Sunday, January 29, 2012

A quiet afternoon strolland tea@two MRT stops from OryuDong

I can't recall which MRT stop it was, but it was one or two stops away from Oryu-Dong. We decided to have an aimless walk around since we only had 2 hours free time before the 6 pm evening service at the sanctuary.

Paris Baguette, is a well established franchise bakery all over Korea can be found in almost every street available. At first, I thought it was a franchise bakery originating from France (from its name), but surprisingly, it was started by 2 Korean ladies who have great passion for baking. Today, there are more than 3000 franchises throughout the world, and they are also big in the US. WOW.

The other bakery that is also pretty obvious in the eyes of a streetwalker, is the "Boulangerie". I really wonder why most bakeries here are named with a whiff of French, rather than building a local brand name.

Bakeries excite me, especially ones that are nicely decorated with pastries deliciously presented. It inspires me all the time. Sighs. When can I finally fullfill this dream?

I ordered Boulangerie's trademark pastry, the cream puff. The cream.... Oh...my...gosh, was so light, fluffy, sweet, and cold too. Each bite can make one close their eyes, and smile like idiots. It cost about 1500 - 2000 won (Can't recall the exact amount)
This was the strawberry shortcake. The pastry is a lot harder than the puff above, a little mixture of cake-like and brownie-like. The cream used was quite similar as the one above, but somehow the tougher texture of the pastry blended well with the sweet cream and the slightly sourish strawberry slices. This was 2500 - 3000 won (Erm.. I think)
After a quick bite of sweet deliciousness, we strolled along aimlessly looking at the surroundings. Up ahead, we saw this stall where this hardworking Korean lady was busy making some local pastries and also cooking waffles on the hot pan.

Out of curiosity ( we were already FULL), we bought one to try it out. It was rather hollow on the inside, and the inner lining of the pastry was coated with cinnamon and butter. I think our local Hiao Pia/ Kaya Kok rawks this over anytime! 1000 won for this.

Nearby the MRT stop, there was tiny local coffee shop, called Coffee AD. The shop is no larger than an average bedroom, therefore the owner arranged tables outside by the pathway. The breeze was so strong at this time that anything left on the tables were blown away.

I found the decor of the coffee shop really adorable. If only the weather and road/walkways/public transport systems back in Malaysia permit locals to walk safely and conveniently, we may be able to have more shops like these which will create a more interesting makan environment for us. I wouldn't mind popping by for a cuppa coffee from this store everyday walking to work.

I ordered an ice blended green tea shake, which was one of the best I ever drank. Super sincere with the green tea powder, not sweet, and the ice was nicely blended (very fine). YUMS! Especially drinking this while sitting outside, enjoying the strong cold breeze.

Peaceful. Amen.

Thursday, January 26, 2012

fried chicken and chips and all corns poppy@Korean Restaurant nearby PKC, Oryu Dong

It was my first time ever eating a butterless, oil free, charcoal flavoured popcorn. Initially, it did taste peculiar to me, but after awhile, you get a hang of eating them. Somehow, the crunchiness of popcorn remained and without the caramel usually found in our local popcorns, you can really go on and on eating them (Free flow by the way)

I like how they served beer too. This was as extremely huge jug, built in two plastic layers. I suspect it helps maintain the coolness of the beer. I once drank from a pint with similar design as well (two layers of glass) in Shanghai. Not sure what difference does it make to the beer, but I guess, psychologically, i felt that my beer tasted fresher and cooler than regular pint beers.

Icey cold beer without greasy food is totally NOT COOL. Hence, we ordered a plate of fried drummets with chips and potato balls. Bear in mind, this was not dinner, but supper (just two hours after dinner) Yikes!

And who were we kidding? Beer + Fried greasy deliciousness = happy ending with fruits? 
This was the biggest pile of fruits served as desserts, that I had ever encountered. Usually, these come in the usual watermelon or papaya slices. 

Korea rawks!

OK. I thought this was crazy cool. Instead of putting in coins/tokens and using the joystick to navigate the clamp, aiming for cheap looking stuffed toys in the arcade, why not clamp REAL LOBSTERS?

I saw a man slotting in at least 25 coins (not sure how much would that be converting into RM). After observing him, I realised that it would be really difficult for a clamp like that to catch hold of the claw of that giant lobster because its body was just too slippery. After a terrible failure in grabbing hold of any lobster, the man got really frustrated and did a little temper showing, by banging on the machine before walking off. Funny scene!

I guess those lobsters stuck inside could be slightly happier than those found in water tanks in restaurants.

Local ice cream cone@journey back to Seoul

I did a final hike up the top of the Yeoju mountain before departing this wonderful place. Sure ain't easy climbing up, especially in long sleeve clothing. But *thumbs up* I made it! A snapshot view from the top.

An ice cream cone to cool down.. bought from a nearby local sundry shop. Vanilla and cookie flavoured ice cream.

