December's things to do

A good croissant is hard to find in Seoul, and even harder to find outside of well-heeled districts that import French patissiers. Hongdae's The Old Croissant Factory gives the Seorae-maeul French District a run for its money. Their croissant has a flaky, but not burnt, exterior that you can hear when you bite, light and tender layers inside, and a milky, buttery smell. We’re not huge fans of their variations on the original (one with swiss cheese melted on the top, and another with chocolate and sprinkles), but if you’re looking for variety they also sell scones and pain au chocolat. There are a few seats available, so you can sit down and enjoy of cup of Harney and Sons tea with your pastry.

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.

Listed on the 2017 Michelin guide, Ryunique is undoubtedly one of the best French fine dining restaurants in Seoul. Headed by chef Ryu Tae-Hwan, Ryunique offers one-of-a-kind menu items that showcase an impressive level of creativity in a refined manner. Bistro Normal by Ryunique located in Sinsa-dong is Ryu's second venture. While the atmosphere of the restaurant is definitely more casual than Ryunique with only five tables, the restaurant is far from typical. Far from “normal”, Chef Ryu’s distinct culinary style and attention to detail were clearly evident in the food, especially in the ten-course dinner tasting menu. The course starts off with the shrimp guacamole wrapped in rice paper as the amuse-bouche, then continues with a tomato salad with cucumber dressing and pumpkin cream soup as the appetizers. For the main entrees, you can choose from a roasted duck that has been aged thirty days, chicken or fish. The combination of ingredients made for a special tasting experience that may as well have been considered fine dining. Whereas Ryunique offers a course-only menu, at least you have the option to order a la carte at Normal. If you were ever curious about Chef Ryu Tae-Hwan’s culinary style but unwilling to spend the extravagant costs, the Bistro Normal by Ryunique may be well worth a visit.