La Bella Citta Busan

Have you ever had a meal so fantastic from start to finish that you felt like a changed person?  After the most wonderful weekend checking out new corners of Busan, we were exhausted and disappointed upon discovery that the "Spanish Bistro" about which we had been wondering didn't actually serve food (El Secreto - but it does serve Sam Adams?).  I was covered in sand, blissed out from the sun, and ready for some international cuisine - decidedly not Korean.

When we turned the corner and happened upon what looked to be an enormous French Cafe and a secret garden, we knew we were in for something special.

Photos c/o La Bella Citta - Facebook

We meandered up the stairs and were hit with an absolutely stunning private event space.  Tired Kate took a horrible photo, and will most definitely be back for a special occasion to snap a better shot:

The sunset was approaching and we had been out in the sun with some wonderful new friends all day.  We were beat and just wanted a tasty meal before heading home.  No part of us expected to be treated to lemon/ carrot/ cucumber water and whole grain bread at the table.  Our table had a stunning view of Gwangalli Bridge and a quaint frame being on a side street.

  

The decor itself reminded me quite a bit of Soho House Toronto which I miss desperately.  

It appears they run what's called a "Midnight Party" every Friday and Saturday from 9 PM - 2 AM.  They offer sets of classic cocktails 3 for KRW 21,000 (and I'm not quite certain what you get for KRW 35,000 but there is something else on offer) designed by their delightful mixologist who worked up in Seoul with another bartender from the award-winning "Milk & Honey" (New York - Flatiron District).  

We decided to err on the safe side of what realistically is quite an expensive menu and order the Gorgonzola Gnocchi and the Pork and Stir-fried Vegetable Risotto.  The risotto is deconstructed would have been a wonderful dish of beautifully-cooked and seasoned pork, soy leaves, peppers, and fresh and crispy zucchini.  I wondered why there was cheese on the plate, and why white rice was used rather than an actual risotto.  I think if they changed the name on the dish I would have liked it more because it truly was well-composed.

The gnocchi, on the other hand, was absolutely life-changing.  Both my dining companion and I agreed that we could have indulged in several dishes of this decadent, smooth, rich cream sauce with just enough gorgonzola to have a bold taste, but not so much that it over-powered the delicate, melt in your mouth puffs of potato gnocchi.  It was quite salty, but again - just enough to require more wine, not enough to regret the seasoning.  The cheddar chip on top was incredible as well.  We wanted to order some bread and more sauce with which to enjoy the light and airy view after such a perfect day.

The owner popped over to ask us how we enjoyed our meals.  Talking for a bit we mentioned that we would certainly be back to try more of the Italian fare (there was a 1KG Steak on the menu for KRW 99,000, as well as some delicious-sounding pizzas for under KRW 20,000 so they really did have a variety of offerings).  We hadn't planned on drinking, but when offered a "service" beverage we could hardly say no.  We accepted gratefully and it was decided that we would get a surprise: the bartender's choice - a Caipirinha.

If you've ever had a Caipirinha you'll know that it's a Mojito kicked up and made for the cocktail connoisseur.  Made from Cachaça, a distilled spirit made from sugar cane juice, it's one of the most (if not the most) popular liquor in Brazil.  Billions of Liters of the spirit are made each year but only about 1% is actually distributed outside of the country, so I definitely did a double take when our bartender stated that it was made with the real stuff.  I had enjoyed Caipirinhas last in Trinity-Bellwoods park on a beautiful summer day while eating Nadege macarons and enjoying the fresh air and view of the CN tower.  The taste threw me back to that wonderful day, and while I chatted about the rest of the meticulous cocktail menu with the bartender my dining companion ended up knocking back quite a bit of the drink.  It was pretty clear that he loved it, and I wasn't altogether surprised when I got a text message about it on Monday asking about the ingredients (Cachaça, sugar, lime, ice).

I urge you to join me some Friday or Saturday night for a prix-fixe menu (5 dishes I believe for set prices of KRW 58,000 or KRW 68.000) with a late night garden party pop-up to follow.  I am certain it will be an evening you won't regret or forget.

