Hotel Nafore (Seoul)

Hotel Nafore was one of the cheaper hotels that we saw with a pretty good location and did not look too cramped. 

1) Location 

Finding this hotel was a slight nightmare for me. The taxi driver dropped us off at some random building and while after walking around for some time, we could see the hotel but could not figure which alleys to take to reach the hotel. Do yourself a favour and download the directions from their webpage and/or the instructions given. 

Other than the fact that I reached the hotel with a fever which contributed to my irritation of finding out that cars cannot drop passengers off in front of the hotel (and that you have to navigate alleys to reach the hotel), the location of the hotel was good. It was a 5 -7 min walk away from Jongo 3(sam)-ga Station and a 10 min walk from Euljiro 3(sam)-ga Station, both of which connect to 2 lines each (Line Nos. 1, 2, 3 and 5). It's pretty much in the city so you can easily reach the attractions (e.g. you can walk to Myeongdong in around 20 minutes). It is also one minute away from Cheonggyecheon, a stream that looks particularly beautiful at night. 

2) Room

I thought that the room was slightly small but recalled that the floor area of similar hotels in Seoul was smaller. The room was clean and they had international channels available on TV. The beds and pillows were also comfortable.

The toilet was fine, nothing too fancy.

3) Amenities 

This is basically a no frills hotel with limited facilities. They have a simple rooftop garden. There is a restaurant and cafe but we didn't try the food there.

The staff are courteous.

Overall, if you are looking for somewhere which offers good value in Seoul and is not too small, with a good location, Hotel Nafore is a good choice.

Hotel Nafore 
17 Supyo-ro
18 ga-gil, Jongo-Gu
Seoul 

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Wangbijib Restaurant (Seoul)

When I was young, I used to play a computer game where I would barbecue meat and try not to char it. It was a game that I could play, day in day out. I probably enjoyed playing the game because in my era, a lot of my friends enjoyed Seoul Garden and playing the game was probably a substitute for not eating it often. 

Wangbijib is like a well-oiled korean BBQ factory where everything is done efficiently. Their staff can also speak many languages. 

Although we were looking forward to a BBQ experience, we didn't do the barbecuing by ourselves in the end (not necessarily a bad thing) because the set we wanted was grilled before it was served.

I could eat all these Korean appetisers forever. The Grilled Pork (13,000 won per person) was sweet, well marinated and juicy. I am not sure whether it was because it tastes so good because I'm in Seoul, or whether, well because it's really that good! It also comes with rice, noodles and a soup and we were so full by the end of the meal.

Despite the rushed affair here, service was surprisingly decent. For that amount of food we are eating, I would pay this amount any time.

When we left the restaurant at around 7 p.m., there was already a long queue. Do yourself a favour by going earlier so that you can use the time to shop / sight see instead of being in the queue!

Wangbijib Restaurant
26 Meyonedong 8ga-gil
Jung-gu, Seoul

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School Food (Seoul)

One cold night, we decided to venture out to the places nearby. Too many places were ruled out as we couldn't understand anything in the menu (with no pictures).

Suddenly, the words "School Food" jumped out at us and we decided, yes, if the name of the restaurant is in English, there should be something that we would be able to understand in there. 

We settled down comfortably and realised that with the exception of the words "School Food", everything in the menu was Korean. 

Pointing, we asked the waitress what ingredients were there in the dish below. Looking helpless, she got another colleague to help and the only word we understood was "spam". In the end, we decided we would just go with the 스페셜마리2. So one of them was clearly spam, the other was fish and the last one was squid. They all had a crunchy piece of pickle in it. I would think that if I were a secondary school student, this place would be one of my favourite hangouts- simple, large portions and good for sharing.

Since we haven't got our dose of Topokki yet, we decided to get the 쟁반국물떡볶이 which was essentially rice cake in soup. The first bite was mild but the spice started to build up. The rice cakes were chewy and what was interesting was the vermicelli encased in flour then deep fried.

Both of us were very full by the time we finished eating. Friendly service here and pictures to aid you in choosing, if you do not know how to speak Korean. Average fare but good enough for the price we are paying.

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73 Naesu-dong, Jongno-gu (Seoul)

Once upon a time, when we were poor students and didn't have much money to spend on accommodation, we looked at all the hostel websites for the best deals. Now that we are working and still don't want to spend so much money on accommodation, we resort to airbnb. And our experience has been pretty good so far. 

Click here for the link to this listing on Airbnb. $85 a night. 

(1) Location 

10 minutes away from Gyeongbokgung. 5 minutes away from Gyeongbokgung station. 1 hour away from Incheon Airport (where there is a bus that will drop you 5 minutes away from the apartment- 10,000.00 won) Around 7 minutes away to the famous Tosokchon. 7-11 right next door. Down the road, there is a bakery. Lots of food options along the street. Venture 5-8 minutes away and you have even more food options. Located in a business district. 

Here's a map of the subway. 

To get to the popular areas like Myeongdong, you need to change train and the journey is around 15-20 minutes. Around half an hour to Seoul Station (that's where Lotte Mart is- the place where people stock their trolleys with mountains of food.)

(2) Room 

The thing I like about apartments listed on Airbnbs is that these are places where actual people live. There are things in the room which are deemed unnecessary or unsightly in hotels, but which will appear in our everyday lives by virtue of their functionality. For example, a rack to dry our clothes. 

Cooking area and a washing machine are available as well. Fast and free internet access. No worries if you are coming in winter because the floor is heated. No worries if you are coming in summer because there is air con.

The toilet is clean and your basic bathing needs provided for. No trashy hotel-brand shampoo and conditioner that makes your hair entangle.

(3) Host 
We didn't get to meet the host but he was very prompt in responding to any queries. Prior to your arrival, he would also send you an online guide on how to use certain equipment in the house, how to get from the airport to his place etc.

(4) Conclusion 
We liked everything about this place (save that there was no television for the tv addict in me). Location wise, it is in a safe and peaceful area, though pretty far from the action in town. Value for money! 

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Tosokchon

We came to the unanimous decision that this was the best meal we had in Seoul. Don't be mistaken though, we found every meal in Seoul great, just that this was the best. 

Don't be intimidated by the queues because this place works like a well-oiled machine. The turnover of the diners is high and we got a seat within 15 minutes of queuing. 

The compound here is pretty big. Servers can also speak Korea, English and Mandarin although it's not even necessary to speak because all you need is a finger to point at the picture.

We ordered the most basic on the menu which was the Samgyetang (W15,000). Before digging into the ginseng chicken soup, we happily feasted on the addictive kimchi, which in my mind tasted superior to any of the kimchi I've had in Singapore.

A few sips of the chicken broth will steal your heart. Intense yet light on the palate. Once you tear the tender chicken apart, the strong ginseng flavours will seep into the soup. Enveloped in the free range chicken are glutinous rice, a huge piece of ginseng, chestnut, red dates etc. Essentially, this is what you call a nourishing meal and best enjoyed in cold weather.

This should definitely be included in your itinerary to Seoul!

Tosokchon 
5 Jahamun-ro 5-gil
Jonno-gu
Seoul 

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