Frannywanny

I guess, one reason why I really enjoyed our trip to Seoul, South Korea was because it was a never-ending food trip! Our meals were not limited to just breakfast, lunch and dinner. Somehow, we would end up snacking even at odd hours. All throughout our trip, Paul and I hanged out with Richard, Irene and Lauren. It's a good thing that the 5 of us share almost the same taste in food and have the same shopping habits making it easier for us to maximize our schedule without wasting precious time. One evening, Richard and Irene were craving for something to eat at the hotel and that's were we spotted Two Two Fried Chicken , it is very similar to the Bonchon Chicken that's very popular here in Manila. However, its fried chicken comes in more flavors other than the usual soy garlic and spicy. Richard carefully brought his box of chicken back to the hotel and were even insisting that we join them as they feel that they can't consume the entire box of chicken. Paul and I dec...

Paul and I had so much fun during our trip to Seoul, South Korea ! We enjoyed our trip so much that we are actually planning for a return visit next year. This time, hopefully to see the pretty autumn leaves in Nami. I'm really crossing my fingers and toes for this. Our trip was just perfect. The cool weather, our very accessible hotel, the places that we were able to visit and a lot more. Our home away from home -- Hotel Skypark 1 was located at the heart of Myeongdong . It was a good choice given that we just relied on reviews posted in Agoda.com and luckily, what we saw up close was exactly what was mentioned in the said reviews. Our hotel was located right in front of a famous fast food chain called Lotteria making it so easy to locate and so convenient should hunger strikes. Initially, I thought Lotteria originated in South Korea but researching about it told me that this brand actually opened first in Japan by a South Korean and later on found its way back to its mo...

Every time we travel, Paul and I make it a point to mix a little bit of cultural immersion to our regular eating and shopping spree. After all, every trip should serve as a learning opportunity for us to know more about the country, its people and its colorful culture. Be it a visit to the Chiang Kai Shek Monument and witnessing the changing of guards or watching the world renowned Siam Niramit show in Bangkok, we always enjoy being able to come home to Manila with these rich experiences that will definitely stay with us a lifetime. Researching and planning for our trip to Seoul, Korea led us to the Cookin' Nanta website which is said to be Korea's Best Musical Performance since 1997! According to the website, it's a non-verbal, musical performance that has traveled the world even reaching Broadway and approximately 42 countries worldwide. Wow! Reading this has instantly convinced me that we have to watch the show! It was our chance, after all. It's a good...

Who doesn't love rice? Well..I do! Born and raised here in the Philippines, we Filipinos are known to be avid rice lovers. Personally, I enjoy rice in all forms! You name it, I love em all! Paella, risotto, garlic rice (sinangag) , congee, brown rice, Thai Bagoong Rice, sushi and my one and only love -- FRIED RICE . In Korea, we enjoyed more rice options such as the ever-popular Dolsot Bibimbap which is somewhat like Fried Rice only it's not fried, Omurice and my long-time Korean favorite, the Kimbap . After traveling to Yeouido to see a line of pretty Cherry Blossom trees (hooray for Cherry Blossom Festival in April!) , we walked around the area to search for a place to have lunch. We saw a line of small eateries, some of which are filled with locals having their lunch break. It was then that we spotted Gimgane . Uncertain on what it serves, Richard, Rowena and I entered the restaurant to check the menu out. Thank goodness they have photos of their dishes on the wall ma...

It was our first day in Seoul, Korea and quite similar to most of our past trips, it was drizzling the entire day. I really do not know if we're (The Food Club) just bad with timing or one of us have a big balat (birthmark) that attracts rain wherever we go. I wonder who it is... *ahem ahem* Anyway, in some parts of the world, they consider rain as good luck so let's just think that we will all be blessed with lots and lots of good food! *burp* After taking our much needed rest at the hotel to make up for the lack of sleep due to our red eye budget flight, we walked around Myeongdong to check the place out. Some did a little window shopping, some actually did shopped already while some of us went to search for our dinner place! We didn't have to walk far as we quickly spotted the bright signage of Yoogane that's just a few blocks away from our hotel. Creating the group's itinerary, I did a thorough research and remember putting Yoogane down on my list of re...

In every country, there is a particular district that I have grown fond of. There's Tsim Sha Tsui in Hong Kong and Raffles City in Singapore. As a result, I would tend to book hotels within these areas as I find myself most comfortable and at ease when staying in these places. Both districts are considered highly commercial areas as they are filled with lots of shops and restaurants making it so convenient for Paul and I to eat, shop and walk around at any given time of the day. After all, being in a foreign land, it's important to still feel safe to be able to fully enjoy and maximize the trip. As we got to our hotel in Korea , I immediately fell in love with Myeongdong . I love the fact that the entire place is filled with retail shops, food establishments and a lot more. There are a number of malls present such as the Lotte Young Plaza , Migliore and the huge high-end department store called Shinsegae . Just around our hotel, there are a lot of beauty shops which wer...

After arriving at Korea and making our way via the Airport Limousine Bus , we arrived at our hotel -- Hotel Skypark 1 -- located right at the heart of busy shopper's haven, Myeongdong . Since we got to the hotel a little past 10AM, we were told that our rooms were still not ready and we sadly had to go back at 2PM to check in. Not really a big problem for us as our hotel was strategically located beside retail outlets like Uniqlo, Mango, Gap, Skin Food and several food establishments like Lotteria (more on this later) , Smoothie King and a lot more. Not quite satisfied with our airport meal, we decided to head out to search for a place to have coffee and some snacks. Koreans must really love coffee as you'll see a lot of pretty coffee shops everywhere! The more popular ones being Cafe Pascucci , Starbucks Coffee , Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf and Caffe Bene .We chose Cafe Pascucci which is located a few blocks away from our hotel. Paul and I shared this cup of Strawberr...