little English so I used whatever basic Korean I knew to communicate how I would like my hair done, but I did ask for a magazine with hairstyle to make it easier for them to see what I wanted. They brought me a clear holder where they had inserted pictures of Korean stars to see which hairstyle I would like to emulate! I found that quite amusing. I am not too familiar with the Korean stars but there were quite a few of them there for me to get an ‘idea’ of what’s IN.

In the end, I found a ‘do’ that was similar to what I wanted to achieve and told my stylist, whose name is Linda by the way, with some adjustments to length etc…

Next thing I know I am getting a shampoo and the shampoo girl (for lack of a better title) did a decent job of washing and massaging my scalp. Then we move to the sinks and I like how we aren’t totally lying down like the salons in Singapore and Malaysia but you’re not sitting upright either like in Australian salons but sort of at a comfortable 45 degrees. This makes it a lot easier to get up after your hair is washed and your head feels heavier with the towel.

All in all, the cut was neat and nice. The layers were good, gradual and not too choppy which is important. I would feel more comfortable if Linda spoke a bit more English as it still felt a bit risky letting her have a go at my hair even with the picture.

I would definitely go back. KRW25,000 for shampoo, cut and blow dry is really reasonable and much cheaper than Singapore!

The kids get the fun stuff @ Namdaemun

Have I ever mentioned how much I like Namdaemun? Some people might think I am mad. The mad crush on the weekend, the smell of food cooking from the Food Alley, Ajashi's and Ajumma's with their carts plowing through the crowd with a 'take no prisoners' attitude and the shoving is all just part of the experience.

I have found the Children's section of the market where there are 3 buildings dedicated to childrens clothes and it's fantastic! Clothes, clothes and more clothes in every colour and style. They have fairy princess type gowns, preppy school boy outfits, mini-polo sophisticated sports fashion, grunge, dress like your favourite Disney Princess or Superhero outfits, romantic follow the trends fashion and many many more.

Having also shopped for kids clothes in China, I must say it is not as cheap but almost as cheap. What I like most about it, like most of the clothes I have found in Doota is that they are made in Korea. One can go crazy. If you can, I would avoid bringing your kids there if they can't already walk by themselves. The aisles among the stores in the building are narrow and cramped. Bring cash, they don't take credit cards.

The closest 'obvious' entrance (to me anyway) is actually near Shinsegae. If you are coming from Shinsegae, walk up that street where the stalls start and hang a right when you see the Face Shop and the stores are on your right opposite the Samik Fashion Town. You will see quite a few vendors selling shoes and accessories outside those buildings.

As for the accessories, if you are so inclined you could walk to Entrance 6 then take a left to the Trillion building which is full of stores selling accessories wholesale. Just in the front entrance on the right is one vendor selling kids accessories. He mainly sells wholesale as in buy an entire strip of clips which has about 8 for a little bit cheaper than from the Ahjussi in the market. So if you are looking for gifts, that's the way to go.

Meanwhile, I couldn't resist getting these headbands from that particular store in Trillion.

Grand place to spend the day - Children's Grand Park

Spring in Seoul is really quite lovely in the Spring. The weather is fair and it can be around 20C during the week for most days with a day or two of rain here and there. If you have time on the weekend and the weather is good, a visit to the Children's Grand Park is a really nice day out.

The Children's Grand Park is located in Neung-dong, Songdong-Gu (Gangnam'ish area). The park was opened in 1973 and is sprawling. It has a zoo, amusement park, numerous playgrounds, many water features including a waterfall, botanical garden, Bandukee park, Elephant Park etc...

The park is really well landscaped so bring a camera as there are many photo opportunites. There are obviously lots of families visiting the park but also couples and groups of friends having a picnic in many of the grassy areas.

One thing that struck me were the many Family Marts situated around the park in case you needed refreshments or snacks. The Amusemet Park was pretty well equipped. As good as any if you ask me. They had 2 roller coasters, ferris wheel, merry-go-round, the ship and an arcade too. You could spend quite some time here. Located in the Amusement Park is a food court and for fast food, you have Popeye's. I did not go into the zoo but I could see that it was also a decent size with at least 3 dozen cages.

Getting there is not going to be easy by car as it can get really congested and parking is a nightmare. Queuing to get into the parking lot itself will test your patience. The other option is the subway, the park is located on Subway Line 7. There are also 2 entrances to get into the Park both of which has easy access from the subway.