Hmmm.. the taste was average. Walls cornetto chocolate ice cream still rawks! Talking about it.. I'm craving a Magnum now.

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

3 day seminar@Yeoju.


From Seoul, we took an hour plus by bus to this place called Yeoju. A part of the hilly Yeoju is reserved for the congregation members who want to do retreats/prayers and seminars are sometimes held here, just like the launch of the 6th book of the History of Redemption book series.

We were greeted by a gigantic banner, and there were thousands of people from all over the country as well as foreigners actually came to be spiritually blessed.
The hardworking eldresses and congregation members were so kind to prepare food for so many of us. A simple, homely and hearty meal. We were served with a potato gravy, quite spicy, almost like dhall gravy served in a mamak. 

This place provides precious clean water from the top of Yeoju mountain for drinking, bathing, washing etc. Apparently, the water has nutrients and minerals that will help preserve good skin and keep your body in good health. True enough, the water, although looks plain and normal, tastes slightly different from the water we drink. Truly refreshing, cooling and what a blessing! Some of us tapao-ed back several bottles (Kiasu-ness)



Found this huge nail plunged right into the thick, rough, surface of the wall of the cave, where people come in for meditation/prayer. When I saw this nail, I thought of JC's palms, and how humans were so cruel to nail them down His hands. Although He knew this will happen, He who is sinless, died on the cross for our sins.

Let us be able to follow His ways, and crucify our old sinful/worldly/evil/shameful self on the cross daily.



The true high priest.. can we discern it? Are we fullfilling the duties of a true Levite?

Does our faith shine brightly always, like the sun, or shines only when others are around you to lift up your faith, like the moon, whose light comes from the reflection of the sun, or flickering faith, like the twinkling stars?


Sunday, January 22, 2012

BBQ Pork at the newly opened Korean restaurant@Nearby Oryu-Dong, Seoul

 The temperature was nearly 10 degrees on that evening, and we'd thought having BBQ for dinner would be a great idea. We stumbled upon this newly opened restaurant behind one of the tiny alleys, almost un-noticed if one walked past by quickly. In spirit of supporting the new owner who was smiling widely, ushering us we'd decided to dine there.

 Pork belly DIY style. Cut as big or as small a slice as you want. Gigantic scissors again!


Well marinated spicy beef, waiting to be snipped off by that black gigantic scissors.

We didn't mind having the pork slices sizzling in front of us. The cold weather masked the smokey heat. I loved the beef, juicy tender and flavourful. The pork belly was too fatty for me, but the rest enjoyed them like fingerlickinggood, especially after dipping the meat into this spicy chilli soy sauce mixture that the owner gave us.

It was from this meal that I learnt to say the delicious word, in Korean. "Mashita!" or "Mashuseyo!" The lady owner was so happy to serve us, I guess we were their first non-Korean patrons. A few locals were also dining there, and I noticed they were observing us, trying to figure out where did we come from since we were speaking in English, mix Hokkien, mix Mandarin, mix a Malay word or two.

While the meat grilled themselves to charcoal perfection, we gambei-ed over Macguli for being here to receive spiritual blessings and the physical blessings that we were about to receive too, from the hot grill.

One of the most memorable meals I had in Korea.

Good morning Taiping breakfast!@chinese kopitiam behind Bismillah

I was glad that the journey back to taiping started at 430am. Else, i would have spent 6 hours on my brakes, yawning, frustrated and having to hold my bladder.

The journey only took 3 hours, just in time to see the sunrise and driving past the thick misty, hilly areas along ipoh to taiping ( you can only encounter this around 630-7am). Almost like harry potter and the chamber of secrets, your car driving in the midst of the fluffly clouds.

Once i arrived at Taiping town, kopi satu! Warm, sweet, refreshing. With a kaya butter toast to dip in with.

Breakfast ain't complete without a roti canai. Tapao! From Bismillah next door. And in addition to that, puree and thosai from the old indian lady who runs the stall under the wing of this chinese kopitiam.

It's good to be back home!

Happy Chinese New Year to all! stay tuned for BBQ food picts for reunion dinner tonight :)

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Home cooked tomato puree chicken fillet

Decided to cook something from home for dinner.

Blended some tomatoes and chopped some into small pieces.

With a little touch of sicilian herbs and spices, whoa-lah! A meal fit for a simple italian wannabe.

Total damage: chicken (rm7) + tomatoes (rm5)

A picture of me doggie. Brings smiles to your face eh?

A thank-you dinner@Garibaldi, Bangsar Village



A clinician society threw a thank-you dinner to all companies and commitee members for the hard work done last year.

 Personally, i was shocked that this meal cost nearly rm300 including water and wine ( not sure which wine was served as the bottle was placed far away from me).

My conclusion remains: the best dish was the appetizer ciabatta.



The scallop was quite tender, chewy, fresh.


