HOT HOT SUMMER!

I feel the heat of Summer! Hot Hot Summer! The Summer just reaches the peak in Korea. But other than that, nowadays, almost every day rain pouring down in this country. The weather is so humid and hot, but I try to keep enjoying my weekend.

The Hanok Village is one of the best Korean cultures I have ever experienced. I always feel peaceful every time I traveled to Hanok Village. The old house construction and the interior always mesmerizing me because it's feeling like home sweet home, sometimes I want to try to live in Hanok House for some time being. I hope someday that can happen.

So, I went to one of the Hanok Village areas at Ikseondong Area / 익선동. It was my first time to go there and as soon as I arrived, I fall in love with this area. But first, of course, I need to fill my stomach with lunch, so I picked a traditional Korean food restaurant called Banjoo / 익선반주.

Once I arrived there, the old-rusty look main door typical of Hanok House characteristics welcomed me and friends. When I came inside of the restaurant, the interior and the building were very traditional and unique. All made of wood with the unique ceiling decorated with drapery cloth. The lamp is made by the old hat of Korean Traditional Clothes parts. It was felt peaceful then vintage and rusty theme of the interior made me feel like calm and comfy.

Another thing I like from this restaurant was The table setting. They arrange the table beautifully with deep turquoise napkin and I love the way they picked the platter and the table accessories.

Okay, so time to order the food! We ordered 영양 부추 해물 지짐이 / Chives Pancake from Yeongyan-gun, 돈 수육과 속초식 명태초무침 / Steam Pork and Sour Pollock Style at Sok-cho, and 상치살 구이 덮밥 정식 / Chuck Flap tail Steak with Rice.

First, as the characteristic of Korean Food, they always serve varieties of Side dish / 반찬 (read: Banchan). And that time, served with beautiful platter setting, they gave us 달걀찜 / Steamed Eggs, 무김치 / Radish Kimchi, 감자조림 / Soy Sauce Braised Potato, 오징어젓갈 / Salted and Fermented Squid. And for your information, all side dishes were free (Korean always serve Side dish free and you can ask more whatever you want to!).

영양 부추 해물 지짐이 / Chives Pancake from Yeongyan-gun was the first food to be served. The beautiful platter, keeping me with trying to arrange the best set of pictures. But my stomach was growling hungrily and when I ate that, it was perfect Chives Pancake I ever had. The ingredients inside were Chives and Seafood, they blend well with well cooked of the pancake. Chives Pancake has been always one of my favorite Korean dishes, and this dish made me more sure Chives Pancake is the one of the best!

Price: 15,000₩

The second one was 돈 수육과 속초식 명태초무침 / Steam Pork and Sour Pollock Style at Sok-cho! I love Steam Pork, always been my favorite. The Pork meat was soft, tender, and watering. They apparently steam the meat with perfect right time and heat. It was great because they served that with Sour Pollock made every taste there perfectly blending each other. Loved this!

Price: 20,000₩

The last but not least, 상치살 구이 덮밥 정식 / Chuck Flap tail Steak with Rice. Another one which has become my favorite, the tender meat and fresh vegetables were melted into my mouth made me fall in love with this dish! Definitely worth a try.

Price: 12,000₩

How to get there:

Banjoo / 익선반주

31, Donhwamun-ro 11da-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea 03133 / 서울특별시 종로구 돈화문로11다길 31

Phone: 02-529-3979

Working hours: Everyday 11.00 - 22.30KST. Last order 21.30KST

Seoul Subway Line 1, 3, 5 to Jongno 3-ga (종로3가역) exit 6.

Overall, I loved the Banjoo Restaurant! The beautiful and vintage look interior plus the foods were great as well. But I really want to warn you about the speed of food serving, I understand because this restaurant always packed with customers. So, if you come with hungry stomach you better prepare yourself to wait like forever until your order coming. But, I think despite that, it was great Korean Restaurant!

I wish the heat of summer and the humidity from the rainy season not going to take you down. Not with the flu or hard time because you need to work in the outdoor area. Keep your spirit on, get to enough eat & sleep, and drink a lot of water! Have a nice day everyone!

