The Palace Cafe @ Hongdae (Seoul)

The Palace is about 100 metres away from our apartment. I wasn't very keen to go to this cafe even though X kept saying that he wanted to visit it. We finally did, one day and I'd have made a terrible mistake if I had missed this cafe. It's insanely beautiful.










Private compartments


Vintage furniture and ornaments








Affogato
The coffee was strong and not bad but the icecream really sucked.


Iced mocha


Waffle with icecream
Once again, the icecream was an utter disappointment. The waffle was fragrant and crisp and was a delight.

Isn't the place pretty? It's so elaborately decorated and designed and it sure did make us feel like royalty! I really love the place! The service was excellent too as the staff searched every single compartment to find one that was suitable for the both of us as we required two powerpoints for our laptops. Photography is not allowed in the cafe so I only managed to snap a few pictures before I was stopped by the staff. We spent close to $30sgd here. Although the coffee and food were not really that good, being able to relax and chill in such a pretty setting is worth the money I guess.

Map:



Love, K

(Closed) Le Saint-Ex @ Itaewon (Seoul)

X took me to Le Saint-Ex in Itaewon for dinner one night. Apparently the restaurant is very popular and famous. It is located near the subway station and also, just a really short walk away from The Flying Pan Blue. I didn't know we were going there or what cuisine we were gonna have. X just kept asking me to guess which restaurant we were going to. Haha and tadah, we finally arrived at our destination.

 
 
The menu that changes everyday. The waiter patiently and slowly explained every dish to us despite him having some difficulty conversing in English.

The everyday menu was really limited.

 
Fresh baguette, which was really fragrant, coupled with light salted butter.
They kept refilling the basket with baguette haha




White wine.


Tenderloin Tartare Steak, with fries - 30,000 won


The fries were crispy but a little bland. The blandness complemented the saltiness and flavour of the cold steak. Interesting but I got quite sick of it towards the end.


Seabass with arugula juice and onion pie - 30,000 won
The seabass was fresh, soft and its skin was crispy. It was quite a delight. The arugula juice didn't quite suit our tastebuds though.

Overall, it was quite a decent meal despite the really limited selection on their menu. Service was good and efficient. The restaurant was not very well airconditioned though. We spent about close to 90,000 won here which is about $100 sgd.

119-28 Itaewon-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, South Korea

Directions: From Itaewon subway exit 2, walk about 10 steps forward and turn left. Walk up the gentle slope, turn left and continue forward. Le Saint-Ex will be on your left!

Love, K

Little Diner

Little Diner is a new restaurant that caught X's eye and we were both excited to check it out so we headed there for dinner one Sunday night. It's located right next to Onion and parking is readily available just outside the restaurant, or at Guthrie House.





It was about 8 when we got there and it was full.







We were allocated bar seats at first as the restaurant was full.




Wild Mushroom Soup- $11.50
The soup was really really delicious! It's rich, fragrant and full of flavour. Definitely one of the nicest mushroom soups I've ever had! The price is pretty steep for a bowl of mushroom soup but it definitely opened up our appetites! We were really happy about the soup and were excited about the rest of our meal


Special of the day: Pan seared scallops with saffron beurre blanc and truffled potato escallope - $19.50
This sounded really good and we ordered it. When it came, we were slightly disappointed with the portion. It was just alright. The scallops were juicy but the taste of the potato, scallop and sauce didn't quite go together


Chargrilled strip steak(250g) - $27.50
I was impressed by the huge slab of steak when it first arrived, only to be extremely disappointed with it. The steak was pretty much tasteless except for the "grilled" taste. It was also dry. The herb butter only made the steak oily but did not add any flavour to it.




Burger - $18
X was super excited about his burger when he saw this other lady having it. He couldn't stop complaining about the burger, sadly. The patty was dry and it was falling apart constantly as X tried to cut through the burger. It was pretty tasteless too and the bread was too dry also. The best part was actually the fries with ketchup.

We had a great start to the meal with the wild mushroom soup sweeping us off our feet only to be really disappointed with our main courses. The staff were attentive and service was pretty good. I also liked the laidback vibe of the restaurant.

Love, K

K's rating of Little Diner: 6.5/10

aA Cafe @ Samcheong-dong (Seoul)

The sun was scorching when we were combing Samcheong-dong. We walked all the way to see the Hanok Village. And I felt like my perspiration could have filled two buckets. It was super hot and we were dying for a nice, icy cold and refreshing drink.

X had already planned to visit Cafe aA beforehand, so we headed there despite all the nice cafes we saw along the way.












Iced honey lemon
Indeed refreshing but way too sour!


Iced pear tea
This tasted more like apple tea haha

'

aA cafe is huge! Not only does it occupy a large level. It has a basement, second and third storey too!

Second level






Nice patio






aA Cafe is a minimalistic cafe that is brilliantly decorated with furniture and uniquely designed objects. The large area will kinda wow you as it generates a sense of freedom. I don't quite know how to explain that feeling but that was how I felt when I was exploring the place. And when you are standing on the patio, and looking over everything with a gentle breeze in your face, life feels pretty awesome. Or maybe, you only feel this way when you're overseas hahaha. I really like aA Cafe. Feels like I could spend hours there with a book in hand, or sketching something(not that I actually do but you get the drift haha)

408-11 Seogyo-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea

Love, K

Egg @ Samcheong-dong (Seoul)

We went to Samcheong-dong early one Sunday afternoon to look at the endless streets of quirky shops and unique cafes. We settled for brunch at this cute cottage like restaurant called Egg.














Although the cafe has two levels, it felt pretty small, albeit cozy.






Iced Caramel Macchiato




Affogato


The affogato was yummy!


Pancake with ham, cheese and eggs
I was trying to find the ham at first, but to no avail. Later did I realise that it was hidden inside the thick pancake haha. The initial bites were not bad but I got a little sick of it when I was halfway through the pancake.


Sandwich
This was supposed to be light but I guess it was pretty filling! This tasty sandwich with a good mix of flavours from the numerous ingredients present will make your stomach happy!


Cutest bill holder!

As you can see, we spent 25,500 won here. That's about $28. How much do you think all these will cost in Singapore?

Egg is a cute and cozy little restaurant that is charming in its own unique way. The owners have put in alot of effort into every detail of the restaurant. The place was almost full when we got there. Seems like it's very popular! Do give it a shot if you're going to Samcheongdong!

154 Sogyeok-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea 


Love, K