December's things to do

Sometimes, getting Korean food with friends can be a hassle—one person wants to get bibimbap, another wants to get meat, and yet another wants savory pancakes and makgeolli. And if you’re in Hongdae, where decent Korean food is hard to find, you may be tempted to call it a night. Enter Chawoongga, which serves individually-sized portions of Korean food on trays and has a fairly diverse menu that ranges from bulgogi to kimchi-jjim. The recipes come from the owner’s mother, Mrs. Cha, a woman well over seventy who still comes in and brings her magic to the kitchen. Her nickname was “Bear Grandmother,” which lent itself to the name of the original restaurant a few minutes away (Hongdae old-timers may recall Bear Who Eats Greens). The new restaurant is housed in a beautiful 90-year-old hanok with vintage doors and windows, and a small courtyard garden (yes, in the middle of Hongdae—it’s a miracle). With this atmosphere, it’s a wonder that they’ve been able to keep prices as reasonable as they are—many of the lunch sets are under 10,000 won.  

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.

Comments from our coffee experts SJ This place is owned by Coffee Libre’s Kim Byung-ki, a green coffee bean buyer; roaster Kim Do-hyun; barista Park Geun-ha; barista Song Sung-man from El Café; and the genius pastry chef Heo Min-su. It took almost a year for this coffee place to become one of the best places in Korea. David G. We Some people call this place the “Avengers of the coffee industry,” as people from diverse backgrounds got together to open this store. It is famous for its baked goods as well. Cho Won-jin Their fresh coffee and baked goods will satisfy you in every way.   Fritz is one of the few places in Seoul that will offer you the choice of paper or metal filters for your pour-over. It’s no mere gimmick: one of the five cofounders is Park Geun-ha, 2014 Barista Champion of Korea, and a 14-year veteran in the business of beans. They hold cupping sessions Thursdays and Sundays at 6 p.m. for those of you wishing to learn more about the finer points of coffee (sorry, Korean only). If the language barrier has you on the sidelines, console yourself with a pain au chocolat and enjoy the retro vibe of the converted traditional tile-roof house.