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The Other Side of The Dark Clouds

This week I'm pretty beat up with all my activities and works. It's a kind feeling you are floating in the sky and your foot cannot step on the ground, confused and don't know what to do. But no matter what happens, life needs to keep flowing away while hoping the cloudy days who's always following me nowadays give up and my bright day will become.

Arrived at Seoul Area, I went to an infamous outdoor restaurant around Gangnam Area called Jardin Perdu. Jardin Perdu is the outdoor and indoor restaurant with the classic-elegant and romantic restaurant. Usually, people go to this restaurant for a blind date or a date with someone special. The ambience of the restaurant really romantic and quiet enough for dating, the outdoor area was very beautiful, but the weather quite windy that day so I decided to enjoy the indoor area.

From the indoor area, there is my favorite decoration which is the hanging peach clouds. It's really pretty and makes me hope my dark cloud will become that beautiful peachy cloud.

Okay then, let's order the food! I went to this restaurant with my 2 close friends, but we were really hungry, so we ordered 5 menus, which are Onion Soup, Salmon Salad, Seafood Tomato pasta, Beef Cream Pasta, Acciughe Risotto.

And for the opening, they served pieces of bread. Let's Enjoy!

First, we started with the Onion Soup, the plating of this soup quite unique and the taste was good. They place the bread in the top of the soup together with slices of Parsley. The taste was good, not really salty, but the taste of Onion not really strong, so it's not destroying the overall of soup taste.

Price: 13,000₩

Another starter was Gravlax di Salmone (Salmon Salad). Salmon has been always my favorite so I really enjoyed this salad. Besides the fresh salmon this salad completed with Arugula, Caper, and Tomato. The fresh salmon was dancing merrily in my mouth, make me keep eating this salad.

Price: 17,000₩

Mare Spaghetti (Seafood Tomato Pasta) was great! It was made mouth watering with the fresh tomato pasta sauce and perfectly cooked spaghetti noodles. It was blended well and tasty. Unfortunately, I have an allergy to scallop, but my friends said it was good. I think I would like to recommend this Pasta if you come to Jardin Perdu.

Price: 19,000₩

Gorgonzola Pappardelle (Beef Cream Pasta) was the best of the 5 foods I ordered! Usually, when I go to a restaurant I would like to spend sometimes to read a restaurant review. And the Gorgonzola Pappardelle has a lot of positive reviews, so I ordered that. When I tasted that the reviews aren't lying. It was good, the pasta sauce was great and they served the pasta with big pasta noodle which made this pasta more special. I personally like the texture of pasta noodles and not forget to mention the Beef Meat, it was tasty and tender. 5 stars for this pasta.

Price: 21,000₩

The Acciughe Risotto is Risotto made by Anchovy for the taste. Overall, the Risotto has really tasted "Anchovy" and I feel like eating an Anchovy porridge. Personally, it wasn't my favorite, but if you are fans of the Anchovy maybe this risotto can be great to order.

Price: 17,000₩

How to get there:

Jardin Perdu / 자르뎅페르뒤

541, Eonju-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea (F&F Building 1st Floor) 06138 / 서울특별시 강남구 언주로 541 F&F 빌딩 1F

Telp: 02-520-0900 (Dinner reservation only)

Working Hours: Monday to Friday: Lunch 11:30-14:00KST, Cafe 14:00-17:00KST, Dinner 18:00-24:00KST. Saturday: Dinner 18:00-24:00KST.

Website: http://www.jardinperdu.com/

Seoul Subway Line 2 to Yeoksam Station (역삼역) exit 7 (NOTE: because of the restaurant quite far from the station by walk-around 15 mins, you better take a taxi to get there).

Overall, I really fall in love with the interior of the restaurant, the food was good but the price quite expensive. Yet, if you want to spend special time with the special person this restaurant is worth to try! And a little bit advice, you better make reservations before because sometimes the restaurant always packed with customers.

The dark clouds I have I wished I can kick that cloud away as soon as possible. I'm quite exhausted and sometimes feeling like everything was too much. But I always make a swear to myself to not give up when everything not happened as I want. I just believe, I surrounded by people who will be always loved me and never leave me alone. I'm pretty sure on the other side of the dark clouds is a bright blue sky. So I will be hanging here, keep trying and praying until the bright blue sky come. I hope you all do the same anytime the clouds pay a visit to your life, DO NOT EVER GIVE UP!

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