Okawa Sushi

오가와 (おがわ) - Okawa Sushi

B1F 서울특별시 종로구 당주동 5 (새문안로5길 19)

5 Dangju-dong,

Jongno-gu, Seoul, SOUTH KOREA

google map// naver map

+822 735 1001

Lunch: 11 AM or 1 PM

Dinner: 6:00PM or 8:00PM

(Always call to reserve) 

Lunch Set: 40,000 WON 

Dinner Set: 60,000 WON 

Drinks: Beer, Sake, Soju etc. (we went for sake - which came in a big glass! I thin it was around 5,000won - 7,000won) 

This tiny place is literally 5 min walk from my house that I wish that it was cheap enough to be my 'go to sushi place' but sadly a little too price-y for me to be a regular... However, I've completely stopped eating crap sushi (whether for lunch or dinner) just so that once in a while when the occasion comes along to impress someone with lunch/dinner... I immediately take the initiative to make the booking before it gets full.

I'm sure there will are couple (not plenty) of other places in Seoul where you can find just as high quality (and maybe MAYBE even better) sushi... but definitely not a this price level! You are fed with so much sushi (good sushi that is) that you leave the restaurant not regretting a single WON you have just spent on the meal. It is truly a bargain for the quality and most of all (my favourite actually) the overall atmosphere and experience... It's just one of those few restaurants you can truly have a 'special' and 'intimate' dinner with friends or family without having to worry about whether you are wearing the right clothes, with the right people, holding your utensils correctly or not.. And most of all not be hurried to finish your food at a ridiculous rate and move to the next destination!

In other words it's simply DIVINE! 

The set lunch starts with porridge, small portion of salad and miso soup and as you watch in absolute awe (I never stop being impressed) your chef begins preparing your lunch right in front of you.

How can you NOT get excited when there's this happening?

He lays each sushi one at a time carefully explaining each dish and how it was prepared and how it should be eaten.

I always ask if I can have close-to-nothing rice as I realize many times that there is absolutely no way for me to finish the whole lunch set otherwise... (and i'd rather give up the rice to eat MORE sushi)

We also ordered glasses of sake for each of us and it was actually really nice and went well with the cold sushi. We had initially thought that it was flower petals floating on top of the sake but we quickly realised that they were dried fish fins that gave the sake the slightest fishy-flavour, which surprisingly was not ghastly or weird!

My brother was impressed :P

After what feels like an endless servings of so many different types of fish (you start loosing track of how many you ate!) Final serving of warm udon that I personally find so so delicious and wish that I had a bigger stomach to finish.... and then voila~ you are done! 

I keep on finding myself returning to this same place over and over again despite my usual habit of never settling on one restaurant.. I know whenever I go and whoever I go with.. the experience will as marvellous (if not better) than last time... and that in a fast paced and rapidly changing city like Seoul is something that should be cherished.

Paragliding in Korea

Paragliding in Danyang

PRICE: 80,000 WON (with 20% discount we got through meet-up --> Paragliding in Korea)
               +20,000 WON if you want to video the flight

PLACE: Danyang, Korea (2-3 hour drive away from Seoul - you get picked up if at sports-complex if you go with Meet-up and then it's 25,000 WON for the drive both ways. If not there's a direct bus from East Seoul Bus Terminal to Danyang at 13,000 WON per ride )



It kind of just happened really.

One day I was kinda tired and disappointed at myself for spending weekends after weekends just eating lunches and dinners with friends rather than going out and really exploring or "doing something" as I had promised my self  I would once I get to Korea.

Feeling rather blue about how dull my life had become, I was scrolling through 'meet up' suggestions when I stumbled across "Paragliding in Korea" and signed myself up +1 (just in case I could get ANYONE to tag along).

I had expected my brother to want to tag along but he said he was busy/broke that weekend... but as soon as I had asked my coworker she immediately responded with "YES - it's on my bucket list of things to get done!"

So.. off we went - luckily on the clearest day - with just enough wind to fly my ass up up up into the sky.

The meet-up group! There was a lot more people (around 13 in total I think) so we had to split the group into two so that one could go explore the cave first (photos in the end).

The view on top of the hill/mountain was gorgeous - but it did fail to impress the swiss guy... way to be a mountain snob (although the alps.. kinda does make any mountain seem puny and unimpressive..)

We got our own pilots that would fly with us and proceeded to gear up in sky-suits to brace ourselves for the chilly wind. The ridiculous number of seat belts that were attached to the suit did comfort me... as there were no way I was going to 'fall off' with these many shackles... Plus the pilot reassured me that he had been doing this for over 15 years and he's still alive! Yay!

