Category: Asia
-
Bloom and Goûté | 블룸 앤 구떼
“To see a World in a Grain of Sand And a Heaven in a Wild Flower.” Nothing else better invokes purity of thoughts than innocence of youth. In this rustic foliage of greens and florals, William Blake’s Auguries of Innocence springs to mind. Off the beaten track on Gangnam-Gu’s Garosu-Gil is my favorite cafe by a…
-
Coffee Chu | 커피츄
What’s good here? Blueberry and peanut churros! A churros specialty cafe was exactly what I was keeping an eye out for. Opened by the CEO of Pledis Entertainment (Afterschool, NU’EST, Son Dambi), the cafe is decked out in signed paraphernalia from their artistes. If you’re looking for a particular cafe on Sinsa-dong, blink and you…
-
A Twosome Place | 투썸플레이스
Exploring Apgujeong Rodeo Street led me to CGV Cinema at Sinsa-Dong, Gangnam-Gu. This dessert cafe used to be A Twosome Place by 51k, owned by actor So Ji Sub, until the 1st of January this year when this was turned into a normal Twosome Place cafe. Linked directly to the cinema, you can purchase coffee and…
-
Angel-In-Us Coffee | 엔제리너스커피
For the ultimate convenience I tamed my hunger with breakfast from Angel-In-Us Coffee! It’s one of those coffee-chain giants but not as common at every corner as Tom n Toms or Caffe Bene. Had me some Honey and Cheese Thick Toast! And a Blueberry Smoothie. 엔제리너스커피 Hongdae xoxo, Viktoria Jean
-
Retail Therapy | SEOUL DAY THREE
오늘은 명동에 갔다. 새로운 부츠 안경 메이크업과 몇 가지 책을 샀다. 집 내 물건을 가지고 새로운 가방이 필요합니다 ~ ㅋ ㅋ Behold my loot, in the span of 2 hours at Myeong Dong. It’s really not a lot, actually. Amazed by the good quality of my new spectacles! LookOptical only took half an hour to…
-
Kona Beans | 코나빈스
Hot Chocolate before heading homewards – ain’t I glad Kona Beans Cafe (as well as many coffee chains along Hongdae) are open 24hrs to keep us well-fed on coffee and happiness. Kona Beans is heavy on the Hawaiian theme, considering they use a premium Hawaiian roast. There are actual trees in the middle of the…
-
Cafe Organic | 카페오가닉
Junk and instant food is the bane of my existence and yet I’m a sucker for anything that’s quick, ready-to-eat and hence highly-preserved. In a bid to have something less artery-clogging for a change, I had been eyeing this beautiful cafe at its Hongdae location all afternoon. Cafe Organic is a double-storeyed healthy alternative to…
-
Cafe Da Vinci Coffee | 다빈치 커피
Nestled in the artsy-fartsy district of Hongdae (my favourite place in Seoul) is Cafe Da Vinci Coffee, where works of the celebrated artist come alive within these four walls. In this area, there’s practically a coffee-house at every turn. Cafe Da Vinci’s intricate wall art and clear polystyrene sheltered patio caught my attention. The primacy…
-
Hello Kitty Cafe | 헬로키티카페 홍대점
Two years ago I was wildly excited to come into Hello Kitty Cafe in Hongdae. Two years later, I’m mildly amused by how ugly their kitty-shaped waffles have become. The insanely pink stand-alone building is still a popular tourist attraction (cue an aggressive horde of multi-lingual Kitty fanatics), and always will remain a novelty this…
-
Mellow Baking Cafe | 멜로우베이킹 카페
Just round the corner of my guesthouse, opposite Orange Guesthouse and Book Cafe Jungle in Seogyo-Dong Hongdae, is this gem of a baking cafe, complete with its own outdoor sitting area and garden patio! The owners are bakers themselves as they also regularly conduct baking classes on top of home-baking all their sumptuous goods. I…
-
Day One: BLU Home Guesthouse
