December's things to do

Mija Seoul has been making waves since it first opened in May. The restaurant focuses on creating a dinner menu inspired by hearty Korean fare made with local and seasonal ingredients. Apart from using produce from the restaurant's rooftop garden, they also take time to source from local farms. Here, you’ll find Danish chef Kevin Kroløkke, who brings with him 10 years of restaurant experience from the now defunct, Michelin-starred, Restaurant Relæ. He helms the restaurant with his partner Tina Choi (also known as Doobydobap on TikTok and Instagram).

In Seoul, there’s a vast field of white roses that come to life when night falls. In fact, there are 25,550 of them planted on the grounds of the Dongdaemun Design Plaza, emitting a dazzling nebula of cool, white lights. The figures speak to the 70th anniversary of Gwangbok-Jeol (Independence Day): 365 days times 70 years equals 25,550 roses. As the garden is split into two elongated areas, “Rose Road” might have also been appropriate. When the sun sets, the artificial roses light up to give off a slightly greenish tinge. Look inside the bud and you’ll see exactly why—each rose is made out of fabric to house a micro LED bulb, not much bigger than the size of a thumbnail. The roses at the DDP shut down when the sun comes up, so make sure to head over when the sparkle and the magic happen.

The trendy neighbourhood of Seongsu is home to a plethora of cafes, but if you’d ask us to choose, we’d have to pick 5to7 as one of our favourites in the area. The dessert cafe is a lovely spot to head to after a walk around Seoul Forest with plenty of drink options to quench your thirst. Be sure to grab a serving of their boba souffle pancake while you’re at it too.