Entrance to the park

Fountains in a shallow pond for kids to play in

The other entrance is at the end of this flower bed

Amusement Park

People having picnics in the shaded areas

One of the many playgrounds

Kalbi Kalbi Kalbi!

I used to love Korean BBQ but since I have moved here, I find that I seldom have the urge to eat it. It's like one of those things where you have too much of it or it's too available that it someow loses its appeal.

Going for Korean BBQ used to be a treat. Not only was it a little pricey it was something different like having Italian while you are in Mongolia. Since coming here, the only times I have had Korean BBQ (and I can count with one hand) was because I was being entertaine by clients or I was entertaining clients OR I had guests who naturally wanted Korean BBQ when in Korea.

I recently had some guests over and decided to take them to this little place in Itaewon, in the food alley behind Hamilton Hotel. If you still don't know where that is, it is opposite My Chelsea restaurant. It's called Guga Kalbi. It's a small place with the restaurant being split in two. The inner section has the low tables and you sit on tatami mats and the outer area has tables and benches.

It's run by Ahjummas as far as I could tell. Service was quick and friendly. However, they still do frown at you when you try to cook the meet yourself as we don't do it quite their way. : P The meat was fresh and yummy. I especilaly liked their side dishes and in particular this salad of spring onions and bean sprouts. It was a nice cozy atmosphere. I have tried Itaewon Galbi and Busan Galbi down the road and was unimpressed. The meat was only ok and the environment was too crowded and smoky.

A nice piece of beef steak

A side dish of raw crab marinated in their special spicy sauce

The salad I was telling you about

I will definitely go to Guga Kalbi again. 3.5/5

B-boys Style

Some time last year my cousin told me he had just seen a documentary about break dancing and in particular how the Koreans had dominated the recent ‘world championship’ of break dancing. He was telling me how impressed he was by their talent and it was mind blowing stuff.

So when I was flying to Seoul via SIA and came across ‘Planet B-boy’, I thought this had to be it and selected it for the next hour’s entertainment. Planet B-boy is like a documentary that follows several teams with a focus on particular members as they prepare for the big battle in Germany.

We gain some insight to their views on dance in particular break dancing and hip hop. Although the director tries to spread the attention, I couldn’t help but feel that the more interesting stories were with the French and Korean teams. The members that they focused the documentary on were from less well to do backgrounds. Some faced opposition from their family from pursuing their passion and some others received a lot of support.

As the story follows their preparation for their competition in Germany, you can already see subtle differences in the style of dancing and performance standards from team to team. The Koreans had won the year before which was a first as they had only picked up this Western style of dancing recently.

The world champions from the year before automatically qualified for this year so Korea was able to send a 2nd team. The Americans were all talk and only managed top 5 if I’ m not mistaken… which is a little ironic considering the art originated from them.

Its really worth watching these talented boys wow you with their skill, technique, choreograph and passion. So when I found out that they had a small theatre in Hongdae which had a B-boy show, I got my tickets asap.

The theatre is at the basement of Samjinpharm Building near the main gate of Hongik University. The theatre is small but cozy. The front area of the stage is kept empty for the dancers and seats are available around the dance floor. They get pretty up close and personal which is all part of the experience.

Now wanting to ruin the story and there IS a story, the show was riveting which also had some contemporary/modern dance involved. It was interesting seeing the two mix but I was definitely more impressed with the fast pace of the hip hop and break dance style. One of my favorites was the Robot dance moves. Here are some pictures I took of the dancers after the show.

You can find out more and buy tickets here: SJBboys

Taking pictures with the audience after the show.

Springing along Samcheongdong-gil

I recently had the opportunity to walk along Samcheongdong-gil during the day. I normally go there at night to check out a restaurant along that street. It was a warm weekend in April and the flowers were starting to bloom.

I just like the name of this shop: Coolgirls Room

After months of seeing bare and scrawny trees, I was seeing bursts of colour everywhere. I met up with some friends at Angkuk station near Insadong and we walked to Samcheongdong. The road that we walked along (and where all these photos are taken) is across the road from the main entrance to Geongbukgung/Geongbuk Palace and 100m down the road.

Some of the stores set up their displays outside so there was a bit of a market feel to it too.

There were plenty of people out enjoying the sunshine and the pleasant scenery around the palace. There are variety of cool boutiques and an extensive choice of eateries. There are bistros, cafes, restaurants with a mixture of specialties ranging from waffles, pizza’s, burgers to coffee and ice cream.

