Sugar Daddy

Sugar Daddy is behind McDonald's in Itaewon.  Several choices of cupcakes and cheesecake.  Very nice.

Cute decor.

Chocolate chip mint cheesecake.  Delicious!  Like mint chocolate chip ice cream in cake form. 

Red velvet cupcake and lemon cupcake.

Carrot cupcake and chocolate mint cupcake.

The Glamping

What used to be Pataya, a Thai restaurant is now The Glamping, a bbq restaurant in a style that seems to be getting more popular these days. Korean bbq is generally sitting around a table with the grill sunken in the middle.  Glamping or glam-camping has become a trendy thing these days. Why not combine the two? Not much different from normal Korean style bbq.

Odd that they didn't actually change anything from when it was Pataya.  The giant Pataya sign is still on top of the building and there is even a little sign on the pillar inside that still says "That Cuisine".

once upon a milkshake

Went for a milkshake today near Noksapyeong station. The place has been there for a long time (relative to a lot of the other places in the area) but I've never gone in.  

It is very purple.  

Tried the maple milkshake, thick.  Was nice and smooth and very tasty. The writing on the wall:

Will definitely go again on a warm day, so long as there are no but lineups. The area is becoming known for its long lineups for restaurants and cafes and such. 

Once upon a milkshake is a company from Singapore with branches in a few other countries. 

http://www.onceuponamilkshake.com

Jebena

A Jebena is the traditional Ethiopian clay coffee pot.  It is also the name of an Ethiopian coffee shop in Hyehwa, Seoul.

 

The entrance on the 5th floor.

Displays along the entryway.

The interior is all Ethiopian.  It is a bit of a museum.  

Basket.

Traditional Ethiopian stringed instrument.

Solid wood chest.  They keep some of the tools for the coffee in there. 

You can order the usual coffee drinks or experience a traditional coffee ceremony with the full three rounds.  

Container.

Very cool wooden table.

Very cool wooden stool.

Chairs?  They use them for people to put their bags on at the tables, if needed.

Looking towards the entrance.

The interior.

Another view.

Roasting the coffee beans.

Close up.

They're ready.

They ground the beans at the counter.

It's brewing.

Add sugar and stir.

A perfect little cup of coffee. 

Frankincense incense.

It is definitely worth seeing if you haven't before. 

Mmmm.  Coffee.

Chatting with the owner.

Will definitely go again.

To get there go out exit 1, Hyehwa station.  About 50 m or so it'll be on your right.  It is on the 5th floor of the City Valley Building, above Bennigan's.

Short!

These guys are across from the art museum behind Deoksugung, a palace across from Seoul's City Hall.  They amuse me.

An interesting illusion.

This plaque sits next to them, telling about the little vertically challenged family.

Four Legs

Early last week the sun was shining and the air was warm.  Walking down the hill from work on my way to the subway train I rescued a pretty little butterfly from the road.

 "Spring!"  I thought.  It was an odd little butterfly.  I noticed it had a good grip on my finger.  Then I noticed it was gripping with only four legs.  I looked and sure enough that was all it had.  Not even stubs or scars where the other two legs should have been.  Odd.  A mutant butterfly.  

Maybe it's from all of the acid snow and pollution? It didn't form properly in its cocoon over the winter.

I walked a ways down with it clinging to my finger then put it into a small patch of plants off the road.

Fall Changes

Autumn

I already miss autumn in Korea.  It came and was gone as quickly as it came, with winter jumping right in to take over.

A much slowed down cave cricket looking for some warmth.

I absolutely love the persimmon trees in the fall.  Seeing them makes me happy.  :)

Halloween treat bag.

This is my example for Halloween treat bags that I will make with my first grade class.  I figured since we will make pumpkin lanterns later it would be good to have them decorate their bags with something else, like a cute ghost.  :)

It's very simple: a paper lunch bag, white and black construction paper, crayons, and glue. 

 

I got the idea for the face from a craft I did with kindergarten students a couple of years ago.  

The site that I originally got that craft from, I cannot find.  I did find the same one here.

Cafe Bene

After work today I went with a friend to Cafe Bene near Sungshin University subway station to chat while she killed time before making an appointment.  

It's not a bad coffee shop but they don't have low fat or mom fat milk and they don't have as many options as some of the other chain coffee shops.  And, they aren't really any cheaper, either.  I do really like the painted wall at the one end.  

Their outside balcony is a nice size but its on a really busy street right in front of a very noisy bus stop complete with wafts of exhaust from the multitude of buses and cars.