Sihwa Kim

세련되고 고급스러움으로 무장한 것보다 훨씬 묘한 매력을 흘리는 한옥 바들. 그곳의 밤에는 친근하면서도 신비한 매력이 있다. 단아한 단청과 기와 아래 반들반들 윤이 나는 서까래와 대들보. 내놓는 칵테일과 전통주, 맥주 셀렉션에도 그만큼의 연륜이 느껴진다. 밤이 되면, 세월을 통해 다듬어졌을 그들의 근육의 결 하나 하나가 궁금하다.

미술관 옆 동물원. 미술관 옆 카페. 미술관 옆 캠핑장. 미술관 옆엔 뭘 갖다 붙여도 '있어보인다'. 미술관이 주는 예술적인 느낌 때문일까? 아니면 고급스러운 이미지 때문에? 운치 있는 거리에 자리잡은 미술관 다섯 곳을 모았다. 전시도 멋지고 공간 자체도 멋진 곳들이다. 미술관이 자리한 거리에는 예술의 여운을 이어갈 수 있는 근사한 레스토랑과 카페도 그림처럼 박혀 있다. 전시를 감상한 후, 따뜻하게, 혹은 작품만큼 멋지게 시간을 보낼 수 있는 미술관 옆 레스토랑을 모았다.    

Coconut is a friendly fruit to both our taste buds and our health. It support our immune system, improves digestion and even aids weight loss. At Seochon Beverage Lab, they've figured out a way to make this wonderful fruit into the Seoulites' favorite summer-time desert, bingsu. The coconut bingsu comes served in a brown coconut cut in half on a stainless steel-plate filled with ice. The shaved ice part is made with frozen coconut juice and is topped with everything coconut: coconut jelly, coconut chips and coconut ice cream. A shot of espresso is nicely served on the side. The creaminess of the ice cream and crunchiness of the chips come to create contrasting textures, and it's quite delightful. The shot of espresso is meant to be poured on top (like an affogato), but those who want to enjoy the coconuty flavors could wait till they're almost finished with the dessert as the coffee will completely blanket the original flavors of the fruit.  The "lab" part of the Seochon Beverage Lab isn't just a name; it's in fact a research center and café that explores new recipies such as the coconute bingsu, its signature item. The lab certainly lives up to its name, offering quality drinks and dessers that are flavorful, neatly-presented and newly created each season. One of the newst seasonal items is the Avo-Coco made with coconut cream and avocados. There's one drink minimum-policy at the café but bring-your-own-light snacks is allowed. Note that the coconut ice cream has a limited s

Once the glorified epicenter for all things electronics, the Kukje Electronics Center is now almost in ruins as online shopping and mega retail outlets became the norm. The 9th floor however, is a completely different story of its own. The floor is considered a Mecca and paradise for deoku (those who are obsessed with the subject of concern), and you’ll know exactly why as soon as you reach the floor. You’ll find game shops selling all things game consoles like Playstations and Nintendos, along with figure shops, Gundam shops, PlaModel shops, shops stocked with grab-a-prize machines, and so much more. It truly is a place for kidults and deoku. Figures include well-known Japanese anime characters (from One Piece, Naruto, Tekken 5, Doraemon), scarce items from grab-a-prize machines (which are mysteriously highly popular in Korea these days) and you can’t forget about the characters from blockbuster Marble and DC Comics movies. Prices of these items sold on the 9th floor can vary – you might even be shocked when you see the price tag. You might be even more surprised to see a purchase of a 2,000,000 won Batmobile model, but for vendors here it’s just the norm. The main reason this place is still pumping with business is because its clientele is those that are highly passionate about their kidult hobbies. The vendors, on the other hand, are passionate about selling their rare possessions, ones that they have drawn blood and sweat (I’m not sure if that’s the right expression lol)

Within Seoul's "kidult" community, Gundam PlaModels are possibly the most hyped-and-sought-after toys. Legos would come in second place with an equally obvious cult-like following.  The moto of the Lego Group  is “Inspire and develop the builders of tomorrow,” marketing the activity of Lego-building to help develop creative abilities in young children. Surprisingly, in Korea, they reach a much larger audience; 20% of all Lego sales in Korea are to adults or perhaps better known as kidults. Lego has bigger sales in Korea in comparison to Japan, a country known for having a huge kidult (otaku) community. Lego was introduced to Korea in 1980 and those that have childhood memories with building Lego are now all grown up. It’s probably why these grown up kidults show such loyalty to the toy brand. So, to all the existing Korean Lego fans, the idea of a Lego Store is beyond 'fun' or 'cool'. The Lego Group’s first official Korean store opened in April of 2017 and yes, there was a long line of people waiting to get their hands on the limited editions sold only at official stores around the world. At this official store, you can even pick the color and shape of single Lego pieces through the ‘Pick-A-Brick’ zone and even build your own Lego people by choosing the type of head, body and legs at the ‘Build-A-Minifigure’ zone. This store is also the first place in Korea that will begin selling the newest arrivals. One special item you can get at the Lego store in Lotte World Mall is the 2