This place is quite famous for their waffles, I'm told.

This place is so cool! Designed to look like it just popped out from a Wizard of Oz story book. They serve Italian food here. Mainly pizza and a small selection of pasta.

If you are looking for ‘real food’... you’ll be spoilt for choice. High end Chinese, home style Italian, traditional Korean with specialized dishes, French with a twist and many more are found on this street.

Chinese Restaurant called Gong Li that looked promising.

We ended up in a cafe/restaurant that I saw awhile back that served a nice looking brunch menu. I will review it next.

A Taste of Eqypt in Seoul - Ali Baba Restaurant

A few days ago, my OH asked if I'd like to go to Smokey Saloon for some burgers for dinner. Told me to think about it. Mid-afternoon he sends me a chat message and asks me what my suggestions were so I write back and say Kraze Burger (love their Onion Ring Burger, although I am sure that is not the name) or Smokey's. His reply pops up around the same time as I send mine (probably wrote it at the same time) "Greek or Middle Eastern cuisine?".

He has had it in his head to try out this Middle Eastern restaurant in Itaewon called Ali Baba. Going along with it, I told him that I didn't mind trying Ali Baba so off we went. It's on the main strip of Itaewon so it's dead easy to find. It's one on the same side as Hamilton Hotel but 2 blocks up. If I am not mistaken it is in the building just before Villa Sortino.

Take the stairs up to the first floor and you will find a cozy little place decked out with posters of Eqypt (one of them says something along the lines of "Egypt is not just mountains???") and little figurines of dead kings and queens of Egypt. The restaurant isn't large, they have about 5 tables of four and then 2 larger booths that are set slightly off to the side which gives a little more privacy.

There was only 2 customers there when we arrived but another 3 tables filled up while we were there. The service was efficient and the food was tasty. We ordered a starter of Baba Ghanoush (made from aubergines/eggplant), Shish Tawouk (grilled chicken chunks on a skwere) and a lamb special. Both mains were first grilled on skewers then served on plates with a yoghurt type dip. We were a little disappointed that the meat wasn't served on the skewers as we had before in Eqypt but it still tasted quite good. It would have been even better if it was infused with the taste of the coals that it would have been BBQ'd over.

I wouldn't recommend it for a family restaurant (the floor was a bit slippery from oil so kids running around would not be a good idea). It's be better as a first stop for a meal and then moving onto something else for the evening.

There are so many restaurants in Itaewon that have Middle Eastern cuisine and I certainly hope to try more. I'd rate it 2/5 for ambience and 3/5 for food.

Instant Buttons

Recently I was wandering through the Bandi & Luni's bookstore in the basement of Jongno Tower and came across these cute 'Instant Buttons' in their stationery section in the basement. Each pack has 6 fabric covered buttons and 6 safety pins. So for an instant lift to an otherwise plain top/blouse, just pin them on!

If you really like them then just sew it on. When you get bored of that top, take them off and reuse on another top. How cool is that?!

You can get to Bandi & Luni's by Subway Line No. 1 - Jonggak Station. They have a decent selection of English books. There is a larger store at the COEX Mall reachable on Subway Line No. 2 - Samseong Station. For variety, there is also Yong Poong bookstore across from Jongno Tower.

Found another Hair Salon in Itaewon

Recently I posted a review on finding a hair salon with an English speaking stylist in Seoul. I found one in Itaewon called Green Turtle which above the Coffee Bean opposite Hamilton Hotel. I'm glad to say that I've found another one! It's a part of a chain and it's called Hair4U. I've added a link but it's all in Korean.

Hair4U is cheaper charging only KRW10,000 for Men's cut and KRW20,000 - KRW 25,000 for a Ladies' cut depending on length. It's located in the building behind the Dunkin Donuts on Itaewon Main Street. Walk around the corner from Dunkin Donuts and you will see a stairwell, just head up to the 2nd floor and Hair4U is just there.

Although the place is a little rundown, the people are friendly and speak a little English. I didn't feel as rushed as when I was at the Green Turtle which is a bonus as the last thing I want is to feel stressed when I am getting my hair done. I had a trim and a colour which turned out rather nicely.

Here's a pic of the building where the salon is located. At the top floor is a popular restaurant called Restaurant Terrace.