All ready to go! 

 

It was FANTASTIC!  Unlike Bungee jumping or sky-diving, which were filled with such adrenaline pumping and heart stopping adrenaline ride... This was just so calm and soothing flying through the air as if I was literally a bird. The view as well as the cold wind were so liberating and refreshing.... it really made me understand how some people are so obsessed with the notion of flying. It is truly an experience that you don't forget...

We were lucky enough to have a long ride of around 15 min. I've been told it really depends on the wind and on the day. The pilot also did some crazy swirls and what he called "vikings" towards the end that made me kind of dizzy but also dying of laughing out of sheer childish joy! Was GREAT! :D

As part of our trip we also did get to go explore a cave called Gosu Cave (고수 동굴) which was nearby. I had never been inside a cave like this one... and although some parts of it was rather 'gothic' an freaky looking, it was definitely an interesting walk inside (plus only 4,000 WON entrance).
If you do end up going to Danyang for paragliding it's definitely worth the quick trip into the cave (although it does get rather humid/hot in there!) 

 I'm not quite sure how i'm going to top paragliding in the near future... but i'm sure i'll find something as interesting if not entirely different to paragliding to 'sparkle' my seemingly 'mundane' life as a 20 something year old working in Korea.

:)

Buddhist Temple Food in Sanchon, Insadong!

산촌 - Sanchon

서울특별시 종로구 관훈동 14

14 Gwanhun-dong,

Jongno-gu, Seoul, SOUTH KOREA

google map// naver map

www.sanchon.com

Open from 11:30am - 10:00PM

Lunch Set: 33,000 won 

After my computer breaking down twice in a row... I fell behind in posting photos for things I've done in Seoul, that and life was rather hectic for a while. Although now that I have my mac back, I should dig through the photos and post the ones that did matter (like paragliding and my very first lunar new year in Seoul!).

Anyhow, last weekend I met up with my friend in Seoul to go try "Buddhist Temple Food" after listening to him moan about lack of vegetarian/healthy food options in Seoul. The restaurant is hidden within the maze that is Insadong... so I highly recommend making sure where it is before visiting.

They have fixed lunch sets and dinner sets. It is definitely not cheap but the whole atmosphere and the food is worth it for a special occasion. I think the dinner set was around 60,000 - 70,000 won and the dinner set includes a traditional dance performance (free of charge).

 I wish the lighting had been better so that I can take better photos (I really need to get a move on to buy a camera...) but you can at least get a glimpse of these lovely lotus shaped lanterns and the simple wooden furnitures. The best part (that you can't see through the photos) are the heated floors! They are simply divine.... who would've thought having warm butt whilst eating could be such a delight :)

Unlike other restaurants in Seoul, the ambiance is really relaxed here and the food/service is slow so if you are in need of a quick lunch this is DEFINITELY not the place. I on the other hand, enjoyed the lack of attention given to us, and the slow paced serving that helped us digest the enormous amount of food that was coming.

 Always start light with a cup of tea ;)

Then came the entrée of non-translatable food.. (note: the english translation of Korean food leaves most of the people more confused and slightly disturbed to try them...) Lots of it were Korean roots, vegetables and a bowl of sweet pumpkin porridge.

 Then came the Korean Pancakes and what I think was dduk (korean rice cake), which was rather tasty but a little oil for my liking.

After our pancakes we were already starting to feel quite full... when we were told that now our "main meal" will be served. To our delight/horror, our server began to lay out literally 20 or so dishes filling the tables completely with food... as if we were just "starting" our lunch. 

None of the dishes themselves specially 'stand out' or is 'extra-ordinary'. But I guess that is besides the point of Buddhist Temple food. All the food in their simplicity and 'humbleness' came together to form a great representation of what Korean food is about. Aside from the bold flavours that seem to dominate the korean food and culture, there is also an alternate side to Korean food that should also be embraced and remembered!

Overall, it was a delight spending 2 hours or so slowly making our way through Korean Buddhist Temple food. It's definitely a place to take someone new to the country to let them sample some of the less famous Korean food that are traditionally eaten at home. All the while getting enough peace and quiet to finally have a long chat without disruptions in this busy busy busy city. 

 After finishing our meal, we were so stuffed that we could barely keep our eyes open... talk about a food coma. ... so as a last minute plan to at least attempt to keep our figures -we decided to take advantage of the first blue sky in weeks and take a walk up to the Namsan Tower!

What a city eh?