dining in seoul

so these are what i enjoyed most in seoul…

galbisal

good beef cooked straight from the hot coals…

these are really hot...

this meal was with office mates in a really nice restaurant — hindi ko kasi mabasa ang signage kaya “that korean restaurant” nalang

i spent one night dining with friends from previous work as well (like the last time), and i requested we go to the same place we were then. i think this restaurant is pretty famous because they are often full of people and bursting with energy.

we had pork belly cooked in a hot grill – they call this samgyeopsal…

hot plate is tilted para ma-drain ang oil...

pork is cooked depending on how you like it, then they are cut into small manageable pieces… then, you wrap them in fresh lettuce with onion, you add bean paste, garlic and other vegetables they serve you. sarap! then you eat with rice too

chili coleslaw

pickled radish

lettuce and chili served generously

bean paste, chili sauce and garlic...

malapit na maluto...

and of course tofu and kimchi!

yup yup… they serve a lot of side dishes as you can see. sabi ng co-league ko who is korean, because they know too much meat is not good for the body so they tend to eat a lot of vegetables too, to balance them out. nice… kaya pala ang papayat ng mga girls dun.

one thing i really, really love about seoul is the food and how locals dine. very down to earth (so ang ka-artehan ko, tinabi ko muna) – shoes off… you cook your own food… you use your bare hands…

our table

the way to eat in seoul

food are served in common plates for everyone to share… you dine sitting on the floor and you stoop as you eat because the tables are too low. a good way to enjoy a fine meal

coming soon : a visit in a traditional korean village

seoul this time around

the visit to seoul this time ay due to work pa rin (hehehe… 2way ticket na economy pa lang costs $750  kasi), same as the last time. my 2009 trip was scheduled dapat for the first week of december this year so i can experience seoul’s winter season again. i enjoyed it the last time and wanted to experience a cold weather again sana. but since the office is paying for my trip — work is the priority and not my personal preference (naks! sana nabasa ng mga boss ko).

 

i took the same bus from the airport to the city… stayed at the same hotel… got the same view from my hotel room (sa likod na naman)… had dinner at the 2 favorite restaurants i ate from last time … shopped at the same 24hour shopping mall i went to the last time … and spent time with the same friends as i did last year

view from rm 1540

that korean restaurant

sale at doota!

but seoul is different at this time of the year…

beautiful blooms... lovely kids

it’s summer there!  it was hot and humid… ang daming flowers! fashion is cool – a lot of girls in shorts and short skirts. most stores are on sale! although it rained the first 2 days i was there, the sun came out the 3rd day, people loved the heat… they went out and enjoyed the heat (umitim nga ako eh) before autumn and winter comes along. people just have smiles in their faces especially the kids…

this one made me smile too

coming up : dining in seoul

snap shots from puerto princesa, palawan

here’s the last installment for the palawan post series…

snorkling site

peacock at baker's hill

taken at butterfly farm

taken from badjao restaurant

iwahig prison

souvenirs

beautiful palawan - aerial view

do visit puerto princesa soon.

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nice thing yesterday (kasi i just woke up and pasimula palang ang araw ko today…) : dinner at dampa (near mall of asia) last night with officemates. our treat to our admin assistants

only 11 people shared this much food...

zero fat… zero guilt

nice thing today : california berry frozen yogurt. guiltless pleasure.

with kiwi, mango and strawberry

and even better… this is shared with friends…

yummy!

sydney snapshots

 

would you believe this is the back area of the street shops along sussex? and this was taken from the gf elevator lobby of four points by sheraton hotel where i stayed…

love the bricks wall

on a sunny day… sydney’s skies were truly blue and so as the water…

sailing...

here is where the earth hour started…

live green

train station billboard : drinking sprite won’t make you look cool, but it will cool you down…

cool!

we had dinner at sydney cafe. i was really excited to have steak and i did! the cafe was equally chic… there was a really cool waiting area… too bad it was raining when we went to dinner. so the view was gloomy and gray…

the city down under... as in down there under the floor )

waiting... happily

the food i only enjoy if i am dining with friends… thursday during our series of meetings in the city, we had lunch. quickly. but it was a nice experience

one of the best pizza i've had

 

thank you...

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nice thing today : meeting a virtual friend in person )

starbucks on going green

kanina sa starbucks while waiting sa order ko and counting kung ilang calories na naman kaya ito at kaya ko bang i burn yun by walking from there to the office building… i saw this signage by the condiments bar…

A world of good is less than a handful…

———————-

Please be mindful of the amount of paper napkins you use to help us reduce our carbon footprint.

sana madami pang stores ang maglagay ng ganitong reminders para madagdagan ang awareness ng mga tao… gaya ko… minsan kasi kahit alam ko na.. nalilimutan ko pa rin…

naalala ko tuloy ang notice na ito na nakuha ko before the earth day noong lang april 22. sana they offer more discounts everytime you use your thumbler to buy coffee. para madami ng mag re-use at makatulong din sa waste reduction at paper cups usage reduction.

 

One tumbler used in place of One disposable cup can help reduce millions in paper and plastic consumption.

For joining us in this cause, we’ll take P40 off the price of your beverage when you use your thumbler…

sana din maalala ko na bitbitin ang tumbler ko everytime bibili ako sa starbucks (hay… memory gap).

mango

did you know that the top fashion retailer – mango’s president Isak Andic was in one of our islands dito sa pilipinas enjoying our sweet mangoes when he decided to name his fashion brand, ano pa edi… mango? well, kung alam nyo na to, ako lately ko lang nalaman. i read this in the august issue of singapore’s female magazine noong isang buwan.

singapore 's female magazine - august 2008 issue

kasi daw the mango is a cute name, madaling i-pronounce. and pronounced the same way in any part of the world…. mmmm e sa atin ang tawag dito mangga. diba?

image from www.kikayexchange.ph

alam nyo na ba ang alamat ng mangga? ang alam kong kwento e meron magsing-irog nong unang panahon, ang babae e haciendera o mala-prinsesa at ang lalaki naman, ah… tama ka… hindi kasing social status ng babae. mala-romeo and juliet ang mahaba nilang kwento, kaya nung hindi na nila mapigil and silakbo ng damdamin, nag-tanan sila. nagkaroon ng habulan ng mga tauhan ng tatay ng babae at nang sibatin (bow and arrow ito, diba?) nila ang lalaki e yung babae ang tinamaan. so, yung lalaki nag-suicide din (true love!). namatay daw silang mahipit ang akapan sa ilalim ng isang punong merong malagong dahon na pahaba. hindi daw ito talaga nagbubunga ngunit matapos ang pangyayaring ito, meron umusbong na bunga na hugis ng puso ng tao na masarap at matamis (minsan). sweet no? hehehe…

image galing sa www.pcarrd.dost.gov.ph

the end ng alamat…

salamat sa cookies

i have been meaning to post this and thank a good friend who gave these really delicious cookies from japan. they are actually sweet waffles in flat circles with nuts toppings.

thank you!!!

hindi ko alam ang brand kasi hindi ko rin mabasa - ito ang box nya

para crisp and brittle pa din na meron sila individual wrappers... mmmm 2pcs per pack ata.