광명시 철산동 대감복집~ Spicy Braised Puffer Fish ~ Dae-gam bok-jip, Gwangmyeong

October 2017. Day 17 in Korea. After chueotang lunch, we head to Yeongdeungpo for next business meeting and will be staying at Gwangmyeong for 2 nights before we go back to Busan. We were invited for a dinner nearby the hotel we are staying~ Dae Gam Bok Jib. It is a restaurant specialized in 복찜 Bokjjim~ Spicy braised fish using poisonous puffer fish (복어 bogeo). The restaurant has been operate since 1991 in Cheolsan-dong, with only private dining room dining available. Bokjjim taste similar to Agujjim (Spicy Braised Monkfish)~ where the fish is braised with bean sprouts, watercress and a thick spicy sauce. Only special trained chef with license who know which part is safe to eat and in what quantity can prepare this dish. It is kind of weird to think that I am eating a poisonous puffer fish when we having the bokjjim. Puffer fish meat has a clean and chewy texture compare to soft and gelatinous monk fish if where to compare. The remaining of bok-jjim is use to make bokkeumbap (fried rice) and that's what I enjoy the most from this meal. And I like the sweet plum tea that served as after meal dessert~ so refreshing.

시흥 물왕동 추오정 남원 추어탕~ Mud Fish Soup~ Nam-won Chu-eo-tang, Siheung

October 2017. Day 17 in Korea. Took KTX head North to Siheung early in the morning for a meeting. Its my first time at Siheung~ a city which is 35km away from Seoul. After meeting end, we have lunch together with the people from the meeting at a famous Chueo-tang restaurant nearby. It's my first time eating Chueotang (mudfish soup). I am quite anticipated as I have been curious how it taste like. Turns out it taste similar like Dwenjang Jiggae with the texture like Kongbiji Jiggae! Not fishy as I imagine it will be. This Chueotang I am having is Namwon style~ where mudfish are boiled till tender, sieved to remove bones and skins before add in with broth with seasoning (gochujang, dwenjang, ginger, ground black pepper) and vegetables. Also tried their famous tonkatsu layered with pumpkin and cheese inside and green chili peppers tempura. Comfort meal for me in this wet and chilly raining day!

How I walk from Daehwa Station to Kintex & Ilsan Lake Park

September 2017. Day 5 in Korea. Husband went to Incheon for a meeting early in the morning. Since I have no schedule today, I decided to walk to Kintex (Korea largest exhibition centre) and Ilsan Lake Park (one of the Asia largest man-made lake park) for a visit. As our hotel is nearby Daehwa station, I begin from the walk from Daehwa station Exit 2. After cross the street via traffic light~ there is a stone signage indicated that this is a walkway to Kintex~ a beautiful walkway between apartment blocks with trees on both sides. It's about 5 mins walk (approx. 300m). Along the way locals or residents can bee see exercising or hang-around at the recreation area.

I briefly look around both Kintex 1 and Kintex 2 including make a pit stop at the tourism desk to obtain map of Ilsan lake park and Goyang-si. However the short visit took nearly an hour as the exhibition is really huge! After get my coffee of the day~ iced caffe latte from Twosome Place at Kintex 2, I then begin my walk to Ilsan Lake Park from Kintex 2 main gate (Gate 2) where there's a huge luggage as landmark. Walk out thru the side way of the gate, continue the journey by walk thru a pedestrian tunnel, I found a beautiful flower wall painting but kind of spooky feel inside the tunnel as it has spider web here and there (as if the tunnel is not being used for sometimes...)

After walk out from the tunnel, continue to head straight for 8 mins until reach a overhead bridge where Hyundai Department Store is located opposite the main road. Use the overhead bridge crossover the main road to Hyundai Department Store. And continue to head straight on left hand side direction to walk pass Hyundai Dept Store.  

After walk pass Hyundai Department Store until the end of it's building, turn right after the building corner and continue to head straight. Along the way I walk pass Homeplus and Lotte Vic Mart as well where I need to cross a main road via traffic light. About about 10 mins walk including a quick browse of the mart and a toilet break at Lotte Vic Mart, I reached one of the nearest Ilsan lakeside park entrance which is located at the overhead bridge that connects the Lakeside Apartments and Lake Park. 

Just take stairs go up to the overhead bridge and the park entrance is there right at the end of the bridge. This entrance is the entrance of Ilsan Lake Park where the musical fountain is. Further walk down for another 5 to 10 mins there is another bigger entrance of Lake Park so even if I miss out this overhead bridge I still can go into Lake Park thru other entrance. If you wish to know more about the Ilsan Lake Park, do check out my upcoming post on it~

 

일산 2박 3일~ Ilsan 3 days 2 nights @ Ilsan, Goyang

September 2017. Day 4 in Korea. After the morning meeting in Cheongju city, we left and head to Seoul via Express bus which takes about 2 hours journey. The destination is Seoul Central City Bus Terminal which has department stores, retails, movie theaters and even hotels all within the terminal building. Feels like we are at an airport, not a bus terminal. It is also connected with Seoul Subway, from here we took the Subway Line 3 to our final destination~ Ilsan, Goyang. 

We are living nearby Daehwa Station in Ilsan. After check in to a hotel just one street away from the staion, we meet up with a friend who lives nearby for dinner. We haven't meet each other since our last met in Seoul in 2014. Friend recommended Hwasumok 화수목~ a barbeque restaurant next to Daehwa Station Exit.2. Three of us share an big size assorted meat course, about 800g of 토시살 Beef hanger steak, 갈비 Ribs, 갈매기살 Seagull meat (a cut between pork rib and pork belly) and 삼겹살 pork belly. It is so delicious. Thanks to our friend, we get to enjoy a good Korean barbeque meal at our first visit to Ilsan. 

After dinner, we go for round two at an Izakaya named Tokuri 도쿠리 nearby. The gentlemen continue the talks with drinks with sake and some assorted chicken skewers + a oden-guk. Besides the chicken skewers, I quite like the bacon enoki mushroom roll and grilled garlic. Since I don't drink, I get myself iced caffe latte at a nearby franchise cafe - Coffeebanhada 커피에 반하다 before we starts round two. Here I started to discover that low cost coffee chain has become a new trend in Korea nowadays. I will share more later of my few visits of other low cost coffee chain in other post later.