Day 7: Hearty Breakfast at Holly Coffee

Raindrops greeted us on our last day in Seoul. The weather turned more chilly. A hearty breakfast at Holly Coffee helped kick start our day. :)

We selected our breakfast from Holly Coffee's "Fall in Brunch" menu. :)

Croque Monsieur - ham, eggs, cheese, herbs. Simple good-o sandwich anytime. :)

Mushroom soup bowl. Thick & creamy. :)

Coffee, tea & ice chococlate

There's an al fresco area at this Holly Coffee outlet,

but we opted to sit indoor away from the rain. :)

Slight drizzle, fresh coffee, romantic space...

Details of Holly Coffee:

W: http://www.hollys.co.kr/menu/menu_01.asp

Day 6: Time for Bed at Courtyard Seoul Times Square

We were ready to head "home" after a satisfying shopping spree at E-Mart. :) Beanie was especially happy to move into a "modern hotel with modern facilities". :))) Courtyard Seoul Times Square is located in the Yeongdeungpo district and part of the Times Square multi-complex.

Anyway, here're some pics of our room. :)

Nite nite...

Details of Courtyard Seoul Times Square:
442 Yeongdeungpo-dong 4-ga
Yeongdeungpo-gu
Seoul, 150-798 South Korea
W: http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/selcy-courtyard-seoul-times-square/

Day 6: Late Nite Shopping at E-Mart (이마트)

We shoppped off our duckie dinner at E-Mart, Times Squares. It opens 24 hours and it's just next to Courtyard Marriott where we were staying. Late nite shopping is such a great idea! We need not jostle with the day crowd. ;)

E-Mart has fantastic product offering. It ranges from food to drinks, to household to electronics, to sports to beauty, to apparel to lifestyle & pets.

Lin & I heart this bright and cheery section of E-Mart. :D We actually went about this section thrice to ensure we didn't miss out on anything to buy??? :))) Self control was required...and in the end we only bought a clock from here, Koka's top from another section and 12 LG Bamboo Salt toothpastes (they are effective in speeding up the recovery from ulcer). :)

E-Mart's custy are spoilt for choice. The hypermart offers variety for many stuff including table cloths & DIY wallpapers.

Tina & Beanie bought so much. But Tina won hands down. She had to pack her purchase in carton boxes! :)))

Need us say more? Welcome to late nite shopping at E-Mart! :)

Details of E-Mart:
Seoul-si Yeongdeungpo-gu
Yeongdeungpo 4-ga 441-10
B2-B1F Times Square

Operating hours: 24 hours except Sunday (closes at midnight)

Direction to E-Mart:
Take the subway to Yeongdeungpo station (Line 1)

Day 6: Yuhwang-ori-jinheuk-gui at Nolboo Duck Restaurant

For our Sat dinner, we went in search of  Nolboo Duck Restaurant, famed for its Yuhwang-ori-jinheuk-gui (duck grilled in mud bowl). We took the subway to Express Bus Terminal station, exited at Exit 2, walked up a stairs leading to a carpark and took the travelator till we see Nolboo's icon, a smiley old man. :) I'm sure there's an easier way to get there...just take the cab!

Reservation is advisable as the place is always packed.

Here comes our duckie! :)

Yuhwang-ori-jinheuk-gui is duck that is slow-roasted in a mud/earthenware bowl with 23 other carefully selected ingredients for 3 hours. Each duck serves 3 pax and we had to ordered two ducks (which was too much btw).

The special sauce used for the duck was delectable. Beanie asked for more... :)

The kelp soup was tasty & comforting as well. I could just eat plain steamed rice with it! :)

The waitress wanted to serve us noodles as our dinner finale, but we declined as we were too stuffed. I didn't even touch the sides! :O

To better appreciate Yuhwang-ori-jinheuk-gui, we should go with empty stomaches! ;)

Details of Nolbook Duck Restaurant:

Direction to Nolboo Duck Restaurant:

Option 1 - Take the cab

Option 2
Take the subway to Express Bus Terminal station (Line 3), exit at Exit 2
Walk up a stairs leading to a carpark, take the travelator till you see Nolboo's icon, a smiley old man at the end of the first section of the travelator, and climb up a flight of stairs. The entrance to the restaurant would be on your right.

Seoul-siSeocho-gu Banpo-dong 118-3

T: +82 2 592 5292

Day 6: Hongdae Free Market

Well rested & ready to check out the Hongdae Free Market. Hongdae Free Market is an open-air arts & crafts market and as the name suggests, it's located in Hongdae. Hongdae has countless bars, nightclubs, restaurants, boutiques and as such attracts the local young adults. 

The Hongdae Free Market takes place every Sat from 1-6pm and it's held on the playground, close to Hongik University.

The place is filled with young artists, artisans & talents. It's possible to have your portrait done here in less than 5 mins. ;)

There are other types of portraits drawings to choose from as well. Duration varies. :)

The free market is good place to acquire unique handmade gifts. Local artisans produce pretty & practical products such as accessories, bags, pouches, stationeries, apparel and the list goes on. :)

A sweet vocal drew crowd to the afternoon stage. :) Live performances are always welcome! :)  It enlivened the area, making our Sat afternoon at Hongdae Free Market a pleasant one. 

Direction to Hongdae Free Market:

Take the subway to Hongik University station (Line 2) and exit at Exit 9

Day 6: Afternoon Tea at Hello Kitty Cafe

After checking out from Rakkojae & checking into Courtyard Marriott, we headed to Hongdae. What was supposed to be a 10-15 mins subway ride to reach Hongik University station turned out to be 45 mins because we were extremely confused by the train transfer at Sindorim. : O We were exhaused by the whole process as we boarded & alighted from the train, climbed up & down the stairs to get to the right platform etc.

Hence before we could explore Hongdae proper, we rested at Hello Kitty Cafe. :) Oh my, this cafe is really pink! *.*

The cafe was pretty packed with Hello Kitty lovers. :) We did see some guys accompanying their gfs. So at least Beanie wasn't that out of place! :)))

Lin ordered a Hello Kitty chocolate cake for us to take some pics. Cute eh? And they tasted rather good. Don't expect fine patisserie standard though. ^.*

The coffee & ice chocs had Hello Kitty face shavings on their froth too. :) Intsant pick-me-up.

And here's us with our afternoon treats. :)

Direction to Hello Kitty Cafe:
Take the subway to Hongik University Station (Line 2) and exit at Exit 9

Day 6: Ginseng Chicken Lunch at Tosokchon - 土俗村參雞湯 (토속촌삼계탕)

Do you like ginseng chicken? If you do, you need to try the one from Tosokchon. :) That's where we had ours today. :)

A minor accident happened while we were there. I dropped my camera while removing my boots and as a result, the manual function of the lens was spoilt. :~~(  So not much pics were taken of the restaurant.  I would have enjoyed my meal better if not because of the boo boo...

Unlike other restaurants which serves kimchi & preserved pickles in dishes, we were given a pot of each and to take as much as we wanted. We didn't take much though...

We wanna save our tummies for ginseng chicken! :) This is superb for a chilly day. ^.*

Ginseng chicken is a one pot dish. There's so much goodness stuffed in the chicken's tummy. See the ginseng?

Details of Tosokchon Ginseng Chicken Soup:

85-1 Chebu-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea

T: +82 2 737 7444

Direction:

Take the subway to Gyeongbokgung (Line 3)

Exit 2

Walk straight towards Hyoja-dong direction until you see GS25, turn left