The Roots

After using Korean Box Dye (which turned my hair black even though the colour was medium brown) I was a little nervous to cover my grays.  I was going to wait and get some highlights once my 2nd paycheque came through, but when a colleague of mine popped over and plucked out one of my grays with her bare hands I knew it was time to head over to Olive Young to buy some colour.  There were a variety of L'Oreal products but sadly they were all dark brown or black shades.  I saw this little cartoon character peering out and me and wondered if I should give it a shot.  There were a few colours on sale and I considered going with Lemon Blonde (it doesn't pull that much colour from your hair - on instagram it looked like a light brown), but opted for Melty Cherry.

 Welcome to Hair Color

I had some very unrealistic high hopes that the colour would turn out like the beauty on the left and decided to give it a shot last night.  The box comes equipped with the dye, an activator, and a pump top for the foam.  It also comes with gloves that were way bigger than the Korean ones I had used, and a cape for your neck and shoulders which really just ended up getting in the way. 

You can't see them in the photo...but trust me, they're there!

The many, many instructions were completely in Japanese - I couldn't even find any numbers that would tell me how long to keep the dye in so I just let it sit for about 40 minutes.

I started with my roots which ultimately may have been a bad idea - I wanted to pull more colour from the bottom since my ends are so dark, but I also wanted the gray coverage.  Usually with foam dye my hair feels quite wet but with Fresh Light my hair soaked it up quickly and got kind of sticky.  I guess my hair is really fried from that last box dye experience.  The foam was really pink at first then turned red, and when I washed it out my bathroom kind of looked like a crime scene.  With super orange roots after I stepped out of the shower I was pretty worried!

I'm not entirely in love with the colour.  I think a medium brown would have been a better choice but it got the job done and covered my grays.  I think next time I'll go the lemon blonde route just to get my hair light enough to add some highlights and be well on my way to blonde.

 - My wide-eyed impression of the girl on the cover.

Have any of you done a DIY-dye job in a foreign country?  What were your best/ worst experiences?  Leave me a note in the comments!

A student got me a present! Love it ♡

A student got me a present! Love it ♡

from Tumblr http://ift.tt/1HEDov0
via IFTTT

Ridin' Solo

Not to quote Jason Derulo too hard (ahem..."Jason Derulo" - Jason Derulo), but the last few evenings I have been ridin' solo through the big bustling metropolis of Busan (er - more like Ben Folds Five: "Rockin' the Suburbs" in Hwamyeong-dong, Buk-gu).  Yesterday I hit the gym before work which meant I either had a long night of thinking about food (yes - I'm back counting my calories and working the macros) or I could go on a walk and explore the area I had seen when driving back from a field trip.  

There is a lot more to Hwamyeong than what I have discovered thus far.  I'm sure every neighbourhood in a big city has the kind of awesome places to eat (we have some Japanese places, a couple of Vietnamese restaurants, a handful of Italian spots, a ton of chicken restaurants, and of course lots of Korean restaurants!), the standard Baskin Robbins, Lotteria, McDonald's, and Starbucks, as well as a ton of bars (business and otherwise), Norebangs, and local and chain coffee houses.  We're also blessed with a glow bowling alley  and a movie theatre as well as a bunch of places you can go to play computer games, watch DVD's, or play video games.  

My apartment is surrounded by love motels and thus far my understanding of the neighbourhood has been limited to about 4 main streets, the longest of which I decided to explore last night.  

I walked past the MMA gym (the owner speaks no English otherwise you know I'd be training there.  at $100/ month and 5 sessions of training a week? Heck yes.  Perhaps when my Korean is better...), the Top Mart, and hit a dark patch, then a huge Church (giant LED red cross on a building that looks like a big office).  I continued walking and came upon another grocery store, a few ladies clothing stores, what appeared to be a bespoke tailor, a nail salon, Bbang Ddorak Pizza, a sushi restaurant, and a Yankee Candle (which always reminds me of Angie from 30 Rock: "This is just like what I told the sales lady at Yankee Candle: 'I AIN'T BUYING IT'").