“There’s a place like that in Seoul?” is a question many Seoulites will ask when learning about this area exists. Dongdaemun Stationery Store Street os located somewhere between Dongmyo Station and Dongdaemun Station, and is often missed or overlooked by many as there really isn’t much that distinguishes it from the existing environment. The street began forming its distinctive characteristic of selling toys and stationeries in the mid-1970’s and now currently houses 120 different stores. Among elementary school kids, the street is unanimously famous for being stocked with the latest trending toys, while the older generation will be able to find items that bring back memories of their childhood. Various rare imported items, notebooks, writing utensils and even shoes among other items can be bought for up to 50% off its retail price – a perfect reason to go with your children. Most of the clientele that comes to the market are children dragging their parents along. But once in a while, you will see someone who seems to awkwardly fit in with the environment but not completely. They are usually young adults. Upon asking them why they came here, they just casually replied “to buy toys of course!” while showing their purchases without hesitation. The toys were obviously not meant for her age, yet she seemed extremely happy with her purchase. Likewise, the Dongdaemun Stationery Store Street is well-known spot amongst toy collecting kidults. For 20% less, you can find and purchase o

At Rose Mansion located in Seong-su, seeing someone's underwear being dried on the rooftop next door isn't all that awkward. Itself a humble old house, the charm of the café found at the end of a maze filled with old-fashioned signs and shrub roses is, in fact, the mundane, nostalgic and comforting vibes. If you're trying to get inside, though, it's not all that simple; you might end up opening every door you see and climbing up and down the staircases several times before getting your drink. What you want to look for is the wooden door that'll lead you to the counter.  Once inside, you'll feel relieved, especially if you're into cute social media things—vintage furniture, old-school chandeliers, and little novelty items complete Instagram-worthy scenes available on any angle. As for the menu, the most popular item here is the Rose Latte which has red velvet syrup in it. The "rooftop special" combining 4 types of freshly squeezed detox juices, skewers and beer offers an "interesting" yet easy choice for a group. There are now so many cafés located in Seongsu, but we have a feeling that Rose Mansion will soon be the next trendy spot in the area. After all, Daelim Changgo and Onion and all the other "Seongsu-y" are packed on weekends, and Rose Mansion will offer at least some space for you to breathe.

It seems that most of the places that are known to be "hot cafés" in Seoul these days are, design wise, either minimalistic, industrial or sauna-like. In short, they're "Instagram-worthy." Shared Tabled located in Seongsu is undoubtedly one of them—the problem is, though, that it qualifies as all 3, filled with one of those large communal tables placed in the middle, minimalistic furniture and a tub-like seat decorated with off-white tiles and greenery. So, what do they sell? It's lots of different things, really: from Le Cafe Marly specialized in brunch menus, Italian eatery Say Cheese, Thai restaurant Noodle Nook, ¿Qué Tal? tapas bar and Elements offering Busan Gorilla Brewery's craft beers have gathered up to create a "shared table." A food hall sounds great (especially considering that there aren't many places to eat around the café except for a famous gamjatang restaurant) but the issue is that the place gets way too noisy to dine or wine. Looking at the numerous pitures of Shared Table featured on social media may easily attract you to head over to Seongsu, but it turned out that unfortunately there's a huge discrepancy between the 2-dimensional illustrations and the reality.

Is it a restaurant, a desert café or a bar? The answer is the combination of all 3! It is Seoul’s first cereal café, where you can enjoy al-kee-hol along with a bowl of cereal (because, why not?).  Created by 4 artists (actor/K-pop singer Yoon Kye-sang, photographer Kim Rin-yong and Hong Sung-hyeon, and stylist Lee Jin-kyu), Midnight in Seoul is a place for cereals from 8am to 12pm, while from 6pm to 2am it turns into a bar. Its photogenic interior completed with baby-pink walls and cutesy stacks of cereal boxes will likely to have you pull out your smartphone for some Instagram shots as soon as you enter the space.  With a cereal menu updated on a weekly basis, over 40 different cereals are available, many of which are directly imported from overseas. And yes, it's quite a scene, especially on your first visit here, to witness all of the cereal eaters nurturing their bowl way past the breakfast hours. To order, you write which one of the cereals you want on a piece of paper they provide, choose between milk, yogurt or ice cream and finally select one topping (M&M's, nuts, gummy bears, marshmallow, fruits, etc.). While you can often see a number of sold-out kinds, don't be discouraged and just let the server of know what you want — they will help you get a nice bowl that you've probably never seen in Seoul. As for the price (3,500 won - 6,500 won), it seems a bit high for cereals served in a paper bowl. But slurping a bowl of Lucky Charms whilst being surrounded by pastel wal

