December's things to do

The name of this tea-café, “Suyeonsanbang” literally translates into “a small home in the forest where literary people used to meet” and the title’s appropriate as it was once home to late Korean author Lee Tae-jun. This hanok home served as the backdrop to several of his short stories and was the main setting his 1943 novel, "HaebangJeonhu" as well. Hidden on the side slope of a hill and tucked behind a rainbow of flowers and a small forest of trees, it’s not hard to imagine how a writer could draw inspiration whilst in this charming hideaway. Talked about on media outlets in Japan, France and the UK, the home consists of several rooms and chairs around the space. The tea collection on the menu is impressive and their ability to take something like medicinal herb ssanghwa-cha and make it delicious, even more so. 

Salmon sashimi lovers, here’s one for you. Mibbeudong is famed for its tomato salmon noodles – a refreshing, cold tomato broth packed with vegetables and long strands of salmon sashimi cut lengthways to resemble noodles. If you’re a little less excited over this, another popular item on the menu here is the Mibbeudong itself, a rice moat topped with a tower of mixed sashimi, uni and ikura.

Would there be any other place in the city that's full of such happy looking adults? This “indoor fishing café” located in Daehangno is what you can imagine plus so much more liveliness and lighthearted fun. With the helpful and energetic staff, fishing becomes real entrainment here. At just 10,000 won, you get an hour of fishing, free snacks, coffee and soft drinks. Mind you, though—you might assume that you're not into fishing, but once you're here, several hours pass by pretty quickly. Opening daily until 2am, Father Carp Indoor Fishing Café qualifies as a nice (though unusual) night hangout spot in the city. Waiting for my lucky catch, even a can of Hite (3,000 won) somehow tastes better than I remember.