After that I walked in the dark for a bit seeing a few restaurants (the really cool one I want to check out [pictured directly above] advertises Octopus...not sure if it sells much else) before walking by the Fire Station, a post office, a Mercedes-Benz dealership, a lighting store, a bike shop, and the biggest "Angel-in-us Coffee" I have ever seen.  It took up a lot of real estate and seemed to have two levels.  If it were closer I would be there all the time, but as it stands "A Twosome Place" is pretty close and is really comfortable.  I continued on and realized that I had walked the length of 1 subway station and had landed in Sujeong.  

I mean...the pastries looked incredible.  It took a lot to say no!

At first glance Sujeong doesn't look like there's much other than the GIANT Lotte Castle Kaiser complex (if you think Cityplace is big then imagine 20 of them squished together). Underneath the Castle (where the subway is located) you'll find Lotte Super (a Lottemart that is just a Supermarket), a really cool little bakery called "Bread Papa", a "Tous les jours", a "Paris Baguette", and some salons and clothing stores I will more definitely have to check out on a weekend when I have some more cash.  

Curvy ladies - there were also two "Big Lady" (ugh - I know...) stores that looked as though they had some cool stuff!  No word on price yet though.  I'll have to get back to you on that.  I've found that I can fit into Medium or Large in Korean clothes pretty well, but if I want pants that aren't from H & M I may check these stores out.














Speaking of big ladies...I might become a REALLY big one if I give into my Hotteok cravings more than once a month.  I gave in last night.  These things happen.

Tonight I had plans to head out on another mega-walk with a friend of mine and her pup but she had to stay late at work so I took myself to a chicken place I had been wondering about for a while called: "Chir Beer 369" (get it - Cheer Beer? Perfect for a retired Cheerleader!).  With a slogan like: "Don't worry, Beer happy!" how could I resist?  It's just on the other side of the small "Rose Park" near my place, and a hop skip and a jump from work, so I ordered some take-out and took a seat at the bar.  The decor is adorable with many handwritten notes on the window and walls with decals of London, Paris, and New York (we're working on Toronto and Vancouver...okay, I am). 

The owner walked in with two ridiculously adorable children who I assumed were his.  WRONG!  Another man walked in and did a double take.  As the only person in the restaurant (and a foreigner at that) I attempted a nod/ bow as best I could seated and attempted an Anyong-haseyo.  Then I got a chuckle, but not for the reason I initially though.  The guy was from California, and those were his kids!  Turns out he and his wife live nearby and they had had some dinner at a goki (meat) place next door.  They sat down, had a beer with me, talked sports, English, business, and social dynamics, all in between quips with the restaurant owner and beginner English with the kids.  I really hope I'll get the chance to see them again as we had a lot of laughs and we all seem to have some common interests.  The little girl even gave me a huge hug goodbye (aw!).

Down to what you really want to hear: How was the food?!  The chicken was fresh, moist, and tasty.  This was boneless chicken (white meat only) with a mildly spicy breading and honey mustard drizzle.  I haven't been super partial to fried chicken here as there always seems to be some sort of mystery coating (I have yet to tell you about the "Snow Queen" Cheesy Fried Chicken - that's a story for another day) or there are just too many tiny bones to properly enjoy the meal.  Thus far I have been pretty loyal to Monster Craft, but this might just be my new go-to bar for chicken, potatoes (cheesy fries, anyone?  Uhh...cheat day? :P), and salads.  They seem to use fresh ingredients (at one point I saw the owner don some plastic gloves and start grating what looked and smelled like Reggiano cheese) and the restaurant itself is clean.  They offer an array of bottle and draft beer (Heineken on tap means we need to frequent this place more) and have comparatively good prices for Busan and for the area (so it's good value).   I'll have to translate the cocktail menu, but they seemed to be decently priced too, and offered some beer cocktails which was pretty cool!  I'll actually be back on Tuesday night for a chat with the owner so I'll keep you posted on my nibbles then!