The braised veal with risotto turned out lousier than my previous bday experience here. The veal was not as tender as juicy as i had it last time, and until now my fav still stays with Sage. The risotto was a little undercooked too.



The lobster bisque was quite unique. I could really taste the bitter citrus flavour added. Some of them did not really enjoy its bitterness, and expected the bisque to be typically creamy, unlike this one.



 

Dessert was soo... Normal.

 
The connoursior vaguely remembered me tho' I remembered him clearly. He ushered me to return for my third visit.

I am Not... So...Sure... After this experience.



Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Blessed lunch@Pyung Kang Cheil church, Oryu Dong

 I can never erase it out of my mind the first time I sat in the Moriah Sanctuary on the first Sunday there. The church choir played "How Great Thou Art", which happens to be one of my favourite hymns. Hearing the orchestra played it live along with a huge group of choir members singing it in Korean (although I do not understand it, and could only read the translations) but the sound resonates so beautifully, it truly made me tear. The choir group in total has nearly 4000 members.

I am glad I filmed it in video also. Sometimes, on the way to work in the morning jam, I'll listen to it to bring me back to this moment.

Lunch was served after the service, and we paid around RM 40 for this (they were really hospitable to us, and we had several free meals already in the past few days here). The chicken chop was so delicious, nicely fried with the crunchy coated breadcrumbs, drizzled over sweetened soy sauce. What blessings!

Red Mango@Myung Dong, Seoul

This gem is hidden in the 3rd floor of one of the shoplots in the busy and packed Myung Dong shopping district. We took almost 30 minutes hunting for this shop, trying our best to spot a possible signage that says "Red Mango" but it was terribly difficult. Almost every shop kiasu-ly protrude out a shop signage to compete visibility with the others. Many were brightly coloured neon lights, and that made the search worse. We asked a few locals too, however language barrier made it challenging for us to explain to them that we were looking for a famous ice cream shop (amongst plenty of ice cream parlors found here).

But finally... WE FOUND IT! It didn't have an obvious signage, and the shop co-shares with a chocolate parlor too. The environment was really cozy, with wooden furniture designs, lights dimly lited and peculiar quirky looking lanterns dangling from the ceiling wall. Each chair had a cushioned pillow to immediately get you comfortable. What I loved most was that they had pretty squarish clothed boxes by each table, for shoppes/ladies with big handbags to put them in, rather than taking up space on the table or having to hang them behind your chairs.


 Good stuff don't come cheap. Like how Moo Cow and Tutti Frutti are charged, each swirl cost around RM4. The scoops above with 2 toppings given, almond slices and sugar coated walnuts cost nearly RM20. However, handsdown.. they were by far the best yoghurt ice cream that I've ever tasted. Moo Cow and Tutti are nothing compared to that. It melts in your mouth, creamy and sweet, but gives a slight sour bitter taste at the end palate. My Singaporean friend who was there with me told me that there is a franchise opened in one of the malls in Orchard, however those sold there tasted different from those served here. People suspect that it was due to the difference in the milk and the yeast content (Stringent food QC to enter into Singapore).

 The other 4 swirls had fruit toppints, strawberries and blueberries. The yoghurt ice cream was blueberry flavoured too. Quite nice as well, but the original flavoured ones are the best in my opinion.

I haven't seen this in a long, long while. Found this hanging outside one of the dining places in the church area. Insect trapper plant.. coolio!

Dakgalbi@Myung Dong, Seoul

 Myung Dong, is widely known for its amazing fun felt shopping district. Girls swipe their credit cards here like all hell breaks loose, especially the facial stores. I myself fell into the trap of SkinFood craze. Boys, happily "wash their eyes" (observe with lust/passion in our local Malay language) standing along the roads watching pretty girls pass by.

Even shoppers need to eat after a long day of spending money.

We popped by this interesting looking shop, packed with locals.

 A HUGE frying pan was found on the middle of the dining table. We ordered 4 portions of Dakgalbi, seasoned pork with veges (We were not allowed to order anything less than 4 pax). Then, we were given a plastic napkin to tie around our necks, like the baby's bib, except its for gigantic babies like us. The interesting part was that.. we fried them on our own, at our own leisure and style.

 Cheers to all of us! With icey cold soju!

 Fry fry fry fry ! How about that? Pay for a meal where you need to cook on your own. Interesting... nevertheless, it tasted really, really good. The meat was extremely spicy. With the meat freshly cooked from the giant pan in front of us plus the spicyness of the marinate, our lips swelled up, plump red, like botox gone wrong.

 After the meal, we walked around, getting lost in between those tiny lanes
I came across this little corner seafood cafe. My first time seeing so many living squids swimming around. Although I could not capture their lluminating colours as they moved from the camera, in real life, they looked like moving glitters. Really different than how we see them when they're dead / cooked.
Spring time in Seoul. Beautiful flowers blossoming inside the church grounds. These colourful palette decorated the entire hill, almost like the rainbow made a trip down to earth.