Soo-yeon Park

Can’t choose what hotel to stay at? Having travelled and written on various hotels around the globe, editor of Time Out Seoul Lee Dong-mi gives expert advice to those in need. Experience what it feels like to sleep at a boutique hotel or a six-star luxurious hotel.

You already know about street food in Seoul. Whether it’s a spicy and savory dish like tteokboki and o-deng or a sweet red-bean filled pastry, most Seoulites know that street food is in a whole other dimension in the shopping district of Myeongdong. Filled with so many different food vendors, you gotta wonder—why are all the tourists lined up at their booths? Is it really that good? Is it really paying for? We at Time Out Seoul have done all the investigative work for ya. These carts vary in location and availability month to month, and we can’t guarantee how long the trends will last, so catch them (or please don’t) while you can.

한국의 길거리 음식문화는 이미 유명하다. 맵고 감칠맛 나는 떡볶이, 오뎅 또는 호떡은 어디서나 찾을 수 있지만, 명동의 길거리 음식은 차원이 다르다. 복잡한 명동거리를 빽빽이 채운 포장마차에는 항상 많은 관광객이 줄을 선다. 하지만 이 많은 포장마차의 음식이 정말 다 맛있을까? Tip: 명동의 포장마차는 위치뿐만 아니라 메뉴도 매달 바뀐다. 언제 시작하고 끝날지 모르는 포장마차 음식의 유행도 빠르게 바뀌니 있을 때 찾아가거나 피하자!

I fell in love with Park Hyatt’s deluxe room as its bathroom has a large window. (Large windows in bathrooms are my favorite;soft goose bedding and soft mattresses are just the basics). When I submerged myself in the bathtub and looked down at the buildings of Samseong-dong by peeking out the curtains, it felt like I was the main character in a movie. (With such large windows, though, one has to wonder if it’s prudent to bathe with the curtains open.) After the satisfying bath, I decided to go to The Timber House because during their Happy Hour (from 6pm–8:30pm), one can drink an unlimited amount of sake, beer and wine for 38,000 won. Except for sashimi, which is 50,000 won, most of the dishes here including salmon tataki and fish with salted sea cucumber viscera, were around 10,000–15,000 won making me even happier. Thanks to this, it wasn’t as expensive as most hotel bars. After drinking at The Timber House, we went for another round in the lobby lounge on the 24th floor. I wanted to try new cocktails like the Strawberry Makquiri and Bloody Kimchi. Instead of using rum for a daquiri, makgeoli was used in the Strawberry Makquiri, a sweet cocktail with a good balance in taste. The Bloody Kimchi had quite a stronger kimchi taste than I expected. I was told that they added kimchi juice and red pepper paste to an ordinary Bloody Mary, but to me, the red pepper paste was a little off. Having some more wine in the room, our stay at the Park Hyatt Seoul ended up being a girls’ nigh