7:45am – Touched down at Incheon International Airport 8:30am – Claimed all baggage and cleared customs 8:45am – Bought T-Money (Bus, Train, All-In-One Fare Card) and WiBro (incredibly fast and useful portable WiFi egg gadget) 8:50am – Boarded Airport Railroad (AREX) Commuter Line towards Hongik University Station 9:40am – Reached Hongik University Station (Hongdae!) Then…
-
Day Zero – Panopolis
For two weeks away from home, I’m not usually such a light packer, although this time round I did forgo many physical possessions and settled for my old trusty cabin-sized Polo trolley-bag. Currently chilling at Panopolis, a classy open-spaced cafe at my most-frequented place for the past year (Singapore Changi Airport). It’s quiet, spacious and…
-
SEOUL 카운트 다운
구일에서 나는 인천에 도착하는거야. 혼자 여행있으니까 난 흥분과 약간의 긴장. 물론 걱정보다 기쁘다. 카페에서 읽고 서점을 방문하고 한강과 여의도 공원에서 산책, 혼자 여유로운 휴가가있을 것이다. 그리고 우리가 제주를 갈 것! 제주도에 날고 전에, 김포 공항에서 크리스씨를 만날. 오랫동안 제주에 가고 싶었! 여행하기 전에, 나는 한 번 (또는 두 번) 더 항공편을 날아해야! 좀 피곤 해~ 하지만 할 수있다. 항상 할 수있다~ 여행 가자!! ^^…
-
TOKYO DIARIES 東京旅日記 III
Momi & Toy’s Crêperie モミアンドトイズ ホテルに戻って行く前に、モミアンドトイズで夕食のためにクレープを食べる。私は驚いている！店舗売りバブルティー。良い！バブルティーは、香港で一般的な飲み物だったが、今では非常にまれである。 トレンドは終わった。モミアンドトイズは、日本の優れたクレープのレストランの一つです。 An early dinner at Momi & Toy’s Crêperie before heading back to the hotel for a nap. Surprised to see bubble tea being sold in Odaiba! A couple of years back it was such a common sight in Hong Kong but nowadays it’s rare to find bubble tea stalls on the streets.…
-
TOKYO DIARIES 東京旅日記 II
HONOLULU COFFEE 第2日目には私たちは昼食に寿司を持っていた後に、私はホノルルカフェでコーヒーを楽しんだ。 Afternoon coffee at Honolulu Café after a hearty sushi lunch. This pretty café from Hawaii is located at the food and restaurants level of Diver City, Odaiba. I had the Nutty Hawaiian Kona Frost (ナティハワイアン コナフロスト), a frosty blend of hazelnut and macadamia with a tinge of coconut juice and some espresso.…
-
Victoria Peak, Hong Kong
Friends, I can finally say that I’ve been to Hong Kong. Cannot believe that for the past 4 – 5 times I’ve been here for work / holiday, I’ve never made it up to the highest mountain (1,811 ft) on Hong Kong island!! It was close to 9 p.m. when we dropped Samantha back at our…
-
Living out of a Suitcase
Guess what?! I’ve decided on a long solo trip to Incheon!! Wildly excited about cafè-hopping in Hongdae, Gangnam, Itaewon and Sinchon. Even more psyched about taking dance classes in Korea. Plus I will be doing what I do best: living out of a suitcase! Perhaps I will meet Krispy, dance partner Rasoo and blast! dancers in…
-
[THAILAND] o12.Does Nature Imitate Art?
Legend has it: a boat carrying Ta Kreng (Grandpa Kreng) and Yai Riem (Grandma Riem) capsized at Ko Samui, killing the old couple who, for their son’s sake, were sailing to Prachuap Khiri Khan to ask for the hand of their in-law’s daughter. The locals believed then that their organs turned into the rock formations…
-
[THAILAND] o11.Shopping @ The Buddy Oriental Plaza Samui
Drawn by the ring road’s sleek and appealing post-colonial design, we parked here on our way to Lamai Beach for beach-wear shopping. The ring road consists mostly of restaurants (Pazzo Italian Cuisine and Wine Bar, Mulligan’s Irish Pub) and boutiques (Chicstation, CocoVilla Supermarket, Lamai Boutique). The street stalls on the road leading away from the…
-
[THAILAND] o10.Lamai Beach Samui
![[THAILAND] o10.Lamai Beach Samui](https://viktoriajean.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/dscn4612.jpg?w=1024)
Ever taken a day from work to stroll all morning along the calmest beach on Koh Samui? I love how my traveling job makes it all easy to find myself on an entirely different city from day to day. Yet it makes me appreciative of nature’s beauty on a minuscule scale. I’m all excitement and…
Viktoria Jean 