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!

Makgeolli, Monster Craft, and many good times!

 

Sunday night is Curry night in Hwamyeong-Dong!  Monster Craft Brewing makes a cheep, cheerful, and incredibly delicious Japanese-style curry with your choice of mushrooms, chicken, or pork cutlet with the option to add more meat for KRW 2,500.  I had the mushroom curry and added chicken (their chicken is fantastic on its own or in the curry).

The dinner came with a really tasty soup (broth and green onions), a cabbage salad (which I promtly mixed into the curry for a crunchy texture), and a form of kimchi I was too stuffed to try.  Monster Craft is a great spot to hang out, have a beer, some food, and watch cats go by in the alley (when we went there was a family of calico cats that reminded me of the cat I had growing up - shout out to Angel).  The house beer is KRW 3,500 (about $3.50 - $4 Canadian), and the curry came to maybe KRW 9,000 for a meal I certainly couldn't finish!

After dinner we met up with the boys and went to a Makgeolli bar across the street from where we live.  There's the option to head upstairs (take your shoes off!) or sit at a table with chairs Western-style (we opted for that so we could play some card games).

Our hostess with the most(ess?) showed off the menu, and we ordered Pajeon with Kimchi, Mussels, and what I believed to be Scallops but that may have just been more onion or cabbage.  The Makgeolli (the Korean rice wine pictured above) was blended with some sort of powdered fruit mix.  Since this evening, some coworkers have taken me out for some proper Korean food and different kinds of Makgeolli.  The phrase "do you drink well, Kate?" came out on a few occasions, but I like to think I kept it in check!  

Have you tried Makgeolli?  What kind is your favourite?

It just keeps getting better!

What a jam-packed, fun-filled week it has been!  No complaints whatsoever.  Good times with new friends and tasty food in Hwamyeong all week followed by a Friday adventure to Gwangali Beach and Kyungsung University (an area of Busan full of Expats).  I've seen live music, have tried new foods (who knew I liked grilled radish so much?), and went glow bowling with house music.

On Monday I found my namesake makeup line at a store full of interesting cosmetics (some local, many international).  I haven't tried "Kate" makeup, but once my stock of Canadian makeup depletes I'll definitely consider it! 

After a walk around the area (Hwamyeong-Dong - "Dong" means neighbourhood), we stopped into a spot for some soup!  Most places will serve you several complimentary side dishes of pickled radish, kimchi, garlic, and other bits and bobs to either grill up, toss into your soup, or just eat on their own. The dish above is a Bulgogi soup which I believe is called Ddukbaegi Bulgogi (or Ddukbul for short?).

Tuesday night we found Mandu for KRW 1,500 (about $1.75 Canadian).  It's so delicious and is full of beef and kimchi.  If you're looking for a cheap, filling lunch then look no further than Mandu!

The craft beer game in Hwamyeong is strong (well - for Korea!) and we're lucky enough to have Monster Craft Brewing.  This cute little spot has the best chicken I have tasted in Korea with some fabulous spicy garlic sauces.  I didn't manage to save the picture I took, but you can see the massive pile of saucy fries we got as well as the beers we tasted.  Mine was an IPA, and my friend's was a very hoppy Amber.  Beer is super cheap in Korea (KRW 3,000-5,000) but these ones were KRW 7,000 because they were from a microbrewery.  Worth it!  I think we're going there for Japanese curry tonight.  I'm pretty excited!

For lunch I've managed to find a super cheap and cheerful spot called Hansot!  It's a lunch box place that serves inexpensive meals with rice, meat, and often kimchi or mixed greens.  Meat and vegetables are extremely expensive at grocery stores (they're cheaper if you buy them on the street but they're still pretty pricy by North American standards).  It's actually cheaper for me to buy my meals at Hansot than it is to cook for myself at home.  I'm able to read the Korean phonetically (the language itself - Hangul - makes a lot of sense but I'm having trouble associating the sounds with the meanings still) so sometimes they'll understand my order and sometimes I'll just have to point.  There are so many items on the menu ranging from KRW 2,000 to around KRW 10,000 so I have lots of options when I'm really hungry as well as "at the end of the month" ;)

Friday night we were going to spend a quiet night in Hwamyeong, but after a nap and some tunes we headed out to Gwangali Beach and KSU!  The lights on the bridge look magnificent.  It was raining and I didn't bring my proper camera with me, so apologies for the low-quality images.  We had some local "American" pub fare at Sharky's Gwangali and then cabbed it over to KSU where we had no wifi and meandered the side-streets until we found Ol'55.  The drinks were cheap, plentiful, and served by a cute Oklahoma boy.  We met some other Canadian, American, and British teachers and ran into some expats we had met Thursday night at Trivia.  The owner of another local bar was there and she had some great stories to tell us while the band jammed in the background.  There was free popcorn, and it was quite possibly the best I've ever tasted.

 

After Ol'55 we headed out to Blue Monkey - a club we had frequented on the expat pub crawl last weekend.  I swore I would never go back, but it was completely empty so the 6 of us had the entire dancefloor to ourselves!  Ps. That's what bottle service looks like at Blue Monkey - an unexpected delivery of vodka and juices.

The next day I woke up early and watched a couple old episodes of 30 Rock while enjoying the sunshine flooding my apartment.  I had plans to meet a gal pal around 10:30 AM who was getting her hair done at a Busan salon.  I thought we were heading out on the subway a ways away (most of the exciting spots are about an hour away on the subway) so I was so surprised when the salon was just upstairs from our Hwamyeong meeting spot!  The prices were really, really reasonable, and since they had a ton of chairs open I thought I'd get some highlights put in.

Ultimately the deal was, in fact, too good to be true and it was only after they sat me down that they told me it would cost about KRW 389,000 (yep - $400) because I have long hair.  I didn't end up going through with the dye, but I'd go back for a haircut for sure!  It's a beautiful salon and if you take a clear photo of what you want then they'll do a super job.  My friend got her hair dyed in an ombre style and it turned out beautifully (and SO shiny!).  It changes her whole look and I would be really happy if my hair turned out half as well.  Hers was only KRW 88,000 and considering tipping isn't customary here it's a pretty rad deal.

From the salon I headed to the park near our apartment complex.  My friend's boyfriend and one of his friends were playing basketball and teaching some of the local boys some shooting techniques.  The sun was shining and it was quite warm out so it was a lovely afternoon spent in the sun.  We realised that none of us had eaten by that point, so off to the Korean BBQ place we went!

Earlier in the week someone had made a crack about bowling not being cool when I had suggested we go, so I was pretty stoked when my 3 late lunch companions suggested going to Hwamyung Rock Bowling.

This glow bowling spot was unlike anything I've ever experience.  Sure, we have "The Ballroom" in Toronto, but the number of LED lights and the raucous house music being played was amazing.  We played two games switching up the teams halfway through.  Turns out I'm not too bad at 10-pin bowling!

All in all a great week!  Saturday was the best day I've had in a LONG time (and resulted in a very early bedtime!).  Today I'm heading to Nampo with the gals during the day and for Japanese curry tonight at Monster Craft, so another blog post is most certainly on the way soon.

What else should I try in Korea?  Any discoveries from your travels (or from Google)?  Leave your thoughts in the comments!