If you craving some classic southern (east coast) comfort, Brotherhood Kitchen is the place to visit. Located in the alley behind the CGV, Gangnam Station, this "American home food" restaurant has been slowly gaining popularity through word of mouth and Instagram hash tags. Seoulites understand that, in Seoul, finding fried chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy is a rather special kind of pleasure—while Brotherhood Kitchen does offer that, its delightful menu includes a lot more, with the Chicken and Waffle as one of the specialties. Don’t worry, for those of you who’ve never had it before; quite humorously, illustrated instruction stickers are provided at each table, and of course, you can just dig in whichever way you want. The chicken is juicy and has a nice crust, while the waffle offers softness and sweetness to balance it all out in your mouth. If you’re looking for something homier, you can try their Grilled Chicken and Chili Rice. The combination of the saffron rice, chili sauce (which isn’t too spicy) and grilled chicken makes for a light but hearty meal. For those who are in need of a casual American meal besides the usual burgers and fries, Brotherhood Kitchen provides an experience worth paying for.

At Barogream located in Sangsu-dong, you can find reasonably priced small sized art works. With each of the paintings and illustrations created by around 40 local artists (professionals as well as amateurs) telling a unique or witty story of its own, it's fun to look around and spend some time here.  The reason why this place is called Barogream (which roughly translates as "immediate drawing") is because anyone can submit a piece to sell here—"anyone should be able to make, share and buy art" the philosophy of Lee Hong-jin, the founder of this shop. While it's an extremely small space, Barogream showcases around 2000 pieces of works. They're all in a high quality, and can be simply framed with paper frames which come in 15 different colors (they're light yet quite durable).

The plaza in front of MBC will be transformed into a skate rink. It’s not usually listed on tourist sites, so you’ll be finding a more local demographic. The MBC skate rink surpassed expectations with over 10,000 visitors in the first 10 days of opening in 2014, and has since been a popular location for skaters. Here you will be able to skate alongside concerts from celebrities and if you’re lucky maybe even see one up close! Skate and helmet rentals cost only 3,000 won. For those of you upset at the representative Seoul Plaza Skate Rink not in service this year, Sangam MBC Skate Rink will sure be a great replacement.

“Where’s this music coming from?” You might ask yourself as you hear live music played somewhere whilst you stroll through the COEX mall. Inside a rather sterile-looking mall, “street performance” may sound quite awkward for most. But once you find the skilled indie bands, vocalists, Korean traditional percussion groups, guitarists and B-boys taking their stage to this unusual venue, you’ll soon realize that your mood and spirits getting lifted. The COEX mall fully supports busking and provides performance venues (a plaza inside the mall) and equipment to amateur musicians, whereby the musicians are provided with free space to perform in, and the audience can enjoy high quality music for free. In addition to the venue and equipment, the COEX mall also provides publicity through its website and network platforms. Is it sustainable, though? At the moment, there are more than 100 shows a month, and more than 1,000 times a year. Artists and buskers who are interested in performing here can apply via the COEX mall website (www.coexmall.com) or the Buskingplay website (www.buskingplay.com). The performance schedule is available on the COEX mall website, the official Facebook page (www.facebook.com/coexmall), or its blog (http://blog.naver.com/coexmall_blog).

In Korea, the popularity of the Marvel Universe and its myriad of colorful characters is definitely high, thanks to the growing number of Marvel fanatics of this country. In the quiet corner of Megabox (one of the most popular movie theater chains in Korea) inside COEX, there sits Marvel Collection Enter Six. Four months after the opening of the world’s very first official Marvel store inside Park Avenue (located near Wangsimni and Hanyang University station), this official Marvel store had a second opening in June at Megabox COEX. Inside, you can basically find every Marvel character you could think of: Avengers heroes including the Iron Man, Captain America, Hulk, Thor, and so on, along with the heroes from the Guardians of Galaxy, the most recent Marvel hit Dr. Strange, X-men and Daredevil. Here is a list of Marvel related products you can purchase at the store: Hot Toys figures, DVDs, original comic books, stationery, accessories, clothing, electronic accessories such as portable batteries and headphones, and even skateboards! And as if the awesomeness couldn’t stop there, this store even carries Marvel hero printed face masks. The hottest section here is the Hot Toy Zone where hyper-realistic figures of the Marvel characters are created right in front of you. The detail is amazing, to the point where slight wrinkles and intentional flaws and blemishes are visible. Watching a 1/6th scaled version of your favorite Marvel heroes indeed makes time pass quickly (the price is